My wife and I stayed at Bamboo Heaven Green Room while in Maui for our Son’s wedding. This was our first time in Hawaii and our first experience with Airbnb. I’ve gotta say, I feel like Janice set the bar pretty high!
The description in her listing was pretty accurate, and if anything it understated the amenities. I would say it felt more spacious than the pictures made it look. There is a walk-in closet/dressing room with a dresser, hangers, iron and luggage stands. There were 2 beach chairs, umbrella, large cooler/bag, snorkel and fins, and beach towels. There are a few books about Maui on the desk. There is a covered lanai with table and chairs with distant ocean views.
There is WiFi internet, but no TV or air conditioning. We were comfortable during our stay without it— temp was 68-70 low to mid-80’s high during our stay in late August. There is a ceiling fan. We certainly did not miss the hotel A/C noise all night! The kitchen has most all the basic utensils, dishes, and salt/pepper/oil etc. that you would need, including a 2 burner hot plate and a small grill outside on the lanai. There is a dish drying rack and you will need to wash dishes the old fashioned way! Hai’ku town market is 5 minutes away if you need other grocery items. There are also restaurants and food trucks there. We had breakfast each morning on the lanai and other meals we ate out. The kitchen is quite compact, but you could cook complete meals there if you wanted to.
Bamboo Heaven is located in a semi-secluded area off the beaten path, yet only a few minutes from Ho’okipa beach, Pa’ia, and Makawao. Lahaina, Kehei, Wailea resort areas are 40-50 minutes away. Official start of Road to Hana is 10 minutes away. Kahului airport is 20-25 minutes.
We awoke each morning to a peaceful vista with birds singing (and yes—the occasional rooster—there were ear plugs if needed!). There was no automobile traffic noise at any time. Occasional airplanes during the day. Janice lives at one end of the house and the blue and green rooms are at the other end. There is a covered parking spot and a clothesline for drying beach towels and such, and a hose for rinsing out any sand.
We were treated to a variety of fresh fruit, eggs, sausage, pancakes, etc. for breakfast, which I assume might vary over time, and which we supplemented over the week we were there.
Janice was very helpful with insights about places to see and eat. She gave us a tour of her yard/garden and many of the trees and flowers in it. She also gave us a short “Hawaiian lesson” at our request. We spent some time getting to know each other and were rewarded with a new friend!
There was a minor issue with a beach chair that we discovered when we got to the beach. It was something that would not have been noticeable without opening the chair. She had a replacement chair by the time we got back. Janice cares about the details and has thought about most of the little things you might need.
If you want to walk out the door to the beach, or be in the hustle and bustle of a busy resort area, or smoke, drink, do drugs and carry on, you should look elsewhere—this is not for you! (Read the house rules and be sure you can live with them!)
But if you are looking for a quiet place with unusual character and a wonderful host who has lived her whole life on Maui, and has the local knowledge that his brings, then Bamboo Heaven would be a great place to stay! (And we hope to come back some day soon!)