I booked a condo through Air BnB at Kiahuna Plantations on Poipu Beach in Hawaii. Great Vacation Retreats managed the listing and I cannot say enough good things about them. The pictures of this condo do not do it justice - it is really beautiful in real life with breezes passing through all day long. From the view of the gorgeous gardens, the glimpse of the ocean's crashing waves, we slept like babies listening to the breeze and the soft rustle of palm fronds. The place was spotless, fully stocked with appliances, beach chairs, cooler, snorkel gear...you name it. The private lawn by the ocean offers loungers, towels and rental equipment. It's just a few steps down to a sandy beach with an area for swimming and boogie boarding. The mall across the street has great shops and restaurants as does the Sheraton immediately behind the property. Everything is in walking distance and there is a great quiet road along the ocean for a morning run! On top of that, the staff was friendly, extremely efficient, and responsive. We locked our keys in the condo the first night and security showed up in 5 minutes! We extended our stay and car one day quickly and easily. Can't recommend this place enough!!!! read more

I was extremely disappointed that our rental was cancelled 17 months after we booked it. If you get in this game, I believe you should fulfill your agreements. read more

So as I start to write this review- is see someone else wrote about 15H at Pili Mia and gave them 5 stars. I agree- dream condo. We came with three teenagers so 5 if us total. One of my girls slept on the fold out couch in the living room. The condo was immaculate. Very comfy beds and great amenities. Great TV and fast WiFi. The best part about it- it had all the necessities. From laundry detergent, tissues, garbage bags, to dishes, pots and pans, and spices. Beach towels, bath towels, a cooler, boogie boards, and beach chairs. We appreciate that SO much. This condo was perfect. We worked the agents to try and fix a mix up with our dates- they helped us come up with a solution. Pool was a little cold, but the hot tub made up for it. Very nice facility. It's currently under construction so it may get busier in the future but for now- not a lot of people at the pool. Great location to everything! Perfect Hawaii getaway!! Mahalo!! read more

We had a very disappointing experience with a condo we rented last week. Upon arriving in Kauai (just a couple hours before check in) we received a text message that our condo was actually double booked and we would be moved to another "nicer" condo. We looked up the location of the new place and were extremely disappointed that it was not within walking distance to the beach as we had planned on. We called the company and were assured we would receive a full refund if we weren't satisfied and were told we could move into the original condo the following day. The next day we had nowhere to stay between check out at 10am and check in at 3pm. Additionally the company completely reversed their promise and said that they never promised a refund! I would not take your chances with this rental company...keep looking, there are much better options out there. read more

Management company that takes care of rentals on Kauai. GREAT customer service by Angela in the office. We had some complications on our last day , and Angela helped us solve a few issues with our rental What impressed me was that she reached out the next day to check on us. Regarding the company in general , all went well. They are really on top of their game. read more

We had a great stay from start to finish during a week long stay on Kauai. Our condo was located at Poipu Sands on the ground level. We had another family staying there too, so all the kids loved playing on the huge, and I mean huge, grass lawns at the complex. Cooking fresh fish on the grill looking out to the ocean and then sharing the meals with my friends and family was a highlight for me. The home was clean, well-maintained and well-stocked, and the management company was friendly and responsive. The only disappointment was that when we decided to extend our stay, our condo was already booked so we had to move to a hotel. Will return again for sure! read more

