This cottage is a rare treasure in Lanikai. Built in the 1930s, it captures the" Old Hawaii" in one of the most beautiful parts of the island. All the comforts of home, but in paradise. My family of 4 (2 kids under 10yrs) stayed here for a month and it still didn't seem like a long enough visit! All the previous reviews describe the hale perfectly; fully equipped kitchen, large yard for the children to run around, outdoor areas to relax. But, it is impossible to describe the overall feeling of tranquility this cottage exudes. Thank you Doug and Jean for sharing this special home with us! We hope to be back next year.

In the 1930's, Honolulu businessmen would purchase cottages for their families on the windward coast where trade winds and showers create a cool, verdant paradise. You may rent this very cottage. It has everything you need--internet, appliances, TV--but remains vintage 1930. Happily, the price has not been updated either. You may stay for a month instead of a week. The location is ideal, near the small town of Kailua with great restaurants and a beach recognized as one of the finest in the world. In thirty minutes you can be shopping in Honolulu or exploring remote beaches. We love the mornings and evenings, dining on the lanai, looking across a vast expanse of lawn where your neighbors stroll beneath the coconut palms, where plovers and cardinals hunt for seeds in the grass. This is a home, not a rental. Neither is it a resort experience. It is a beautiful place lost in time where the residents seem to have walked away decades ago, their ukuleles and photos still on the walls. My family has returned five times.

Thank you Jean and Doug. We enjoyed our 35 day stay at this fine example of Old Hawaii.Only a 10 minute walk from the main beach at Lanikai ( voted #1 beach in Hawaii by Travel TV).Great location, very peaceful and wonderful owners to work with. Thank you again for making your home available. We hope to return to Lanikai in the future and would not hesitate to stay here again. Greg and Joyce

Thank you once again,Jean and Doug, for letting us rest and enjoy your piece of paradise. Everything, was as last year...maybe better. Sure felt like home to us. We will be back, for sure! If you are looking for a place to stay in Lanikai, this is it. As I say that, I wonder if I should be telling everyone about how great it is. The site suggests a car rental, but for the second year, we did without one. If you are able to walk, or bike, forget the car. The Bus comes right across the road, and hop on, and you are in Kailua in minutes....or go onward to Honolulu...in less than an hour. Buzz's restaurant is at Kailua Beach, and if you take the 7:20 pm bus (last bus), in for dinner, you will have to walk home. No bus service in Lanikai after that. A wonderful walk, 25 min., in the warm evening breeze. How great is that! Don't worry about not being able to see where you are going, as the street lights, lite your way home .....to Old Hawaii.

Thank you once again,Jean and Doug, for letting us rest and enjoy your piece of paradise. Everything, was as last year...maybe better. Sure felt like home to us. We will be back, for sure! If you are looking for a place to stay in Lanikai, this is it. As I say that, I wonder if I should be telling everyone about how great it is. The site suggests a car rental, but for the second year, we did without one. If you are able to walk, or bike, forget the car. The Bus comes right across the road, and hop on, and you are in Kailua in minutes....or go onward to Honolulu...in less than an hour. Buzz's restaurant is at Kailua Beach, and if you take the 7:20 pm bus (last bus), in for dinner, you will have to walk home. No bus service in Lanikai after that. A wonderful walk, 25 min., in the warm evening breeze. How great is that! Don't worry about not being able to see where you are going, as the street lights, lite your way home .....to Old Hawaii.

My wife and I stayed at the mini-plantation house (approx. 834 sq. feet main house, approx. 400 sq. feet cottage) from 10/1/13 to 10/21/13. We were scheduled to stay until 11/1/13, but the home became much too uncomfortable to stay for our entire paid vacation. Let me state the pros and cons of this home:Pros: 1) Great location. Across the street lies the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Lanikai's sandy beach is not directly across from the home. You will need to walk about 1/4 mile north to access the sandy beach portion. You can access the ocean through a walkway access path about 100 yards from the home, good for launching the kayak, but there is no sandy beach to enjoy.2) Large yard, good for families with children.3) Nice covered patio out front to enjoy outdoor weather. There are 2 tables with 8 chairs and a rocker.4) Extra Cottage in back of home, sleeps 2 people on a twin bed. Approximately 400 square feet. Comes with toilet, no shower inside of cottage, but there is an outdoor shower if your adventurous.5) Plenty of towels, pots, pans, dishes, cups, silverware. Mini microwave oven, hand can opener, newer appliances (about 2 years old), washer/dryer outdoors in back.6) Plenty of older beach chairs, snorkeling equipment, boogie boards, 3 older bicycles, and a heavy kayak with detachable wheels to roll it to the beach access path. Cons:1) Home is very old and outdated. That would be okay, if the furnishings were newer and comfortable, but the couches were extremely old and not fun to sit on. The sitting chairs were also tortuous to use for any amount of time. The television was very small and hard to watch in its cabinet.2) The queen bed in the master bedroom was horrible and unsleepable. It caved into the middle immediately upon laying down on it. We switched to the twin bed in the cottage, just about as bad. Very hard to sleep on mattress' that are well beyond their useful life expectancy. 3) Pillows were unsanitary. I bought a new one. Owner reimbursed me for that.4) Overall cleanliness was poor. Surfaces not clean, gunk in silverware draws, around garbage can, mildew on shower curtain, leaking faucet in bathroom and kitchen faucet hard to turn off. Shower drain backed up with every use.5) Bug problem in the home. This was the final straw. When we encountered one too many cockroaches, we left early. We did not ask for a partial refund, and none was offered. If the problems were fixed, a decent play to stay.

