Yana N.
Yelp
If I could rate this place zero or negative stars, I would. We were very much looking forward to a quiet retreat in Kauai. This place came close to ruining it.
Upon arrival, we were given the wrong key for our cabin and the on-duty night staff seemed inconvenienced and complained about the ineptitude of the previous staff. We apologized (for their mistake) and began our stay.
Initially, we were charmed by the rustic atmosphere and didn't mind the run-down furniture, old AC, or other conditions. We didn't even mind the cockroaches in the bathroom, just killed them and chalked it up to country life.
The second night we went on a run on the beach and found several homeless embankments directly to the left of the plantation (facing the ocean). On the third day my friend was eating breakfast when she saw mice in the kitchen. We informed the staff and they offered to move us to a different cabin. We agreed and packed our things before leaving for a hike.
When we returned, we checked into our new cabin. We immediately noticed it was much smaller and dingier than the first. We unpacked our things again and began to get settled in for the night. Wary from our first experience, we inspected the bed where we found ants on the pillows and cockroaches inside the bedsheets. It was late and we were exhausted so we did our best to kill every bug. We got little to no sleep, worried there were additional roaches inside the bedsheets.
The following morning, we went to speak with management. After explaining the issues in both cabins, Jasmine apologized and stated that a refund would be posted. We immediately found other accommodations for the rest of our stay and Jasmine stated she wanted us out of the room within an hour. We rushed to pack all of our things (again), in the process forgetting a few items that still haven't been found.
The next day we found another payment of $1500 was charged on the card. At booking, we were immediately charged $1500, which was pending a refund as promised. Confused about the new charge, we emailed Jasmine and did not receive a response. We had already moved to another condo but decided to return to speak with Jasmine in person to clarify the charges. We drove an hour, and at arrival to the plantation, were told that Jasmine wasn't in that day. After explaining the charges, staff announced that they needed to go to the back and miraculously found Jasmine. My friend spoke with Jasmine, who stated that she never intended to give a refund and that we would be charged the full amount for our stay. After printing the invoice, we discovered she charged us a late check-out fee of $380. We explained that we were out within the hour she had specified. After two hours of back and forth, she took off the charge but refused to do anything else.
The stay here was honestly an ordeal. Dealing with cockroaches, ant infestations, mice, rude staff, dishonest management came with a $1500 price tag. We lost a full 1.5 days of our week stay to packing and re-packing, booking additional stays, emailing and speaking with management. Roach infestations in two cabins speaks to larger issues.
In the end, we were able to book two additional stays on the east & northern shores which were absolutely beautiful and made our Kauai visit very enjoyable. Not only were they less expensive, but they were also beachside on swimmable, beautiful water. I would absolutely NOT recommend this place to anyone. I could've dealt with everything else but the lack of integrity and underhanded tactics of management were the final clinchers. Save your money for the other beautiful places on Kauai, which also offer secluded stays and peaceful respites.
If you decide to book, check your sheets for roaches and invoice for hidden fees.