Big and beautiful in Kailua

Kailua is known for its old Hawaii charm, but it's always nice to look at some of the newer homes in the area when they're built and landscaped well. This listing at Ainoni St. is huge and dreamy, and would look great in almost any neighborhood. (Click here for details.)

It's a big, two-story home on 6,600 square feet, which includes a pool and waterfall for lounging in the great outdoors (although it's just 1.5 blocks from the beach, if you'd rather do that). It includes four bedrooms and two baths, plus a detached one-bedroom, one-bath unit.

Throughout the 2,434-square-foot home, you'll find upgrades and amenities galore: gourmet kitchen, solar panels, plantation shutters, granite, marble and more. I was particularly interested in the floors of tigerwood, which is a wood from South America that looks like rosewood.

Some of the little touches, as seen here, show an affinity for Hawaiiana, from the honu (turtle) on the exterior to the monstera leaves painted on the inside balcony.

Despite being remodeled in 2010 and inflation, the price is not much higher than when it was sold in 2007 for $1,189,500—which is reflective of the overall prices in the Hawaii market right now.