My wife and I stayed at the mini-plantation house (approx. 834 sq. feet main house, approx. 400 sq. feet cottage) from 10/1/13 to 10/21/13. We were scheduled to stay until 11/1/13, but the home became much too uncomfortable to stay for our entire paid vacation. Let me state the pros and cons of this home: Pros: 1) Great location. Across the street lies the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Lanikai's sandy beach is not directly across from the home. You will need to walk about 1/4 mile north to access the sandy beach portion. You can access the ocean through a walkway access path about 100 yards from the home, good for launching the kayak, but there is no sandy beach to enjoy. 2) Large yard, good for families with children. 3) Nice covered patio out front to enjoy outdoor weather. There are 2 tables with 8 chairs and a rocker. 4) Extra Cottage in back of home, sleeps 2 people on a twin bed. Approximately 400 square feet. Comes with toilet, no shower inside of cottage, but there is an outdoor shower if your adventurous. 5) Plenty of towels, pots, pans, dishes, cups, silverware. Mini microwave oven, hand can opener, newer appliances (about 2 years old), washer/dryer outdoors in back. 6) Plenty of older beach chairs, snorkeling equipment, boogie boards, 3 older bicycles, and a heavy kayak with detachable wheels to roll it to the beach access path. Cons:1) Home is very old and outdated. That would be okay, if the furnishings were newer and comfortable, but the couches were extremely old and not fun to sit on. The sitting chairs were also tortuous to use for any amount of time. The television was very small and hard to watch in its cabinet. 2) The queen bed in the master bedroom was horrible and unsleepable. It caved into the middle immediately upon laying down on it. We switched to the twin bed in the cottage, just about as bad. Very hard to sleep on mattress' that are well beyond their useful life expectancy. 3) Pillows were unsanitary. I bought a new one. Owner reimbursed me for that. 4) Overall cleanliness was poor. Surfaces not clean, gunk in silverware draws, around garbage can, mildew on shower curtain, leaking faucet in bathroom and kitchen faucet hard to turn off. Shower drain backed up with every use. 5) Bug problem in the home. This was the final straw. When we encountered one too many cockroaches, we left early. We did not ask for a partial refund, and none was offered. If the problems were fixed, a decent play to stay.

My family spent five weeks in this vacation home. This is a wonderful home for a family vacation near the beach. Plenty of space to spread out and the ohana out back is handy. It is very rare to have this much land around a house in Lanikai. The view at the beach is stunning. There is a beach/water access almost across the street from the property. The "sand" beach (much more crowded) is about 1/8th of a mile from the property. During low tide you can practically walk to it in the water across the street. The bikes were fun to ride and the kayak-perfect! The owner is fantastic to deal with and very responsive. Also, the manager lives next door and she was great and her family is lovely. We used to live in Hawaii and we really enjoyed this Hawaiian home near the beach. Mahalo Jean and Doug!!

I want to thank you so much for the wonderful time at your Hale. It was fantastic. Yes, it was everything you'd hope to happen in Hawaii...lots of sun, a great beach, time to relax. But it was a lot more for us and it's taken me a couple of days to really put it in words. I had a hard time conveying what it was, until I decided not to use actions for my thoughts but my feelings. I felt as if we were connected to a part of Hawaii that a lot of tourists don't ever get to be a part of...it really was Old Hawaii. Perhaps it was because I know the history of the cottage or it was because of seeing all those old photos you've put on the walls (love the one of you as a baby, as a stewardess and of course, of Shirley Temple and you!), or just because of that history, those photos and where the cottage is located, I had a greater experience of just hanging at the beach. Your cottage is special, Jean, and I am utterly grateful for having spent the time there.

