The unit was wonderful - just like photos on web. We were definitely misled about the BBQ though - the one in the pool are was useless and would be a must to have a gas BBQ at the unit. Our 2 week stay was relaxing and will use vacation rentals again but be more specific asking about BBQ's etc.
Audrey D., Abbotsford, BC, 2.22.12
Comment by Owner/Manager:
the pool barbeques are in good working order but the guest must supply briquets. No unit is allowed grills as the buildings are wooden.
All in all it was a great experience. The unit was clean, spacious, and best of all for a family of four, it had four TVs! It was also very quiet andrelaxing. My only quibble was ir rir not have the amenities that almost always are present in a rental of this character. There was no hair shampoo, paper towels, clothe3s washing detergent, dish washing detergent, etc. This is really a minor expense and if present I would have rated our experience as excellent. One otherr minor thing, I couldn;t find the outside number of the unit. Since we did not arrive until 3 AM this was a bit of a problem, But my wife found the lock box so maybe it was there afet all. All in all it was a great experience, we had never beeen to Oahu before and really enjoyed ourselves. Mahalo Bob Cotton
Bob C., Westlake Village, CA, 1.3.12
Comment by Owner/Manager:
These are not hotel rooms and owners are not responsible for providing guests with personal items such as shampoo, toilet paper etc. Guests need to be responsible for their own shopping.
A great space with good furnishings and overall quite comfortable - wish we'd had more time there and a couple friends with us to share it with. Some things we noticed if you want to make it even better: - Bathroom fans seem like they're daisy'd off the lights, makes for a loud bath and disturbing when going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. - Thanks to the bug traps we didn't notice any small cockroaches, but there was a planet-sized one in the kitchen. I chased it to a corner on the floor by the stove where a large piece of the cabinet baseboard trim is missing - might keep him out by blocking that up. - The latch on the sliding doors to the lanai seemed broken off, took me a lil bit to figure out how to pull the "stub" of the latch up to open the doors. - The drapes are nice looking but not very functional - hard to open and close. - Might want to make a lil "how to" for the TV, took me a while to figure it out :)
Ryan S., Juneau, AK, 12.12.11
Comment by Owner/Manager:
The fan in the bathroom is a bit loud as are all bathroom fans. We will not be rewiring it and a change is not necessary. We do professional pest control every three months and have never had any issues usually associated with bugs in the tropics. Here in the tropics you will normally see roaches and ants but we have always been able to keep it at controlled levels with the professional pest control service we use. The latch on the sliding door is perfectly functional. The drapes are beautiful and work just fine. We will not be replacing them. They are simple pull drapes and we never had anyone say they were hard to use. There was an instruction sheet for the downstairs TV in the TV cabinet for those who have trouble with high end flat screen TV's.
We loved seeing so much of what the island of Oahu had to offer and then getting away from it all in this lovely condo. It felt like home. We would return in a heartbeat. Don't miss Ted's Bakery's garlic shrimp. It was so much better than the famous Kuhuku shrimp. Make sure to visit the Polynesian Culture Center in Laie, only a ten minute drive from the property. Enjoy the sunrises over the golf course from the unit and the sunsets on Sunset Beach or Waimea Beach.
Chris M., Reno, NV, 7.20.11
Ola was a great place to enjoy our last night at Turtle Bay. And the townhouse we stayed in was the envy of everyone who stayed at the hotel!
Michelle B., Oak Park, Il, 6.22.11
What I liked best about the unit i rented was all display and nice view. The customer service I received was attentive and trim interior. The best part of my trip was Snorkeling in Hanauma bay. The best restaurant I found was shrimp House restaurant near the rented house street.
Kevin K., SAN JOSE, CA, 10.14.10
The accommodations were beautiful and better than expected. We came to play in the water and found that much of what we expected to rent (umbrella, body boards, beach chairs and mats) were provided and surfboards were available for rent at nearby Turtle Bay. We ate at the surfer dives up and down the North Shore and appreciated the hospitality and friendliness of all. The Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie was amazing...we had a great time.
