My Hawai‘i Hostel — Hotel in Hawaii

First let me start by saying, I am extremely picky and I guess as my friends say, boujie , LOL.

I just got back from my Hawaii trip.. first time ever in a hostel. I wanted to go out of my comfort zone and also save money at this time as I have some goals I am working on. I researched each hostel, read reviews and honestly cleanliness was my primary concern.

I was pleasantly surprised.. First, it was easy to book. Second.. Adam... I have never felt more welcome ANYwhere. He greeted me so warmly, checked me in in 5 mins and took me for a tour of the place. Super cute, inviting, welcoming, and home-ee Now, please understand, it is Kona, it is Island, the hostel is open air in a way and it is somewhat humid in the bathrooms at times and a bit musty, but nothing awful...this is not the four Seasons... so if you are not willing to step out of YOUR comfort zone and have this kind of experience then don't book it and leave a bad review. The staff here work hard and talking to other visitors that have frequented hostels, they were all very happy and surprised actually here.

It Is shared living quarters and you have people from all over the world so hygiene is different for some people... but.. the staff are constantly cleaning, sanitizing and making sure the place is in order. I loved the seating with umbrellas that have LED lights to enjoy a nice evening and grab a book and hot cup of tea or beer and enjoy it.

There is a full kitchen with all utensils and machines for you to use. Fridge, where you mark your items and everyone is super respectful. Coffee and tea and provided and water. Bathrooms are available as shared or 2 private. BBQ is back for your own use. The staff can do laundry for you same day for $5. There is a bulletin board full of local information and coupons.

The bed.. WOW.. the bed was SO comfortable.. sheets white and clean. Very well working AC in each room. There are lockers in the rooms for your personal items but not for luggage. Under the beds have plenty of room for that.

Free hi speed WiFi.

Nice location.

Water pressure in the bathrooms are fabulous.

Another cute lounge area in the kitchen with books and comfy chairs. In the evening most travelers are hanging out, Talking, eating and cooking, so it is a great place to meet people, or if you are an introvert that's cool too.

Location: you are literally across the street from a beach with gorgeous sunsets. You are walking distance to a liquor/ convenience store & few small places.

I myself rented a moped for $60 a day from Kona Mopeds and I HIGHLY suggest that as well to hit the main strip of restaurants, bars and shopping.

There is also a local trolley called the Hele on which is $2 as well which is great and the stop is right in front of the hostel..

All in all, I really enjoyed my stay.. yes, I was a little uncomfortable at first because I am so nit picky but I just realized, hey, I am here to sleep and shower and then enjoy the Island. So, if you are trying to choose a hostel, choose this one. You won't be disappointed.

P.S: Adam, I hope you get a bonus for your outstanding service and kindness. You made this gal's first time...

Employees were all friendly and helpful. Without them, this would be a 0 star review.

Covid precautions are nonexistent (no signs regarding masks, no mention by employees when checking in). Employees did not wear masks when entering our private room. I could understand this, if there were only shared dorms, but there are private rooms. The shared bathroom has 2 small windows above the sinks and the door is open during the day. The handicap accessible bathrooms only have exhaust fans that don't provide meaningful ventilation. This was pointed out on our check in tour due to the heat: "it can feel like you're going to pass out."

Our private room faced the afternoon sun and the single sun-facing window did not provide enough cooling even with the ceiling fan on high. The air conditioner would not turn on, which required a reset by an employee. It then provided air slightly cooler than the ambient temperature at low fan speed, which provided enough cooling for a nap; until it stopped again. Fortunately, it turned on again on low later, so we were able to be cool enough while we slept overnight.

Our private room was steps from the road, was adjacent to the outdoor patio, had an outdoor charging outlet next to the door, and had a thin wood interior door separating it from an adjacent door room. I recommend good ear plugs, which eliminated the road noise. Unfortunately, they could not completely block the conversation in the adjacent room or patio, which went on after 2300 (quiet hours posted 2200-0700). The sound of the exterior outlet cover opening, closing and devices being plugged in and taken out translated well through the wall. A sign that limited this outlet's use to the occupants of the room would have been helpful. The bed frame was a DIY job of painted 2x4 and was loud enough to wake me up every time I moved. The mattress on the bed was cheap to begin with, but had developed a significant crater in the center. Unfortunately, I can't say that at least I slept well.

Towels and linens were washed and dried on site in standard, non-commercial machines using scented products. I think that the available $5 laundry service also utilized these products. This made using the bath towels uncomfortable. As a result, the area around the dryer, which includes the entrances to the handicap accessible bathrooms, was a toxic no-go zone while the dryer was running.

Wetsuits can be rinsed in the showers, but there's no shaded wetsuit drying area.

Kitchen and bathroom areas were clean and organized.

Overall, our stay did not live to the reviews and was not worth the $126. Of everywhere I've stayed in my life, this had the lowest quality to price ratio. It's clear that this is a moneymaking operation for it's owner and was set up on a shoestring budget to minimize investment and maximize profit.

Update: Staff did remind guests on the patio about quiet hours as they approached, but didn't follow up when loud conversations continued after quiet hours began.

During check in, we were not asked to verify testing, vaccination or participation in the Hawaii Safe...

This is my second time staying at a hostel and this place compared to the one I stayed at in Cancun (Mayan Monkey) is underwhelming in comparison. First of its pretty small and the pictures online make the rooms seem bigger than they appear but they are quite smaller.

I know this hostel is much smaller than the first one I stayed at which I didn’t mind because this hostel was peaceful and quiet. Not a party hostel at all very laid back.

What I disliked most is the rooms are upstairs and the bathrooms are downstairs. The other hostel I stayed in the rooms were huge so the bathroom and showers were in the room. Imagine having to pee in the middle of the night you have to get up, put on your shoes take your keys with you go downstairs use the bathroom and come back up several times throughout the night. Very annoying. Bathroom/shower quite small and sometimes stunk. Some type of room deodorant or spray would help. Sometimes there wasn’t even toilet paper. Being that the shower and toilet are one the floor would be fully wet.

Also the female dorms had no mirrors! I don’t know why they don’t get a mirror from Walmart up the street and put them in the rooms. Especially the female dorms.

Also would’ve been nice to have a list of local restaurants and bars around the hostel guests could visit. No one told me the infamous Da Poke Shack was right across the street! Shameful I wasn’t told this. First day I checked in I was showed a bucket of beach towels guests could use. Next day all of them were gone and I never saw any again the remainder of my stay. Upside the beds are comfy and it’s pretty quiet at night not to mention the nightly room rates are very reasonable seeing...