Having been to Hawaii on the way back to Oz from Canada and staying only in Waikiki for a couple of nights a few years ago, I was looking for a different experience this time. I'd located Kailua and Lanakai as the places we wanted to be as I'd read about the kayaking and paddleboarding, the snorkelling and the wonderful beaches and figured this would be a great place to spend a few days. I did a bit of research online and after comparing various places, booked Sharon's B & B from Australia. She was very prompt and efficient with her responses and we found the place easily from the directions she sent us.
Before you stay in B & B's you have to realise they are NOT hotels and if you go with those expectations, you will be disappointed. Staying at Sharon's is certainly somewhat like staying with an elderly relative and yes, the decor is "eclectic" and the furniture quite old but the overall location, space and comfort more than compensates. Having said that, I found all the knick-knacks, pictures, ornaments, old family photos, books etc quite fascinating. To me, it was a real Hawaiian family home and we loved it. Sharon could be a bit abrupt but I discovered that this is probably because she is a bit deaf and overall she was very accommodating. It didn't faze me in the slightest to make our food side by side with Sharon in her kitchen. In fact it felt very friendly and I enjoyed chatting with her and since I am a doggie-lover, I enjoyed the company of "the boys". We had use of the kitchen 24/7 instead of breakfast and it was fine. I just rummaged around when I needed things until I found what I wanted. One thing I would say however, is that the BBQ is out the front, old and rusty and definitely not in use so if you were looking to use that, forget it!! We ate out or had takeaway or salad so it wasn't a problem.
We had the Poolside Room and even tho the bed was old, we slept fine every night. We don't like AC's anyway so the fans were fine for us. The shower was hot and the water plentiful and Sharon provided clean towels and fresh linen twice in the 6 days we were there, as well as beach towels, so absolutely no complaints there.
The garden and pool were just gorgeous to relax in and the location of the house was perfect. It's within easy walking distance of Kailua, a great little town but with everything you could possibly need, including a Whole Foods, Longs Drugstore, Macy's, lots of cafes and a good pub. It's within easy walking distance of the beach and the hire place for kayaks and SUP boards and easy driving distance of Honolulu and various other attractions of Oahu.
We certainly felt we had good value from Sharon's Serenity and really enjoyed our stay there.
Mahalo Sharon!!