We brought our three grown children to Puako. We have nothing but positive things to say about our stay. We are VRBO owners ourselves so we have very high standards. Here is what we liked: 1) Marlene and Jay were incredibly responsive, even to the point of answering our phone call when the weariness of 24 hours of travel left us disoriented to finding the place; they also came to check on us and give us some tourist tips; make sure you ask Jay how to use the cable TV--he's a genius; 2) the furnishings and accommodations were perfect; it's small but has everything you need; we used the W/D a couple of times; sitting on the small outside table was a nice place to use the laptop or read a book; we also used the electric outdoor grill for hamburgers; small but convenient; 3) the place is quiet and the folks are friendly; about half are owner-occupied and half are renters. The owners are very kind to the renters, which doesn't always happen, 4) the street is quiet and great for walking, running, or biking; 5) there are several mini-beaches open to the public that within minutes of the condo and allow folks to walk on the rocks, wade, or just sit and enjoy the waves and sun; we walked that street every day and hung out at the quiet beaches; the condo is also 10-15 minutes from two very cool big public beaches--Hapuna and Spencer; you definitely need to visit them; 6) the General Store is right next door to the condo; items are expensive (it's Hawaii, after all) but the people there are so nice and it's great for getting Mai Tai mix, chips, bottle of pop, or souvenir shirt. You should plan on a bigger trip to Foodland at least once for groceries, which is about 12 minutes away.
Here are a few things to keep in mind: 1) If you want more of the tourist life, this isn't the place for you. We drove to the Lava Lava Beach Club and Aloha Days, which is held at one of the resort beaches but open to the public three days a week. But we could retreat at night to the quiet and solitude of the condo. If that's what you want, you should rent here. If you want to be closer to the action, you should look at one of the resorts. 2) We had a first-floor unit so there is no view of the water, but (as noted above), a beach/view is literally two minutes away. 3) A unit like this is best for two-three couples or a family with children.
This was a great vacation spot and we highly recommend it. Thanks for a great 10 days.
Scott and Jill
