[RayinPenn]

So we book a trip to Hawaii (#1 on bucket list) and rent a second floor three bedroom condo at the ko Olina beach resort in Oahu ($4,000)My wife, her twin sister, my daughter and son. We arrive on the weekend and it is a peaceful little bit of heaven. This is a beautiful million dollar condo - extremely well appointed. But even million dollar condos require maintenance.
1) The vault like sliding doors locking pins are misaligned the doors are a struggle to lock and open (apply pressure with you knee here.)
2) the place needs painting
3) some of the cabinet doors don't work correctly
4) the main "lap pool" right outside is closed for repairs
Since there are other pools and we are not fussy I decide no biggie we will deal with it.

The Mrs and I sit outside at 6am and listen to the ocean, the birds and we read. It is awesome and just what we wanted.
Monday morning we are off early to Pearl Harbor (I am a history buff) very moving and thoughtfully done. We return to the condo to discover they are power washing the pool. It was an industrial PW and OMG loud. The noise makes our lovely balcony with the 6 chair table all but unusable (and you can hear it inside as well). Each morning we go to an activity (diamond head, manoa falls, etc.,)only to return to a construction zone. On Friday a new twist was added diamond saw cutting tiles. Saturday the construction ended only to be replaced with sealing the tiles (btw this is a huge area) the stink was bad.

Don't get me wrong I feel blessed to have taken this trip (the beauty of this place is impossible to put into words) but I feel I was taken advantage of. If they had disclosed the construction and pool closure I would have booked elsewhere. I sent an email to the owner that I felt I didn't get value for my money..

Your thoughts would be appreciated...

[kellyjam]

I don't know who you rented your condo from but you first cause of action is to contact the owners or the agency you rented from and explain the situation. Hindsight being what it is I probably would have complained immediately from Hawaii. If you don't get satisfaction I would check out various sites like Trip Advisor or air B&B to see if your condo is listed with them so you could leave a review. I think a fair settlement would be in the area of 25-50% but only you can decide what is fair. Good Luck to you.

[Beechie]

Originally Posted by RayinPenn

So we book a trip to Hawaii (#1 on bucket list) and rent a second floor three bedroom condo at the ko Olina beach resort in Oahu ($4,000)My wife, her twin sister, my daughter and son. We arrive on the weekend and it is a peaceful little bit of heaven. This is a beautiful million dollar condo - extremely well appointed. But even million dollar condos require maintenance.
1) The vault like sliding doors locking pins are misaligned the doors are a struggle to lock and open (apply pressure with you knee here.)
2) the place needs painting
3) some of the cabinet doors don't work correctly
4) the main "lap pool" right outside is closed for repairs
Since there are other pools and we are not fussy I decide no biggie we will deal with it.

The Mrs and I sit outside at 6am and listen to the ocean, the birds and we read. It is awesome and just what we wanted.
Monday morning we are off early to Pearl Harbor (I am a history buff) very moving and thoughtfully done. We return to the condo to discover they are power washing the pool. It was an industrial PW and OMG loud. The noise makes our lovely balcony with the 6 chair table all but unusable (and you can hear it inside as well). Each morning we go to an activity (diamond head, manoa falls, etc.,)only to return to a construction zone. On Friday a new twist was added diamond saw cutting tiles. Saturday the construction ended only to be replaced with sealing the tiles (btw this is a huge area) the stink was bad.

Don't get me wrong I feel blessed to have taken this trip (the beauty of this place is impossible to put into words) but I feel I was taken advantage of. If they had disclosed the construction and pool closure I would have booked elsewhere. I sent an email to the owner that I felt I didn't get value for my money..

Your thoughts would be appreciated...

We love the west coast of Oahu. More arid and certainly more serene. I'm surmising that you booked through **** or similar as those villas are owned outright. Unfortunately with rentals the owner rents their villa throughout the year and may not be aware of any future repairs to the property. I would think their would be no condition in the rental agreement to reimburse even a portion of the cost should such a scenario occur. As far as the sliding doors, we had very difficult time opening those in both the Marriott Ko Olina Beach Club as well as the Disney Aulani. We had also experienced construction on one occasion. As far as the other wearable items, that just comes as the villa ages. So, as far as being taken, If the owner was aware you would have a legitimate beef.
Aside from that RayinPenn, isn't it just a beautiful island paradise?

[RayinPenn]

It is beautiful indeed the birds fly right up looking I suppose for a morsel of something. My son and I bought 2 disposable fishing poles and we went to the ocean...Sea turtles chased us off.. You are not allowed to go within ten feet of them.... Amazing for a guy originally from LI.

[Carl in Tampa]

Oahu is no longer a desirable Hawaiian vacation destination!

Honolulu in general and Waikiki in particular has degenerated into an overcrowded, overpriced, dilapidated shadow of its former self. The streets are jammed in gridlock, the sidewalks are jammed with aggressive, impolite humanity pushing to get "there" before you. And, as you learned, the rental condos are run down, malfunctioning relics of former beauty. The owners are simply not spending money to maintain them.

