Ko Olina: March Special - For You & Your Family!!

Reviews

• Reviewer: Peter

  Comments: Michael was a truly fantastic and accommodating host and getting to stay in Ko Olina was exactly the experience we were looking for. The house was clean, quite comfortable and situated in a delightfully quiet neighborhood. Having both the community pool and Ko Olina lagoons within walking distance was perfect as we never had to venture far to cool off. As nice as hotels can be, they're just not the same as being able to return to a real home at the end of each day. It makes the experience more comforting and familiar. I highly, highly recommend Michael's residence for anybody look for a great Hawaii experience without having throw yourself into the thick of other visiting tourists. Thanks so much, Michael.

• Reviewer: Lan

  Comments: The house is very clean and the beds are comfortable. It is big enough for our big family, 4 adults and 3 kids. Michael was very responsive to all my questions and requests. Our communications were swift and efficient. I like Michael's idea of taking care the house as your friend's home. Even though I haven't seen Michael in person, after a few email exchanges, I felt a trust is building between us. The villa was located in a Golf resort, a very nice neighborhood to stay. It is also within the walking distance to Aulani Disney resort, and a short drive to 5 beautiful lagoons. My kids love love the lagoons! Thank you Michael for comfortable home. We enjoyed our 8-night stay!

• Reviewer: William H

  Comments: Ko Olina is a luxury resort that's been in development for more than 20 years. Besides the two Marriotts and the Disney Auilana resort, there are a half dozen mixed use developments on the back side of the beautiful golf course. Most are mixed, detached single family, townhouse/duplex style condos and everything in between. This property sits behind the Golf Course Clubhouse. Because it is a master planned area, the architectural style is gorgeous, what Seaside is to old Gulf Coast Florida, Ko Olina's architecture is designed to evoke an island cottage style. While the West side of Oahu is much more of a "desert" climate compared to the very wet East side of the island, the entire resort is beautifully landscaped, huge variety of beautiful tropical plants and palms that complement the prevailing architecture. Everything is lush and green, with beautiful lighting. This section of single family homes is one of two immediately inland from the Marriott/Disney waterfront properties. The two subdivisions are tied together with a network of private walkways that readily connect you to the main attractions of Ko Olina. From Michael's property its a ten minute walk to the high end Roy's restaurant located in the Golf Course Clubhouse. There is a shuttle that stops in front of Roys every 20 minutes that takes you to all three resorts plus the next adjacent retail area. We preferred to walk, which is very lovely in the cool morning hours and at dusk. From Roys its another ten minutes walk to the first of the three protected swimming lagoons, and to the most scenic restaurant on the West side, Longboards, outdoor dining right on the first lagoon looking across at the setting sun through a screen of tall palms (gorgeous). More often we walked about 20 minutes to the complex of Restaurants and shops that is across from the huge Disney resort (Aulana). Monkey pods is one of the best restaurants in Oahu, there is also a Sushi bar, an Asian fusion restaurant, a 'sort of' Mexican restaurant, Ice cream shop, Coffee shop, and a half dozen upscale retail shops and galleries (and equally important an ABC corner store, picture a 7-11 with fresh fruit, local treats, beach stuff, and liquor). So in other words, we found the location great. More important, the subdivision is quiet, sedate, gated, a double handful of residents. Did I mention quiet? Our downstairs neighbor was home about 4 days of our 10 day stay, but we never heard anything. This is a huge difference from Marriott/Disney which are literal madhouses of people coming and going. Disney is the greatest family resort I've ever seen, but literally a thousand children running wild may wear on most people. We loved to walk to Disney's lagoon at dusk, wander back through the gorgeous lobby and shops, listen to the live music, then walk home to peace and quiet. The house was well equipped, nicely decorated and altogether suitable. Point of reference we are 65.

• Reviewer: Reeves

  Comments: Our family of 5 spent a month in Michael's unit at Ko Olina. We enjoyed a prior stay so much we came back again. There was plenty of space for all of us to spread out, complete with all the necessities of home. It was great to be able to cook in the full kitchen and have dinners on the lanai. The gas grills at the pool were an added bonus. The kids make great use of the pool while the adults had some relax time. Being within walking distance to the lagoons was fabulous - no packing kids in the car and waiting for parking spots. We spent many days at the lagoons, watching the sea life - monk seals, turtles, and even found an octopus. It was great to be able to walk or ride a bike to the ABC store for a forgotten item, or for Shave Ice & Ice Cream. There were plenty of beach towels and the beds were all comfortable. It was so much nicer to have a safe place for the kids to roam around the neighborhood, looking for lizards and geckos than being confined to a hotel room. Michael was a great host, and went WAY above and beyond on a couple of occasions. He was easy to work with and always responsive. Thank you so much, Michael! We had a fantastic vacation, and highly recommend making this home for your stay!

