Hawaii reviews

Guest Rating:

Clean, peaceful and well-equipped, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Garden Lanai. The thoughtful extras such as the covered parking were appreciated and the owners and rental agency were responsive to any questions we had. To anyone seeking an affordable, quality, self-catering home way from home on Oahu I totally recommend this unit.

Ben B., Victoria, BC, 6.10.08

Guest Rating:

What an incredible property! We could barely get to any of the "touristy" things we had wanted to do because we just couldn't tear ourselves out of that yard! It is impossible to capture in pictures, but you really feel like you're in the Garden of Eden -- the waterfalls, the incredible swing, and the white doves fluttering down to drink from that amazing pool made it almost surreal. Ya gotta eat though, so at least make sure to get to Pinky's on Tuesday nights for balloon night, a huge hit with the kids.

Janice J., Charlotte, NC, 6.10.08

Guest Rating:

The Kuu Home O Wanini is a very cozy home with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It reminds me of a small beach house. It is surrounded by lush green vegetaion. It has a wonderful balcony with a partial view of the beach. You can hear the birds every morning. Everything you need is here. It is well stocked with kitchen items and towels, beach toys. A nice home to stay in for a small group. We were very comfortable in this home. Great to stay along with family members who stayed in the Menehune Hale home which is in front of this house and just steps away. The beautiful quality of this home is that you get the mountain view from your front balcony and the ocean view from your back balcony. The wood floors are beautiful. It is so convenient to stay here. It is not fancy, but it is so beautiful with the old Hawaiian charm! It has all the amenities and comforts of home. The beds are so comfortable. The views are spectacular! Thanks again Gary and Hawaiian Beach Rentals! Our stay was memorable and priceless!--------------Chris and Gemma.

Gemma G., Riverbank, California, 6.9.08

Guest Rating:

The Menehune Hale far exceeded my expectations. Believe me the pictures do not really express the granduer and beauty of this place. This house is very grand! I truly love the privacy with each rooms. It is so nice to have my family with me this time. There were a total of 16 of us. We also rented the O Wanini house which is behind this one. The Menehune Hale has separate quarters for each bedroom so each family was able to have privacy with plenty of room. I love the veranda or the balcony that oversees the beach and each morning my family sat to watch the sunrise and beautiful sunset. If you want a quiet and relaxing atmosphere this is the place to be. We have a 5 star time share at Princeville and honestly I would rather stay here. The beach access is convenient and just steps away. Yes, there is a camp ground next door but you would never know it. We are usually the only ones on the beach most of the time. The house has many convenience and up-to-date appliances. I consider it now my home-away-from home. This was my first stay here and I just really love it. You are surrounded by lush green vegetation and beautiful plants and flowers, banana trees and coconut trees. The house has all the convenience of water toys and well stocked towels, shampoo, 2 refrigerators---great for stocking 16 people for food and drinks! Having both houses so close allowed me to spend quality time with my family. This trip was special and this place was absolutely perfect! My children enjoyed watching the birds, geickos(excuse the spelling), frogs, crabs. If you're lucky in the early morning the low tide would expose the reef and you can enjoy watching the fish. One morning I saw an octopus hidden in one of the coves and the next day I saw 3 small more eels. The water is always shallow and great for snorkeling and swimming specially if you have very young children like mine at age 4 and 9. No rough waves to fight against. Just smooth and relaxing. My parents are in their 60's-80's. They just sat in the water edge and enjoyed the view each day.They usually don't go swimming, but they did here because the water was so calming. Menehune Hale is beautiful and so convenient and relaxing. Like I said the pictures on the internet do not do it justice. My family enjoyed their stay so much that we are coming back again next year!!! The house is made of beautiful wood, with gorgeouse tile floors. The suites are roomy and romantic. There are 2 staircases on oposite sides of the house leading to the suites upstairs with their own bathrooms. The grand suite is just outside but still connected to the house. The bathroom is unbelievable......Huge! The view of the beach is wonderful!
I cannot express how greatful and beautiful this house is. My family and I just loved it! We made an excellent choice to stay here rather than a hotel. We were able to be together to spend quality time. THANK YOU GARY, and Hawaiian Beach Rentals for everything! MAHALO AND ALOHA!!!!..................Gemma.