Construction and renovation is everywhere in the Waikiki area, with the din of machinery despoiling the expected tranquility of nature.

My last trip (last by decision) was several years ago. The traffic congestion at that time had grown far beyond what I had experienced during earlier visits which had begun in the late 1970's but I could see that worse was coming.

However, my friend Barbara went there a few weeks ago to accompany her sister who had taken a Waikiki condo for a month. The condo was one block from the beach with a magnificent view, much as you describe. However, the unit itself was run down, the bathroom was full of mold and the rooftop swimming pool was closed for renovation. Barbara's sister had arrived a week before Barbara went and by the time Barbara arrived her sister was suffering an undiagnosed illness. Barbara believed it was due to mold contamination.

Barbara immediately insisted they leave the contaminated condo, which they did. However, even after moving the ladies found getting around the traffic gridlock was both slow and expensive. At one time they attempted to use the bus system, only to be rudely pushed aside at the bus stop by people who appeared to be Japanese tourists. (Clamoring to get aboard mass transportation is commonplace in Japan.)

Prices are extremely high. Breakfast for two at McDonalds can run to $40. This is such a popular tourist destination, and is so crowded that it has become undesirable to those familiar with the facts.

At the conclusion of their visit the sisters made the determination that I had made earlier about visiting Hawaii. Honolulu is not the place to go.

[Carl in Tampa]

Back in the late 1970's I was staying in a room near the top of the beautiful Ilikai Hotel, right on the water in Honolulu.

The room had large sliding glass doors leading onto the balcony overlooking the ocean. I sometimes turned off the air conditioning and left the doors open at night.

One morning I awoke to find five or six pigeons in my room, picking through some popcorn left over from the night before.

I gathered up the popcorn and used it to lure the pigeons out into the corridor and down to the elevator. I called for the elevator and when it arrived I tossed the popcorn inside and the pigeons followed.

I then pressed the button for the ground floor and watched the doors close so the elevator could descend. I assume everyone got off safely on the ground floor and found their way out of the hotel

[CFrance]

Clever!

[2BNTV]

I went to Hawaii in 1968 and agree with Carl in Tampa. Overcrowded and the tourists traps abound.

If I had to go to Hawaii again, I would rent a cottage on one of the smaller islands, to get the tropical effect. Most women think of this type of setting, when they dream og going to Hawaii.

It is still a beutiful place to visit with weather you can't beat. It's always a sad day when you have to leave, assuming one is not getting ill, as the other poster stated.

Back in 68, they gave you a lei, that was real flowers, and very fragrant. I assume their plastic now, or fake.

[Lbmb24101]

Twenty yrs ago our travel agent advised us to skip Honolulu
We stayed in Maui'Hyatt our entire trip
Expensive but well worth it.
Did not do island hopping
Missed the crowds completely.
Lovely Maui!

[redwitch]

Back to the original issue -- Unless you could prove the owners knew the construction was going to occur, I'd say you were out of luck. Kind of like if a neighbor installs a pool while you're renting -- it is not something your landlord has any control over and probably has no clue it is going to occur. Unfortunate, miserable for you but so long as your place was habitable, not much could be done.

As to the condition of the place, I'm sorry it needed painting, etc. but, again, it is a risk taken when renting from a private party.

Since you made no complaints when you initially moved in, I'd guess your more or less stuck with some not-so-pleasant memories and, hopefully, some good ones as well.

If you get the chance, go back to Hawaii but stay on one of the other islands. Hawaii is a beautiful island, so is Kauai. Trekking down into the volcano on Maui is awesome.

[OBXNana]

I have to agree with redwitch. You needed to immediately contact the person from whom you rented to voice your complaint. It's kind of like eating your entire steak and then asking for a refund because it was tough. But, I would make sure I would post a guest reply wherever you rented the unit. You could also begin a thread on Trip Advisor or flip key for the property if not already there. If you stick to facts it will give other guests the chance to know what they will actually be renting. Construction, pool resurfacing is an inconvenience and something the owner should have noted on their contract. They cannot be responsible for things outside of their control

As an owner of rental property there is no excuse for the interior being less than in good condition. We prefer excellent, but know a dishwasher can get clogged or someone can bang up a wall with a suitcase as they exit. What you have described with the inside would not be considered even fair condition and you have reason to express your dissatisfaction. On another note, you aren't allowing the conditions to interfere with your trip. Kuddos to you!

[RayinPenn]

Just a point of order...I sent an email to the owner that I felt I didn't get value for my money. That was on Thursday when we were still on vacation.

[boomerbaby]

Not too long ago there was a case alot like this on peoples court. The judge had the place refund some money back, not all because they still used the place but some for the noise of construction that they were not informed would be going on.

[RayinPenn]

Update the owner sent me $200 dollars back....

[CFrance]

Hardly enough.