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Review 3278: Garden Island Rentals, Hale Malanai

www.kauairentals.com

Not Recommended
Review by Lisa McT from US

2bed/1bath house near Koloa Kauai, Hawaii

When

12/22/07-01/05/07, 2 weeks

Location

This cottage is on Hoona Road, just outside Koloa town and near Poipu Beach in Kauai.

We stayed at this location in 2003 and it had its own beautiful yard and garden as shown in the Internet photographs.

When we stayed in the cottage in 2007-2008 the yard and garden had been replaced by a smaller lower cottage. This cottage shared the same driveway and curved very closely around the existing cottage.

Nearby Amenities

You would have to drive. The nearest grocery store was about two miles away.

The House/Apartment

The cottage had a plantation feel and look to it. It is on stilts. It has vaulted ceilings, with an open floor plan. The roof included a cupula with windows.

The area was peaceful and quiet, but the adjacent cottage was very close.

The ceiling leaked water in multiple places. The cupula windows were rotting. The screens were either missing and falling out. My husband had to stand on the room dividing walls to replace the screens and force the other windows closed so that the mosquitoes would stay out.

The white walls, light switches, floors, and baseboards were dirty. For example the walls and light switches were splashed with brown and yellow spots that I cleaned. The baseboards were thick with dirt and sand. The vinyl floors had yellow stains.

Garden

There is a wrap around deck that is private except from the adjacent cottage.

There was a plastic table, two plastic lawn chairs and two padded lawn chairs. It was worn and aged.

There is a nice view.

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

The furniture was in disrepair. For example the couch was faded and torn. The white rattan furniture was dirty. I had to clean the arm rests.

They had replaced the dining room table (as seen on the Internet advertisement) with a patio outdoor table and four chairs. There were not enough chairs around the table to accommodate dinner guests.

The kitchen cupboards are stained and worn.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms

The beds were marginally comfortable.

The pillows smelled like body odour and had multiple stains. The bedspread in the master bedroom had the same odour and was stained.

We had to call the rental agency to ask for a new bed quilt and four pillows.

Kitchen

The kitchen had multiple cooking utensils and pans. The non-stick pans were worn and old. It was short on forks and had chipped plates.

I had to ask the rental agency to bring more plates. The outside of the fridge was dirty and splattered. The water dispenser on the fridge was very dirty and we did not use it.

Problems or Bonuses

The major surprise was finding a new cottage squeezed into the beautiful garden in a haphazard fashion.

It was a bad surprise to see the cottage in such disrepair and so dirty since since June 2003. It was a beautiful property in 2003.

Agency and Representatives (and price)

The agency was as accommodating as they could be. They tried their best given that we were visiting during the Christmas holidays.

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?

No. I would not stay here for that price.

The rest of my family stayed in an adjacent cottage that was in beautiful shape and less costly. I would consider staying there.

Things to do in this area

Snorkel at Poipu.

Explore at Mahaulepu.

Visit the two National Tropical Botanical Gardens.

Shaved ice at Wishing Well and Jo Jo's.

Kayaking the Wailua River and visiting the secret falls.

Hiking at Waimea Canyon.

Grove Farm Tour.

This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com.

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