This is my second time using VRBO to find a place to stay in Hawaii. Encouraged by my stay in Honolulu, we looked into using VRBO for our stay in Kauai.
The Plantation Hale is awesome. The gardens are well maintained, the pools are nice, and the location is great. The little shops at the Coconut Marketplace were fun, and the beaches in that area are nice. Lots of cute shops and good restaurants in Kapaa.
The suite itself was... okay. It’s not nearly in as good of condition as the pictures would make it seem. It needs paint. Some of the cabinet doors don’t close right. The ac is very loud and there is a check filter light on the whole time. The tub doesn’t drain. The location — near the stairs — makes it a bit loud. However, there were plenty of linens and towels, chairs and boogie boards, so that was great.
Molly responded quickly to questions but with terse, one sentence responses. This versus the other property manager who was very welcoming, personally dropping off a welcome gift and wrote very responsive, informational emails.
Disappointing was that there was no welcoming champagne and chocolates as advertised. It wasn’t the end of the world, but added to the whole “meh” of the experience. I think next time I’ll just book directly from Plantation Hale or find another place to stay. I’m not unhappy with my experience, it just could have been better.