Hale Makai — Hotel in Kauai

I was one of the guests that was affected by the storm in April 2018. The storm happened just a few days before my arrival; my reservation was of course cancelled. However, I did not have the same experience as some of these other reviewers. I read the Terms and Conditions before booking, so I knew the risk of not having trip insurance and since I did not have it, I rescheduled my reservation (had to reschedule a couple times due to the completion date of the road being pushed back several times). I was informed of the situation on a regular basis from Susan at HMC and never felt like they were hiding anything or being dishonest. The terms are spelled out in the contract and they followed their policy in my opinion. Those complaining agreed to the same terms I did, so I don't understand their anger. Also, because I rescheduled a few times, I got several emails from HMC with my new reservation attached and every email clearly explained that there was a chance the road opening date could change and guests should have insurance in case their reservation was cancelled. It seems to me that people are blaming HMC for following the agreement in place. ||||I wasn't able to make it to HMC until the end of May 2019, but it was well worth the wait! I was actually one of the very first guests on property when it was reopened and it was exactly what I was expecting. I stayed in Orchid #3, a one bedroom. It had everything I needed, was very clean, and the ocean view was amazing. Every morning I woke up to a beautiful sunrise on the beach and didn't have much need to leave the property during my stay. The weather was perfect and there was excellent snorkeling conditions. There is a coral reef not too far out and it is well worth exploring. HMC provided beach chairs and towels and there's a shed on the side of #3 that guests have left some gear, but I would recommend bringing your own snorkel gear. If I didn't already know the storm had happened, I would not have known! The only sign of the storm is the road work. ||||When I was there the road was open to residents and TVR renters, but there was a schedule in place to drive on it. It was not a big deal for me and I hear it will be over mid June. Either way, HMC was a wonderful location, perfect for a relaxing Hawaiian vacation and I will definitely be returning!! I would take the other reviews with a grain of salt as they shouldn't be upset about a policy they agreed to or blame HMC for the road opening date being changed by the HDOT. ||||Mahalo, Hale...

First, if you are someone who likes to go out to eat every night, don't stay in this area, Haena, period. Because there are seven one lane roads between there and Hanalei and it is pitch black at night. Came back in the dark one night - didn't do it again. Other than that (and I am not a foodie, so I don't care) it is heaven. In fact, I hesitated to write this, because I want availbility for my next trip. You know what they say, " if you love Kauai, send your friends to Maui". Maybe the corallary should be if you like Haena, send your friends to Poipu.||||I spent two weeks in cottage 4 in the second half of February 2020. The entire cottage is remodeled - lots of granite, even the floor. It's about 600 sq ft by my rough math. It was nice to have my own cottage but I also met a very nice family in another cottage and later a couple in another cottage.||||The surf was too rough for snorkelng most of the time, but when it did calm down, I snorkeled just to the left of the property after talking to someone who has had a house there for 20 years. I was very conservative, but one of the men went farther and saw three sea turtles. I saw a good variety of fish. Not like the days when you were allowed to bring fish food, but still good. So, no need to hassle with the shuttle bus to Ke'e park if you stay here. I rented snorkel gear in Hanalei.||||The one restaurant in the area is two lots to the right. You can walk out to the road and around, or on the beach. It's decent and has a happy hour from 3-5 pm. Bonus tidbit - the restaurant property is still owned by Charo as it has been since the late 70's when I was first to Kauai. There is also a little store/art gallery to get a coffee or juice in the morning. BTW, the General Store never reopened after the April 2018 mudslide so don't count on that. Bring your food from Kapaa or Princeville. ||||There was Netflix. Gotta love bingeing three episodes of Shameless almost every night. ||||So if you like nightlife don't stay here, but you probably shouldn't even be on Kauai if you like nightlife! If you love Kauai this is the best and I have stayed many places over...

Do not be fooled by the beautiful pictures and the stunning location because that is exactly what we were attracted to and what caused us to book the Hale Makai cottages. For all of its perceived beauty, the customer service from Susan and the team is minimal at best and in our case was predatory. We were set to stay there from 3/30 - 4/3 but unfortunately, a landslide covered the only access highway to the cottages on 3/12. After speaking with our friends who are on the island and keeping close tabs on the updates from the government it was apparent that going to and from the cottages to any other part of the island would have been quite difficult or impossible if it wasn't during very specific times. With the limited highway access, we would have been essentially stranded on the north side of the island when the large majority of our activities and plans were south of Hanalei. Since this was a natural disaster and significantly changed the complexion of our trip, one would think Susan would have been understanding and more flexible with her cancelation policy (read the fine print in the T&C's because she makes you sign your life away). Instead, she said our only options were to reschedule for another date in this calendar year which is obviously not feasible, keep the booking and have to cancel the majority of our activities and be essentially stranded, or take it up with our travel insurance. Susan is savvy and covers her bases by having her customers sign detailed T's and C's but if you expect any sort of empathy or understanding of adverse situations you will not have any luck. She plans for this sort of outcome and only cares about keeping your money by any means necessary. I travel all over the world, have stayed in all types of accommodations and I have never been treated as I have been by Susan at Hale Makai. We had to book a separate place for those dates and now have a $2k sunk cost while I deal with travel insurance. If you are staying here, I would tell you to think about all adverse situations that could happen because once you send your money to them you will never get it back. This is a...