Makaha Resort, Waianae

My wife and I spent the first week of January, 2010. We had a great time and can definitely recommend it. Yes, it does need a face lift, but the price is very good and the staff is very attentive and courteous. I loved the golf course. I simply do not understand people who whine if they have to see anything that is not of 4-star quality. If you want a high end experience, then go somewhere else and pay triple the price. We would definitely return.

If you are expecting a resort this is not for you. The carpets were dirty the rooms smelled. This place is defenetly on the worst area on the island. Even if you try to go to go out around the property leave you valuables behind. The area is not safe, outside the resort the locals are not happy you are there. We witness a few altercartion just going to the market down the road. We were invited and had the week for free but decided to leave and pay somewere else were we felt safe. I was worried abour our safety and the rooms were dirty and outdate. Skip this place. After reading the bad reviews and the good ones,I was still cautiously optimistic and gave it a try. Please don't make the mistake I did. Wow ,what a disapointment off what I thought was going to be a wonderfull hawaiin vation. No wonder the place was empty.

This facility is old and in desperate need of updating. Within 10 minutes of arriving in our room, we phoned the front desk and the company who owns the resort. The company is a timeshare organization (of which I am an owner) and will eventually refurbish the property, however, until they sell enough units, it will be left in the condition it is in. Our room was extremely dirty and beat up. The pictures I took don't do it justice. We did see other rooms and while they were moderately better than ours, they are still in sad shape - peeling window ledges, beat up furniture. At least they had paint on the walls. Also, the location is not good. On our drive in, we noticed tents set up on all the beaches - the homeless live in them. Also, the villages are poorer and you notice that, too! We weren't certain if it was safe or not; we wouldn't have eaten there if there WERE places to try so if we weren't prepared to drive for some distance closer to Honolulu, we were stuck at the resort. The staff, however, were a bright spot. We met some lovely people! We were very disappointed in the resort, its location and we will never go back.

This is an older resort and a peaceful get away from the over crowded downtown area. The staff were courteous and efficient, the rooms clean (No flying cockroaches or geckos on the wall, so no screaming granddaughters in the hallways.) The trip up and down the hill to our rooms was accomplished by cart. When I needed a ride to the pool, to breakfast, to the car, or to the room, the carts arrived promptly. The food was excellent and I can recommend the breakfast menu or the weekend buffet. My son and granddaughters enjoyed the food in the restaurant. Most of the time we ate lunch and dinner wherever we happened to be and had no problem finding restaurants or fast food places that we enjoyed. One of the reviews I read complained about the tent cities. Yes, they are there. No, that was not unexpected. Hawaii has a public beach law, so the beaches are open to anyone, regardless. However, it would be a courtesy on our part to request permission to use the beaches from any one living close to or on the beach. I would give this resort a 4 star rating and would not hesitate to recommend it to friends and family.

After reading some reviews about this place I was a bit weary. Afterall it was my honeymoon, and we had already spent a lot of money on the wedding and decieded to cut cost with the hotel since we would not be there much anyway. Yes it is a long walk but if your able enjoy the exercise, and if you do take a cart ride it is just right to tip, thats how these people make their money. Yes the town that this hotel is in is full of homeless people on the beaches, we did not visit these beaches they did not look safe. So if you want to walk right outside to a good beach don't stay here. The hotel does have a washer and dryer for you to use for free, they sell detergent for a doller. They also have some grills outside to use for free. My room was good for the price and you can't beat the scenery. The drive to nice beaches ussuallt takes over and hour one way. I hope this helps.

I stayed at the Makaha Golf Resort for about nine days, July 12-21, 2008. It was a totally pleasurable experience and definitely a good value for the money. I had read some negative reviews on the internet so I didn't know quite what to expect. The room was clean and comfortable. I never saw any bugs or geckos as I had been lead to believe by some internet reviews that I might see. I found the staff to be extremely helpful, pleasant, and eager to please. I had no problems with my room except perhaps for the air conditioner which tended to make the room too cold at times. But then, I simply turned it off when I needed to and the room temperature was fine. I sometimes left my room late in the morning, but still returned to find that it had been cleaned. One night, I called the front desk because the towels had not been replaced, no doubt because I had left my room very late in the day. The night clerk came himself in under five minutes with a complete set of towels for me. On another occasion, I had some difficulty getting a washing machine to start and called the front desk. Again, in perhaps three minutes, a very pleasant maintenance man came to check it out and report the problem to the main desk. I was able to use a washing machine in another building and the next day the machine in my building had been fixed. I use these examples not at all for the purpose of complaining about the resort but simply to point out how very helpful and responsive the staff is. They truly care about their guests. If you report any kind of problem to them, they respond with great courtesy and act immediately. The scenery is breathtaking in every direction, dawns and sunsets are so beautiful there, and there is a great beach within a five minute drive. For those who like to hike and walk, there is a lovely paved path that goes up the hill towards the mountains. Dinner on the terrace is a not to be missed experience. It's a little pricey but the whole experience is good and the service was excellent. I decided, however, to save a little money on food and bought cereal and milk and sandwich items and kept those in the refrigerator in my room. Since I was usually at a beach or hiking during the day, this worked out fine. Although the Wanaine/Makaha area is a lower income, non-tourist area, it is just as gorgeously beautiful as anywhere else on the island and there are NO tourists. So it's quiet and peaceful for those who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki. You can get anywhere on Oahu easily from Makaha but, of course, you will spend some time travelling, an hour or more, depending on traffic to get to the popular tourist spots. But, for the peace and quiet and sheer beauty of the Makaha Golf Resort, I thought paying a little extra in gas and spending a little more time in the car was worth it. For those who would like to meet some locals and learn more about the area, I highly recommend stopping by Jay and Joan's jewelry kiosk at the Makaha Resort. Their table is set up every day near the pool area. They are a lovely couple who have lived in Hawaii since the 1960's (Jay) and 1980's (Joan). They have a small business called Island Designs Jewelry (hand made by Joan). I got to know them, bought a few pieces of their beautiful jewelry as souvenirs and then made a habit of stopping by their kiosk nearly every day to tell them about my daily experiences and to get helpful tips and suggestions about where to go and what to do. Getting to know them made staying at the Resort an even richer and more pleasant experience!

