Kailua (Honolulu County), HI Reviews

Beautiful but with a price. - 1/8/2015
I have live in Kailua Oahu, HI for more than 27 years. I love this place but the cost to live here is becoming to much as I approach retirement. It also has become much more crowded as the tourist have discovered what was once a sleepy little town. Still a great place though.  Read More

Best place to live. - 1/31/2012
Kailua is a perfect place to live if you like a relaxed and friendly neighborhood. It is close to local shops, local restaurants, beaches and ocean activities. Easy commute to work, but Kailua offers every reason not to work every day of the Read More

Nothing short of Paradise! - 5/6/2011
We've been here for the past 10 years, and it is truly heaven on earth from an environmental perspective, but a Cost of Living comparison will scare the daylights out of you! And, I won't mention the condition of the public schools system... Read More

Lovely Little Town - 8/23/2009
Kailua is a small, friendly, and relaxed beach town. Our location on the island shades us from the better waves so we get don't the surf traffic/hype. However, the beautiful sandy beaches offer a great place to relax and enjoy the perfect weather. Kailua does has a touristy side. However, we mostly attract the laid back travels who want a quiet and spacious trip in paradise. Overall, Kailua is a small, family-oriented town with modern/clean amenities. Its simply a lovely little Read More

Lovely Little Town - 8/23/2009
Kailua is a small, friendly, and relaxed beach town. Our location on the island shades us from the better waves so we get don't the surf traffic/hype. However, the beautiful sandy beaches offer a great place to relax and enjoy the perfect weather. Kailua does has a touristy side. However, we mostly attract the laid back travels who want a quiet and spacious trip in paradise. Overall, Kailua is a small, family-oriented town with modern/clean amenities. Its simply a lovely little Read More

Paradise Found - 4/5/2009
Kailua has been our home since 1951. Over the decades, I've watched Kailua grow from a sleepy, secluded little hamlet of 5,000, accessible by way of a 65-minute one-way drive via a winding, treacherous two-lane road, into a bustling, thriving Honolulu destination-suburb of some 50,000 souls only 30 minutes from "downtown" by freeway.

While not totally immune from the downturn in real estate values experienced in nearly all markets over the past 12 months (2008-2009), Kailua's special charm and high demand/low supply for/of available homes have insulated us from the dramtic dip in values most other locations have recently suffered.

Nestled snug up against Kailua Bay, and hemmed in on three sides by surrounding verdant mountians and steep hillsides and world famous Kailua Beach to the North, the possibilty for brand new, large scale subdivisions is essentially non-existant, because the finite expansion area has already been maxed out. Also, Kailua Beach has Read More

Paradise challenges - 9/8/2008
I have lived in New England a good part of my life where 4 seasons are the norm, with winter being a bit too long. A good part of my adult life has been in Maryland where summers are oppressive and winters mild. Cost comparison....Hawaii is lovely but comes with a price. Housing is at least double the cost of homes/condos/townhouses/duplexes in Maryland. Summer 2008 home prices have dropped quite a bit in some towns like Ewa, Makakilo and stayed stable in towns like Kailua, Pearl City, Metro area. Summer 2008 a 1008 sq ft duplex in Kailua(Oahu) was going for $495-535K depending on condition of unit. In Ewa, you can purchase a home for under $400K but commute time to the city of Honolulu is like the LA freeway or Washington DC beltway, horrendous. Too much time sitting in a vehicle. Weather is lovely but in the city, hot due to all the concrete and hottop. In Kailua, it's in the mid 80s, nice tradewinds and traffic is minimal due to no commercialism like in Honolulu. It's a Read More

Housing - 10/24/2007
I have lived here for 6 years. Bought a fixer-upper when the market was "low" (400k)and brought the house into the 21st century. The majority of houses in Kailua (90%) are single wall construction on ca. 5000sqf lots, jalousie windows and no AC, which is no problem since the Trade's blow year round and keep the houses cool. Problem's are with the construction and proximity of the houses. On average there are 10-15 feet between one house and the next (most families are large and the houses spread out on the lots). I can hear neighbors from the moment the wake-up until they finally go to sleep. Conversations, TV, brushing teeth, private physical encounters, shaving.... there is no escaping the constant noise. It isn't getting better either just more crowded and louder. The construction of these buildings isn't suited to the proximity of the lots but the majority of owners can not afford to double up the walls. You decide how much a part of someone else's family you want to be, before Read More

Born and Raised in Hawaii - 6/16/2006
I have lived all my 55 years in Hawaii. As the population grows recreation areas become less enjoyable. Sports are very limited Read More

local economy - 4/17/2006
Heavy on tourism and ongoing construction Read More