Christopher and Gemma C., Riverbank, California, 6.9.08

Guest Rating:

The view of the house is beautiful. We watched sun rise from the deck. The Owner is very helpful in every way. We stayed at Oahu for 8 days, it seems not long enough. Turtle Bay is very close by where we stay. It is a good place to get familiar with our snorkel equipment before we headed to Hamauma Bay. Just drive into the Turtle Bay Resort and tell the gate keeper that you are going to the beach, you will be given a parking ticket to place in your car, then park your car in yellow lines that are assigned for public beach tourists. It is free. Don't forget to watch sunset on Sunset Beach, the name says every thing. Hamauma Bay is safe to snorkel for children and adults who are not good swimmers but make sure to wear water shoes, it is kind of rocky or I should say, reefy. :) Don't forget Diamond Head Crater, go there early so it won't get too hot. It is worth the hike, the view is awesome!! Polynesian Cultural Center is just 5 minutes away from Owners place. Make sure to go there before 2 PM. If you cannot finish visiting the whole Culture Center in one day, you can go back with the same ticket within 3 days. Don't forget to try the fresh shrimps from the shrimp trucks on north shore, we went to Romy's, it is delicious, they only take cash. Waikiki Beach is full of activities, ABC Stores is the place to shop for chocolate covered macadamias, $1.99 a box, buying 4 boxes is cheaper. Also the Swap at Aloha Stadium every Wed., Sat, and Sunday is a good place to buy whatever you like. It cost $1.00 person to get in. Owners place has every thing that we need including beach towels, beach mates and bug spray. It shows how thoughtful she is. The house is steps away from the beach. We will be back; next time, the Big Island. Aloha!

Yamei Y., Parkville, MO, 6.7.08

Guest Rating:

We loved the pool area and being so close to the beach. We also appreciated a dining room that seated 12. That's exactly how many people we had and it was great having everyone around the table! Scarlett was very helpful as well. There were lots of supplies and the "welcome" goodie basket was great. We miss the pineapples in the morning!

The customer service was great.

The best part of the trip was having all of our immediate family together for a week in such a beautiful home.

The best restaurant we found was the Waterfront Restaurant in Maalea. It is tucked away in a condo and we really
found the food and the setting wonderful. We also went with the whole family to the Old Lahaina Luau - although we have been a couple of times before it is always worth visiting again. The best picture we have is all of us at the Luau.

My advice to someone staying at this unit would be that although the house is lovely there is no direct access to the pool from the house unless it through a bedroom or the lower unit (or if you go outside and walk around).

The part of my (our) trip I would recommend is the bike ride down from the crater. We had some family members do this and they loved it! Be prepared - you have to be up and about at 2:00 a.m.! Also snorkeling off the beach by the house was great! Better than the snorkeling trip we paid for. The Pineapple Plantation was also fun. We learned how to open coconuts which was fascinating for the children - they came home and did a coconut opening for "sharing" at school.

I'm not sure we received any insider tips on this trip as we have been to the island a number of times but Scarlett was most helpful when our grandson needed a trip to the emergency room (nothing serious). We wouldn't have known where to go if not for her.

All in all, it was a wonderful time in a house that accomodated us all very nicely. A trip our family will always fondly remember.

Lee L., Seal Beach, CA, 6.6.08

Guest Rating:

Enjoyed the open layout of the house. If you have little kids, they'll enjoy the large backyard and the great access to the beach. At first, I was searching and searching for that 5th bedroom. Alas! There it was apart from all the action. It was actually a great room for my parents.

I hate to admit it, but I liked L&L and Giovanni's shrim shack near Sunset.

Peter P., Renton, WA, 6.4.08

Guest Rating:

Great house, we all really enjoyed our stay. We really liked walking to the beach, and along the beach. The proximity to the town and other island attractions was great.
I would recommend this house to anyone!

James J., Vancouver, BC, 6.3.08

Guest Rating:

Loved the house and the surroundings. Everything I wanted was right there at our fingertips. We will be back!

Jeff J., Kailua, HI, 6.1.08

Guest Rating:

1) the location
2) excellent
3) the Kualoa Ranch ATV rid
4) at the Turle Bay golf resort restaurant
5) the Turtle Bay golfing was excellent
6) to expect bugs (although the landlord is trying to get rid of them) and to expect poor TV reception on many channels
7) the ATV ride at Kualoa Ranch
8) the Wednesday swap meet at Aloha Stadium
9) more snorkling
10) watch out for people stealing your gasoline from your rental vehicle. Mine didn't have a locking gas cap, and I almost didn't make it in time to the airport for my flight home after I discovered that my gas had been stolen.

Keith K., Yorba Linda, California, 6.1.08