2 Stars – Not going to kill you, but definitely much worse than as pictured in the profile. As of October 14th 2021 the photos are years old, maybe a decade or more based on the wear and tear on the exterior of the building. The round mosaic table pictured on the back patio isn’t even on the property anymore – replaced with a rusted out rectangular one, so I can only presume the first one deteriorated completely before the new one was purchased and has already rusted through too.
The inside is not much better. Sure, the wooden furniture survived, but anything upholstered has decayed, curtains on the showers and windows have been allowed to grow reddish/black mold/mildew, and sinks/faucets have been allowed to grow thick calcified deposits with drains almost totally clogged by who-knows-what just below the surface. Meanwhile, the entire place seems unsealed to the weather and tiny ants freely infiltrate the living space just minutes after pulling your lunch from the refrigerator – Hawaii has bugs like any tropical venue, but this house is especially vulnerable to them. Every window on the building is permanently fogged up by moisture between the panes, a sign that they have become unsealed and need to be replaced or refurbished – this allows small insects to make their way freely inside and inclement weather to seep around the edges.
The place was absolutely falling apart on the outside and covered in dust and mildew on the inside. The exterior wooden stairs would bow at the weight of a regular sized adult and the beams supporting them were visibly rotting away, with large chunks of wood missing – four stairs had newly been replaced with unmatched lumber pieces, indicating there were stair failures developing previously. The upholstered couches were caked with dirt and grease, their cushions long worn out and drooping low – same story for the pillows, which I wouldn’t touch unless I was planning on taking a shower next. Every screw and nail on the exterior of the building wash leaching rust, as were each of the wall-mounted air conditioning units – this is no wonder because this house is being constantly sprayed by sea water and is not constructed from weather resistant materials like most of the other houses on the street.
The abandoned shacks in the lot next door show much of the same deterioration as this building and one of them is the mirror image of this building, likely constructed at the same time by the same developer. So just look at Google StreetView to see the state of the shack next door and that will give you a realistic idea of the rot occurring on this property over time – AirBnB wont let me upload my own photos, so I have to recommend people head over to Google Maps and take a virtual stroll down Waiehu Beach. Speaking of the shack next door, it is NOT “secured” as described in this profile – strangers toured the wreckage next door throughout our stay, coming from up the street to see the bizarre graffiti on the walls of the abandoned buildings. They merely had to step off the street onto the property because there is no wall or barrier.
On the opposite side of the house from the abandoned shacks, there is no fence! The photos show a brand new white fenced perimeter(it’s not so white anymore and is presently caked in dirt), but they conveniently omit that the fence on the opposite side of the property has either been removed or fallen down or never completed in the first place – for an 80ft+ open side of the house, there is nothing but a lonely 12x18in sign reading “No Trespassing” staked into the ground to dissuade any intruders or would-be thieves. This open side of the house faces a thoroughfare for the public to access the beach next to and in front of the house, so there is a constant flow of strangers driving up from near and far to get their fishing and surfing in for the day – entertaining to watch until you realize it is going on all day every day while you are out of the house and there isn’t even so much as a fence to deter them from entering the property.
Lastly, the "cobblestone" "beach" behind the house is covered in trash that has apparently washed ashore during high tides - pieces of dead crabs, an actual vehicle hub cap, bottles, and plastic waste, etc. It isn't a place you would want to traverse with your family to "look for shells" today.
Tenant beware - I can’t say I would ever stay here again, nor recommend it to a friend, in spite of the hosts being perfectly nice people.