This will be a bit lengthy so I'll also include a summary. I will not be staying here next time I visit Hawai'i.
Summary version -
Pros:
- Great location right on the beach
-Very clean space
-Walking distance from a cool shrimp food truck
Cons:
-Overkill on house rule repetition and emphasis, we felt like unwelcomed intruders instead of guests or paying customers.
-Additional contract with additional house rules was sent months after cancellation period ended.
-Noisy bedroom by traffic on Kamehameha.
-Bathroom door jams and bedroom door doesn't slide all the way shut very easily.
-Only one key fob, so the spare key doesn't do much good
More details -
Pros:
-The beach is beautiful and we were able to watch the sunrise from one of the lawn chairs right out back - can't really beat a location like that.
-We walked into the condo and it was very cozy and well kept.
-Patio is nice and you can see and hear the ocean, so it made for a good reading space. --We went for a walk to the shrimp food truck down the road maybe 1/10 mile and got some delicious shrimp and boba tea!
-Water filter is in the fridge, so if you don't like faucet water, you can use that.
Cons:
-I booked the Airbnb in March and received an additional contract message from Greg in early August. House rules were repeated, emphasized, explained, outcomes of not following house rules detailed, and even included legal language. This is all handled in the Airbnb Terms & Conditions and sending a separate contract is overkill. I would have found a different place to stay had this come in March when I booked. It made the host appear overbearing and unwelcoming, and sending this so late in the game made me feel trapped since other rentals are not available last minute and the period for free cancellation was LONG passed; only 50% of my reservation fee would have been refunded had I cancelled when he sent this contract.
- Not only are house rules posted on the Airbnb listing (standard), but there was the additional contract, they were included in the info booklet (standard), they were posted on the laundry machines, and on the fridge. This is too much, decent guests get told house rules once and they abide by them.
- Cleaning rules were excessive considering the $115 cleaning fee. Laundry, dishes, trash, and excessive sand regulations seemed a bit much if I paid for a professional to come clean the space upon my departure.
- I understand that sand sucks and makes a mess of everything, but this place is on the beach - sand is going to get in. It seemed like if a single grain of sand was found anywhere, we would be fined. It's a beach rental. We hosed off because that's what everyone should do, but there has to be an expectation that something will make it's way in.
- Check out was stated to be 10am, so we departed by 10am. At 12:30pm, Greg sent me a message asking if we were still there. No... we left at the designated check out time. I did not have cell signal all day so I got the message around 4pm, and within 5 minutes of my response, Greg left me a review - like he was waiting to see what I said to add some detail to his review.
- There was a rule against hanging wet towels or swimsuits on the railing on the porch.
- View of the beach is obstructed by an odd concrete wall and open space.
- Kamehameha highway is very noisy at night and it kept me up in the bedroom. There was also a neighbor yelling pretty loud the first night.
- Bathroom door jams pretty badly. Two of us got locked in for a few minutes and couldn't get out.
- Bedroom door slides most of the way shut but getting the last inch needs to be wiggled
- Only one key fob is included, so the spare key wasn't very useful when we split up.