1 Star -- WARNING: This property management company will take your money and put your family at…read morerisk. We booked a week at Mele Kai (March 11-18) for two families, including kids, one of whom was celebrating a birthday on the island. Nearly $8,000. On March 10, with a massive Kona storm bearing down on Kauai, we reached out to Garden Island Properties to discuss our options. Our VRBO messages went unanswered. Our phone call went unanswered. When we finally got a text response, they told us the rain is what gives Kauai its nickname "The Garden Island" and suggested we bring "a flexible plan and rain gear." We weren't being difficult. We wrote back and told them we weren't opposed to being rained on -- our concern was flooding, loss of power, or being stuck on the island. I asked them directly: "Will my family be safe during this massive storm in your place?" Their response? They told us, "I don't mean to downplay the news coverage, but this is fairly typical winter weather for Kauai." They assured us the rental was "not located in a flood zone." Fairly typical winter weather. Not in a flood zone. Here's what actually happened: The Governor declared a STATE OF EMERGENCY. Roads in Poipu -- the exact neighborhood of this house -- were closed due to flooding. Ho'one Road and Ku'ai Road, right by this property, were shut down. The islands were hit with up to 44 inches of rain and 135-mph winds. Schools and government offices closed. Over 120,000 customers lost power across the state. Beaches were closed under brown water advisories warning of sewage overflow and hazardous bacteria. The Red Cross and Salvation Army mobilized relief efforts. Residents were evacuated into emergency shelters. So much for "fairly typical winter weather." So much for "not in a flood zone." And here's what makes it worse: the forecast they themselves included in their own message showed 90-100% chance of rain with thunderstorms and wind gusts up to 50 mph for EVERY SINGLE DAY of our trip. Their own evidence showed this was not typical. They sent it to us and still told us to come. We never made it to Kauai. We couldn't. It would have been dangerous and irresponsible to bring our families -- our kids -- into that situation. Garden Island Properties refused any refund. VRBO has been contacted twice by phone, was promised a resolution email both times, and as of this writing we've received nothing. $8,000. Gone. For a house we never stepped foot in, on an island we never reached, during a declared state of emergency that the property manager called "fairly typical." This is not a review about the weather. Nobody controls the weather. This is a review about a property management company that had every piece of information -- including their own forecast -- telling them this was a dangerous, historic storm, and they still chose to encourage a family with children to fly into it rather than do the right thing. I asked them point blank if my family would be safe. They couldn't even answer the question. They chose profit over safety. Period. If you are considering booking with Garden Island Properties, understand this: when things go wrong -- and in Hawaii, weather can go very wrong -- this company will not have your back. They will take your money, send you a canned aloha, and wish you luck.

I never leave reviews, but once in a blue moon I do business with a company that's so exceptional,…read moreand whose staff is so above and beyond that I find myself looking for outlets to let others know of my experience. This is the case with the people at Garden Island Properties. A week prior to our departure, we sadly had to cancel our travel to Kauai Island because our daughter was hospitalized. I had already paid in full for our three week rental (60 days prior to our departure date) and I did not purchase insurance. This could have been the end of the story because everyone had already been paid. But, the people at Garden Island Properties worked tirelessly to find another renter so we could recover some of our money. The humanity they showed, and the effort they made on our behalf has made me a loyal customer, and I plan to use them to help me with future rental properties going forth. I will also purchase travel insurance!

