We stayed at the Makaha house in January 2009. We found the house to be very well appointed and very clean. It was modern and spacious with large well-maintained grounds. In terms of the accommodation itself, we were very satisfied. The only caveat was that the house was advertised as having 1 king, 3 queen and 1 futon. We were unable to find a futon and the 3 beds did not appear to be queen size (as we understand it in Australia or Canada). The house was a short walk to two beaches. To the North, Makaha beach is sandy and has surfing. There is a smaller, more sheltered beach at the South end of the street. There, we saw turtles on a daily basis. A short 5 minute drive took us to a nice sheltered beach (with lifeguard) that is very suitable for small children (turn off just North of the Post Office in Waianae). In terms of the surrounding area, the house is indeed situated in a comparatively economically depressed area. En route you will pass areas where homeless are tenting on the beach. But this was still 10-15 minutes by car from the house. In truth, we found the locals to be friendly and did not feel unwelcome at all. Kids were playing on the streets. The neighbouring houses were largely residential, although there were also a number of holiday rentals.There is limited choice for dining and shopping is only of the grocery variety. The house is fairly far away from Waikiki or other parts of the island. To get to the North shore, for example, it is necessary to head first to Honolulu and then up the middle (the more direct roads on the maps are military only). To get to Honolulu, one should expect at least 1 hour with moderate traffic. Renting a car is a must. This said, the house's location did not prevent us from seeing all parts of the island during our stay (we did not mind a bit of driving). Charter fishing and dive/snorkel operations also operate out of Waianae Regional Park wharf. (5 minute drive) The weather on the Leeward side receives less precipitation than the Windward side during this time of year. We generally had sunny weather, whereas Kailua etc. were having rain. In theory, we were supposed to have bigger surf at this time of year than on the South/East sides of the island. We would recommend checking weather and surf trends for the time of year you wish to visit. For example, there is reportedly good snorkeling on the North and West shores. However, in the winter months this is not really accessible from the shore due to larger waves. We would recommend the Makaha house for those people not looking for the hustle and bustle of Waikiki (been there done that). It was a great location for us to meet for a relaxing tropical stay with other members of our family.

Laurie B., Pemulwuy, New South Wales, Australia, 2.1.09