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1. CAN YOU WALK TO THE
BEACH? Many places advertise that you can walk to the beach.
A friend who manages 40 rentals and has her own rental near beach says that all
her guests drive somewhere else everyday. Why? You will want to
explore many different beaches, each with different character. (See our
beach tour
Beach
Photo Tour.) Kauai
has more white sand beach than all the other islands combined. Some
beaches offer soulful walks, some good for swimming, (read -
Lifeguard tower!), some for surfing, snorkeling, infants..... For
other rentals that say "walk to beach", question is, "Is it a safe beach? Is it crowded by houses? Do you walk by streets
that are dangerous for kids? " The beach that is
walking distance from our place is a river
mouth that is not as epic as other choices. We ourselves never use it. It is better to drive 1 mile to world
class beach, Lumahai, or Tunnels Beach, 2 miles, or 4 miles to Hanalei Bay, or 4
to Ke'e. The list goes on. Walking on road here isn't safe as there are no shoulders in some places. Bike
riding in this area is also hazardous. There are intrepid joggers who make the
traffic go around them, dangerous for everyone. I think it is better to drive 5
minutes to long beach and walk or jog there. The contrast between the
windy beaches you will visit in the days and secluded lushness and river sounds
you will experience here at night is wonderful. In winter ONLY SWIM
near lifeguard!
2. HOW CLOSE ARE STORES AND RESTAURANTS?
Hanalei Town is 4 miles, or 10 minutes away, with about 15 restaurants,
grocery store, photo processing, ATM machine (of course!),
and gift-art shops.
3. IS THIS ONE HOUSE
OR SEVERAL? Aloha Sweet Seclusion is a giant 3-story, 4000+ square foot
guest house, with 5 completely private, sound proofed areas, (a long term
renter occupies one), each self-contained with private entrances and not
visible from one another. If you are looking for a cottage all on its
own, please consider this fact: it is more quiet here than most stand
alone homes, as we don't hear each other and the two neighbors are very
quiet.
The birds are what wake you up. Occasionally we can hear the surf if it
is big. The only cars we hear are one
neighbor and ourselves. (A lot of the
vacation rentals on Kauai, that aren't condos, are actually suburb cul-de-sac neighborhoods.
That's why they show the outside of house on website, but not the view from the house, which would
be pretty boring. Most places have zero view is the truth.
I can't show our place because it is surrounded by trees. So I show you
what YOU will see, from YOUR dining table. 360 tours are pretty cool for that.)
4. WHAT WEATHER CAN
WE EXPECT? Is the weather predictable anywhere?!!
Do I trust the weather report??? (not!) Hawaii is a land of rainbows.
That means sun shining down on rain. That means passing clouds and showers
mixed with blue skies and sun. You can expect the weather to change several
times a day. You can expect gloomy mornings to change to brilliant baking
sun block afternoons, and vice versa. We have had a record breaking droughts
in recent winters, while some summers have been rainy, which just shows how
unpredictable it is. Honestly, in 6 years of business, there have only been
4 times where a period of 5 days was rained out, and all 4 times it was state wide storms. In general,
anticipating some rain is wise, and having sunblock with you is very wise! You will be in shorts and t-shirts most of the time. Summers bring
one sweater just in case an evening is cool. Winters, bring two layers in case it gets real
chilly. ... Below is current weather within one hour of right... now!..........
5. IS THIS COMPARABLE TO A
HOTEL? Or ARE HOTELS NATURAL? These
next paragraphs are intended to scare a certain type of folk. The
others will chuckle. Of all the honeymoon
couples and second honeymoon couples who have stayed here so far, 99% have been
very complimentary of the housekeeping cleanliness, the helpfulness (we hang out with some guests,
and others we never even meet. It depends on what YOUR need and desire), the
little extra amenities, the art, privacy, quiet, and the end of road jungle seclusion.
We have had several parties book return visits and many referred their
relatives here. Most people say they will tell all their
friends. Most people are dazzled. Serious! But not everyone.
There have been some negatives... that's natural too. The first party was not ready
for country living, were afraid of frogs and spiders, expected air
conditioning, were offended by it ALL. This is the kind of visitor I'm trying to warn off.
You see, for nature lovers,
this place is perfect. This is a jungle retreat. Jungle! The
second disgruntled party, you can read about in #11 Cancellation paragraph below. If your
lady is a city girl, please read it carefully. Gentleman, if it is possible :), know your bride!!!!!