Greg G., Kaysville, Utah, 8.21.10
The layout is great for entertaining and/or socializing with family. Was impressed with ease of rental -- booked on line, quick confirmation, great directions, easy to access the unit and checkout. Loved the proximity to town of Haviewa (sp?) and Turtle Bay resort. The best part of the trip was hanging out at the local beaches, Sunset and Waimea! Swimming with the sharks was definately a highlight for our family. On downside: Futons in the loft are difficult to sleep on given how hard they are. Unit has no outside terrace, deck and the view is totally closed in.
Bernice B., West Vancouver, BC, 4.17.10
A really memorable vacation begins with LOCATION...LOCATION...LOCATION! What a SPOT! The web page of this condo does not do it justice. What a beautiful relaxing place. Everything you need was provided. I loved the morning strolls to the beach. Which was neccessary after my many trips to Ted's. There was plenty of room for my family of 6 and activities for all. The only complaint came from my husband who was was disappointed that he was unable to use the Resort work out facilities. I'm a new fan of vacation rentals. Aloha from Joshua, Texas
Rosita K., Joshua, Texas, 12.29.09
Garden Aloha 50 East was PERFECT! What a beautiful condo! Our family has been vacationing in Hawaii for 30 years, and we usually stay at the Turtle Bay Resort. This time, we decided to rent a condo; what a GREAT idea. I wish we would have done this a long time ago. When we walked in, our jaws dropped. It was decorated so wonderfully and was extremely clean... spotless!!! The couches were amazing, so comfortable and cozy. The beds in each bedroom were heavenly. There was a huge 60" tv in the living room with full cable and a dvd player. We watched a movie every night. We also really enjoyed the plasma tv's in each bedroom and even the loft! The customer service was exceptional from the agents at vacation rentals to Mark. They responded very quickly and were always reachable and helpful. We ate a Lei Lei's twice... have been eating there since it opened...great food! Of course we went to Ted's Bakery....yummmy! Grass Skirt Grill in Haleiwa is a MUST. Such great food... burgers, sandwiches, shrimp, etc. We went to the beach at Turtle Bay... about a 10 minute walk. We also went on a walk every morning all around the resort and the beaches. It is so cool to be staying at a condo, but also have the hotel so close to eat dinner, lunch, and cocktails at sunset! We cooked a few times... the kitchen was fully stocked with pots and pans, glasses, plates, oven, microwave. I wish they would have had a toaster though!! There were beach towels and bath towels provided.... could use a few more bath towels because we had to wash them almost everyday because there were 5 of us staying there! oh, there was a washer and dryer in the unit which we LOVED. There was only one tennis racket, so we couldn't play tennis. We recommend they get one more racket or even a few. If you are staying in the bedroom downstairs.... DON'T OPEN THE WINDOWS AT NIGHT! We made the mistake of not closing the window before it got dark, and we had tons of bugs and mosquitos come in through the screen! yuck! There were a lots of mosquitos throughout the entire condo. There was a mosquito net in the upstairs bedroom, recomend to put one downstairs too. Also, we found a couple of gigantic roaches at night..... but it is Hawaii and no matter what, roaches are all over the island! We stayed there in November and the weather was mild....not sure if we would want to stay there in the summer months though. There is an air conditioner in both bedrooms which we used every night and they were great. The loft and living room were soooo hot and we highly recomend an air conditioner be put up in the loft and living room! At night, we had to close the sliding glass door because mosquitos would get in. When you are drying your clothes in the dryer, the heat goes right up to the loft... way too hot to sleep up there. Besides the very very few flaws.... this condo was perfect and we had one of the best trips we have ever had in 30 years. Mark is awesome too!!! We will DEFINITELY stay here again in the future.
Sophia P., Glendora, Ca, 11.17.09
We enjoyed staying at the Garden Aloha #50....it was clean, in a good location, close to the beach (which was beautiful), close to shopping for groceries, we were right next to the golf course. Ted's bakery was close (Yummy). The best part was that it was that it was such a beautiful location. Now we know why they call it Paradise, and it is only about 45 minutes from Honolulu. We would recommend the restaurant there was the Lei Lei, it was very casual but the food was excellent. The only thing that we ran across that was negative was a couple of the mugs were cracked and leaked. We would highly recommend staying there.
