When Greg Pronko and his business partner Mike O'Reilly bought Tiki Home in Hanalei nearly two decades ago, they saw potential.
Pronko told Aloha State Daily that their business is industrial design, fabrication and material science, "so we have a really good background of design aesthetic, as well as how to build things. When we saw that house, we saw the diamond in the rough — like this is such a weird art home. It's totally neglected, but it's so different and strange that it could definitely attract a certain clientele to come rent it. That's been the story."
The dining area. (Vrbo) 
The living area. (Vrbo) 
The kitchen. (Vrbo) 
The living area. (Vrbo) 
A bedroom in Tiki Home. (Vrbo)
The 4,500-square-foot home, just 700 feet from Hanalei Bay and close to the town center of Hanalei, was one of 15 recently recognized as Vrbo's 2026 Vacation Rentals of the Year.
Now in its fifth year, homes on the annual list are chosen from more than 2 million Vrbo based on guest reviews, host performance and unique amenities. See the listing here.
"Over the years, I like to say we've been slowly winning the war against entropy," Pronko continued. " ... When you're 700 feet from the North Shore of Kaua‘i, or any of the Hawaiian Islands, there's massive waves that come in in the winter, there's tons of rain, the sea spray and salt, everything's constantly dissolving and rusting and falling apart, so we're winning that war. Every year, the house gets a little bit better and better, and I guess that's shown this year because we get really good reviews and we won that award."
Pronko and O'Reilly acquired the property in August 2006.
"We both, at the time, were really into surfing here in San Francisco and went out there [to Hawai‘i] for his brother's wedding and fell in love with Hanalei specifically," Pronko says.
Tiki Home was "really run down" when they bought it. Pronko says they knew they could afford a portion of the mortgage, but would likely have to offer it as a vacation rental.
"It became a passion project for us, where we would take turns, one of us covering the company, the other going out and working on the house."
Today, Tiki Home offers "very unique woodwork and artistic funky flair," the Vrbo listing notes. You'll see lava rock in various locations and the home features custom ohi‘a and Tiki-carved beams. The house sleeps eight and has four bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and an outdoor shower.
According to Pronko, the home was built after Hurricane Iniki, which hit the Garden Isle in 1992.
It's a "funky art home," he says.
Some things, like the shag carpet, have been replaced, but other things, like the lava rock and "weird art" were kept.
"All the beams in the house have carvings in them, so when people stay there and they really just finally relax, and they're staring up at the ceiling, they'll just start seeing really weird things, so it becomes kind of an adventure — and I think kids just love it because it's such a weird house."
Pronko says it's important that they let people know in the listing "that this is a funky, weird house. You're coming for a different experience. But we try to pair that with really nice bedding, really nice towels and linens, and we're constantly buying new appliances and dishware for the kitchen. That's one easy place where you can put money into a vacation rental and it really pays off."
Pronko says he comes to Kaua‘i quite often — he'll be here for a week or two every four to six weeks, usually working on the house, doing upgrades or maintenance.
"We're really excited," Pronko told ASD. "I'm very proud that we won that award. Ultimately, it comes down to making sure that our guests have an incredible experience."
For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.
Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
