(5 out of 5)
Nestled off the beaten path between two mountains, Kuraoka Cottage Haena is a lovely and peaceful cottage home. The treetop views of the mountains and distant waterfalls were beautiful, and the gentle sound of rainfall on the rooftop was cleansing to the soul. Do not expect an artificial "condo experience". Kuraoka is an opportunity to "borrow" the lovingly and artistically decorated cottage of a local owner and experience living within the Haena community.
I do not suggest that you try to first locate the cottage after dark as my husband and I did. We found it without missing a turn, but we felt as if we were contestants on The Great Race! A hand-drawn map of the bridges we would cross would have been helpful. Do bring a flashlight. It'll help you find your way from the road to your door on cloud covered nights.
Hawaiian Beach Rentals were very professional in dealing with us. The property was well represented and they were very quick to tend to a few small glitches that arose after we had checked in.
Kurakoa Cottage Haena is ideally located near the "end-of-the-road" beaches. If we are ever able to return again, I would definitely spend more time at each beach - just soaking up the sun and sounds of the North Shore. Ke'e beach, with its crystal clear water and great snorkeling, is not to be missed! Looking for coffee and baked goods on the run? The Village Snack & Bakery Shop is a great place to stop.
We loved our stay at Kurakoa Cottage and would considered ourselves blessed if ever we could return once again!
Fantastic rental! We loved the spectacular views, and the place felt real in a way most Kauai rentals do not. It was hard every morning to leave the cottage to go out and explore the island.
Working with HBR was good -- thank you. We appreciated all of the e-mail communications. We do have a few minor suggestions:
* We had a bit of a tough time finding the place. We suggest you mention in the directions that the green fence to look for is wooden; there's a metal green fence just up the road around a house with several dogs that we unwittingly disturbed.
* You could also add direction as to where to park. The rental's "driveway" in fact appears to be a roadway to several units below. We found it simplest just to park on the side of the road.
* Taking sixty days to return a security deposit seems unnecessarily slow.
Thanks for helping to make our vacation so wonderful!
Had a great stay at a great place. Some minor issues (that did not detract from our excellent experience): No propane in the grill and various lightbulbs burnt out (on lanai in particular). Would certainly return to the Kuraoka Cottage :-)
