Makai Beach Lodge

We really enjoyed our stay and would recommend the place. The staff were all sweet and very nice, the balconies had lovely views, and the pool area was nice with the beach right outside our door. The rooms could have been a bit cleaner. I gave them the benefit of the doubt since the property is changing owners. We had to leave early because a hurricane was coming, and we chose to go ourselves. We hadn't even thought about a refund, but the staff went out of their way to explain how to get back the three days we wouldn't be there. Since we booked through booking.com, we had to contact them, and it was easy to sort out. I thought that was really considerate.

The workers were all really nice, and whenever I needed something, I just had to ask. It was quiet and clean, and breakfast was good, especially the huge fresh waffles with honey or syrup and fresh coffee. Our room looked out over the ocean, which was awesome. We also enjoyed watching people have a tug-of-war contest. There was a bit of a smell when we first walked into the room, but it went away pretty quickly. We weren't planning to sit in the room all day anyway. It was vacation, and I just wanted a clean place to sleep. Great place, no problems!

We usually get an oceanfront view, and the spa pool is wonderful. The kids love coming here, and we go twice a year. It's an old place, so you can expect things to break, but the staff are quick to fix them when they can. We're there for the beach. It may be temporarily closed this year, so we might not get to go. I wouldn't pick it for an anniversary, but it's reasonably priced for a family with kids, and staff don't hover over you every few seconds. Breakfast has waffles, cereal, biscuits, and bagels. They used to have eggs, fruit, sausage or bacon, and grits. I'd recommend it to families on a budget.

The staff were friendly, which surprised me given how many complaints they must deal with. We had just one towel in the room, and it took a day and a half to get more because they were constantly out. Our first room was too small for our group, so we had to move. I understand salt water wears things out, but these rooms were awful: rust everywhere, trash under beds, in room corners, and on the balcony, and a kitchen we couldn't use. It also seemed like workers were staying there and smoking just outside all night. We called days ahead to make sure the elevator was working well for my 91-year-old grandmother. It was down, and she was basically stuck on the fourth floor for most of the weekend. On Saturday morning they said they were calling someone. It seemed they finally called around 5, and it was fixed. She was moved after 9 that night. The elevator is ancient and scary even when running, and probably should be out of order. It's upsetting that they told us it worked. First, they lied that the room they gave us would fit our group so we'd book near my grandmother, then they lied about the elevator. It felt like they were saying whatever would get us to book. I feel scammed out of $390 for two nights. Charging people to stay in a place in this condition feels illegal. I'll never go back, and I plan to go straight home and shower because I feel dirty from being there.