THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY (TL;DR at the bottom)
The Good:
Four friends and I stayed at Todd's place in Wailuku for a very reasonable price. The place was a bit cramped but, that was to be expected from the pictures and description. The unit had two bedrooms (each with a queen-sized bed), a bathroom, and a living room (with a queen-sized pull-out bed) that led directly into a kitchen. The unit was stocked with the essentials listed minus oil, salt, and pepper. It also included coffee, coffee makers, detergent for the washer/dryer out back, and beach towels for all 5 of us. Todd left a gift basket for us, gave lots of local restaurant recommendations, and typically responded within a day. The place was invaluable to our having such a good vacation.
The Bad:
When we arrived at the unit, Todd had several house rules not listed on the Airbnb page. Some of those rules were to remove all wet food garbage and used feminine hygiene products from the unit to avoid critters inside. Todd also told us to stow all food in the fridge and take our shoes off when entering the home. Despite following all of these rules, we had a problem with bugs almost immediately. We found bugs on the counter, our shoes, our luggage, and even the ceiling. I understand that staying on a tropical island means I'll see my fair share of bugs and such. That being said, I felt misled about the degree to which I would see them. I wish Todd had mentioned this in the listing outright or that there were strong preventive measures in place to keep them in check. I also wish Todd had listed the many house rules, as well, before we arrived at the reservation.
The Ugly:
I have never had an Airbnb host that was so involved in my stay. One problem we ran into was with the A/C units. Todd requested that we turn off the 3 A/C units when we went out for the day. However, we didn't realize until our second day that 2 out of the 3 remotes provided didn't work. As a result, I had to field a few lengthy texts from Todd. In said texts, he insinuated that he knew the A/Cs were running and that I could expect a negative review if I didn't comply with his rules. Ultimately, we realized the remaining remote was universal and declined his request to come in and see them himself.
Another time, a member of my group stepped out for an early evening walk when he called to tell me that he saw her leave and that it was unsafe to go out in the neighborhood at that time of day. This phone call was a problem for me on a few levels. Firstly, I know that researching an area I'll stay in is my responsibility, but I did not expect to hear that a trusted Airbnb location was unsafe for guests. If a host feels that it's important enough to tell you that it's dangerous to go out on a walk, then it's important enough to mention somewhere in the reservation process or when you first check-in. Secondly, it felt uncomfortable having Todd comment on our comings and goings.
These interactions with Todd felt invasive and vaguely threatening. I understand wanting to keep tabs on your property but, we felt more like Todd was watching us and the unit more than anything else. I have never had an Airbnb host that was so present during a stay, and my privacy has never felt so invaded while staying at an Airbnb. This feeling was made a little worse by the lack of a window shade in the bathroom window (that is visible from one of the walkways outside the house) despite the fact that that there are window shades in all the other windows in the unit.
TL;DR
I want to reiterate that the unit had everything we needed and then some. This place was affordable but could use some warnings in the listing (i.e., bugs, additional house rules). That being said, it was unpleasant communicating with Todd. I would not stay here again.