• Reviewer: Tho

  Comments: Our overall stay was very nice! Mike was very helpful and condo was very clean and in order. I would stay here again!!

• Reviewer: Kamelia

  Comments: Michael was very responsive with all communications. The house is in a very nice, quite and safe area. It is exactly as desribed. Ample of space for family of five.

• Reviewer: Masaru

  Comments: Mike responded very quickly and kindly answered our questions and issues. The place is very closed to Aulani hotel where is Disney scheme hotel, beach and shopping centers includes groceries. We had a really good time.

• Reviewer: Chiyoko

  Comments: 生活用品から､調味料等がすべて整えてあり､到着と同時に普段通りの生活が出来ました｡ｳｪﾙｶﾑﾄﾞﾘﾝｸも用意されており､初日からKo Olinaを満喫させてもらいました｡ 添付されていた写真を見て今回のStayを決めたのですが､期待以上のHouse Styleとｺﾞﾙﾌｺｰｽ内の周囲環境とﾗｸﾞｰﾝと呼ばれる複数のPublic Beachを含むKo Olina全体の雰囲気はﾘｿﾞｰﾄ気分を盛り上げる最高の場所でした｡日本人ばかりのWaikikiと比べ､正にﾍﾞｽﾄﾘｿﾞｰﾄでした｡ ｶｰﾄﾞによる出入り管理､併設されているﾌﾟｰﾙとﾎｯﾄｽﾊﾟも毎日利用させてもらい､ﾘﾗｯｸｽできました

• Reviewer: Richard

  Comments: The listing was accurate and a perfect fit for our 3 generation family. The neighborhood was neat, clean and secure. Walking distance to shops and lagoons. There was soooo much to do and see, we barely scratched the surface.

• Reviewer: Lynnda

  Comments: Our host Mike was great! Just hours before my flight departure, around 5 am, I realized I forgot the house keys Mike sent me a few weeks earlier. I desperately emailed, text and lastly called Mike at 5 am to see if he had a second set of keys. Shortly after, Mike replied to my email and remotely coordinated a second set of keys sent to the house before my arrival in Honolulu. Mike was prompt and responsive with all of my questions. The house was exactly as pictured on the site. The 3 bedrooms was perfect for our party of 7-clean with enough space for everyone. The community pool and sauna was also great for the kids and grandparents. We would love to stay at Mike's house again in the future.

• Reviewer: Stian

  Comments: Vi opplevde at vi fikk god hjelp i forkant av oppholdet og verten var rask å svar på spørsmål. Plasseringen var flott men det er litt lite som skjer på kveldstid. Det er lukkede arrangementer på hotellene i nærheten men der får du ikke tilgang. Leiligheten var slik som beskrevet og holdt ok standard. Det var endel mangler ved rengjøringen så vi måtte begynne å vaske med en gang vi kom men verten kompenserte oss noe for dette. Området har fantastisk strand og vi likte oss svært godt der, det er stille og rolig med lite bølger men fint for snorkling og bading. Basseng området brukte vi lite da våre barn er glade i å hoppe, løpe og stupe og det var ikke tillat i bassenget.

• Reviewer: Rebecca

  Comments: I traveled to O'ahu with a group of friends and family for a girls trip. Michael's place was just as described and a beautiful place to stay. It was very safe and the neighbors were friendly. I loved the ample room for everyone and the balcony too. The pool was a wonderful place to gather and cool off. The pool area has a place to sign up to use a covered BBQ area for your group if you want. We didn't use it, but it was nice to know it was there. The Lagoons at Ko'olina were AMAZING!! We went to several of them during our stay and again after we moved to the North Shore. Waters were calm and sandy beaches we great, but there was grass that you could lounge on instead if you didn't want to get all full of sand. Lots of beach chairs, towels and toys available as well as a garage if you need one. There were no bugs inside the residence at all, which is very important to me when traveling to Hawaii. This place was very clean. Communication was great with Michael and he always got back to me with any questions I had very quickly. I would definitely stay here again. Thank you Michael!

