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!

Beware of this Realty Company. They pay to have 5 star reviews. Im a Hawaiian man born and raised…read moreon these Islands. I had the worst conversation with Jill the Realtor for a property next door. She is rude, treats locals 3rd rate. When I called Hawaii Life Realty was a another transplant who then got upset with me and hung up and blocked me. Beware of this Company and its Realtors. BEWARE.

Deanna and her team deserve all the stars - and then some. We live in Seattle and recently had the…read moreopportunity to relocate to Kauai. After speaking with other real estate agents, it was impossible not to be impressed by Deanna's professionalism, work ethic, and knowledge of Kauai's housing market. She is the real deal! During the escrow process, Deanna was the best advocate and made sure we were represented and informed throughout each step of the process. She is the kind of agent who goes above and beyond to guarantee a smooth transaction. We are so happy that she was our partner during the purchase of our condo. She was a lifeline in the process. She was always one text message or phone call away and happy to help. We highly recommend Deanna to anyone buying or selling in Kauai! Her experience combined with the Hawaii Life network is all you need by your side to make a successful transaction.

I was walking to the beach and on the way there was an open house sign. I went there and looked at…read morethe condo and in the first 5 minutes I knew I wanted to buy it and had to make an offer immediately. So who to call will answer the phone immediately. Moksha was first on my mind because I used her previously and her services were prompt, clear, impeccable, explanation of every detail, and immediate. Moksha answered my phone call immediately, and to make a long story short the sale happened. I requested to make an offer and noted some things need to be updated. Moksha communicated with the seller's agent promptly and the offer was placed. Throughout the entire process Moksha was attentive and gave immediate attention to every question we had about the condo and closing. It was a tremendous help, especially since my husband had many many questions, and she responded immediately to whatever came from the seller, seller's agent, or the title company. We are extremely pleased with Moksha's service she provided throughout the entire process with a great deal of knowledge in real estate regarding approach ??? buyer, seller, and escrow/title company. We also were very relaxed while working with Moksha. Her attitude, communication, always came with a smile. Very comforting when investing in a large purchase. Moksha you did not sway from gracefulness, professionalism and knowledge, just like the very first time you helped us to buy a house here in Princeville. Definitely one of the best real estate agents to work with. We have been buying property for 20 years and we do know the difference between the good and the best.

Moksha and her team are absolutely the BEST! They are personable, prompt and qualified. I purchased…read moremy home on Kauai in February and Moksha is still, touching base with me, making sure all is well and that I have settled in comfortably. Of course you may choose whomever you wish from the many Real Estate agents on Kauai and throughout the islands; putting it simply, if you want to work with the BEST all around knowledgeable, caring and professional team, go with Moksha.

Danette is the leading real estate agent for Princeville, Kaua'i, and handles the entire island…read more She mostly works with clients by direct referral and word of mouth vs dumping thousands of dollars in marketing ads. She doesn't need to; once a client works with her, no one else will do. She has a tremendously loyal following, especially in the luxury ($5M-$25M) market. We are grateful to have found Danette to help us navigate. She is reliable and always looks out for her clients' best interests. She has a high degree of integrity and is well versed in the fluctuating real estate market in Kaua'i. She is creative on terms and problem solving and is super responsive. In addition to being a phenomenal realtor, Danette is a gem of a human being surrounded by a great team and a wonderful family.

My husband and I reached out to Danette when we were in the early stages of wanting to find a…read moreproperty on Kauai to buy. Danette was fantastic from our first correspondence right up till we closed and even the months following, checking in with us on our buy. She was professional, answered all our (many) questions, and we really felt so at ease through the whole process. The best in our opinion!

I have had ten transaction on the island of Kauai, all with Robb Wall and the level of service has…read morebeen the same for each one: steadfast and thorough. Robb thinks several steps ahead, anticipates potential issues, and never sugar coats the situation. Real estate transactions are fickle creatures that seem to get crazier in escrow. Robb has always been sure to present realistic scenarios as they might occur, provide problem solving solutions if need be, and provide a realistic sense of how the transaction will turn out. Buying and selling real estate can be an emotional experience and Robb has always done his best to be sure I was informed and prepared as the transactions progressed. Highly recommended.

Robb Wall is a long time resident of Kauai and is very knowledgeable regarding the island and the…read morereal estate here. He is extremely competent and personable. He impressed me over and over again during our buying experience with his vast knowledge and attention to detail. He was attentive and available, and made me laugh, as well. I would highly recommend Robb Wall.