Yvonne R., Sacramento, CA, 10.1.09
We just returned from a stay in this unit and overall, we had a great time and really enjoyed the facility. The weather wasn't the greatest till the last part of our trip, but we spent that time sightseeing anyway. Mark was great in his response to any needs that we had, so the customer service was great. My only issue was the little things that could have made this a 5 star stay. I am not being picky, but these are all issues that can be prevented. It's the little things that make ones stay excellent vs just great. The day following our arrival, we had to call because the ice maker was not functioning and the bar stools were very unstable. Mark responded immediately and arranged to get them fixed. We had a remote that had no functioning batteries, and if some extras were there, I would have changed them. The track lights in the kitchen had two bulbs that were out. The pots and pans need replacing as many were scratched and difficult to cook on. The TV's were great, but you could only get the HD channels in the family room even though you had large LCD TV's in the bedrooms. I thought it was great that there were some dry goods left there that we would have normally had to buy, like pancake syrup, salt, pepper, sugar, etc. We, in turn, left whatever was not used as well for the next vacationers. The beach chairs outside appeared rusted and unusable and that was something we could have used. The boogie boards and cooler was a great plus and we used them daily. The facility pool was great and refreshing. The kids loved it! That is also where you would BBQ and it was close by the unit. I felt the view/privacy of the unit was unlike any other condo. We felt completely private even though there was another unit adjacent to us. We truely enjoyed our stay and are really happy we found this unit.
TJ S., Germantown, MD, 4.14.09
Garden Aloha 50 East is a beautiful recently remodeled condo located on the golf course in Turtle Bay on Oahu's beautiful North Shore. Our family loved the location, and the amenities this condo had to offer. We were pleasantly suprised to find an ice chest, rice mats, boogie boards and beach towels available for our use. The locals were warm and friendly, more than willing to tell us the best places to go for snorkeling, swimming and boogie boarding. Our family would recommend Aoki's Shaved Ice, Kui Ana for sandwitches and burgers, and Ted's Bakery. Thank you Hawaiian Beach Rentals!
Jodi M., Visalia, Ca, 8.11.08
the unit we rented was very hot.When we did the laundry the dryer vent goes right to the loft bedroom.The kids had a hard time sleeping it was so hot in there.there is no blind on the window in the loft so the sun hits on you bright and early!We loved the decor. The master bedroom bed is very comfy. We incounted alot of little pests inside. Mark was very kind he called us at the airport to let us know how to get into the unit.The unit was well taken care of with nice furniture and we felt at home with a tv in every room. I would recommend this unit but would worn it is very HOT with only a little cooler in two of the bedrooms.
Leslie B., Farr West, Utah, 7.2.08
We loved every aspect of the condo, it was clean;quiet;well stocked with sheets, towels etc. and was only a short walk to the resort and a short drive to several beaches near by. We all fell in love with Ted's Bakery - wow! I think we went there at least 5 times! Our favorite snorkeling spot was Waimai Bay, we saw beautiful fish, coral and swam with the turtles. I would definately recommend staying at this particular condo and can't wait till we return!!!
Kathy B., Spokane, WA, 6.29.08
Overall this was a really nice condo. It had great upgrades and was in a great location. We stayed here with 4 adults and 2 kids. We loved the Turtle Bay resort beach since it had umbrellas you can sit under (you have to get there early to get one) the snorkling was great there too. The 2 downfalls were first off the hot water for the showers. Booking the condo for 6 people you would think that there would be enough hot water for everyone. We could get 2 - 10 minute showers in and the other 4 got cold showers. The water heater is a 3 gallon tank. The other thing was that the upstairs tv didn't work. It was nobody's fault. Mike came by to look at it & couldn't get it working. He said it was a new tv & had to call for the warranty. That wasn't that big of a deal since he had no control. My only suggestion would be to get a bigger water heater. Overall we had an awesome time!!
Karen S., La Habra, CA, 4.1.08
The unit itself was beautiful but using the flat screen TV's was difficult. There were at least three remote controls for the TV in the living room and the directions left for us in using it were not very good. There was an ant problem with the unit even though we were very careful to clean up after every meal and not leave food out on the counter. There were barely enough bath towels-luckily there were only five of us not the six we had thought. I was extremely disappointed that our contact Mark Berkowitz was rude to both my mother-in-law and my husband when they called to get clarification on the directions to the unit. By the directions given to us the address would have indicated that we take the second turn on the right once we headed to Turtle Bay Resort but that was not the case. You would think someone in charge of a rental unit in Hawaii would be more hospitable. I would not recommend this unit to anyone.
