What I liked best about the Baby Hona unit was the proximity to the Kailua Beach park where there is great swimming, snorkeling and kayaking. Kailua is a great location for seeing Oahu.
Piero D., Flagstaff, AZ, 2.1.11
This spot was everything we expected and then some. Kimberly our property manager was a great host.
David M., Ballston Spa, NY, 1.22.11
Wine opener shall be equipped.
Hiroki T., Tsuchiura, Ibaraki, 10.29.10
Very close to kailua beach and everything is well prepared(bodyboat, snokeling, beach goods, towels, kitchen goods etc). We spent almost two weeks and it was very confortable.
Kenro T., Shinagawa, Tokyo, 9.28.10
What a wonderful little getaway! Tucked away from the main road but close enough for a walk to the beach and a run through Lanikai! I loved it! Thank you :o)
Stephanie T., Rio Rancho, NM, 9.9.10
It's quiet here. You'll hear a lot of songbirds. I did in early January. Near the entrance to the lane, Buzz's Restaurant has great food and service. Accepts cash only. Sunday nights are the most crowded. You'll be lucky to find a table outside. Ciappino (fish stew) is great. So is Cajun-style mahi mahi. Salad bar is good, if often crowded. The Buzz mai tai is good. Nice choices for dessert. (Rocky road ice-cream cake is awesome.) Down the road (Kalaheo Drive) a couple of miles, Pinky's restaurant and sports bar is pretty good but the service may leave something to be desired. While I ate there, a mom and her teenage daughter sat down at a table, waited five or ten minutes and then walked out because none of the waitresses came by. This was at lunchtime on a Monday, and the place was not busy. Go slow in the neighborhood. Take extra care exiting the lane -- traffic moves in both directions, even early in the morning -- because the Kailua Beach parking lot is directly across the street and it's a popular place all week. Parking by the unit can be a little tight, so if you rent a car in Honolulu and have a choice between compact and larger car, go with the compact. You won't regret it unless you have a ton of gear. Even then a compact might be a better choice. Remember to check out Lanikai beach nearby. Gorgeous sunrises! Finding a parking spot along the neighborhood street might be tough after ten or eleven in the morning. The entrance to the mountain climb in that neighborhood is hard to find. I drove by it once or twice and ended up asking one of the locals where it is. The climb itself is tough if you're over 40 or out of shape or carrying a heavy backpack. There is no paved path -- you'll be on rock, stones, and dirt the whole way up. Great views though. President Obama played golf at the private Pacific Club at the foot of the mountain when he was president-elect. This is a good location if you play golf. Ko'olau, Olomana, Luana Hills, and Pali are all within a 15- or 20-minute drive of Baby Honu. The front nine of Luana Hills is diabolical, and some of the ravines at Ko'0lau are deadly. Talk about a challenge. Bring a big driver. Practice with your three wood a lot . . . In January, the golf courses on the western side of Oahu look dry by comparison. Took a look at Turtle Bay; to me, the golf courses look overrated (rather flat, and not visually appealing other than the fact that it has a lot of palm trees), from what I could see on the entrance road and from the clubhouse. Busy place, however. The onsite manager of the Baby Honu is very friendly and knows a lot about the island. If you bring a netbook or laptop, you can use the Wi-Fi for Web access -- no login or password required for the Wi-Fi. Overall I enjoyed staying here a lot.
Ken S., Downers Grove, IL, 1.13.10
Far enough from the road to be quiet, a good restaurant at the end of the lane, a great beach only a couple of hundred yards away and another just arount the point. A pleasant change after a week in Waikiki. I wish I could have stayed longer.
