AVOID AT ALL COSTS. My wife, 6-month old and I stayed in the Plumeria Suite on the ground floor of this property at the end of May. In the end, we had to cut short our week-long stay. At the end of an exhaustive list of serious problems, the cockroach infestation got the better of us. On entering, you realize the place is totally misrepresented. Far from being a quaint Hawaiian throwback, the 'suite' hasn't had any love since the 70s. First, it's filthy: the fluorescent striplight housing throughout is full of dead flies and roaches, the skirting boards are black with dirt, the shower curtains are flecked with black mould, the grout is disgusting, the brown bathroom tiles are stained, the couches in the living room area are revolting (creases in the old grey leather are dark with years of dirt - we had to throw bedsheets over them just to be able to sit on them), the mattress on the master bed has broken springs that stick out, the curtains are non-existent, the beach paraphernalia is rusty and broken, the kitchen has the bare minimum of crockery and utensils (good luck opening wine with the pathetic corkscrew), the kettle was broken, the fridge had been painted white (assumedly because it was disgusting beforehand)... I really could go on. But the climax of this disaster was the cockroach infestation. We first saw a couple of roaches on our first night but the owner told us it was a tropical island and there was no avoiding them. We tried so very hard to swallow this until we visited other friends staying nearby in other houses that had been updated in the past half-century. Obviously, they did not have any problems with roaches. On the fourth night, we returned to a kitchen alive with cockroaches. We had passed the tipping point of a stray roach passing through - we never cooked in the kitchen and no food had been left anywhere. It's clear that the house needs fumigating. We left the following day and flew home. The owner was lovely at the beginning of the booking but, as the problems presented themselves, she wouldn't even entertain the idea of a refund. We emailed her immediately on arrival to explain that we wanted to leave and even offered to pay for a few nights (so she could retain some of the income from our stay). The answer was a resounding "no". She wouldn't acknowledge that the house is in a state of disrepair. She offered us a new kettle and a re-clean (which never happened) but, frankly, the place needs a total overhaul. If we had paid a third of the considerable price (over $2000 for the week), we might have had to accept that you get what you pay for. But, for over $2000, you expect a minimal level of quality. Here, the owners are cashing in on a near-beach location - they have absolutely no interest in putting any of their money into fixing this disaster zone. In the end, we have complained to VRBO and will be seeking a refund through Amex. Interestingly, the Hanalei Villa website no longer works and the VRBO listing has disappeared. Very odd; I just hope the health inspectors have closed the property and that the owners will be obligated to sort the place out. It's an absolute disgrace. For the record, we've travelled pretty extensively over the course of our lives, stayed in our fair share of shitholes, but this place is well over the line in terms of what is acceptable. Please, please go elsewhere. read more

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Felt like a rock star on my honeymoon! This was a gorgeous modern house that was in the perfect place. Steps from the Ocean (you can see from the house), right in town, yet this beach town still feels like your in the real tropical and private setting of Kuaui. Maile is awesome and couldn't find a more relaxing perfect setting with my wife. read more

Great location, amazing island. I rented the entire villa (with parents and kids) and enjoyed a great week in Hanalei. The perks of the house - steps from hanalei beach, spacious lanais and a nice hammock. They also give you bikes and surfboards to use. Top spot. read more

I just got back from a beautiful wedding ceremony with my wife. We were able to rent out the entire house for the rest of the family to stay in. It's right next to the beach, close to town and the house is a perfect setup for a group holiday but with enough division to tuck away and have some private time, with an ocean view. House was spacious and clean. We even scored surf while we were there. We'll def be back in the future. read more

I could not agree more with Russell. We stayed in the Plumeria unit end of July/early August 2014 and what a disappointment. I should have looked elsewhere when I had a problem with the booking. When I first found the unit, it was in my price range and I emailed the owner to send me the contract and it comes back with a different price. When I ask her about the different price on VRBO, she says, Oh I have it listed in multiple places and I can't keep up with what each site has. I ended up booking it anyway because we planned our trip 2 months prior which is very last minute for booking a trip to Kauai. For what we paid for this unit, we could have stayed in Poipu at a REALLY nice hotel for A LOT less. It's like you said, it would be one thing if you pay less money and get a rental like the plumeria suite. But it was outrageous and had the bare minimum. Beach toys for the kids were broken, beach chairs rusted out and torn, not even salt and pepper in the cabinets to use. We had to throw away some food because ants got into the food. Had to start storing our food in the 1970's microwave to keep it away from ants. I felt very misled too. I did not feel that this was the unit that I saw on line. I was expecting a beautiful view and our view was of a wooden fence. NO beach view. I tried finding the VRBO listing on line while we were there because I was so mad at myself for the first few days. How could I have been so misled? Funny thing, they had taken the listing down and the only thing I could find was your yelp review. I did not try contacting the owner about my disappointment because she was so indifferent about posting incorrect information on VRBO. It was like, if you don't rent it someone else will. If anyone does find the VRBO listing again, be very cautious. There are actually 3 different parts of the house that can be rented and it is not clear which one you are looking at on line. I don't think it even showed the Plumeria at all. Hope you got a refund on your AMEX card. It was a big lesson learned for me and I have used VRBO a lot in the past. I now have a list of 5 other places I'd rent in Hanalei before ever going back to this one. read more