Our experience was so good that am almost loath to share it for for fear this apartment will become too popular to book. But that just wouldn't be right, so here goes.
We felt completely at home in the apartment which looks just as shown in the listing - sweet, bright, simple, clean, with cool textiles and charming details everywhere. It had everything we needed, from Netflix to cute dishes and bowls to a washer and dryer to cutting boards and a beautiful breezy lanai and beach stuff like a floaty tube my daughter loved and lived in at the beach, plus a kids tent, towels, and boogie boards.
We rented a car which was handy for the hour drive from the airport and for trips to Foodland (for groceries) and Haleiwa (for shaved ice and touristy vibes) but it was great that Ted's Bakery (think coconut cream pie and Danish pastry) was right across the street and Mother's Beach (tame and beautiful, at least in July) was a block away - as easy walk for the whole family and close enough for bathroom breaks, snack runs, etc.
Philip and his family were super sweet and mellow and interesting. They live upstairs and were around but in a happy, helpful, not intrusive way. I really enjoyed meeting them and felt that we might have been friends in another life. I can't help but hope that we'll see them again on a redo of the same exact trip - it was just so easy and such a pleasure.
All in all, I'm so pleased we went the North Shore/Airbnb route rather than with a standard resort. The public beaches are the way to go - far from crowded and so damn beautiful. A resort would have meant junky overpriced food and days by the pool rather than snorkeling with the fishes... and locals.