It's always hard to not give a place a 5 star review. Why? Because you want to be kind/supportive to the host. And Milo was a very good host. The apartment was clean, well-stocked and he was very responsive. The apartment was also well decorated. But on the other hand, and perhaps more importantly, I want to provide an honest review so that travelers can make a good choice. And here I'd say here, the downsides were several.
First, because this is a "new" concept in resorts, there is no front-desk. That means that when you check out(11 a.m.) there is no place to leave luggage or to later clean yourselves up. You are expected to leave the grounds at 11 a.m (no access to pool, showers etc after). Since we had an 11 pm flight (very common), this left us without a home base after going to the beach and hiking. That was very unusual and not clear when making the reservation. Second, they list the apartment as having "incomparable views" of the mountains. That's true, if you use the upper half of your vision. Because the apartment is directly is across the street from the Safeway (looking out at the street, not facing the beach), the bottom half of your vision is filled with passing cars and the parking lot of the Safeway. So you basically keep the curtains closed the whole time. I found that somewhat disingenuous and disappointing.
Second, we were told to basically clean the apartment, leaving only used towels and sheets out. We were supposed to try to leave it in the condition we found it. Not a problem--except that there was a $270 cleaning fee. The fee was fully disclosed and I rented the place with knowledge of that fee. But when cleaning the place afterward, and in combination with the fact that we had to take our luggage around our last day of hiking and at the beach, I began to feel some resentment. Why a cleaning fee of $270? Seems excessive for putting on new sheets and cleaning the shower.
Lastly, Kapaa is not an area I would stay again. Earlier in our trip we stayed in the north, in Princeville. That area is gorgeous. Hanalai (adjacent town to Princeville) is remarkably beautiful and peaceful. Kapaa is more like a series of strip malls. And this condo (compared to the one in Princeville) was far more money. If you want the feel of Hawaii (or remote Hawaii) I would go north. Kapaa feels more like being in Florida.
I feel a bit guilty providing this review--because Milo is an excellent host. And if you want a large, clean apartment, beautiful and fun pool, beach access and a restaurant that looks out at the ocean, this could be a great place for you. But it wasn't the right place for us.