Hale O Pua Lani

Short version: this place is dirty, run-​down, has no A/​C despite daytime temperatures above 90 °F, and is in need of major upgrades and repairs. Oh, and you find out AFTER paying for the place that you’re expected to clean before you vacate?! Not cool.
Long version: I was extremely disappointed with this place. The advertisement made it seem like this beautiful oceanfront property with breathtaking views. Too bad neither of those is true. It’s across the street and up a hill a bit, so you’re actually about a quarter of a mile from the water, but the coast nearest you is private property, so you have to drive to nearby beaches (which are too rocky and/​or have waves too big for my 22 month old). There is no good view of the ocean because of the homes in the way. It isn’t even nice on the lanai because all the furniture is either rusted or has huge holes which you will fall into if you try to sit there. Bonus: the railing was coming loose which was unsafe for my toddler.
You get two large bedrooms an a bathroom, full kitchen, dining and living rooms. The mattresses need replacing, the wall décor is rusted and has sharp places that can easily break skin. Framed pictures hanging throughout the condo are all dusty and washed out from being up too long, the blinds are all broken or missing pieces, the walls are scratched and scuffed and deaperately need repainting. Pillows were all FILTHY.
Why is there no air conditioning?!? There isn’t a nice breeze here to cool the house and the insulation was done wrong, making the house an oven day and night.
The kitchen sink emitted funky smells all day. It stunk so bad that we actually had to plug the sink with rags to keep the kitchen from stinking. The refrigerator is rusty, as are the dishwasher racks. No Tupperware. You have to supply your own paper towels and hand soap. Stove burners are covered in foil, which is both lazy and tacky. Also, this suite is supposed to be kid-​friendly, yet there were cans of Raid Insect Killer under the sink, within easy reach of children.
Bathroom faucets were loose. Again, no hand soap or complimentary toiletries. Shower didn’t have the option of closing, so water splashes all over the floor and wall. Toilet is miniature and you have to hold the button down for a few seconds for it to flush. Paint was chipping off the door and the sink on the left didn’t drain.
The pool was filthy. The water tasted salty and metallic, which I’m told is not healthy. There were dead bees, wasps, and giant beetles floating around. The flowers fallen from nearby trees were in the water so long that they actually turned brown and started disintegrating.
There are much nicer places closer to beaches/​town that rent for almost half as much as this dump. Seriously, don’t stay here. You’re better off sleeping in your rental car.

This has to be my favorite place I’ve stayed on the islands. It was so worth it to stay a wee bit further from downtown in this amazing triplex. The views here are breathtaking, you have about 260 degrees of ocean views and close to 6 sliding doors including ones off of each bedroom.
For the price of a flea-​bag we got an awesome 2 bedroom 1 bath condo with a large open living area with full kitchen (including dishwasher), full-​sized washer dryer, AWESOME pool and NO cleaning fee. We stayed in the upper unit, which felt like a tree house with a huge skylight.
The owner, Bill is very helpful and easy to get a hold of by phone or e-​mail. He also lives in the ground floor unit so there’s no worries if you need help or just advice on what to see. There are tons of pool/​sand toys, floaties and water shoes left by previous guests that you are free to use so don’t pack any of this stuff!
There is no A/​C, but we found the fans perfectly adequate with the tradewinds. Also if you stay in the upper unit, sound does carry from the rooms as the way the skylight is constructed there aren’t full ceilings on the rooms.
We can’t wait to return!