PonoMana Oasis - NEW!! The Serenity Cottage

FROM MY GUEST AFTER THIS BOOKING: "I insisted that Megan post this in the response since I booked the Serenity directly with Megan and thus I cannot post a review on this platform. I asked her to post this because after I saw Serenity get a 4-star rating. I asked Megan why and also wanted to cancel my reservation. Megan was very kind to read me the feedback from the guest and I am glad I did not cancel. The Serenity Cottage is a 5-star! Megan is awesome and you can feel the love and attention to detail she offers. With my business, I have only stayed in rentals like this for the past 4 years all over the world. So I am VERY picky and only stay in places that are 5-star rated and this place should be 5-star rated. The place is VERY clean and open with great breezes. The bed is high end and the sheets are SOOO comfortable. The Wifi is super FAST and stable. The kitchen is simple but had everything I needed. The feel and design of the Serenity is exactly that, calm and serene. Everything is simple, light and fresh feeling and well thought out and high quality. I would be out on the deck a lot either doing yoga or working on my computer for client meeting and video postings. The deck has nice shade and light breezes all day. The chairs were very comfortable (the first thing I noticed since sometimes I am sitting for hours at the computer). OH do NOT sit in the BIG chair! I fell asleep twice and missed one meeting and almost missed a second if I did not set my alarm - soooo comfy!! This place is the perfect location and central to all the places I wanted to visit on the island and less than 10 minutes to the best snorkeling and hiking on the island. I am here to tell you Serenioty is a 5-star place and Megan is 5 star AWESOME! MY INITIAL RESPONSE: This guest gave me 5 Stars for Cleanliness, 5 Stars for House rules, and 5 Stars for Communication which I was grateful. But only 4 Stars for Overall? I reached out to the guest to understand why and what I could have done better. First, I would like to say the guest was lovely. They stayed for two weeks. When a guest books, I send them a 50-page Welcome Guide. In it are detailed directions, details about the cottage, and suggestions for their Hawaii stay. I tell guests that it answers all the questions you may have and even the ones you forget to ask. A printed copy of the Welcome Guide is also in the cottage. Guests also are given my direct email and direct phone number if at ANY time they have ANY questions, concerns or if something needs to be addressed. I did not hear from this guest so I did not know there was something not perfect for them. This guest was very kind to take the time to respond to me and to explain why she gave me only 4 stars on the Overall. First, she informed me there was a discrepancy in a few amenities listed on VRBO i.e. jacuzzi tub, dishwasher, seating for 34 people etc… that were not in the cottage I apologized that I had no idea until her feedback. This was a VRBO glitch due to a recent backend on the VRBO hosting site. The photos are clear and the welcome guide also lists all the amenities. After the update some thinks like a jacuzzi tub, dishwasher were listed as amenities by VRBO. They were not shown in photos or listed in the welcome guide. I asked why during their two-week stay, did she not reach out to me to inquire why these amenities were 'missing'. I could have explained/discovered the glitch and fixed it right away. It is fixed now. There was also a dissatisfaction with what was offered for furniture. I felt the photos are very clear (taken just a few months ago) of what furniture is in the cottage. I asked the guest if they had any suggestions on what would make it better but never got a response. Guests love the big chair but complain they fall asleep in it too easily. The final item the guest shared she preferred cotton sheets. I again inquired to why had they not, at ANY time, let me know this was an issue for them. I could have changed out their sheets for cotton immediately. I always keep several sets of cotton available if there are any fabric allergies etc. Three years ago, per guests' suggestions, I upgraded all sheets to a high-end bamboo sheet. This is for greater feel and temperature comfort when sleeping in climates like Hawaii. It is the one item that I get constant direct email inquiries about “sheets were so comfortable – what brand and where did you get them?” I also replace the sheets every 3 -4 months they are always new. I am sad this guest never shared these during their two-week stay so I could have made things better for them and hopefully kept my 100% - 5 Star rating.