Living on the East Coast of the mainland, I received a recommendation to use Yelena as my agent to…read moresell my mother's condo from a local. Best advice ever! She knows the market and was able to provide staging items to match And update my mother's condo appropriately. She advised and guided us every step along the way and kept us well informed of progress as she showed the condo, despite the time difference between Hawaii and the east coast. We had multiple offers which Yelena helped us work through the pros and cons of before selecting a buyer. She works with a wonderful escrow team who were able to get the documents necessary through the Hawaii land court in record time. Yelena is a bundle of energy and a joy to work with due to her positive outlook! I would not hesitate to recommend Yelena and would use her services again if the need arises!

Yel A recent job…read morechange brought us to Kauai from Southern California earlier in the year. This was a huge transition for us. We had no idea about whom to call on the island. While searching properties online, we noticed that Yelena was included in the list of available agents for most of the properties we had bookmarked, so we decided to give her a call. Yelena was immediately engaging and positive about helping us find a home. She was genuinely excited for us. She spent an hour on the phone the first call. Yelena asked many questions about our lifestyle and interests. I was a little bit confused about why all these questions. I now realize that she wanted to know us more as people, so she could find us the perfect home. She insisted that we must feel a very positive energy for the home chose. She said we would know once inside during a showing. I now understand her logic. We were trying to sell a home, and buy a home at the same time in the beginning. Her positive attitude alleviated the stress on this side. Yelena worked with us for 7 months before we found the perfect home. She was sending us listings before we moved over and checked properties for us in our absence to evaluate neighborhoods for visual attractiveness. When we were finally on island, she took us to view many homes. The market here is tight for good homes (homes that do not need 100K rehab before you can move in). Good homes sell fast and many we were interested in were already in escrow by the time we were on island. We were a little nervous. Yelena was not. She kept finding listings and took us to showings. We made offers on a few homes that did not work out due to VA restrictions. Never discouraged, Yelena moved us forward quickly from those let downs by finding other listings within our price range, which was not so easy due to the available inventory here. We also had certain areas we wanted to be in. Her energy and positive attitude helped us immensely. Yelena is truly sincere about helping her clients. There were times when we were almost ready to give up. She would repeatedly and calmly tell us not to worry, that the right home would come along. In the lull periods, she would call to check in with us at least every couple of days. Yelena cares on a personal level. As I sit here in the beautiful home we recently purchased, I cannot say enough good things about the professionalism, knowledge, persistence, intelligence, and positive energy that Yelena exhibits. The purchasing process was also very easy. Yelena is very proficient with all the necessary documentation and schedule. She ensures the timeline is met. Selling our CA home was quite easy compared to buying a home in Kauai. Here, the process is similar, however, inventory limitations and very strict VA lending adherence added difficulties and work for Yelena to endure. I do not believe that another agent would have worked so hard for so long on our behalf. Yelena must have expended hundreds of hours over months, trying to help us find the perfect home. If she were on an hourly rate, she certainly did not make bank helping us, but that is not what Yelena is about. People are what she is about. Her knowledge and expertise in this market are what got us to the finish line. She also recommended a local lender, which made the financing process very convenient and personal. I could walk into the local office to sign papers and meet the nice people there too. We recommend Yelena very highly. We trust her implicitly. I have never met a person in any field who works so hard for their clients. She is not out to make a fast buck and get another sell onto her success list. Her sincerity is obvious from the minute you meet her. That energy and never give up attitude is the reason we are comfortably in this nice home today. A home we feel so right being in. We feel extremely fortunate that we called her months ago instead of someone else. If you need a real estate transaction in Kauai, HI, then you need to call Yelena. She is calm, cool, and collected in demeanor, with a lot of laughter as well. She adjusts her strategies based upon the challenges and gets the job done. She will also become your friend during this process. Yelena is a wonderful and interesting person to know outside of being your agent. ********* I just sent this as a text to Yelena. We are in our home for 5 months and loving it. She made it happen and her efforts have brought us so much happiness. "Thank You for working so hard with us to find our home in paradise. I'm in San Diego temporarily and now realize just how much I miss paradise. I remember how dedicated you were and always pleasant when I was not. Thank You for sticking with us. We are in a great home in the best place on the planet because of your dedication and kindness. "