• Reviewer: Jhuwyne

  Comments: Aloha!!! This was a great deal for the week; The location was perfect for the wedding we were attending (at Aulani). We were within a 10-15 minute walk from the lagoon and Mike even provided us with some snorkeling gear, boogey boards, chairs, etc. to take with us to the beach. The location was super convenient for the first half of our trip since we spent most of our time at Aulani, but towards the end, we did a lot of driving to Waikiki and the North Shore (we played it by ear most of the time, so our itinerary was pretty open). The beds were comfortable, the AC was nice and cool, and the neighborhood was peaceful. I didnt hear any noises whatsoever from people downstairs/next door. Mike was also very responsive to all my questions and answered them quickly. A few things to note: 1) You do have to wash the sheets and clean before check out, but if you don't mind then it's not too much of a big deal. 2) You have 2 parking spots (garage and driveway). There were 8 of us and we had 3 cars (some people arrived/left later than the rest). There is no street parking. There are several Guest parking spots between the villas, but you need to get a special permit from the front office. Overall, I would recommend this place for families who are interested in staying close to Aulani. Mahalo to Mike for sharing his home with us. Cheers!

• Reviewer: Mira

  Comments: It's fabulous place, My family loved our time in Ko Olina Kai. We had a great time at villa. Mike was a great host! He was very thoughtful and has a kind heart. Our flight arrived early in the morning. So We wanted to early check-in for our little kids. He did accept really cool. And besides, We made floor noises at first day. Actually we didn't know who live in downstairs. The neighbor had claimed to Mike. But he politely was send a message to me. The neighbor also understood our mistake . The neighborhood is very quiet and peaceful. Even until now we're really sorry about that. Mike's place was perfect for our group with children. The pool & jacuzzi are beautiful and perfect for our kids. The house was very beautiful and clean. They provided everything's we need. If we get back to Oahu, we'd definitely stay at Mike's again. But We're not sure that he accept us again. :) Thanks for the great stay, Mike!

• Reviewer: Xinwei

  Comments: Mike did responde our question or request quickly during our stay in the house. Expecially we did reach him by phone in first day night when we lost the direction to the house, and he did clearly guided us to the location. The house was clean and comfprtable. The community is quiet and safe, the scenery is beautiful.

• Reviewer: Jillian

  Comments: This three bedroom condo is located within a resort area, which has its good and bad qualities. It takes a lot of time to get anywhere, such as a grocery store, outside of the resort area. The resort area itself is beautiful and easy to get around with a car, or walking. With older people with us we found it difficult to find parking within the resort area outside of the condo, but fitter people can easily walk. The house is nice and well kept. There were a few problems during our stay but Michael came to fix them quickly. The house sleeps six people, but the settings, such as bowls and table chairs, were only for four. Overall, it was a picturesque location for an Australian and American family reunion.

• Reviewer: Amanda

  Comments: I highly recommend staying here if you have small kids. We went with a 2 1/2 year old and we were in walking distance to many beaches with low-tide to no-tide which made for perfect day trips to the beach. We were able to swim with sea turtles and see a seal taking a nap (Paradise Cove Beach - short walk from the condo). Also, the Disney resort is across the street which is fun for kids to go see. The location was very convenient, you could walk to the grocery store, many restaurants and shops, a luau spot, golf and many beaches. We also walked to the car rental to pick our car up. (Hidden by Airbnb) maps makes the walk places seem far more difficult than it actually is - it gave us 30 minute walk times around weird routes and when we finally figured out the right way the walk was (Phone number hidden by Airbnb) minutes at most. We rented a car to drive to the more touristy spots (Hanauma Bay, Pearl Harbor, North Shore, etc.) However, we found the best beaches and atmosphere in Ko'Olina. It wasn't crowded (besides the Disney resort) and was very relaxing. Overall, a great trip and a great place to stay!

• Reviewer: Karen

  Comments: Michael's home is beautiful. The area that it is in is also beautiful and peaceful. The pool at the place is great ... as is the hot tub. We also used the barbecue grill and cabana next to the pool to cook dinner one night, which was fantastic. The Lagoons are nice and much less crowded than Waikiki beach! The beach is farther away than I had anticipated. I thought we could walk there. But with three little kids and all we had to take with us ... driving was the only way for us to get to the beach. I think to walk to it would have been over a mile. I rated our stay good ... and not excellent ... for two very important reasons. (1) It took us hours and hours to clean, change and wash the linen, and wash, dry, and put away all the towels, wash cloths, and anything else we used. Michael offers a great deal on his place, but because of that great price, you do your own cleaning. I feel like we wasted most of a day cleaning ... I think I would have rather paid a bit higher price to have the cleaning included. ... at least the linen and towels. (2) There are neighbors living below Michael's place, and they are very unforgiving with sound. We came with three little kids and if they even walked fast from one room to another, the people below us got mad and banged on their ceiling. It was constant. The kids tried ... and we tried to remind them ... but it's hard for three little ones to remember to tiptoe at all times. If they got the last bit excited, the neighbors below would get mad. If they bounced a little soft ball, we got in trouble. If just my husband and I were coming, I think it would be fine ... but I Would NEVER stay again with little kids. It was way to hard ... it felt like we were yelling at them to be quiet the whole time ... and we weren't really in the condo all that much ... but when we were ... we absolutely couldn't be quiet enough for the downstairs neighbors. It was tough ... and will definately be a black eye on our vacation. But Michael was great, his condo was beautiful, and the area is gorgeous. Michael also does a great job of providing anything you may need to make your stay enjoyable.

