1 White Sands Place - Reviews - Kailua

My wife and I are seasoned travelers, and have stayed at meager dwellings to exclusive resorts around the world. We always try to give a fair analysis. Our review will include the PROS, CONS, and overall SUMMARY of staying at 1 White Sands Place, Kailua, Hawaii.

PROS:
- Absolutely wonderful location. The unit is literally steps from one of the finest beaches on Oahu (Kailua). Truly "beachfront". You can see the blue water from the living room and kitchen! The unit's proximity to town was also reasonable. Via a short drive you had access to Kailua downtown area, beautiful Lanikai beach, and freeway access.
- All the comforts of home are yours. Stove, microwave, refrigerator are there. You also get a TV and high speed internet access (bring your own laptop). Well, almost all the comforts of home. See CONS for missing essentials.
- Private street. If you're looking to avoid the daily madness that is Waikiki, you'll pleasantly discover a very peaceful neighborhood here at White Sands place. During our stay we were surrounded by families and couples, who were all very "tame".
- Your own designated parking space. No valets or parking fees to worry about. And space is just steps from your door. Nice.

CONS:
- This one's a MAJOR biggie... the owner Monica, lives upstairs. Why is this a big deal? Read on. Every morning at about 7am, you will be greeted with the loud thuds, bangs, and whirrs of a family getting ready (we assumed for school and work). My wife and I consider ourselves to be quite reasonabe and would be ok with a little noise. But this was ridiculous. You could hear a blender, the sliding of chairs accross the floor, doors banging shut, and her dog Marley barking. Dreaming of a quiet vacation getaway and sleeping in? Not gonna happen here. The noises resumed again in the afternoon and into the evening. It was rather horrible.
- Privacy compromised. We found it somewhat unprofessional that she popped in unannounced when needing to ask us something. Luckily we weren't walking around half clothed when she did. Because of this you'll never feel comfortable just "letting go" in your own unit. What compounds this problem is the lack of blinds or curtains. Anyone walking in the backyard, whether it be Monica, her kids, or the adjacent renters), can see you in full sight at any time. We love letting in the Hawaiian sun, but there are times you want complete privacy. Not possible here. To be fair, Monica did not bother us any other times except to ask about our remaining balance and departure details. Still, we disliked the feeling that she could pop in any time.
- Insects! One of the first things Monica warned us about was leaving food out. Ants were here and there, and bugs from outside could also get attracted to come in. We found ourselves placing everything in the fridge to avoid issues. This was not convenient at all. Compromised that “let go” vacation feel.

SUMMARY:
Location plays a huge role when making the decision about where to stay. 1 White Sands Place beachfront location in Kailua pretty much sold us. It was definitely gorgeous. However, we were appalled at the amount of noise we encountered in the unit. The fact that the owner lived upstairs leaving us exposed to the numerous "domestic" noises throughout our stay was enough to outweigh points gained by the location. For your hard earned money you deserve to hear just the crashing of waves and the breezes through the palm trees; not the noises you hear at home. For the money, you could surely find a similarly superb location AND get the peace and quiet (and privacy!) you deserve on your vacation. We will not stay here again. Our counterparts next door (they rent out both units downstairs) complained of the same issues and also said the “domestic” noise completely ruined their stay.

We hope this is helpful. Happy and safe travels.