In every case it was
the feminine side of couple that had negative reaction. Does your lady have any health issues?
Allergies? Is she an adventurer or a princess? Does she like being IN nature, or looking at it on TV? :)
The third was a woman with back problems, which she didn't
tell us about before she arrived. We could not make the bed comfortable,
so they left.
Another negative, was particularly a head scratcher. Two couples arrived
after 7 nights in the Marriot, a 400 room hotel. One couple had selected our place, the other couple
had come along with them and I suspect, had never read this FAQ. And the woman of that couple
was sick, had a cold, ironically from the hotel. She felt our place was too humid and
stuffy. They were bent out of shape and defensive-aggressive and after they left I went over to the unit to
see what they were talking about. We had just had 70 mile/hour winds and all
the windows were closed. And they were still closed!
They had never opened windows! Maybe large hotels don't have opening windows, so it
never occurred to them???? My mind can still not understand these people :). Following them in same unit was a couple,
the man a
commercial pilot, who one can imagine has been a lot of places. They
loved place.
There was one more, dust freaks.
She said she could
smell dust. I told her no one else ever mentioned dust. She said
all the others, thousand people, must have been trying to be polite so they
didn't say anything!!! Also she said her intuition was always right.
Always, all..... okay, okay... they hung in there though and survived.
If staying in a condo or hotel room that could be found
anywhere in the world, is unique in no way, where because of pesticides, no
living thing could ever come near... seems fun, then why in the world would someone
want to stay in a vacation rental bordering 60,000 acres of
jungle? For example, geckos live in every home in Hawaii, unless they are poisoned.
Geckos are small harmless lizards with sticky padded feet that run on walls everywhere in the
tropical world. I like them!
email received Feb 16 2004
"Ray, I just wanted to say THANK YOU for a wonderful stay. Tony and I had a fabulous time on Kauai. We were
so grateful to come home to your beautiful Sundeck studio after a long day of hiking, kayaking or snorkeling. It was a vacation we will not soon forget.
Thanks again for being a part of it. We hope to see you (and the geckos) again in the future.
Sincerely, Christina and Tony "
So, dear internet surfer, can you relate?
Okay, you don't know what a gecko looks like? I found
this site to be pretty humorous.... "Gecko
Ranch" but book mark us now, before you get lost :)
Yes, you can order live geckos from this site!
For more Hawaiian wildlife photos try this one http://www.alohafriendsphotos.com/animals.html
We have had many doctors, attorneys, nurses, airline
pilots, and even a mayor of a city of 300,000 people. If you like this
site, you will love the place. Just show this FAQ to all the adults who are
coming, please. We want happy campers.
6. VALUES/SPIRIT/LIMITS ?
All spaces have stairs, no elevators, sorry. We don't allow
pets as the next visitor might have allergies. (Big Room has finches, some may be
allergic to birds)
I don't want to attract drunk energy or drugs or promiscuous energy (people
who bring home strangers). We expect our guests to dress
modestly in the carport area or on grounds. (One young couple in carport
explained their nudity this way "We're from California!" Huh?
Give me a break!) We don't subscribe to HBO or Showtime anymore,
because of late night porn. If you like to party, maybe
a different rental would be better for you. Also, there is little place
to run for groups of boys 9-12 years old : the grounds are limited that way.
I would like to hope our place is supportive of traditional family bonds. "For families and families to be". I use words 'traditional' and 'family'
and 'honeymoon' in historic and biological sense. If anyone wants to argue
with my understanding of English language, watch out, because I have all, 100%,
of Earth's 15,000 species of mammals on my side! I and all these
creatures have been called "narrow minded bigots" for this ancient orientation.
Talk about judgmental! Talk about intolerant! Did you
know that in some people's perfect world, you will not be allowed to dislike
anything? !!! Oops, big digression... Well, anyway, we have been honored,
happy, enriched and comfortable with the vast majority of our guests. If you can get through this FAQ
you'll probably find a kinship with us as well!
7. HOW CLOSE ARE THE NEIGHBORS?
We have three neighbors, one house is about
100 feet away behind trees, and the others are about 400 feet away behind
trees. We practically never hear them as they too are vacation rentals,
and are not always occupied. We are at the END of the road. We border a river and a 60,000 acre
forest reserve.
