While planing a family vacation to Kauai that included my parents, my brother and his family and me we needed to find a place to stay that met our needs. Hotels in Kauai are pretty expensive so we decided to investigate renting a home or condo. None of us had ever done this before so it was a new experience.
We began on the website VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) and started reviewing our options. Since we needed three rooms our options were limited. There were also a lot of requirements by all the different family members which further limited our choices.
We spent about a month looking for the right place. There were a lot of great options but none of them perfectly matched our requirements. It seemed like we would never find the right place until I did a search in a city that we had not looked in yet. The city was Lihue, which is the main city on the island. It is not a big resort area like Poipu or Princeville so we never really considered it.
My search resulted in exactly one property. This seemed odd to me so I changed the search parameters and came up with the same results. The reviews for this house were almost all positive and it looked amazing. I emailed the website to the rest of the family to see what they thought. They all agreed that it seemed like the perfect option so I contacted the owner to inquire about dates and prices.
After we all decided on the dates we went ahead and booked the house. As the date grew closer everyone was getting excited about the trip. Even my 2-1/2 year old Niece was talking about it the whole week before.
We all arrived in Lihue on different flights and met up at the airport for the drive to the house. The house was a 10 minute drive from the airport, which was very convenient after a long flight. The house was located on a hill overlooking Kalapaki Bay.
There are two houses in one building. The owners lived in the other one.
Upon entering the house we were all blown away by what we saw. The entrance, on the kitchen/living room level, had floor to ceiling sliding doors that provided an amazing view of the bay below. I knew right away that we had made the right choice. Below the main floor were two floors that held the master and second bedroom. The third bedroom was in a loft area off the kitchen with sliding doors the close it off.
The Amazing View of Kalapaki Bay
One of the main reasons why we chose this house is that we had access to the Marriott Resort that was located down on the bay. The homeowner had an agreement with the resort that allowed them and their guests to use the facilities. There was a small charge for this privileged but it was worth it.
Marriott Lihue on Kalapaki Bay
The Marriott was a 5 minute walk from the house and there was an outside elevator that took us directly to the beach and pool. The resort was beautiful and we got a lot of use out of the pool and beach.
Kalapaki Beach at Sunset
One of the benefit of renting a house is that we were able to make our own meals. Since we were on vacation, and no one wanted to cook, we mostly ate breakfast there. We also had a large supply of drinks and snacks that we picked up at Costco.
Kitchen and Living Room
Kitchen
Loft Bedroom
Master Bathroom
I know you are all wondering about the actual cost of this amazing house. The total for the week came out $4,500 which included taxes and cleaning fees. This breaks down to $642 a night or about $100 per person per night. In comparison the Marriott next door cost $520 a night for an ocean view room. If we had stayed at the hotel it would have cost over twice as much. This does not even include the money we saved by being able to buy food and not have to eat at restaurants for every meal.
View from the balcony
This was our first experience renting a house and will not be our last. It was nice that we were all in the same house and not in separate hotel rooms. I would highly recommend looking into home rentals while traveling especially if you are with friends or family and need multiple rooms.
The Family
View more photos and information on this house.
Bargain! I love holiday homes. There is also so much more room in one then a hotel. Great tips for Hawaii, will put it to use this year – hopefully! 😀
Erin (Travel With Bender) recently posted..11 Reasons To Stay At The Grand Mirage Resort On Your Next Holiday In Nusa Dua, Bali
It was so nice that we had all that room. It gave everybody their space if they needed it.
Wow, ah definitely well worth it! This house looks amazing!!! Holiday homes are always the best, we also love that freedom to make your own meals, cuts down so much on the cost of traveling, especially when you have allergies it just makes life so much easier.
Seriously, stunning views, definitely remembering this place!
It was an amazing place. I wanted to move in permanently.
Jeff recently posted..Las Vegas – Tourist Trap or Tourist Heaven
We did this on Maui with my family! It was great to all be in the same house. We ended up cooking a few dinners there on the grill outside. Such a great experience! Lots of money saved.
Rachel recently posted..Montréal: Hôtel Herman in Mile End
It really was a great experience. I will definitely do it again.
Hi Jeff,
SUPER smart luxury buying on a budget here!
I mean, splitting up costs and finding the right home for the fam means you can live like kings and queens without breaking the bank. We intend to rent homes – when we’re not house sitting as we are now – wherever we go because those savings add up in a major league way. Like, as you noted, not having to eat at restaurants for every meal alone adds up quickly.
Keep on inspiring and thanks for sharing!
Ryan
Ryan Biddulph recently posted..How My Most Horrifying Globetrotting Experience Taught Me the Most Profitable Blogging Lesson Ever
Thanks Ryan. It was a great experience and I will definitely try it again.
WOW – that is the kind of view I expect from a place that celebrities would live in, not something that’s open to the public. We never had a view like that, but we did have a fantastic experience with VRBO in Maui. We found a one bedroom ohana attached to a bigger (separate) rental home that was two blocks from the beach – and we paid just $100 a night. Whenever people tell me that Hawaii is too expensive, I always point them towards rental properties – between the low cost and the chance to make our own food, it was hugely affordable.
Private rentals are apparently the way to go in Hawaii. They definitely make things more affordable.
Wow! This looks like such an incredible house and just look at that view. Brilliant! I’m a big fan of renting a huge building if you’re with a group of friends or family, there’s just so much more space! And for $100 per person. Bingo!
Victoria recently posted..The smart guide to travelling to Helsinki.
Home rental is perfect for a family of 5 and more. Its also convenient because of the space and the rooms for the kids. You also have a great sense of freedom inside the home. so whenever we spend our vacation, we always look for home rentals.