How to search for condo rental in Oahu
 

Hello guys. My wife and I are looking into renting a condo for say two weeks in the winter in Oahu. As I have never done this before can anyone provide a reliable agency to use for this search?

Thank you.

Larry.

I usually use VRBO, AirBnB, HomeAway, or FlipKey to look for condos. There are many rental agencies which list on those sites as well in addition to owners. Just find something you like and hopefully it works out for you. Sometimes if you stay longer you can negotiate a discount too. Good luck!

Thank you. Saw a man I know, the son of one of our friends who is a realtor and he mentioned Airbnb too.

I would read the Honolulu forum over on Trip Advisor. Lots of times people recommend specific condos they have rented there.

Good thought. Thank you.

have rented several times with VRBO

Even with VRBO condos, I'm suggesting that there might be reviews or forum discussions (two different sections of TA) that talk about specific units.

All good thoughts and thank you

VRBO has started charging large service fees and booking.com charges the highest fees of all to the guest. I've started to do parallel searches (looking on vrbo and AirBNB) as often times I will find the same unit costs me less on one site or another.

I've also found that younger property owners are much more likely to list their property exclusively on AirBNB so it's definitely worth checking both sites.

Yup, sometimes you have to do a cost compare. I find many owners don't charge the tax rate on Airbnb but it does have a fee. But you have to be a little careful with Airbnb - I recently inquired and put a deposit down on a condo on Oahu for this fall, but I got an email a month later saying they had to de-list the property because their management building did not want them using it as a vacation rental. I got my money back and the host was very nice, but just something to be aware of. This is more of an exceptional case though, as I was looking to rent in Kakaa'ko which is more of a luxury residential area. You don't find many vacation rentals there. The majority of the condos on Oahu, especially in Waikiki, don't seem to have this issue and I have rented other condos that were fine. Let me know if you want a link to the condos I rented before.

Yes, tifa--please put a link to the condos you've rented before, with your thoughts on them as well.

If you're new to AirBNB and you want to try it out, you can use my promo code for $30 off your first booking. www.airbnb.com/c/hjun11

I find vaca accommodations now 70% of the time through AirBNB and 30% VRBO. But I always check both!

I have rented this condo twice:
https://www.vrbo.com/289228
The Fairway Villa condo is on the small side but has everything you'd need. Laundry is in unit and parking is included. It's one of the few buildings in Waikiki that has laundry in the apt so it was a nice feature. Location is good, just half a block from the food pantry, and about a 10 minute walk to beach. It's very quiet and peaceful on the ala wai canal.

We have also stayed at the Waikiki Banyan. The studio units are more like alcove studios and are more spacious. It's slightly closer to the beach but on the zoo end of Waikiki (which I like).
The unit I rented is not available anymore but here are a few comparable ones.
https://www.vrbo.com/421290
https://www.vrbo.com/475820
https://www.vrbo.com/595458

The Banyan doesn't have in-unit washer dryer but most units come with parking. Laundry is on each floor but we found the ones on our floor to not be working well. Not sure that's the case on each floor! There is a pool area on the 6th floor. The Banyan has many units so there will be more elevator traffic - not a big deal but just something to note.

There are many options out there, from ultra luxurious to basic - just depends on your budget etc. I find I tend to splurge less on Oahu, just because we are out and about a lot compared to other islands. Also since it's pretty packed in Waikiki you're not going to get the nice resort-like atmosphere with multiple huge pools and lounging areas. A lot of condos will offer a small pool, if any, and fewer facilities. Even the expensive resorts like the Royal Hawaiian have a small footprint so their pool is small, their rooms are small, etc. I find it more worth it to splurge on a resort on other islands, or maybe other areas of Oahu (Turtle Bay is a nice resort on north shore).

Good luck with your search!

Very good info. Thanks to all for the help!

We are renting this one at Waikiki Baynan in December 16.

https://www.vrbo.com/607805

AirBnB is infamous for unlicensed lodgings. The State and counties are cracking down on this tax dodge. You could arrive to find your 'booking' doesn't exist. You could arrive to find irate neighbors tired of having their *residential* peace and quiet ruined by illegal squatters.

Short Term Vacation Rentals are only permitted in areas zoned for this business. A business license is required. The owner must collect and pay taxes on rents collected. Someone IN this business pays higher real estate taxes. (You can see why government would be served by cracking down on illegal activity.)

Expedia bought VRBO this year. It's no longer "By Owner". Expedia has become the middleman VRBO was created to eliminate. (Following the greedy model of AirBnB.) You can still find some owners who are renting direct. Comb the listings. Don't use the "Book Now" button. Contact the owner direct instead. Using the 'service' gets you absolutely nothing you didn't get when booking direct -- except a fee of up to 10% of the rental.

VRBO is blocking direct owner contact -- i.e. phone numbers and email addresses are blocked out in the listing and you can only use the platform for communication. (this is how Air operates as well). If you are trying to book directly with an owner to avoid fees do a search on the title of the listing or an image search in case the owner has their own website with contact information.

The AirBNB model isn't more greedy than VRBO -- it was quite smart and VRBO is kicking itself for missing its opportunity. For decades, VRBO was imposing fees but on the wrong side -- owners paid hundreds to now over a thousand dollars for a listing. AirBNB doesn't charge hosts (except for a 3% credit card transaction fee when they get a booking) and charges guests instead, eliminating barriers to access this platform, prompting anyone with even a spare bedroom to take a few pics on their cell and instantly have a listing, and AirBNB makes money off of every single transaction (as opposed to VRBO which was making its money off owners once a year). In trying to belatedly recover from missing the boat, VRBO is now also charging guests (like Air does) while continuing to charge hosts, outraging many owners & pissing off guests. VRBO nightly rates are adjusted (by the owner) to absorb the subscription fees so they are usually higher than the nightly rate for the same listing on AirBNB.