Pictures looked amazing, but once you are inside it feels a little different than it looks. Some things were not super thoughtful or were unfinished - for example, under the fridge there was exposed plywood (doesn't affect our stay, but ... just unfinished). The couch looks good, but wasn't comfortable for long periods of sitting, Same with the floor - I had to wear slippers because walking on the floor barefoot was uncomfortable. The building that the airbnb is in feels a little old (this is NOT Captain Cook's fault, but it did give a different impression than just the photos). There were streaks on the wall and some dishes required extra washing before using. There were two slidable 1'x1' tables that functioned as coffee tables. Since we did a lot of take out meals here (COVID), we sat at the couch a lot and ate in front of the TV. Having a larger, more stable coffee table would have been great for our stay.
Extra touches in the photos are just for the photos (I didn't really expect champagne, but even the flowers in flowers in the photos did not make it to the real condo). Another thing about the champagne - given how strong the wind was, it would have been silly to attempt that in real life.)
Byron said we could have an early checkin but when we got there it turned out that our room wasn't ready. He was able to put us in another room temporarily, but it wasn't the smoothest checkin process. We also had to ask if we could use the same parking pass and garage entrance key from our temp room for our new room rather than that being communicated proactively. Otherwise communication with Byron and other members of Captain Cook was good.
Proximity to the beach is great! We were able to go on walks and runs at all times of the day. Walking distance to the Musubi Cafe Iyasume and (slightly farther) IMP was a huge plus. The street is a little grungier than expected but we never felt unsafe. View of Diamond Head was amazing to be able to wake up to every day.
I think if the building were accurately represented in the photos, this would be 5 stars, but purely from the photos listed on airbnb, it seemed as if this were almost a penthouse in a nice condo building.
On our second day there was an issue with the water/drainage for the entire floor and the water went out in the kitchen sink. The water in the bathroom was still fully functional, but for the rest of the trip the kitchen sink was unusable and we had to do all our meat washing and dishes, etc in the bathroom. Mildly inconvenient, but not Captain Cook's fault and they were proactive in making amends and taking care of us.
Overall, a great stay and location - It looks like pricing fluctuates a lot and perhaps we booked too last minute, but value wise, I would have expected more. If you can get it at its lower pricing, you might have no complaints. We also stayed for 2 weeks - maybe if you're only here a few days, some of the things that bothered us wouldn't bother you.