8. ARE ALL THE RENTALS NON-SMOKING?
Yes, no smoking. Message from Ray.... smoking will kill you.
Quit now.
9.
ARE THESE HOT TUBS? The jacuzzi tubs on the screened in balconies of Treetop and Riverview are just that, jacuzzi tubs.
The tub in Riverview is huge, 5 feet wide.
Fits two or three people easily. The tub in Treetop is sculptured like an hour glass and designed for two
people. The tub on Sundeck is big enough for two or probably three (no
one has tried that :) ) and you can see
the stars, but there are no jets. On all these, you fill them each time so the water is
pure each time. The water heater is on-demand propane
so we never can run out of hot water.
10. AIR CONDITIONING?
We don't need AC because we have the river! Also in a mountain valley like
this, we don't experience the heat of the south sides of the islands. The
river is cool and close by, and keeps microclimate here cool. We now
live 1/4 mile away on same road, and it is cooler at Sweet Seclusion because
of the river than where we are building new house. All the spaces have ceiling and portable fans, and many screens. This is comfortable.
If you are from
the Southern states and used to air conditioning, maybe you will expect that, but you won't miss it
once you
are here. And on winter mornings when there is a clear starry night, as stated in weather paragraph, a sweater
and socks are often needed, (unless you just flew in from winter in Wisconsin).
11. WHAT IS CANCELLATION
POLICY? When you book you send deposit check in mail or by credit card. This deposit reserves your
booking and then I send directions and island info magazine. Full payment of balance
is expected with personal check by mail, or another credit card payment 60 days before your arrival. If you cancel more than
60 days before
your booking, we charge
$50 service fee and return funds to you. Less than 60 days, if you choose to
cancel,
we refund you only if we can replace your dates with another visitor.
What if there is a
disaster? If airport is closed
and your vacation cannot occur, or if landslide blocks road and you can't get here, I think we each should take 50-50 responsibility for the loss,
and I would refund you 50%. (I do not collect a damage deposit.
I trust you to take responsibility and tell me if you break something.)
If you arrive here with your new bride and she hates the place, or the other
couple you arrived with can't handle the lack of plastic, then she or they
probably never read this FAQ, and you will have to hunt for
a hotel or condo. I'll refund 30% in such a scenario. This
is generous compared to other rental agencies around here.
Here
is a story about a couple from Europe. He loved our place and had selected it, and she hated
it. They found a nice generic condo and wanted full refund. I
couldn't do that. Not seeing that she hurt
our business, and all persnippity , she stole
some irreplaceable art on the way out. I pity the groom.
Conclusion, I'm in good company with the people who love staying here, which
is 99%. Please show your bride or fellow travelers this FAQ and if she is city girl who has
never stayed in the countryside, has never seen a bug, jumping
toads freak her out, can't imagine mud ("Eeeek! On my Honeymoon!"),
then perhaps one of the big resorts would
be a better place to stay. ( My wife and I stayed at a 5 star hotel on
south side for the heck of it one night. I had to chuckle at the giant
cockroach dashing down the hallway, and was awed by the disintegrating
caulk around the 5 star shower). Also, there are mosquitoes in
Hawaii. Please don't report me to the Hawaii Tourist Bureau !
Even the nearby Princeville Hotel, $400+/night has skeeters! Yep, and you thought paradise had no mud or mosquitoes didn't you?
12. DO YOU TAKE
CREDIT CARDS? Yes.
 For those who prefer cards and
are willing to pay an extra 3%, please request an online credit card invoice when you send
your inquiry. I'll ask last minuted bookings to be paid this
way. The service is provided by Paypal.com with over
100 million accounts, and EBAY their biggest client. If you are
coming from Europe and don't want to use card, we can arrange for you to wire money
bank to bank.
13.
WHAT DO YOU PROVIDE?... Washer (with detergent included) and Dryer for
laundry is located in carport area, beach towels, cooler,
charcoal barbecue, iron and
ironing board, hair dryer, dvd, cd player, cable tv, wireless internet,
beach equipment. For babies we have high chair, play pen,
stroller. We rent kayak, surf boards... There is no daily maid service. You clean your
place while you are here and take trash to cans in carport when needed. On that
subject, it is shoes-off policy in house, and there is hose at each entrance
to wash off your sandy beach feet. If you have a favorite shampoo, bring it! Hikers should bring
shoes and shorts that WILL get stained by iron oxide in dirt here.
