(5 out of 5)
What a beautiful place - our family had a wonderful stay there - watching sea turtles swim just in front of the house. We got up for the sunrises every morning, swam, snorkeled, kayaked and hiked. It was a perfect vacation! We look forward to our return visit.
beautiful home... beatiful views of the ocean....
very good customer service.... no problems
being in Lanikai
Buzz's
family picture taken with Mokulua Islands in background
Lanikai is the best place to stay in all Hawaii
It took me back to the days when I was growing up in Lanikai. It hasn't changed that much, which is the best part. There still is a paradise in Hawaii. We had a wonderful e.xcperioence, and plan to return again.
As you can see from the photos, the house is right up against beautiful Lanikai beach. We saw sea turtles swimming along the beach almost everyday - right from the back yard of the house! A little night fishing from the back yard rewarded us with a nice size snapper which ended up on the barbeque grill the next evening. The house is very well equipped. All you need to bring is your clothes and groceries. Kia'aina, the owner of the property, lives just across the street and was very helpful. When we called him to make a few small repairs (change light bulb, etc.) he was right on it. The Welcome Basket filled with local treats like Macademia Nut Chocolate and Kona Coffee was also a nice addition. A few reminders about the natural environment. The house faces the eastern side of the island - the windward side. Wind from the ocean is fairly strong and very consistent (it never stopped, day or night, while we were there - excellent for windsurfers.) Noise from the wind, waves (only a few yards away from the master bedroom), and the sun light from the rising sun makes for very early mornings everyday. If you're planning on sleeping in during your vacation, choose a bedroom away from the ocean. The beach is beautiful (voted best beach in the Nation!). However, always remember you are dealing with nature. Our son got stung by a Protuguese Man-of-War (a type of jelly-fish). This is VERY painfull! (I've been stung before.) The pain will go away after an hour or two, but the scare all along his arm will take a little longer to go away. (Something to show-off to his friends when he goes back to school!)
My family enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime vacation thanks in large part to the Lanikai Beach Bungalow. Hawaiian Beach Rentals and the property manager for this rental were professional, attentive and very easy to work with. I am an experienced traveler and have dealt with many hassles in the past. There were no surprises or hurdles in this trip. We came to Kailua/Lanikai for a local friend's wedding and enjoyed being in a genuine Hawaiian town that offered many opportunities for activities, relaxing and experiencing a slower-pace to life. Lanikai is a fabulous beach and the Lanikai Beach Bungalow was a perfect pick. We loved being right on the water, seeing sea turtles, enjoying gorgeous sun rises and opening up the sliding glass walls to let in the ocean breeze. The house has a wonderful classic Hawaiian charm but is also very comfortable for 6 people. The location is unbeatable - I was concerned about the tide coming in and not having any beach directly in front of the house but it was actually an advantage. We could walk on the beach to get to the wider areas of the beach most of the time and not being on the main part of the beach meant we enjoyed privacy. Don't hassle with packing straw beach mats as there are several at the unit. If you come to Kailua/Lanikai, definitely check out the Lanikai Juice company, Cinnamon's restaurant for the carrot pancakes and body surfing on Kailua beach. The 2.5 mil loop around Lanikai makes for a great jogging route. If I had it to do all over again, I would definitely stay for 2 weeks instead of just 1!! Book your trip to the Lanikai Beach Bungalow without hesitating.
