We rented this home with another couple and loved almost every aspect of the home and location.

First the good:
1. The location, views and privacy are absolutely amazing. We spent every evening in the lounge chairs by the ocean watching the sunset and every morning watching the sunrise. It was like being in a Corona commercial.
2. Master bedroom and bathroom were huge, comfortable and the A/C was potent
3. The pool was clean, warm and perfect for lounging and enjoying the surf and views
4. Kitchen and outdoor grill were well equipped and enjoyable to use (lots of extra propane tanks)
5. Gail the owner was exceptionally responsive to meeting most of our needs.
6. Lots of nice extra's available for your day trips such as coolers, beach towels, mats, boogie boards, etc.
7. Downstairs rooms stayed cool enough to minimize need to turn on A/C.
8. 2 minute walk to a kid-friendly beach. 3 minute drive to a pretty good snorkel spot
9. Very clean inside and out.

The Not-so-Good:
1. If you have a bug phobia, I would recommend against staying here. The outside grounds are very lush and completely overgrown in our groups opinion. While it provides great privacy, we felt like Indiana Jones chopping through massive cobwebs and spiders every day. Plus the ants that are common to homes in Kauai were frequent visitors and if you go in/out frequently at dusk/night, the hordes of gnats that come inside were awful.
2. As mentioned in other reviews, there is no A/C in the main room and it must have been 90 degrees when we first checked in and was only cool enough to stay inside each morning as we opened every door and window we could find to cool it overnight (screens are on everything). The huge sky-lights certainly didn't help keep things cool either. However, the A/C in the master bedroom was outstanding but couldn't cool more than that room.
3. The kitchen knives were dull beyond comprehension. It's understandable since years of guests throwing them in the dishwasher will dull even the best set, but PLEASE spend a few dollars each year to get them sharpened.

Overall, the house is in such a fantastic location, that we would strongly consider staying here again, especially if some of its quirks are dealt with. $4,500+/week is too much money to have to battle insects on a daily basis. However, the location, pool and other amenities make it a very good vacation spot.

We spent twelve days at Halehokuu too with my daughter, her husband, and my two grandchildren. The house wad perfect from amenities to location. It is exactly as represented by the pictures and Gale was great to work with. I cannot imagine there is a nicer house on the South Shore area of Kauai.

We typically went to one of several beaches on the island in the morning, came back to the house for lunch, and the kids went into the pool in the afternoon. My daughter and her family slept downstairs and my husband and I were upstairs. The kitchen is very well equipped and the kids built endless sand castles with the beach toys. There are plenty of beach towels. I can't think of anything we had to buy other than food.

I don't think we even used the air conditioning except in the kids room once or twice. We spent every evening on the lanai - from cocktails to nightcap.

We did Capt. Andy's Na'apali cruise (daytime) and my husband and Son-in-Law went on the Kauai Photo Tours expedition. Both of these were great! We went to the Smith's Luau which was good, but the show is kind hokey now that is a big production. We saw it years ago without the sets and lights and I think it was better. But the food was great!

I hope we can go back to Kauai and Halehokuu again soon.

My wife and I just returned from a week in Kauai after searching the internet for that very special property- condo, house, etc- that we all aspire to. Well, we found it! Hale Hoku is the completely private lower (pool, garden, and ocean) level of a beautiful home on the quiet, high-end residential, ocean front Lawai Rd that dead ends at the blow-hole attraction called Spouting Horn. There is no outside intrusion at all -- no traffic noise, no people, no commercial ventures, etc. The accommodation is roomy, immaculate, and tastefully decorated although not plush or extravagant . The amenities are complete -- AC; ceiling fans in each room; all kitchen appliances;linens and towels;hair dryer; washer and dryer; LCD TV; video player; videos; paper back books; Kauai guide books; closet full of beach and pool accessories such as boogie boards, floats, snorkels and masks, coolers, etc. The only thing we had to buy was food, laundry soap, and shampoo. In short, you feel like your in your own home- far superior to the usual hotel room or condo.

But the thing that makes this place truly special is the five-star outside -- a very large covered patio with tables and chairs, adjacent to a beautiful pool and beautiful tropical landscaping and green lawn right on the ocean maybe 30 feet away. From the patio, pool, or lawn, you have incredible ocean views of the blue Pacific, of waves crashing on the rocks in front of you, Spouting Horn spewing into the air, an occasional boat leaving the very small boat harbor just to the East, or Snowy Egrets playing in the property's lush vegetation. It really couldn't be more beautiful, private, or quiet. The other major plus of this property is its convenient location. By road, it is 0.4 miles from Spouting Horn, about 0.9 mile from the famous Beach House Restaurant and Lawai Beach (one of the best snorkeling spots on the South of Kauai, 3.3 mile to the convenient Big Save market in Koloa, etc.

After staying here, it will be very difficult to stay anywhere else on Kauai when we return. As I told the owner, Gale, this place fit us like a glove. The combination of well-appointed accomodations, incredible view, convenient location, complete privacy and quiet is hard to beat. Further, when I compared the prices of other ocean-front condos or hotel rooms, they were usually considerably more expensive.

My wife and I stayed at Hale Hoku for our 25th wedding anniversary. We felt like we were in our home away from home. The setting was absolutely breathtaking. The Ocean roar we heard everynight and morning was a pleaseant sound to hear rather than all the hustle and bustle from our home in New York. The whole ground floor was ours to enjoy as we wished. We had complete and exclusive use of the pool in the backyard, with a beautiful backdrop of the ocean. What a perfect way to spend some quality time together. The amenities were incredible, better than some 5 star hotels we have visited in the past., the furnishings and and the linens were top notch. The ability to have a kitchen so we could enjoy a leasurely dinner at home was quite refreshing. Trying to keep cost down, eating every meal out can be very EXPENSIVE.. having the option was nice and we were able to take advantage of other opportunities and amenities on the beautiful Island of Kauai. Breakfast never tasted so good as we sat out on our porch and watching the whales go by as we ate was incredible.. I completely without reservation reccommend this beautiful home to anyone who is looking to spend quality time without going broke. The rates are very reasonable, compared to the other places and hotels we looked into.. We will be back and will tell all our friends about the wonderful time we had. A last note, Gale, the owner was very accommodating and extremely friendly and went out of her way to make us feel comfortable and special. Mahalo.