SURFING LESSONS, BOAT AND HELICOPTER DISCOUNTS, LICENSED MASSAGE. Just ask me,
Ray, about
it.
14. WILL WE NEED TO RENT A CAR?
Yes, absolutely. The public transportation here is very marginal.
You will want to explore all the beaches and there are no signal
lights within 20 miles, so don't worry, you will not be in a traffic zone on
your vacation, though, that is changing as Kauai is growing fast. For
example.... there is rush hour traffic in Lihue and Kapaa. For car rental quotes, use 800 numbers in your local yellow pages to
call the different car rental companies, such as National, Thrifty, Budget, Alamo,
Avis, and tell
them you are needing a car at Lihue Airport on Kauai. For guests under 25 years old,
you will probably pay double. I personally think renting a jeep is a waste of
money. They are all automatic transmission, you can't lock them, they
cost double an economy car, and, there are almost no roads where you need one!
I know, you are on safari and have to have 'the look'.... I usually find best deals at Alamo 800-327-9633
but that might be because they offer a local discount. Remember to
check for damage before driving off with car.
15. AIRLINE TIPS?
The inter-island weight limit is 50lbs and you may have to pay extra if you
go over limit. If you are island hopping this could be important.
United and American Airlines have a direct daily flight to
Lihue Airport on Kauai from
San Francisco or LA. There may be others also as things change quickly but look into this option
of flying direct to Kauai, not going to Honolulu. This will save you the inter-island flight time (Honolulu
to Kauai) which is about 3 hours (with all the waiting) minimum each way and at
least $170 r/t per person. (Much less if you buy interisland tickets
online, from Go!, Aloha or Hawaiian Airlines.) Oct 2006 -
Go! is offering $20 one way interisland flights!
Sun Trips also has a
direct budget flight, but is a crowded uncomfortable ride. Still, it is
direct. Aloha Airlines has
a daily flight
from
Oakland and Burbank, Sacramento, other cities? to Honolulu or Maui, which could avoid the larger airport
hassle. Also, check the online specials at airline websites.
We just found a DIRECT flight Lihue to Phoenix inexpensive, Amer-West
airlines (US Airways).
All of you, if you are passing through Honolulu,
you can often immediately catch the about-to-take-off flight to Kauai with your existing
ticket, and not have to wait around at Honolulu airport. The flights for both Hawaiian and Aloha airlines
( and Go! airlines), the
inter-island carriers, leave almost every hour, kind of like a bus. Just ask
if you can get on an earlier flight standby. By catching an earlier flight, you will
probably beat your baggage to Kauai, but you will be here and can use the time to get your car.
Try www.travelocity.com or
www.expedia.com or www.orbitz.com to see possible itinerary from your area, but call the airlines to get the real lowdown. Then you can
save money by reserving your ticket online at airline website or often your
local travel agent can get a discounted fare.
Be forewarned. Frequent flyer miles are usually very
stingy on availability. Book way in advance when you want to use your
miles.
Things change fast in
travel industry. If anyone has any updates, please let me know.
16. WHAT ACTIVITIES
DO YOU RECOMMEND? We encourage all water sports. We rent snorkel
gear, and a two person Kayak ($50), a soft top surfboard ($20), offer surf lessons, SCUBA sometimes. EVERYONE
should do the 3 or 5 hour Napali Coast boat tour!!! (whale watching
in the winter). I can book this for you at a discount once you are here.
Saves enough money for a restaurant dinner!
There is a
great 8 mile round trip hike to a waterfall, and shorter hikes also.
Hikers should
bring grubby clothes as the earth (okay, MUD!) here, repeat, has iron oxide, staining clothes and
shoes permanently. Here are some great photos of famous
Kalalau trail (link). There
is golfing and tennis in Princeville, riding stables, windsurfing lessons, live music,
helicopter trips. We can give at least 10% discounts for boat and helicopter trips
so, again, don't book these until you get here.
THE 3 QUESTIONS YOU WILL ASK YOURSELVES...
1. Do we have to leave?
2. How
can we bring this feeling home with us?
3. When can we come back?
Reality..... If you liked
this website
you will love our
place!
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