Heather D., North St. Paul, MN, 3.1.08
I traveled with 5 other family members and there was enough space for us all. We all enjoyed the 3 televisions. The tennis courts were always open and we played daily. The heated pool was great. We would definitely stay here again.
Carla B., Buena Park, Ca, 2.13.08
This condominium was absolutely wonderful. We stayed during the month of January, therefore we do not have much experience with the air conditioner, but we did make use of the fan. The layout of the unit was perfect for our needs: two couples and a baby. The couple with the baby took the upstairs suite -- wonderful sleeping (kingsize bed) and bathroom accomodations. The other couple took the downstairs bedroom -- we actually would have enjoyed a kingsize bed, but the queen was certainly adequate. The common areas (kitchen and living room) were very well supplied and comfortable. We watched our own dvd of "Planet Earth" on the wonderful large screen TV. The exterior was wonderfully private, near the golf course. The tile floor throughout the unit was very practical and attractive. Thank you very much!!!
Pam S., Gypsum, Colorado, 1.23.08
Everything was as expected and we all enjoyed the rental very much. It showed very nice and was a relaxing place
Richard C., Pontiac, Michigan, 1.21.08
the only thing I didn't like in the villa is that there is no shelfs in the shower- no place to put your shampoo...
Gergana I., Wisconsin Dells, WI, 9.19.07
The garden aloha rental was immaculate and professionally decorated. The upstairs master suite was a dream. I don't think I'll ever stay in a hotel again after staying in this lovely condo.
Sarah P., Gig Harbor, WA, 9.12.07
This unit was very clean and had all of the amenities. Everything was pretty new. It was very quiet. One bedroom was downstairs, which gave us some extra privacy and space. In the entire week we were there, there were usually no more than 5 other folks at the pool at a time. Enough other kids to play with, but not packed. We liked the North Shore beaches a LOT. We usually stay in Waikiki and really liked how beautiful (picture postcard) but less crowded the beaches are. I take a lot of massages. The one I received at the Turtle Bay resort was the BEST massage I have ever had. It was wonderful. I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't take as long to get the Turtle Bay as I feared it would. After a 5 hour plane ride, the last thing I wanted was a long drive. It took about 50 minutes, but it was a pretty and easy drive. I would absolutely go hear again.
Carolyn C., Piedmont, CA, 8.30.07
We had a great time while staying in this condo while in Oahu. The condo was beautiful, loved the decor and the upgrades. The only thing that could make it better would be an ocean view, which would be impossible. The one thing that we didn't like about the condo was that it was very hot inside, especially if we didn't keep both the front door and back slider open. We ended up having to sleep with the front door and back slider open otherwise it was unbearable inside especially upstairs. This didn't make me feel very safe, since the back slider screen was not secure and did not lock. Also we had tons of lizards visiting us while we were there. Maybe some ceiling fans could be installed to help with this problem. Also the hot water went out on us and I had to take a freezing cold shower, then my husbant played with the circuit breaker and got the hot water working again. The gentleman that we contacted on arrival, I think Mike was his name. He was very friendly and helpful and gave us great advice about where to eat. We loved Lei Lei's on the turtle bay resort, very good food, recommended by Mike. We also love Ted's bakery, ate breakfast there every morning! Awesome food and very reasonable. We rented a crib for my baby from Baby's Away, and she was awesome! Thanks for the recommendation. I could go on for days! Thanks for helping us find somewhere to stay last minute! If we are in Oahu again we will definately contact you for a rental! Mahalo,rnThe Seanoa Family
Cassandra S., ALTA LOMA, CA, 7.12.07
Customer service was great. The only complaints we have is the shower curtains... they were only half length. Also, there were only 3 rolls of toilet paper provided... for a whole family for a week that doesn't seem like much. rnrnOtherwise, it was a truly lovely experience. Thank you.
Jill A., Clovis, CA, 7.11.07