I would highly recommend the Lanikai Beach Bungalow. The location was awesome. The pictures don't do it justice. The ocean is steps away. The house was very clean and comfortable. The house is on the windward side of the island, so you will get wind and rain. We were there the end of June and it was a little cool to sit outside on the back deck in the evening. The house has separate AC units in the bedrooms, but they are not in the best location (noisy). I would recommend that the house be stocked with portable fans. There are ceiling fans in the rooms, but unless you had the sliding doors open the family room was a bit stuffy. I loved that the house was in a neighborhood, it really made us feel like we were living like the locals. This is not a touristy area. The locals were very friendly and helpful. I would get recommendations for restaurants, beaches and points of interest from the locals. There are not many good restaurants in Kailua, locals talk about Buzz's, but we were not impressed. Best recommendation is to stop at Costco when you leave airport and stock up on food, Safeway grocery store has a full bakery and deli. Prices seem to be 20% more than mainland. We BBQ'ed alot and enjoyed the outdoors. We absolutely enjoyed our stay. There were six of us. Our three daughters (11-17), one boy (18) and my husband and I. Plenty of room in the house and three bathrroms were helpful. The house comes with beach towels, two boogie boards, two beach chairs and umbrellas. We purchased snorkeling gear at Don Quiotis. Loved that the house had a washer and dryer. I would highly recommend the house and the area (very nice and clean). Lanikai beach is a beautiful beach. We watched turtles right off the house. If you want to swim with the turtles, we found a beach just north of Waimea Bay, not well marked, but about 4 turnouts up the road. Best diving/snorkeling was at Sharks Cove. Hanauma Bay is beautiful, but there are so many people. Very touristy. Best little town with authentic Hawaiian atmosphere is on the north shore Haleiwa. (Shaved ice, unique little shops and restaurants). Don't miss the Shrimp trucks on the way to north shore. The trucks don't seem very appealing to eat off of, but the food was good and it was fun to do it. Best bet is to get a book called Ohau Revealed (can be found at Barnes & Noble, etc.) this guy's perspective is not only amusing but pretty accurate. We called it the "Bible" and took it everywhere with us. It has maps and every point of interest imaginable. I would recommend having a daily itenary. Hit all the points of interest in each area, then you can always go back to your favorites if you have time. Hope your trip will be as enjoyable as ours.
We truly enjoyed our stay at the Lanikai Beach Bungalow. The view is just perfect. Having lived in Lanikai before, it is the ideal place to vacation. Kua Aina sandwich shop on the North Shore is a must, they DO have the best burgers on the island. This trip we took the Explorers Tour of the Mighty MO and that was extremely educational and was great for the kids to take in a history lesson. We hiked to the top of Diamond Head, as well as to the "Pill Boxes" in Lanikia. Both offer awesome views of the island. We had breakfast at the house every morning, slicing up fresh pinapple and other fruits...then we would plan our day. We tried to do the "busy" or "tourist" thngs at the beginning of our stay and tended to relax around the house the last couple days, that worked out great and made the trip end on a relaxing note. Ovarall, we loved the beach bungalow and would definitely stay here on our next trip.
What I liked best about the unit I rented was: the location The customer service I received was: excellent My advice to someone else staying at this unit would be: bring roach bait
We truly enjoyed our stay at your bungalow. We loved waking up to watch all the kitesurfers and kayakers, not to mention the hona. We couldn't have asked for a better location! The house was so comfortable, we didn't want to leave. Thanks for everything.
Lanaikai Beach Bungalow was a perfect ocean getaway for my young adult family. We loved the floorplan of the house and the proximity to the ocean.
For our family reunion, the house was perfect! We loved the indoor-outdoor living and the "old Hawaii" feel with big windows on the ocean and big yard on the leeward side of the house. We spent a lot of time on the leeward lanai. One recommendation is that you wash out the trash containers that go out to the street -- stinky now. We will be back, and have already sent your phone number for this house out to several friends. Mahalo and A hui hou!
Being from FL I am used to A/C through out the house, this was the only draw back, even with all the screen doors open, it was abit muggy even with the breeze. The house is in a beautiful location, very quiet... not for those who would like Waikiki! We will be back!
very nice clean an relaxing place. i can definitely recommend it.
It was a wonderful place to spend a week in paradise, We would love to come back every year.
Well equiped and comfortable home. Unbeatable view. Very comfortable bedding. Enclosed yard is excellent for kids. Two refridgerators! Direct ocean access is only possible during low-tide and then it is still a bit rocky. We did not mind the short walk to a sandy portion of beach when the tide was high. Gas grill was very nice. Enclosed garage was also a plus. Upon arrival, we read the property literature and discovered some great options/ammenities that could have been arranged ahead of time. We wish these options were made know to us during the booking. (Private Chef, Cable Modem, etc.)Over-all a very pleasant stay.
