We spent a month at Makaha Surfside. The area is not touristy, so there are few stores and facilities for tourists but it's between some of the most beautiful beaches on Oahu. Makaha State Beach Park is 5 min. by car or half an hour walking distance, for example. The property has two well-maintained pools but to me the best part was a small bay right in front of the condo (literally few yards from condo buildings) where you can snorkel and see tropical fish. The mountain and valley behind Makaha condos is splendid to look at and you can hike there too. The interior inside the units probably depends on the owner.
Although the buildings are far from new, Ken keeps his unit ideally clean and in the best condition. It had everything we needed and Ken was always reachable by phone and email. But the best part is that his unit has the largest lanai and best view in the entire condo complex. We could see whales out in the sea and turtles in the bay in front of the condo--all from our lanai.
The people working in the condo management office are nice and ready to help.
Overall, we really enjoyed our stay here. It's not a newly built, luxurious condo but it's cozy and a good place to relax and enjoy the nature and it's more affordable than the majority of other places on the island.
Some tips:
1) You can got to a supermarket or post office on foot; bus transportation to Honolulu is convenient; but to travel around the island you'll need a car. We stayed in the condo for a month and rented a car three times a couple of days each to do sightseeing.
2) I'd definitely recommend hiking the trail in Karena Point Natural Area Reserve (10 min by car north of the condo). The most beautiful seascape I've ever seen. We also saw some albatrosses nesting there.
3) If you'd like to go diving, there's a diving shop called Air at the Waianae boat harbor. The owner and dive-master, Steve, is very experienced and professional while still quite an easy-going person with a good sense of humor.