UPDATE (based on how things ultimately played out):…read more I'm updating my original 5-star review based on how this situation ultimately played out. After the April 2025 service (which was specifically for a drainage issue), the unit began leaking significantly more. A second technician from the company later noted that the indoor unit appeared to be sloped away from the drain. By that point, the system was leaking heavily. The indoor unit was installed with very limited clearance to the ceiling (approximately 1"), which can contribute to condensation and drainage issues. Over the following months, the problem worsened to the point where the unit stopped cooling properly and ultimately had to be replaced. There was also visible mold and buildup inside the unit consistent with ongoing moisture and drainage problems. I made multiple attempts to resolve this directly with the company. Their position was that the issue developed over time and was related to maintenance, and they declined to provide any additional compensation beyond credits for the service calls, which did not resolve the drainage issue. As a homeowner, I relied on the company's expertise and only became aware of potential underlying issues after the drainage problem was not resolved. I understand that older systems can have issues, but the condition of the unit worsened after the service that was intended to fix the drainage problem. Based on how this was handled, I do not feel the company stood behind the outcome of the service. I'm sharing this so others have the full context before deciding who to work with. Additional clarification: To clarify, I did not request that the company pay for a full replacement system - only a partial contribution toward the replacement after the condition worsened following the April service.

Kimo came and did my solar panel and heater maintenance. Awesome job and service!...will do it…read moreagain yearly

This is a family run business that installed my PV solar system and did a great job. Elliott…read moreLucas is awesome and answered all my questions regarding what I needed. I researched solar panels and inverters to see what Solar Kauai uses. They use the the current and updated models. Elliott did not try to upgrade and explained to me what was my options and most economical plan for me. They were very fast and did a neat and clean job and all wires were hidden under the panel.

These folks just did a fantastic install for us. This is the second project that they have done…read morefor us and we couldn't be more pleased. This round we closed the circle with our Home Solar System, with the installation of a Battery and Inverter package by Enphase that they recommended. I'm a bit of technology geek and the software monitoring package is excellent as well. Family operation with a great team, they showed up on schedule on the appointed day, and didn't stop until the install was complete. Ahead of schedule, on budget. Commissioning and follow thru has been excellent. Hardware is delivering as promised. Not just does it make sense financially but at the end of the day it also just plain feels good to be doing the right thing for Planet Earth. Now to start saving for that Electric Car! My point of contact was Elliot and I'm very pleased with the Service and Product!

This is a delayed review for service performed on September 12. Van happened to be assisting with…read morethe telephones when I left my trouble call message on the 11th, and CJ --Cool It's technician-- was on our side of the island the next day. CJ stopped in to do a diagnostic. I was very pleasantly surprised that he got the AC operating again that Friday afternoon (dye was added to the system so follow-up will be required). I planned to wait and submit a review after the follow-up, however, the follow-up has not been necessary YET (it's coming...). Thank you, Van and CJ.

Regarding : "Cool It Kauai" Air Conditioning : BEWARE…read more I started with Cool it Kauai when I first bought my 3 bedroom condo in 2019 for a vacation rental on the North Shore. Van and his team were very nice and installed eventually 4 Fuji AC's over that first year that were fabulous at the beginning. 'Cool It' was set to maintain these 4 units annually and all seemed good until someone new took over the office, who was literally so cold and dismissive to my concerns over the equipment and the ever increasing costs to have them maintained, If I mentioned it was an emergency she would nearly double the costs, so it was best to be patient even though we had guests harassing us for an instant repair. Her name was not Skyler, in fact, I must agree when Skyler came, she was a welcome asset to the office. She actually seemed concerned and was always trying to be helpful. However when there was a need for a repair, and all 4 units were still under warranty, it seemed no matter what the diagnosis was the warranty never covered "those" things... That's about when the red lights started flashing and it was around this time they added the 'travel time' costs to my bill! Are you serious? We finally left last year when they couldn't produce or provide our warranty information. Information that only they had, since they were entrusted with buying all 4 brand new Air Conditioners, so surely they had all the paperwork, including the warranty info that it came with! However I spent nearly 4 months trying to get that information from them, only to finally be told, "You can call Fuji and get it"! Really? Omg! The new company acquired that information at the get go and has already had 2 repairs that were still under warranty (3 were 6yr warranties and one was 12yrs), so all equipment was still covered, but Cool It wouldn't honor it or bother with it!! It became impossible to receive this simple information or any reply that did not escalate our dismay. For all the trust and finances we endowed 'Cool It' with, we received one too many curt, rude and inadequate responses. I've had enough. Be

Luxe cleaning fulfilled all my expectations! They responded quickly to a request for service and…read morethe owner herself came to the location to review and price the job requested. Used them back in March for a move out clean and to save some the time and energy of doing it on my own. The quality of work was appreciated and they also completed the work on a weekend and within the contacted 2 hours. Thank you Luxe Cleaning and staff!

