Aloha Surf House

We had a very uncomfortable, disappointing stay from the start. There's no reception and nobody on site to help you find your room. If nobody else is around, you're left searching through the rooms yourself. Our room could only be reached by going through another room where guests were staying, which felt very inappropriate. We arrived shortly after the listed check-in time, after 12:00 p.m., but our room wasn't vacant. Another guest was still in one of the beds, and a cleaner handled and removed their belongings without telling them first. It was upsetting to see and a serious breach of privacy. The room was far more worn than advertised, with visibly stained, worn furniture. Hygiene was poor too: the bedding had been reused without changing the blankets or covers. We felt so uncomfortable with how things were handled that we left immediately and cancelled the rest of our vacation instead of staying there. After we explained why we couldn't stay, nobody showed understanding or took responsibility. Reading other reviews, it seems similar problems have come up before, with no real improvement in communication, organization, or the guest experience. It gave us the impression that feedback is ignored. What should have been a relaxing start to our holiday turned into a very stressful situation.

We came hoping to catch some great waves and enjoy a surf community like at other camps. We never even got in the water. After trying to check in, we had to take the first flight back. The room wasn't ready when we arrived, and there was no sign it would be ready anytime soon, if at all. It was also double-booked, with someone else occupying our bed. We didn't feel comfortable and had to leave right away. We know online photos don't always show the whole truth, but this felt like a straight lie. We only found the Google reviews after we arrived, and can only agree with the other one-star reviews. Special thanks to Ruth, the online check-in contact, who wouldn't really help. She just said everything was fine and that we shouldn't be so picky. It didn't feel like our problems were taken seriously or that anyone cared about guests' well-being.

Two stars: one because they replied to my messages and refunded me after a week of fighting for it, and one for one of the teachers (PL), who was very nice and organized. Honestly, it was a horrible place to stay. Maybe it's fine if you're used to rough hostels, but there were broken and dirty things everywhere. There was no one to welcome us or help with questions. Ruth, the contact number they gave us, was extremely rude. Cigarettes were left in our so-called twin room, which wasn't actually a twin room but a section divided by a sliding door. One day during my surf lesson, the instructor spent more time surfing himself than teaching. That might not have been such a problem, except the water was rough even for a beginner or intermediate surfer, and you surf over rocks. My wetsuit was broken and filled with water, and the shoes weren't available in my size and kept falling off. The boards seemed to be at the end of their life, though fortunately new ones arrived for the next visitors. The nice surf teacher and the refund for facilities I didn't use rescued the experience somewhat. I heard the other house in the center is a bit tidier, so check carefully where you book. The view is nice, but that's about it.

I really enjoyed today's session with Pau. He keeps teaching us new skills, and Andrea is so kind and a great teacher too!