I have stayed at several Banyan Harbor VRBO's previously. This particular one was average at best. I had no communication with the property owner at all prior to by arrival, which was fine, however, other property owners were far more proactive.
When I checked in I was a bit surprised by the amount of the additionaltaxes and fees. I was confused as I thought I had already paid all the fees associated with the rental. For reference, I already paid the cost of the daily rental, plus taxes, plus a service fee and plus a PROPERTY fee. I was very respectful when I asked the concierge to explain the additional fees. To be clear, the taxes and fees totaled almost doubled in cost on top of the nightly room rate. The concierge was unable to explain and attempted to contact the property owner without success. Now, to be fair, the posting on VRBO does say "be aware that the front desk will collect Amenity fees and Hawaii GET tax," however, there is no indication how much that will be. Also, the "property fees" added to the VRBO checkout are very misleading. This was my question to the concierge. All I wanted to make sure is that I wasn't double paying for the "property fees" I had already paid. The concierge was very nice and ended up eliminating the amenity fees (which I did not ask her to do).
The property owner, Nancy Giannini, however, took it upon herself to send a condescending email. Which, by the way was the ONLY communication I had with her at all. She said, "I understand you got upset at the front desk for the taxes that Hawaii charges. These taxes are not included in VRBO. It is clearly stated in the description under properties that HI get tax and amenity fees will be collected. Krystal informed me that she refunded you the amenity fees which was very gracious of her because you were upset. There is no need to take it out on her. I hope you get the Hawaii aloha."
Well, I was not upset. I did not "take in out" on anyone. I simply and respectfully asked about the fees to ensure I wasn't paying twice.
Although Ms. Giannini's rental property suited our needs, I would not recommend you rent her property. Compared to other condos I rented at the Banyan Harbor, It is bare bones. That in combination with Ms. Giannini's singular and discourteous communication leads me to believe she is not an attentive host. All in all, the property was fine but her comments were not appreciated.