The hotel was very clean and comfortable,the staff were courteous and couldn't do enough for us. It's a little drive from Honolulu,but, well worth the drive to have a quiet peaceful vacation.We had breakfast by the pool .The views were spectacular.In fact we have already booked for JAN.2009 We can't wait to go back! This will become our regular vacation spot!

This was my first trip to Hawaii and I am so happy that I stayed at the Makaha Resort! I travelled with my mother-in-law who is in a wheelchair and that fact was the only drawback to staying there because the travel from the parking lot to the rooms is rather far. Going to the rooms is downhill but going to the restaurants, parking lot, lobby, etc. is uphill. There are shuttles avaliable day and night but we couldn't utilize them due to my mother-in-law's disability so if you can get into a golf cart, no problem. The staff were very helpful and housekeeping had our room done by the time we came back in from our daily outings. Each meal we ate at the poolside restaurant was good and served in a timely manner. Breakfast was my favorite meal to eat there because there is ample patio seating and the morning sun is blocked by the building. If you are looking for relaxation and very pretty surroundings then this is the place to stay. A rental car is a must because of the secluded locale but the drive was always pleasant because the road follows the coast. Yes, there are homeless camped on the beach but most have jobs but cannot afford the high price of rent so try not to judge a book by it's cover. Get to know the local people because they will gladly give you tips on where to eat, places to go and above all very interesting conversation!!

The menu needs more choices but I still the food was good. The service was excellent and my room was nice, comfortable and clean.A business center with internet access would be nice. Walking to my room was not as bad as other reviews claim. A rental car with a gps is recommended. I would stay again.

IM SAD TO SAY THAT I WASNT THE ONLY ONE TO HAVE FELT THIS WAY. I OVER HERD A FEW GUEST COMPLAINING ON HOW HOT IT WAS IN THE MAIN LOBBY. FOR ONE THAT IS WHERE FIRST IMPRESSIONS START AND ON MINE IT WAS VERY SAD TO SAY WASNT A GOOD ONE. HERE WE ARE COMING FROM THE AIRPORT AND IT IS A VERY NICE HOT PLACE BUT TRYING TO HURRY AND GET TO OUR HOTEL SO WE COULD RELAXE AFTER THE LONG TRIP AND YOU WALK IN A LOBBY THAT FEELS JUST AS BAD AS IT DOES OUT SIDE. YOU WOULD THINK THAT WHILE YOU ARE WAITING TO BE SERVED THAT YOU WOULD AT LEAST HAVE A COOL COMFORTABLE PLACE TO SIT OR WAIT AND THEN YOU WALK IN TO A HOTEL THAT FEELS AS IF YOU NEVER CAME IN. IT DIDNT EVEN HAVE NONE WHAT SO EVER AIR CONDITIONING IN THE MAIN LOBBY. TO TOP IT OFF IT ALSO SHARES ITS DINNING ROOM IN THE SAME BUILDING AND YOU CANT FEEL COOL OR RELAXING WHILE YOU ARE EATING. UNLESS YOU GO OUT SIDE OF THE LANAI. I DONT WANT TO GO AND EAT SOMEWHERE THAT IS HOT AND THEN GET ALL STICKY. TO BE HONEST AS IF THEY WERE TRYING TO COSERVE ENERGY. DOWN STAIRS THERE IS A GOLF SHOP AND THEY HAD AIR CONDITIONING, BUT WHERE IT MOST COUNT WAS JUST A SAD GREETING IF YOU ASK ME. EVEN THE WORKERS THERE LOOKED VERY IRRITATED BY THE HEAT. AND HOW CAN THEY GREET US WITH A FEELING OF ENJOYMENT WHEN THEY THEMSELVES WERE HOT AND STICKY AS I WAS. YOU WOULD THINK THAT IT WOULD BE THE MOST IMPORTANT PLACE TO MEET SOMEONE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME COMING FROM A LONG FAR AWAY PLACE THAT SHOULD BE ON TOP OF THINGS AND MOST OF ALL COMFORTABLE. BUT IT WASNT! IT WAS TOO HOT TO STAY IN THERE TOO LONG. I THINK THEY NEED TO GET TOGETHER AND FIGURE OUT THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN RUNNING A HOTEL IS THE GUEST! AND THE COMFORT. AFTER WE WHERE CHECKED IN AND WENT TO OUR ROOM WE NOTICED THAT OUR ROOM WAS A BETTER PLACE TO BE THEN UP IN THE LOBBY WHERE WE DIDNT GET THE CHANCE TO ENJOYING THE FACT TAHT WE ARE IN HAWAII. IT WAS WAY COOLER AND MOST RELAXING. I HOPE THAT THEY REVIEW OUR COMMENTS AND TRY AND UNDRESTAND THAT WE RE THE GUEST AND NEED TO BE MORE COMFORTABLE ENTERING THE HOTEL ITS SELF. PLEASE IF YOU ARE READING THIS AND MAYBE A SOMEONE TAHT MAKES A DIFFRENCE COULD YOU PLEASE INFORM THEM THAT THE LOBBY AREA WAS TOO HOT AND NOTHING ELSE TO DO. ALOHA, CANADA