Phil W., Edinburgh, Scotland, 4.30.09
The location is great; very close to the beach. The unit is at the end of a street, so you feel like you're in your own tropical paradise. For the most part it was very quite. Thankfully the people upstairs kept their children from running around, as you do hear people walking around. There are a couple of creaks in the floor upstairs that are very noisy when stepped on, but I'm not sure what can be done about that. I think we lucked out and had quiet people upstairs, so it really didn't bother us. The cleaning people were loud though. They came twice while we stayed there and they didn't seem concerned for the noise they made. While they were only there for 2-3 hours each time, it would have been nice if they had taken notice that we were home below and been more contientious of the volume of their footsteps. The owner was very nice and allowed us to feel at home. We used the boogie boards and snorkel gear offered in the carport. We had plenty of dishes/pots/pans to cook meals on the hot plate. While the place was clean, the lanai was only screened from the outside so the winds did bring in minimal amounts of dust onto the lanai floor. That combined with the nightly visits from the little geckos and the little presents left behind, it would have been nice to have some swiffer pads left under the sink to clean the lanai floor. It wasn't a big deal, but by the end of our stay, my feet and socks were getting a little dirty. I think if you're staying for longer than 10 days, there should be an option to clean the lanai floors, but less than that, it's not a problem. And some windex to clean the glass table on the lanai would be good too. Speaking of the geckos, I don't think people should worry about them. They mostly stay outside the house on the lanai, but they are very people shy. They don't bother you at all and they are found all over the island, so it's not like a place down the street isn't gonna have them either. Another issue I remember another guest having was the wind in the house from not being able to close up the house. The whole island (Baby Honu included) is very much into the shutter/slat style windows. Some do not close all the way, but they are pretty close and the wind was more like a light breeze and it really did feel nice. In fact, most nights we left all the window slats open. All in all, we loved our stay there an will be back again. This is a wonderful and romantic place next to the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. What I liked best about the unit I rented was the lanai overlooking the beautiful garden. The customer service I received was we were greeted the day we arrived and given restaurant tips. The best part of my trip was snorkeling in Sharks Cove and walking on the beach every morning. The best restaurant I found was Formaggios (nice fancy meals), Teddy's (burgers), Agnes' (malasadas), Boot's & Kimos (only the pancakes...everything else was just okay) My advice to someone else staying at this unit would be relax The part of my trip I would definitely recommend to others is hiking the Aiea loop The best "insider tip" I received while on my trip was go to the swap meet for souveniers and bargain with them. Most don't put price tags on stuff so they can size you up to see how much you'll pay. If you don't like the price, walk away and I can almost guarantee they will go down. I didn't have time this trip, but next trip I'm looking forward to kayaking
Melissa L., Rohnert Park, CA, 3.11.09
Our stay at Baby Hono went without a hitch. The location is good and the facility with it's separate bedroom was just what we were looking for. Unfortunately, there is another unit over Baby Hono and while the occupants were verbally quiet there was no way to mask the walking sounds, the ceiling creaking, as well as, the sounds of the neighborhood dogs up on the porch. Not all the windows could be closed to block the wind and sitting on that darn futon is really uncomfortable. So, thanks but we won't be back.
Jan K., Hubbard, Oh, 1.26.09
the first thing I did when we arrived was have a shower, unfortunately the shower mat in the tub was not secured and I fell hard in the tub. The wireless internet did not work, neither did the blinds. I would not stay here again.