• Reviewer: Ani

  Comments: Mike's place was beautiful and a great spot for our 3 generation family. Our kids ages 1 and 2 loved the lagoons and the pool area. Michael was always very prompt in returning any messages and being very clear with his communication throughout the entire process. The only concern I had was that the neighbor downstairs complained about the kids noise from walking around on the very first day of our stay and got us all stressed out about letting them be kids the rest of the trip (I got the impression from the neighbor that it is not a very kid friendly place because of that) Everything else was wonderful and exceeded our expectations.

• Reviewer: Betsy

  Comments: We just arrived home from.a wonderful week in Ko'Olina at Michael's condo. It was the perfect spot for us and our five teenage daughters. Close enough to some shopping and beaches, but away from the craziness of the city. Michael's place was clean and well maintained, with plenty of space for all of us. He checked in a few times during the week to be sure everything was going well. It was a bit of a disappointment that the pool closed for maintenance while we were there, but it was easy enough to drive the kids to the beach instead. Being able to cook a few meals at home was nice too, especially breakfast so we didn't have to get up and going too early. Thank you for a great stay in beautiful Hawaii!

• Reviewer: Alyse

  Comments: The host canceled this reservation 11 days before arrival. This is an automated posting.

• Reviewer: Lydia

  Comments: The home was everything that was advertised. We were 3 generations that did a family trip and it was amazing. The home is in a very quite neighbourhood and very walkable to the beach. Waikiki is quite a drive away especially during rush hour but Costco and Walmart are very convenient. I would just like to mention that the reviews that there are people living underneath you is true and that if you have kids that like to run this may not be the place for you. I had a 2 year old and a 7 month old and it worked out well, we had a "thumping" complaint by the neighbours only a couple of times when my kid was over excited. I would highly recommend this place so that everyone can stay together under one roof.

• Reviewer: Melissa

  Comments: This place was everything that it advertises itself to be. No false expectations. This is a perfect 'starter pack' for anyone who is a bit weary of the island life and might need a bit more of a cosmopolitan cushion to welcome them to paradise. In my case, it was the perfect place to show my family (the bulk of which are senior citizens that have various mobility needs) the beauty of Hawaii without worrying about them getting swept away by the crashing waves of a full blown beach. The house did have a flight of stairs that my elderly auntie was able to go up and down (only when we were coming and going from the house) very easily with no complaints. There is a cafe and lots of great restaurants that my family commondeared and visited daily. The 20+ speed bumps to the villa were a bit obnoxious at first but one night, my boyfriend and I decided to go for for a stroll to see if there was a quicker way to get to the main strip where the hotels and the lagoons were so we gps-ed walking directions to Aulani and we were there in 12 min. It was a snap! My family LOVED the lagoons. I had an aunt who didn't even bring a swimsuit to Hawaii but ended up buying one because of how gentle the waves were at the lagoons. It was their favorite place in all of the island (next to the Costco and Target there were just an exit away). The pool in the community is a short little walk and is absolutely beautiful. There are 3-4 covered shelters where you and the family can pull up and grill some steaks. It was a great way to take advantage of the beautiful weather the last couple days when half of us wanted to chill and half of us wanted our time in the water. I've been to Oahu several times already, myself, so for someone like me and the the more adventurous and mobile people in my family, the mermaid caves are less than 7 min away, a drive to Waimanalo or Honolulu was about 30-45 min, but for the most part, it's not a bad drive. Cleaning was an easy thing to accommodate with some diligent planning. Overall a great stay and a great deal granted all the amenities at your fingertips.

• Reviewer: Britany

  Comments: The host canceled this reservation 13 days before arrival. This is an automated posting.

• Reviewer: Frank

  Comments: Nice host very accomodating. Note he had sold the place so not sure it will be available for future rental. Well equiped kitchen for a rental. Carpets need deep cleaning or replacement. Living sparsely decorated,i.e., one couch which was too low for us so we added some cushions. No real beach chairs available for tenant use. Pool is good but lots of loud children at the weekend. empty during week. No on premises bbg grill, so you have to drive or walk to the pool area to grill your steak or burger. Grocery stores and other services require a drive to Kapolei. Restuarants in the Ko Olina are mostly bad to mediocre, even the Roy's at the golf club house was not so good.

• Reviewer: Jeff

  Comments: The host canceled this reservation 46 days before arrival. This is an automated posting.