After much searching for a place to vacation for our first time in Hawaii, my husband and I came upon Penny’s place and so glad we did! The balcony holds the million dollar view! View is just as photos pictured. When we arrived we had a hard time tearing ourselves away from the view of that lovely beach and the sounds of the ocean waves hitting the shore. Even though the place is not overly large its comfortable enough for two people. But when you’re on vacation we were happy enough to hang out on the balcony admiring the view, sunning on the beach and swimming in the ocean! As for the beach it is very clean and most of the time not very crowded. (More so on weekends) Penny supplied us with binoculars and was able to see the whales passing by on several occasions and sea turtles quite close to the shore. The condo is equipped with everything you may need for the beach. (Chairs, umbrella, snorkel gear, boogie boards, etc)
We had no problem finding the condo. Instructions were very detailed and security was efficient and helpful upon our arrival. Plenty of parking is available. Instructions were clear on how to enter the unit and did so without a hitch. Upon entering we were pleasantly greeted with welcoming touches for our arrival by Penny.
We read prior reviews and was aware that the condo location was not close to many of the tourist spots or airport. But we were on island time and didn’t mind taking a drive to see different parts of the island. Most of the places we went to were about an hours drive give or take 15 minutes, depending on traffic (including the airport). However, there are several other beaches only minutes away just as beautiful, grocery store in town close by as well as restaurants. We went to a couple of restaurants but beware they can be pricey. Since we had a full kitchen at our disposal we did make use of it. It is small but well supplied. We made a stop at Costco in route to the condo and stocked up on some ready made meals (heat and serve type) after all, I was on vacation and didn’t necessarily want to be cooking full blown meals, right? And of course there are plenty of your fast food restaurants. And since we were there during COVID we found that most everything was now open but practicing all the safety requirements. One thing we were not able to do was island hop. And we also liked having a washer and dryer in the unit and did make use of it. Laundry soap and dryer sheets were supplied. Some of the things we did while there was a luau and botanical gardens by the North Shore and the Dole Pineapple plantation. Did a kayak and snorkel excursion on the east side. (Lots of fun) Pearl Harbor and a tour on and in a submarine. Was in Honolulu and Waikiki beach. And couldn’t leave without getting some shopping in.
As for getting the required COVID test prior to arrival in Hawaii we opted to get it done the day of our departure to Hawaii at the designated medical facility in the Dallas/Fort Worth airport (set up just for people traveling to Hawaii) It’s expensive but convenient. Results done in 15 minutes. Luckily we had enough time between flights to find the place, get it done, and load the results into the Hawaii safe travels site. And kudos to the medical assistant that helped us electronically challenged people with loading the results onto our phones. Was way to complicated for us to do on our own.
For us, our trip to Hawaii was partly for much needed R&R and part enjoying what Hawaii has to offer. We enjoyed just hanging out at the condo and on the beach as much as heading out and exploring the island. We definitely would have liked to have stayed longer if it had been possible for us to do so. I would definitely recommend staying here and hope someday to return.