Laura C., Victoria, BC, 11.22.08
Aloha! Oh my goodness..............too much to say about Baby Honu. I loved the fact this home is on a lane right across from the Kailua Beach Park. The Home is at the end of the lane, with a Golf Course right behind the home. Sooooo........you get quiet on the golf course side, and all natural sounds surrounding you. Tons of birds to wake you in the morning, sounds of peoples laughter from the beach, Hawaiian music if there is an event at the park, sounds of paddlers in sync..........its a great location to stay. The person who is the caretaker, she is soooo wonderful and accommodating. You could not have asked for a better person to accompany this local. We love Fat Boys to eat at, but for ambiance...........Buzz's has it beat. The Shorebird in Waikiki is great fun and good food too, super reasonable! The best part of my trip was the people, as always. The local Hawaiians if you respect their land and privacy are what make Hawaii. We went on an excursion one day to find a 30ft whale at the North Shore Macapino Road that had washed up. It was a shark frenzy.......... They had to get the whale out fast as the oils were bringing in thousands of sharks from all around. The road was too rocky to drive on and about a mile and a half hike (not bad) but on a private road. So after talking to the road workers.....we thought it best to give up the hunt. But we had a great adventure anyway, and met MORE locals with great Hawaiian humor! I hope the best for Baby Honu...........but I DONT want Kailua spoiled by toooo many tourist. I encountered an idiot tourist at Kailua beach one day and just had to laugh. I had on Maui Jim sunglasses the only way to view Hawaii waters, and I was telling her about the difference in the color of the water with them on...........and she said.........."I am not interested in buying sunglasses from you!"..........and man was she a piece of work.......freakin idiot! I just gave her stink eye and said Mahalo! The booking agent Renee was outstanding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I messed up on the overlap of two places we stayed at, and she was soooooo great to help us out to book another 2 nites. Mahalo and boy do we MISS Kailua already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Melissa T., Alameda, CA, 7.21.08
We loved the location of the Baby Honu. It was down a little lane across from the Kailua Beach Park so it was easy access to the beach, running paths and roads around Lanikai and a short distance to get shave ice. The customer service was great. Krista was so nice and we loved talking to her and meeting her dogs.
Robin B., Bellevue, WA, 7.8.08
Great location and real nice on-site manager. Only problem was first 2 days with noisy upstairs tenants, but all was fine after they left.
Larry W., Surry, Nh, 3.24.08
this is oue second stay in Oahu-Kailua, and we went again for a house rental. Baby Honu was a little bit tight for a family of four, but the lanai and garden make-up largely for the small internal space, plus it is excellent valur for 4 (2 have to sleep on the futon bed in the kitchen/lounge area). the property manager (Kirsta) and her sister live next door and were very nice and of great help/advise to us. the Lili koi (paasion fruits) in garden were delicious. Kailua is an excellent base to explore all the island if you want to avoid the hassle oh Honolulu, but be aware the beach is very windy, much more than west side.
Nour-Eddine G., Loveland, OHIO, 12.30.07
The things I enjoyed about Baby Honu was the convenient location, but most of all how clean and fresh it was. I have stayed in several rentalS from LAnikai to Kaneohe and by far this was the cleanest. I was impressed also with the toiletries and nik-naks that usually you have to buy when you are in a rental , the quietness and friendly staff. I will recommend Baby Honu to my friends and look forward to coming back soon! Mahalo! Sarah Key-Marer
Sarah M., Mission Viejo, California, 8.24.07
The location was great! Very convenient to the beach and to the Kalapawai Market for morning coffee and paper. We walked along Kailua beach every morning and swam 2x a day! We loved the screened in porch, it made the place very enjoyable! Our only concerns were that the bedroom was a bit warm and stuffy, even with the overhead fan and a second freestanding fan, and there really were lots of lizards! Luckily, our son loves lizards.
Jeanne L., , , 8.13.07
For two travellers, Baby Honu was absolutely ideal for our needs. It was clean and had everything we needed, but the location is what blew us away. It is a stumble away from the most incredible beach we have ever seen. The neighbors were very friendly and helpful, and the kitchenette and wireless internet in the unit were very convenient. We miss the little geckos in and around the unit. Overall, an excellent place to base out of during a vacation. Would highly recommend, and hope to visit Baby Honu again in the future.