Angel was lovely to work with! We used the cleaning service during our one week trip to Kauai while…read morewe were staying at an Airbnb. Before arriving, Angel was easy to coordinate with and discuss our needs. When we arrived, the cleaning was thorough and it was a great way for us to feel like we were staying at a hotel, all while enjoying the perks of staying in our private Airbnb! I would highly recommend using her cleaning service.

Madi and her team are the most professional and amazing cleaning crew I have ever dealt with. From…read morethe first conversation about needing cleaning to actually coming to the house to give us a bid, to setting the appointments and of course the actual cleaning, I was thoroughly impressed and so thankful. Madi set expectations right away and executed every detail professionally . My husband and I have lived on island for 20 years and own a local business. We had Deep Serene deep clean our house and we were so impressed with their attention to detail we are having them clean our local business as well. Pricing is more than fair, especially for the amazing work they do. Mold was removed from walls. All windows and mirrors cleaned (with no streaks) , closets organized, carpets cleaned, fans dusted, gecko poop gone, bathtub white again. Oven, microwave, anir fryer - Spotless! Even plants were watered and cleaned up.Our house has never been as clean as after Madi and her crew got down and dirty! If you want the best on Kauai,100% go with Deep Serene.

We love Maddy and her team! We use them as the cleaning service for our rental unit at Kiahuna…read morePlantation, and they have done an amazing job keeping our guests satisfied (all 5 star reviews :-)). They are a good value, helping us keep our cleaning fees down. They keep us well informed how our unit is doing and let us know when there is anything that needs attention. We love their linen and amenities program, reducing stress on us to make sure our place is always equipped for our guests. Maddy has personally gone above and beyond helping us with tips since we are new vacation rental owners and is super communicative, always getting back to us quickly when we have an issue, request, or a question.

We needed our Hot water heater to be replaced.We went to various people some we bz some was not…read moreresponding.So we tried Jr's plumbing.They contacted my girl friend in a timely manner and soon we set a date when they were available.So when the day came only 1 person came.He was very informative and friendly.He did a great job!.He kept us informed what he was going to do.When everything was done.We tried the new water heater out and it work like a charm.Everything went well!.He even cleaned up.So when payment was made we also gave him $20 for lunch.We were very very satisfied!.We will definitely be hiring them again!.Well hopefully not that soon.

I recently had a water heater replaced. When I called inquiring about service to replace the water…read moreheater, the office girl who answered was very friendly and sounded with full of energy and happy. The friendly Tech Ekolu called to ask if he could come earlier since the prior job finished earlier. He alone swapped out the water heater and had me test the faucets in the house to make sure I had hot water. He stopped by the next day after his last job late in the afternoon to check if everything was working properly. There was a very small leak on top of the tank, so removed the intake pipe and applied Teflon tape. It wasn't because of his installation work, but the manufacturer's workmanship. I would highly recommend this family's business!

We stayed for a week in Pali Kai Cottage #17C, a beautiful studio on the water. The kitchen came…read morestocked with everything we needed, from spices to sponges to paper towels. The air conditioning and water heating worked well. We were provided a place to wash our clothes. The apartment was modern and clean. Big enough for two people. A small dining area and a couch bed were also provided. Our host, Susanne, was attentive and responsive through email and phone. The view of the mountains and ocean was the most spectacular part. It was a great value and price compared to the expensive hotels on Kauai. Lihue had lots of nice places to eat and not too far from the beaches if you rent a car. Very close to airport too. Thank you to Kauai Oceanfront Property!