If you're looking for a one-of-a-kind rental with a touch of adventure and you can overlook some inconveniences, Cliff House is for you!
We found Cliff House to be a very private house with an awe-inspiring view. It’s set on a steep cliff overlooking the ocean, a lush tropical forest, a solitary black rock beach, and pounding waves. The house is 45 years old but built very solid. It’s uniquely designed to drop down the cliff so you enter on top and have several diagonal stairways to navigate to the bottom floor. Between the stairways, unusual angles inside, the fact that the lanais hang over a cliff, and the nearest large town is 35 minutes away, this rental may not be suitable for everyone. All this being said, we LOVED it!
The house comes equipped with almost everything you’d need for your stay. However, if you're looking for a pampered, modern, luxury house, you may want to keep looking. I'd describe Cliff House as rustic, eclectic, and lovingly worn. When we stayed we felt the house could use some TLC. For example, we couldn't use the pool because of a serious algae bloom which caused it to look/smell like a swamp. Although disappointing, I wasn't completely surprised because other reviews had mentioned problems. Instead of using the pool, we took a trip to Hapuna Beach (highly recommend!). Second, there are two showers in the house and the second one smelled badly of mildew. We solved this issue by buying Clorox wipes. I felt the house needed a deep cleaning and did have some issues with dampness (it’s in a rainforest). Regarding the kitchen, you may not find everything you want or everything in perfect working order, but you can easily make dinner for four. We found the beds to be comfy and all the rooms had beautiful views. Another remarkable part of our stay was the discovery of the path to a black rock beach just to the side of the house. Although the overgrown path could be treacherous if you’re not careful, for the fit and adventurous it’s an amazing pathway through the rainforest to a beautiful black rock beach that's pounded by the Pacific.
During our stay, the manager and owner were accessible, very nice, and laid back. It’s not a minute-by-minute, on-site service, but if you’re in need one of them is sure to help you out. At the end of our stay, we were all sad to go and felt lucky to have found such a special home.