Charged $400 for extra cleaning after being invoiced just $300. Manager said my invoice would be adjusted and sent to me after they already took the money out of my account. WTF? Typically (as in always) you get the right invoice and then you get charged. If not, a business could theoretically keep charging you more and more and then just "adjust" your invoice after the fact. What is this... the mob? Ok, so I get it, I have three small children who made a mess and we were charged. Fine. But the manager said if I got the insurance for $39, it would all be taken care of. Again, WTF! I booked through flipkey and there was no option to purchase insurance. There was no option to purchase insurance through great retreat in any of the correspondence that followed booking. The manager then proceeded to tell me that there was implying I was mistaken. Just to prove to myself I wasn't crazy, I went onto Flipkey and went through the booking process for Pili Mai managed by Great Vacation Retreats and there was no option to purchase insurance. The part that makes me so angry was the manager saying there was and trying to talk over me. And to say the place was as bad as she said it was? You are correct on the towels and linen. Happy to replace them. The carpet though? You're being ripped off by your carpet cleaning company. Urine on the carpet? That's ridiculous. No one in my family peed on the carpet. That's laughable. There was some chocolate milk stains (not blood) easily taken up with spot cleaner and vacuum. The manager clearly over exaggerated the mess in order to justify the cost to me, but to include the small spots of mud on the OUTSIDE of the front door as an example of how the place was wrecked is BS. I'm sure the 30 seconds it took to hose it off was grueling work. Recommendations, just go ahead and add the cleaning fee to the original cost or have the owners pay for insurance because guess what, kids are messy! Especially small kids. To have some expectation that things are going to be in perfect order after a week long stay is ignorant. Recommendation #2, don't advertise as family friendly because you're clearly not if a hard working family with small kids can get charged for things like mud on the outside of the front door or footprints on the wood laminate (again must've been grueling work to swiffer it up). Charged $400 for extra cleaning after being invoiced just $300. Manager said my invoice would be adjusted and sent to me after they already took the money out of my account. WTF? Typically (as in always) you get the right invoice and then you get charged. If not, a business could theoretically keep charging you more and more and then just "adjust" your invoice after the fact. What is this... the mob? Ok, so I get it, I have three small children who made a mess and we were charged. Fine. But the manager said if I got the insurance for $39, it would all be taken care of. Again, WTF! I booked through flipkey and there was no option to purchase insurance. There was no option to purchase insurance through great retreat in any of the correspondence that followed booking. The manager then proceeded to tell me that there was implying I was mistaken. Just to prove to myself I wasn't crazy, I went onto Flipkey and went through the booking process for Pili Mai managed by Great Vacation Retreats and there was no option to purchase insurance. The part that makes me so angry was the manager saying there was and trying to talk over me. And to say the place was as bad as she said it was? You are correct on the towels and linen. Happy to replace them. The carpet though? You're being ripped off by your carpet cleaning company. Urine on the carpet? That's ridiculous. No one in my family peed on the carpet. That's laughable. There was some chocolate milk stains (not blood) easily taken up with spot cleaner and vacuum. The manager clearly over exaggerated the mess in order to justify the cost to me, but to include the small spots of mud on the OUTSIDE of the front door as an example of how the place was wrecked is BS. I'm sure the 30 seconds it took to hose it off was grueling work. Recommendations, just go ahead and add the cleaning fee to the original cost or have the owners pay for insurance because guess what, kids are messy! Especially small kids. To have some expectation that things are going to be in perfect order after a week long stay is ignorant. Recommendation #2, don't advertise as family friendly because you're clearly not if a hard working family with small kids can get charged for things like mud on the outside of the front door or footprints on the wood laminate (again must've been grueling work to swiffer it up). read more

I booked a condo at Kiahuna Plantation through Great Vacation Retreats. I felt that Lynn did a great job helping me find a condo according to my specifications, and she was very responsive by email. The main reason I am giving two stars is that we found a mouse in our condo on our last night, and I was very disappointed by the way GVR handled this incident. We tried calling our contact at GVR and the front desk at Kiahuna Plantation, and no one sent anyone to help us. We really wanted to transfer to another unit, but because everyone was so unresponsive we ended up having to stay one night knowing there was a mouse roaming around. No one from GVR followed up with me over the next few days to apologize. When we asked for a refund for that night, they denied our request and said that mice are expected in tropical climates. We eventually ended up filing a complaint through American Express (which we had used to pay for the reservation), and then GVR very promptly contacted us to give us our refund. Even though I thought Lynn was great, I feel that overall Great Vacation Retreats provided poor customer service and was very cheap. I would definitely not recommend them. read more

