First and foremost, you will never find a better host than Tom. He was responsive, engaging, and generous. For example, the ownership of the rental changed to Tom after we booked it, so he sent us a gift card for our "inconvenience." We were the first guests to stay in the owner's new place. He was very easy to contact -- he usually responded within minutes, and no more than a couple of hours.

For all readers, please know that we spent FOUR FULL WEEKS in Tom's rental.

Bottom line up front: you will LOVE this place.

Before we arrived to our destination, he made sure we had everything we needed for a smooth check in. He provided instructions to access the place, who our local point of contact was, using the TV, etc. Nearly any and all of our questions were answered before we arrived.
Upon arrival, we were astounded by the quality of the condo. The decorations were Hawaiian-esque and a whole wall was a panel of mirrors, giving the studio a roomier feeling. In the fridge was a box of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts with water--a perfect welcome to the island. The guests included my wife and our two children, and there was room enough for all. The condo had an extra air mattress with all the beddings, pillows, bath towels, beach towels, cleaning supplies (broom/dust pan, sponges, dish soap, dishwasher soap), and everything needed to cook a meal (pots, pans, cups/plates/utensils). The kitchen also included a microwave, stove, and small conventional oven.

The shower had two different heads with all the hot water we needed, and even had a clothes line where we hung up our swim clothes. There was a small dishwasher that effectively cleaned the dishes. We watched several movies online and never had a problem with internet speed. The lighting was AMAZING. During the day, we opened up the wall of windows and shades that flooded the studio with natural light. While the view only showed us the next-door sand volleyball court and outrigger club dining facility, the breeze this brought in (as well as through the panels on the front door). There was absolutely no need for air conditioning with the cool natural breeze; however, we turned on the ceiling fan and portable fan unit as occasionally during the day.

The location was perfect. It was away from the noise of main Waikiki street, but within a 15-minute walk we had access to world-class shopping and dining, surfboard/paddleboard rentals (a great surfing playground for beginners and experienced individuals alike), Waikiki aquarium, and Honolulu Zoo. Next door was a wide-open grass park with plenty of picnic tables, tennis courts, outdoor exercise equipment (which we used almost daily), and a little private beach in the backyard that had cleaner sand than the beach next door. Oh, and there is an outdoor shower on the path to the beach accessed only by the key fob, which made things so much easier, especially with our two kids.