Reservation Process and Policy Details

Before requesting a reservation, please take the time to read all of the property-specific rates and details listed on each property page. You will find all general information listed – please call us for further details regarding any vacation rental. On occasion, specific property conditions, listed inventory, decor and rates may change without our knowledge and therefore can’t be warranted. However, we personally inspect every villa in our inventory and strive to keep our information as accurate as possible. Please let us know immediately if your experience is not as advertised.

Your reservation is not final until it has been approved by both the property owner and our office. Accommodations are provided for the maximum number of guests permitted and for the quiet, residential enjoyment of your party. Weddings, parties, receptions, luaus and other large group gatherings are typically only available under special request. Please inform us if you intend to host a large group gathering in your vacation rental and we will help you explore the best rental options. By signing your rental agreement, you are agreeing to abide by the rules governing the vacation rental you are occupying.

It is best to wait to return your Reservation Application and Agreement until after you have your flights on hold. All villa accommodations are subject to availability until the Reservation Application and Agreement is received, along with the requested payment amount. Usually, the first payment is 50% of the total due, with a balance paid 60-90 days prior to arrival. Reservations made less than 60 days prior to arrival will be billed the full payment, due immediately.

Payment is accepted in the following forms:

1. Personal or company check
2. Money order or bank wire transfer
3.  Credit cards (Master Card, Visa, AMEX & Discover)
   * Some private homes don’t cover the cost of bank fees when paying with a credit card. If this is the case for your reservation, the cost of the bank’s processing fee will be added to your total bill. This fee does not apply to resort villas.

You will be provided with our customized, professional Personal Concierge Service. Please take a look at our Concierge Services page for ideas on services that we can arrange for you.

During the course of your stay, our staff are available during business hours to answer any questions you may have or to arrange any adventure or experience you and your party may desire. Check out our Island Activities page for ideas! We are also available after hours and during the weekends for emergency assistance.

Most of our accommodations require a minimum night’s stay, usually 5-7 days. While you are free to vacate early, there is no refund issued for any unused nights of your reservation. Many vacation villas offer discounted rates for stays over three weeks — Should you wish to stay longer, be sure to inquire if this is the case for your particular reservation.

How each property owner divides their seasonal pricing is up to them. Please inquire at the time of booking about which rate your vacation dates are eligible for if it is not clearly indicated at the time of inquiry. As a general guideline, “Low Season” rates in Hawaii refers to approximately Easter to the beginning of June, and then again after Labor Day through about mid-November. “High Season” rates are the time periods between New Year’s and Easter and early June to Labor Day. Thanksgiving is considered either “High Season” or “Holiday”. However, holiday rates generally apply from mid December until shortly after the New Year and typically require a minimum night’s stay of 10-14 days.

Most of our vacation rentals include an out-cleaning fee, the details of which are listed on each property listing page. All accommodations are provided clean upon arrival of your party. Some reservations will require the cleaning fees to be prepaid, others provide mid-stay housekeeping. Please inquire about the specific provisions of your particular reservation. Additional Housekeeping services are available with reservation prior to booking.

In every case, you will be charged an additional cleaning fee for excess messiness, soiling, staining or ruining the property or its inventory. Property damages and additional cleaning fees will be deducted from your security deposit.

In most cases, you will be asked to pay a cash security deposit upfront, as well as provide us with a credit card number as a back-up guarantee. This guarantee allows us to keep our cash deposit to a reasonable minimum. The amount of money required for a security deposit varies by property. The cash deposit and credit card guarantee MUST be paid prior to arrival in order to guarantee your reservation. If you would like to have additional services, staffing or activities you will be asked to establish a separate incidentals account, similar to a resort. Your deposit will be returned to you in full, provided you don’t incur any property damages or additional cleaning fees.

Please review the cancellation policy you received with your Rental Application carefully. The cancellation policies for private vacation rentals are often different than those for hotels or resorts. Generally, refunds are granted only if the same dates are re-reserved by another party at the same booking rate. A cancellation fee may apply to any refund granted. We strongly suggest that you purchase Trip Cancellation Coverage Insurance to protect your reservation.

Each vacation villa is equipped differently, but in general, standard property amenities can be expected to include: a message machine or voicemail, cotton bed and bath linens, kitchen cooking utensils and service ware, large and small standard appliances (unless otherwise indicated), assorted media equipment (TVs, CD or MP3 players, iPod docks, etc.), washer/dryer, iron/board, internet access, beach towels, fax and ceiling fans. All homes are stocked with a starter supply of soap, paper and cleaning products. You do not need to replace these items upon departure. Baby supplies and other special items can be rented with advance notice. Most homes are air-conditioned, but some may not be — especially those Upcountry or on the North or East Shores. Our regular trade winds in these areas help keep things fresh and comfortable most of the time, negating most of the need for AC in many locations.

While all of our vacation villas are maintained and inspected regularly, unexpected mechanical problems can arise. Both our company and the homeowners do our best to repair or replace property or inventory failures as soon as possible, however, in some cases it may be impossible to do so immediately or during the remaining time of your occupancy. Being a small island chain in the middle of the Pacific, Hawaii’s infrastructure is still somewhat under-developed and access to parts and services on-island are somewhat limited.

In sum, small mechanical defects will not void or alter your reservation agreement. However, if you are severely inconvenienced, you may be offered a partial credit, refund or opportunity to relocate to a different vacation rental, should a villa become uninhabitable due to a rare or extreme circumstance.

Gardening, lawn cutting, pool and spa cleaning and exterior cleaning are typically mandatory services paid for by the owner and provided once a week. These services are essential for property upkeep and can not be cancelled. You may acquire more frequent pool and spa services at an additional cost.

We will disclose any known nearby construction when we issue the Reservation Application and Agreement. If construction activity arises during the course of your vacation which we did not have prior knowledge of, your Rental Agreement remains in effect and your rates will not be adjusted.

Many of our vacation villas include private swimming pools, but very few have child safety fencing. Many homes have lockable sliding doors to keep young children in the house, but you may wish to bring along a suitable warning device to monitor your children’s safety while in the water. If your villa does not include a pool, there are a number of public aquatic centers where you and your children can enjoy supervised visits. They are free, operate daily, have heating and are situated in the outdoors.

All beaches and shorelines in Hawai’i are open to public use. You may access beaches in front of all hotels, resorts areas and private homes (as long as doing so doesn’t involve trespassing.) County beach parks have designated access pathways and free public parking. Most county beach locations have restrooms, BBQ-picnic areas and showers.

Hawaii is blessed with a number of spectacular beaches, each of whom has their own personality in terms of shore break and wave activity, ocean activity suitability and local patronage. Be sure to observe all signs and warnings and consult with any lifeguards that may be on hand about safe areas to enter.

Hawaii has a tropical climate, so despite diligent pest control efforts, most homes, apartments and even luxury resorts experience a variety of insects, spiders and geckos finding their way indoors. As a part of the natural world, insects can not (nor should be) eradicated. The best way to deal with them is to let the geckos and spiders alone (they hunt the pestier bugs) and keep floors, counters and sink areas free of food and water, so as not to attract the rest of the tropics inside!

A Reservation Agreement is not negated by inclement weather unless a major storm and mandatory evacuation occurs, in which case most homeowners are willing to be more flexible in terms of refunds. It’s a smart idea to purchase Trip Interruption/Lodging Cancellation Insurance to provide coverage in the event of other delays or loss of travel services.