I worked with Great Vacation Retreats to stay in one of their properties that had A/C. They were wonderful to deal with and very helpful. Whenever I had questions, they could answer them. They helped set up a couple activities for me as well. The condo was great AND COOL!!! It was in September that I stayed and it was unseasonably hot. I have recommended Great Vacation Retreats to several friends and family for their Kauai vacation. They seem to have a lot of properties in various price ranges which is nice. Give them a try. read more

My husband and I looked for a long time to find the right rental to suit our family, a simple hotel room would not suffice for us and our teenage daughter. The fact that the condo came WITH a mid-sized rental car was the icing on the cake. The unit was clean, well stocked and just a delight to see. Our only complaint was that, as seems to be with units like this, was that there were no premium cable channels. Not every night will be a late night club night, especially with a six-hour time difference and said teenage daughter, and more than basic cable to watch would be nice. When we needed more towels and had a problem with the shower the maintenance personnel were not only prompt, but they were courteous and efficient. I can't say enough good things about the condition of the unit and the ease of dealing with the folks at GVR. They made dealing with them so easy and issue free, that we were completely blown away. We would absolutely seek out GVR for our next Hawaiian vacation. read more

Solid property management company on Kauai. They had an open house promoting their vacation rentals last year that we visited, and decided to use them for our vacation this year. They have a good selection of properties on the island and if you call they can also help you select some properties that will fit your requirements. Their communication was prompt & efficient / they responded to any questions we had within 24 hours. We split our time between North & South and both condos were clean and well stocked with towels, shampoo, soap, and cleaning supplies. We'll definitely use them again. read more

DO NOT RENT FROM THIS COMPANY - We (family of 5) recently rented a unit in Poipu Kai from Great Vacation Retreats. The unit itself was OK. This despite the fact that there were filthy cooking pans on arrival and one of the bedroom lamps being broken. This despite the fact that we were promised a weekly membership in the local gym which suddenly became "unavailable" when we went to sign up. The kicker was after we checked out they added a $125 charge for "extra" cleaning. Huh? We have stayed in literally 50 VRBOs and NEVER had an issue like this. When I asked them to justify the charge they said there was some sand in the unit and the bathtub was dirty. Sand? It's Hawaii. Believe me it was minimal. I would also hope bathtub cleaning would be routine between guest stays. How does one "extra" clean a bathtub? Either you do it or you don't. Clearly they just added on the charge hoping I wouldn't notice or care. Beware...they will attempt to rip you off! read less read more

The litmus test of a great on-island management company is not the day-to-day bookings and check-ins. Many companies perform this service, and do a good job. The difficult part is how things are handled when a reservation goes horribly wrong - and it can happen - no matter how careful you are! Great Vacation Retreats recently handled a bad situation for us, and I cannot being to express how grateful we are to them. Here is what happened: A valve in an upstairs toilet began to leak the day our guests arrived. In short order, GVR arranged to have the water shut off until a plumber arrived, moved the guests to a new location, and had a plumber fix the leak. Since the water had seeped into the wall, they followed up with a restoration company, to ensure that there would be no mold or mildew issues. GVR also worked with our insurance carrier, and helped us get all the paperwork needed to file a claim - including a statement of lost income. This was a bad situation for us being so far away, but GVR stayed on top of the restoration, and now it is a good as new. In the end, the guests, although irritated, did not write a bad review. GVR did everything they could to help them relocate and followed up with them (as per GVR's usual policies). Before we signed with GVR, we took the time to read the guest reviews, I love the way they focus on the guests and work hard to ensure that they have a good experience. People spend a lot of money to get to the islands, and look forward to it for months, so the expectations are very high. Their guest reviews consistently show that GVR does an outstanding job of providing a lovely experience. read more

