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!

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.

We rented 2-109 for at the cliffs at 3811 Edwards Road…read morePrinceville Hawaii For a week the place was dirty blinds falling apart no dishwasher soap bid bad spots on the carpet in the living room they left a note telling us the dryer was not working properly but never sent anybody to fix it the week we were there the master bathroom shower and tub facets don't work and the vent above the shower is dirty around both toilets it was disgusting and nobody cleaned the hair traps in the bathrooms in a while yes we stayed there because we didn't have the money to move and surprise they never returned my calls, but the topper of all toppers was the fact that on Monday morning at 7 o'clock workers, above me with their tools, sawing and making lots of noise and doing this and doing that because they're are redoing the properties above me and we had that for the last three days with no response from the owners or the rental company I'm a bit upset because every morning I had to get up early on my vacation whether I wanted to or not When I drilled people of why I was not notified I was told that owners and rentals companies were asked not to rent in building 2 because work was being done but what a surprise they rented . I would never use this company again they don't care after they get the money. Thank you Marsha 2-109 the cliffs

My first visit to this beautiful island of Kauai. Rented a condo from this amazing establishment…read moreand I have been very impressed. They are very friendly and professional. They left my keys and welcome packet at my car rental so that when I picked up my car, I was ready to come "home" for the week The property itself at Nihilani Condos, Princeville, had a Bali Hai View, garage, 3 bedrooms and just a beautiful grounds. The entire experience was excellent. Will use Kauai Vacation Rentals again during our next visit

I had a very unprofessional experience with Lauren after she canceled my booking in a home in…read moreHanalei. I was very understanding when the owners needed the home during the dates that I booked and asked if Lauren could offer another place in Hanalei. I booked in November for July dates and she canceled my res in February. She didn't have any other homes in Hanalei but offered me a new listing in Princeville. I asked if we could negotiate a lower rate to compensate the fact that Princeville is a different area than Hanalei and we weren't going to get the experience in the area that we had hoped for. Apparently I offended her when asking about negotiating the price because she rescinded the offer and has left us without a booking 5 months out with no other home rental options in Hanalei in our price range. This review and my experience could have been avoided if she would have help us find a solution even if she couldn't negotiate a lower rate. I was willing to work with her on price but she wasn't. BEWARE when booking through any VRBO with associated INSIDE KAUAI listings that you may lose your booking and finding a replacement will be difficult.

Lauren is phenomenal! I have now been working with her for 2 years as I've been planning my wedding…read morein Kauai, and she has helped me with all of the subsequent reschedules due to COVID. She had been instrumental in finding homes for myself and my family so that we will all be close together after not seeing one another for 2 years. All of the homes she manages are incredibly well vetted, taken care of, and you can be assured you are going to stay in a clean and beautiful home. This is priceless after traveling a long way to paradise. Thank you Lauren for helping to make our dream wedding happen with all of our close friends and family nearby, we can't wait! Mahalo!

We stayed in Unit 214 during June 11-22 and thought the complex was wonderful. The complex has a…read morepool, ample parking, and the manager is super friendly. The complex itself is located conveniently next to shopping and eating. It's about a 5-7 minute drive into the town of Kapaa which has numerous shopping and eating opportunities. The central location is also convenient to everywhere else on the island. Lihue airport is about 10 minutes away, but we did not hear a single plane during our stay. The condo we stayed in was oceanfront and really great. Beautiful view of the ocean. We booked it through VRBO and received what we think is a reasonable price. The condo was quiet with the only noise from the ocean, not bad! The bathroom was updated. The bed was soft and comfortable. The kitchen had everything you need, very well-equipped and supplied. Washer and drier is very convenient. Cable TV. Lots of leftover DVDs to watch too, nice! Overall, a great place to stay during your Hawaiian vacation.

Absolutely no complaints with our condo #212. I suppose it depends on each owner and what extra…read moreamenities they may or not have. Location is great. Yes it's sometimes a bit hard to get onto the highway but this is Hawaii....what's the hurry?? Each unit is on the waterfront of Wailua Bay. I saw one person complain on the website from where they rented through that the sound of the ocean gave him/her a headache!! Ha! That's hilarious. All units are also staggered so you can see the person in the next unit which is a plus. Lots of places within walking distance to eat and drink or drive to in historic Kaapa town.. Also close to Costco, 2 Safeway's, and a Foodland. I would stay in Kaapa over Poipu or Princeville. It's not as touristy and more local.

Ignore my previous pre-second visit trepidations. The pool and hot tub were in good working order…read more The 2 bedroom condo was clean. We enjoyed our 10 day stay. I'm pretty sure after several visits here that our building with 4 apartments is owner occupied by three of the units, they are not vacation short term rentals. Hence the building is quiet all of the time. I never heard noise from any of the other three apartments. Very cool, No screaming, stomping unruly children. I'll return next year. Aloha Kauai. Especially the north shore.

Absolutely beautiful two bedroom two bath rental. We stayed for two nights. Very modern and…read moreextremely well appointed. Did not utilize anything on the property except the condo. Great prices, nice location, would probably stay again. The beds in our condo could have been better.... very hard mattress and very hard pillows. Air conditioner in second bedroom was very loud, and no air conditioner in master bedroom at all. Ceiling fans in both bedrooms. Great view of gold course and ocean.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS. My wife, 6-month old and I stayed in the Plumeria Suite on the ground floor of…read morethis 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.

Felt like a rock star on my honeymoon! This was a gorgeous modern house that was in the perfect…read moreplace. 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.

The house is very nice, the kitchen is great and the location is great, but the pool is unheated…read moreand is too cold to swim in! We spent $8,000 and couldn't swim in the pool. Worse is that the geniuses at Pure Kauai don't tell you the pool is unheated. I stayed there two weeks ago and raised a big ruckus about this, they admitted it should have been explained, but I went on their website today and it still is not explained. In my opinion, that is about as low-integrity as you can get

Awesome organization. Rented from them 3 times. They have a great selection of houses and they are…read morethe best houses in Kauai. They are very responsive if you need help or service while staying in one of their properties. Professional and service oriented. Very responsive. We trust them to always recommend the best places which serve our needs.

Fantastic. If only I…read morecould give more than 5 stars, because this rental home is off-the-chart awesome. The house is about 3/4 miles down a one lane dirt road. You're in the country here, far removed from hotel/motel tourist-type locations. The house itself is comfortable and inviting. There's a really nice kitchen that is the center of the main dining/family room. It's set up perfectly for relaxing with family or friends. From the lanai you have a view of the verdant hills while hearing the waves crashing at nearby Moloa'a bay. There are two kayaks at the house that you paddle downstream a few hundred yards to the beach. The beach at Moloa'a bay is great. We were there during some big waves, but still could swim there without fear of getting smashed to pieces. During the summer, it's apparently as calm as a swimming pool with good snorkeling. The backyard at Jade Lily is a magical spot, with a giant shade tree and the stream rolling by. There's a big gas grill that we gave a serious work out. The nightly cost for Jade Lily was a screaming deal. Dealing with the very friendly owners was a breeze. Without question, next time I'm in Kauai, I'm going to stay at Jade Lily.