Brent J., Seattle, WA, 6.19.07
Best about unit...location, quant setting, great manager Customer service was excellent Best part of trip was beach location Best restaurant...too many Best picture of me was hiking Can't wait to tell friends of hike to Kalaupapa Advise on unit....relax, it's not a hotel, it's local Part of trip to recommend...early morning walk on Kailua Beach Best insider tip...Baby Hanu location Next time on trip...visit North Shore And so on....Krista is the best manager. Very accomodating, great people
Shelley M., , , 5.14.07
Baby Honu is overrated in my opinion. It was close to where we needed to be yes, but the driveway into it is deceiving in itself and makes one wonder what is back here. Was a nice yard, but no one told us it was a 2 unit complex we thought we were renting a house. Inside was clean yes, but we were very disappointed in the place. Not a chair to sit in except the Lanai which was the best room in place. Don't consider a hard bed living room seating. The worst thing was the place was alive with little and med. size lizards or gecgo(sp)...a person should be told of this. Every morning you get up and they had been all over the place- poop all over. I was afraid to sleep thinking in bed or get on us. Not a good time at all. For the money we paid we were very disappointed and put in book others should know. Sorry but this is how we felt. Way to much money for what it is. Maybe half of the cost would be more like it. Sorry Karen Johnson
Karen J., Stanton, Michigan, 5.13.07
Great place to stay! We took walks on the beach almost everyday we were there. Everything there was wonderful, except that the fact that it was unusually muggy there for us. I would suggest air conditioning at least in the bedroom. We had fans but it was just too loud to sleep and it still didn't keep us cool enough. Other than that it was like coming home for a local girl of Kaneohe, Hi.. We had a great time and Krista was very accomodating in filling our needs at a moments notice! Mahalo nui loa for helping us find a place in Kailua, it sure beats Waikiki anyday! Betsy Blum Eugene, Oregon
Betsy B., , , 11.5.06
Very clean and quiet. The dogs on the property were so friendly and they made us feel safe. There's a awesome beach park across the street.
Michelle C., Surprise, Arizona, 10.4.06
Baby Honu is in good condition and great location in Kailua. Amenities and assistance were also good. We did, however, experience a bit of a cockroach problem - and would advise they take care to pest control effectively.
Carlos N., , , 8.31.06
Great Stay, right next to the nicest beach on Oahu There is a constant wind on this beach however - which means it never gets too hot. Very nice room and Veranda. The pictures do not do it any justice. We did not have a car, and did everything on foot. Great restaurant, Buzz's steakhouse is right around the corner. There is a regular bus - about 1 mile away- going into honolulu (i.e. the 57) every 15 minutes. A perfect little walk to the bus stop. Would definitely come back here: pure paradise!
Christopher H., Washington DC, DC, 7.10.06
The place was remarkably clean and tidy. There was even a rice cooker and a small hot plate, which we never used. The manager, Krista, was very helpfull and respected our privacy. Best of all, it was sooooo close to the beach. Only minus is that it is a downstairs unit and we could regularly hear the upstairs renters shuffling around.
Yasmine M., Palo Alto, CA, 7.2.06
This is right next to Kailua beach and in walking distance to Lanikai beach. It's set back in a quiet area. It rained most of the time that we were there so it was really nice to have the porch. The place was really clean and cozy. Krista was extremely welcoming and helpful.
Jane P., San Francisco, CA, 3.20.06
Just the kind of place to kick back and forget about time and stress.
Brackin A., Menlo Park, Ca, 2.23.06
We found it relaxing, wonderfully located, and quite to our tastes. If you are looking for luxury, all the TV cable channels, or a resort feel, this is not for you. If you are looking for a clean and comfortable place in quiet and lovely surroundings that is walking distance to Kailua beach, Buzz's and the Market at a reasonable price, I highly recommend it.
Ann G., Fort Collins, CO, 12.28.05
Baby Honu was better than we expected. After staying in three other Kailua apartments this is the best. Despite the Hawaii style houses on the entry road that might have produced late night noise, ours was a quiet stay. The only slight problem was turning left to get out of the road through traffic.
Norm B., Santa Rosa, CA, 10.18.05
A simple and relaxing home of your own, very close to the beach but well off the beaten path. Krista, the caretaker, is easy to get a hold of and always very willing to help out in any way she can. A most relaxing escape . . . thank you!!!!
James C., , , 6.4.05
We had a wonderful time. The property manager, Krista, was so kind and friendly. We hope to visit Kailua again.
Sara M., , , 2.28.05
Accomodations were perfect and Christa was a wonderful hostess.
Bill G., , , 2.18.05