We found PIli Mai 10C on VRBO and made reservations through GVR with Bruce. He was wonderful to work with. Janie provided great pre-arrival information. The condo is beautiful, maybe even better than pictured. The owners are to be commended for their obvious pride of ownership; the furniture inside and out is comfortable and easily accommodated our group of 6. This promised to be the perfect vacation we were hoping for. Unfortunately, we discovered the first night that our air conditioner automatically shut off around midnight and came back on around 6am; the bedrooms were above 80 degrees and this made sleeping very difficult. We had two people with lung problems that are exacerbated by heat, and they were forced to use their breathing machines constantly. We reported the problem to GVR the first morning, but it was not resolved until our 5th night out of 7. Most of our calls/texts to request service for the air conditioning were answered promptly and in a professional manner. Two different AC techs came and went without being able to fix the problem. We are familiar with air conditioning systems that can be monitored and controlled remotely, and the solution seemed obvious to us and should have been resolved way sooner than day 4. The only not-so-great customer servicer experience we had was with Chantel on day 4. I called in the morning to report that we were going into our 5th night with no air conditioning and it was NOT acceptable. She said it was the first she had heard of it (is there no record kept of previous calls?) and that she would send "Mel" over immediately. We waited 2 hrs and he never came, so we left for the beach. I called Chantel back at the end of the day and she intimated that nothing could be done until she spoke with her supervisor the next day. I told her this was NOT OK, and that it needed to be fixed or we were considering moving. A tech showed up shortly after, handed his phone to Ron Ryan, and the problem was solved that night. We wish Ron Ryan had gotten involved much earlier in the process. We are grateful for the 2 night compensation that we were given, but overall, we felt the GVR customer service on-island was not responsive soon enough. We felt frustrated, angry and sleep-deprived for a good part of our vacation. If the air conditioning had worked, we would give an entirely different rating to GVR. read more

Went to Kauai with my sister the middle of January. She and my brother-in-law had purchased their dream condo at Pili Mai (15H) in October. Before they returned to the mainland, they purchased most of the furniture for their new home and secured a property management firm (as they would be doing short term rentals for a few years). This was a new endeavor for them, and they needed a property management company that they could rely on to be professional, top quality, responsive, and helpful. When I walked into their new condo, I was taken aback. Not only is their condo beautiful, top quality; the furniture they purchased is amazing. Now for the reason for the 5 stars for GVR. My sister had needed to rely on GVR to purchase for them and stock the kitchen, set up the condo with their furniture when it was delivered, stock and set up all three bathrooms. I was in awe not only about the thoroughness, but also the quality of what they obtained for the condo. They provide soaps, lotions and hair products that are amazing. I went to the soap store right in Koloa and purchased some of the products to take home! I have personal experience of staying in places in different parts of the world, and one thing that always stands out to me is the quality of the towels and linens a company uses. Well, the towels and linens GVR purchased for the condo are first rate. It was very obvious GVR's experience and knowledge of what clients expect in top quality furnishings is of the highest caliber. While my sister was there as the owner (and I was her helper/guest) GVR provided us with the most wonderful welcome gift in the refrigerator. Not only fruit and snacks, but an amazing bottle of wine! Our stay was more of a working trip as my sister had to finalize the purchase of several items to complete furnishing the condo. This included several pieces of art, that were best hung by professionals. She called GVR for their assistance, and quickly was provided with staff to complete the work. There were a few other occassions she had a question or needed assistance with something, and GVR was always right there to help. I observed my sister always being met with friendliness, and top notch quality work. So, while not a direct client of GVR as a renter, I feel it is important to provide a very positive review for this company as a property management firm from the point of view of watching an owner who has contracted with them to oversee the rental and management of a property that is very special to them. Anyone considering renting from a property management firm, or contracting with a property management firm in Kauai should put GVR at the top of your list. I hope you enjoy this company as much as you will enjoy renting my sister and brother-in-laws condo at Pili Mai (15H) :) read more

It is a real pleasure working with a company that truly understands the importance of making this, once in a lifetime, vacation as special for us as they can. They are well staffed and coordinated. From making our reservation to a late check out the day of departure, GVR made it so seamless. They offer many dining suggestions. We even rented baby gear and beach gear from their office. We also booked a sunset sail through GVR. By the time we left, we knew several of the employees and felt like part of the family. All in all, we highly recommend booking with GVR. After looking at their site, I see so many properties that they manage that look beautiful. If cleanliness is of importance to you, you will be very pleased! We hope to come back and will only use GVR in the future. OH, I almost forgot. After the 2nd day, the coffee pot broke. They brought a new one to us that same day, now that is impressive! read more