We had a wonderful stay on Kauai and would stay at the Kiahuna Planation again, although probably not in this unit.
A couple things to be aware of:
- The unit was clean, but the overall state of the condo leaves quite a bit to be desired. It was acceptable, but should certainly not be considered a "luxury" unit by any means if that is what you are looking for. It is clearly an old unit in need of renovation and quite a bit of updating. The carpet is fraying. The stove top is very old and only partially functional. The stovetop light did not work.
- This unit is right next to the road. From the bedroom you can hear every car that drives by at night. It did not bother us too much, but I read a review that said the street could not be heard - that is just not accurate. It's important to have the right expectations.
- The furniture on the lanai was dated, worn and appeared dirty. We didn't use the patio much for those reasons - it just did not seem like a very comfortable place to spend time.
- The lighting in the unit is poor, particularly in the bathroom. My wife had to put on her makeup by the patio. It feels quite dark inside, even with all the lights on.
On the positive side:
- The unit was clean upon arrival and met our basic needs. The kitchen was useful for cooking, and we probably saved some money making many of our own meals.
- The setting of the Kiahuna Planation is absolutely gorgeous - as good as it gets. Short five minute walk to the beach through a lovely garden (do note this is the furthest unit from the beach). Beautiful well maintained grounds. We watched the sunset here almost every night and Kiahuna Beach is one of the best on the island. We enjoyed the location immensely.
- This is a great location to access all sorts of amenities and activities including Little Fish Coffee, the Heritage Trail, Koke'e Park, as well as lots of shopping and great food spots.
- The beach chairs, umbrella, and cooler are a great touch, and we used them every day.
- The athletic club across the street was also first rate; we played pickle ball there and had a great time. The tennis courts, pool, workout facilities are excellent and it's just a short 5 minute walk.
One more note about the host:
We had difficulty getting responsive communication from Vacasa. This looks like an international company and I'm not sure if they have local staff. A couple questions asked were answered vaguely. On our checkout day, we accidentally forgot to leave the parking pass in the unit and spent an hour on hold waiting for someone at Vacasa to answer the phone to address this. The host did not respond to multiple attempts to contact them through the Air B&B app either. Ultimately we drove back across the island and talked to the Kiahuna front desk (they were very friendly by the way).
Overall we loved our trip and the unit was acceptable. We just want folks to have clear expectations going in.