One of the best kept secrets on the island is "Old Hawaii". It is truly a wonderful place to stay in Lanikai. The Hale was as described, pictures a true likeness. The kitchen has all you need, full equipped. I especially appreciated all the extra's that everyone had left behind. Made use of some and left what I had, hoping that the next people coming in could make use of them. WiFi was wonderful to have, making it easy to get in touch with the owners, and to connect back home with family and friends. The bikes, although getting on in age ( like the rest of us) were put to good use. Since we did not have a car rental, we used the bikes as our transportation, along with the great bus system!! The bus stop is located just across the street, and The Bus, #70, can have you in the little town of Kailua within 10 minutes. If you are a walker, and want to walk to Kailua Beach, that will take about 20 minutes......that is.....if you should ever want to leave the gorgeous Lanika Beach area. Our thanks to Jean and Doug for sharing their Lanika home with us. A perfect holiday! Would we return.......absolutely....YES!

My wife an I stayed the month of May 2011(the form would not allow me to enter correct date), so this review is long overdo.. We have been to Hawaii about seven times and have done other Homeaway rentals and this was the best experience we have had. This Hale is exactly as described and is the closest thing to experiencing what it would be like to really live in Hawaii( for all of us who have family and friends and obligations back on the mainland). Every morning you can walk across the road , down the path and be looking at one of the world's most beautiful (and photographed)view. We were fortunate to be able to share this experience with 3 of our adult children as well as my then year old grandson. It was truly an experience which we will all remember for a lifetime! I think the description, pictures and other reviews say it all so read them as well. We will be back!

The house is truly old Hawaii style, clean and very charming. A separate guest cottage is very convenient. We didn't take much clothes with us so we used washer and dryer pretty often. We bought groceries at a local grocery store and we cooked most of the meals. The kitchen had everything we needed: pots and pans, some spices, towels, dishwasher, etc. Our kids loved playing in the huge yard. There are many toys in the shed and also a kayak. We took it to the small beach right across the street. The main beach is about 7 minutes walk and we went there every day. It's a very quiet friendly neighborhood. There are many people walking with their dogs or jogging even late night. It is very safe. The owners are extremely kind and polite. They always responded promptly to our emails. They sent us the security deposit refund with a beautiful Lanikai postcard the day after we left the house. They are no doubt the nicest people we ever met!

Since I was born and raised in Hawaii, we visit often to see family and friends. In my boyhood days of the 50s and 60s, I lived at the Kailua and Lanikai beaches. Kalapawai store was everyone's hangout before going to the beach. When we planned on returning for a family reunion to celebrate birthdays, and visit our son and his family, we chose Lanikai. We were delighted to find the Old Hawaiian Plantation Home, and knew it would be perfect for our Ohana(family) to gather and enjoy. And we did. We hiked to the nearby Pillboxes and enjoyed the spectacular views of the Windward side of the islands. We made use of the ocean kayak at the house to paddle to the Mokulua Islands,and we enjoyed the beach at Lanikai, one of the very best in the world, utilizing all the amenities and leisure items already available to us at the house. When it came time to relax on the front porch,so many old memories returned, and I was so glad my family could enjoy some of these memories in person. To watch our grandkids playing in the front yard, in a setting so few people enjoy, we were as happy as we could be.This is a wonderful house that makes you feel at home. We BBQ often, and enjoyed just staying at the house. However, I wanted my grandson to see Pearl Harbor and the Mighty Missouri battleship, which is an easy trip via H3 highway.My father was a Pearl Harbor survivor, so this is a special place for me. Jean is a wonderful owner that you deal with directly, and she was thoughtful and fair in her dealings with us to finalize our plans. I knew then that we had made the right choice. Hopefully we get to return soon, and stay longer. I really miss the hale, and the wonderful area of Lanikai. I think about it everyday. Mahalo Nui Loa, Paul and Family

We enjoyed a stay from mid-November to mid-December 2009. We visited North Shore to see bigge than usual waves and were pleased to be there when the Eddy Aikau surf competition got to go. The homeowners' assn has a great holiday bazaar in the community meeting area. Honolulu is a short drive over the Pali Highway. We did our holiday shopping at several holiday bazaars offered on the island. This charming house is very comfortable and so conducive to relaxing and leaving home behind for awhile. Looking forward to our next opportunity to stay here.

Our family spent one month relaxing at the Old Hawaiian Pantation Home away from the crowds and traffic of Waikiki. The grounds are spacious and we spent our evenings sitting on the lanai with the warm breezes and star filled sky. The plantation cottage was comfortable,well equipped and perfectly outfitted for families. In the cubboards were extra beach towels, linens and pillow. The added bonus is the cottage in back with separate sleeping quarters. There is easy access to the beaches with one just across the street. For an evening out there is the small town of Kailua nearby with several restaurants. A truly wonderful Hawaiian holiday.

How wonderful this hale is ! We could not have had a more authentic Hawaiian experience than our stay this April in Lanikai. The house lacks for nothing - comfy linens, fully equipped kitchen, closets and storage; 3 Cable TVs-DVD+CDplayers+WiFi-; kayak, snorkels, toys and abundant sunshine. A 2 minute walk to the beach and several beaches to pick from ! All you need to bring is your bathing suit ! We celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary at this hale in Lanikai with our children, grandkids and friends. The kids played in the fenced yard; we played badminton and frisbee and flew toy airplanes on the big green lawn - it must a third of an acre; and BBQ'd almost every evening. We did eat out at Teddy's for burgers and Cinnamon’s for breakfast a couple of times in Kailua, but really would never have had to even get in the car ! The kayak came in very handy - a quick trip to the Mokulua Islands by the hardy ones. And the hardy ones took a short hike to the top of the hill to see the WWII gun turrets . History is displayed at this hale with photos from the very early days before and during WWII. The flora and beaches are just too beautiful - a photographer's dream. This side of Oahu is Hawaii's best kept secret. We actually enjoyed doing laundry here ! Pack light and use the W/D !

How wonderful this hale is ! We could not have had a more authentic Hawaiian experience than our stay this April in Lanikai. The house lacks for nothing - comfy linens, fully equipped kitchen, closets and storage; 3 TVs-DVD+CDplayers+WiFi-; kayak, snorkels, toys and abundant sunshine. A 2 minute walk to the beach and several beaches to pick from ! All you need to bring is your bathing suit ! We came from the mainland to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary at this hale in Lanikai with our children, grandkids and friends. The kids played in the fenced yard; we played badminton and frisbee and flew toy airplanes on the big green lawn - it must be a third of an acre; and BBQ'd almost every evening. We did eat out at Teddy's for burgers and Cinnamon’s for breakfast a couple of times in Kailua, but really would never have had to even get in the car ! The kayak came in very handy - a quick trip to the Mokulua Islands by the hardy ones. And the hardy ones took a short hike to the top of the hill to see the WWII gun turrets . History is displayed at this hale with photos from the very early days before and during WWII. The flora and beaches are just too beautiful - a photographer's dream. This side of Oahu is Hawaii's best kept secret. We actually enjoyed doing laundry here ! Pack light and use the W/D !

As a fascinated fan of the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Lanikai holds many a wonder and this house has a treasure to delight any Elvis fan!! Sitting on the porch, sipping a Long Board beer, listening to the pacific wind swaying the (enormous) palm trees is heaven. And successfully kayaked to the Island (beautiful). Heaven.

December 2004 Having lived in the Islands in the 50's, this property provides that early Hawaiian tranquil atmosphere. All you need to bring is your bathing suit and your Don Ho tapes! The tradewinds, the fragrant plumerias and the beautiful sandy beaches will help put you immediately in Paradise. This charming plantation home and surrounding grounds are well kept. Wonderful for active families or a couple seeking tranquility. Oh, you'll have many choices for near by activites and restaurants! Memories of our stay bring SMILES everytime Lanikai is mentioned! We know you'll enjoy this special place! Your family will thank you for their fond memories. Enjoy your visit, we know you will! Aloha, Peggy Lucas

It is a side of Hawaii that is very hard to find...old Hawaii. This charming 1930's cottage resides in a quiet and exclusive community, has a huge front yard, and is just steps from the most beautiful beach in the world. We loved the Hawaiian quilts on all the beds, the lauhala mats on the original wood floors, listening to old hulas on the stereo, and just sitting in the rocking chair on the lanai watching our kids play. We live in an apartment in a large city, and the big yard was just heaven. Having a kid-friendly home, with a fully equipped kitchen, dvd and cable TV, and new washer and dryer made this locale the perfect spot for a lovely and easy family vacation. One of the showers is actually outdoors, which was a hit with kids and adults alike. It is also close to Honolulu and all that city has to offer, but you just feel so disconnected and relaxed being at this lovely old home in Lanikai.