Tiki Beach Hostel-at the Beach in Lahaina

Amazing location right on the beach, very friendly staff who are always willing to help you out and give recommendations. Would definitely stay here again. Thanks for letting me use your dryer! Will defintely stay again.

I wouldn't normally stay in a hostel (but Hawaii hotel prices...). I took a tent here and it was great, I slept well every night, staff were very friendly, and the location with access as it has to the beach was great. Attractive communal areas too.

Staff went above and beyond to help me out, I forgot an item and they were kind enough to ship it to me. I appreciated how welcoming, relaxed and knowledgeable they were. The property had a lot of character and surfboards were even available to rent! Convenient location too, stay here if you are looking for an affordable/“no frills” stay on Maui.

I had an amazing time here!! The staff was amazing! I had so much fun meeting all the people. They have a laundry space, a very cute m backyard with some lights :) It’s a clean place!! It’s a bit on the older side, but the staff keeps it clean! The beach is right behind the hostel, so that’s nice. They have in front of the hostel also a place to sit/lay down.

The property isn't as advertised at all - the conditions were quite poor. The house feels like it hasn't been cleaned in years with mold and dirty everywhere. There are 3-4 cats sleeping on the property while no notice was given ahead because my friend had allergies to cats. 2 cockroaches were found in the shower and the shared bedroom was extremely stuffy and had a bad smell. We wanted to cancel our reservations, and the manager agreed to a refund for 1 of the nights. However, I haven't seen any refunds being issued. I made my reservations on Booking and somehow my review function was disenabled so that I can't leave a bad but honest review.

pros- good location. there is a sign on the door saying only paid guests are allowed inside the hostel, and that anyone who is obnoxiously intoxicated or unruly on the premises will be kicked out. As a solo female traveler, both of these house rules were reassuring to me and made me feel comfortable. My mattress was comfortable. The room I stayed in had an AC unit which was great. I didn’t see any bugs in my dorm room. There is parking. Cons- the entire place SMELLS. Like it just stinks a musty, moldy/mildewy scent that permeates everything. The sofa chair in one of the common areas is too gross to sit on. As someone with asthma I felt it was actually harmful to my health to stay there. I emailed the owner after checking in to ask if he could give me a refund so I could leave, and he just ignored it. I had to stay there for 5 days and only showered ONCE because of how disgusting the bathrooms were. They have put up tents in the backyard as well as makeshift “rooms” (not closed rooms, just put up bunk beds behind walls) to increase the capacity of how many paying guests they can have, but only have 3 washrooms (one of which is outdoors). The hostel staff aren’t paid, (they work there in exchange for a free stay) so I feel like they aren’t super motivated to care about anything but it seems like they do try to make an effort to keep things “tidy” even tho it’s not “clean”. I have stayed in hostels all over Canada, USA and Europe and this was the second-most dirty feeling one I’ve been to. It is also the only hostel I’ve been to where someone has either eaten or thrown away my clearly dated and labelled food in the fridge. it is obvious the owner cares about nothing more than making money, and I’m sure he’s making a ton of it with all the tents and outdoor bunks he’s set up so I’m surprised he doesn’t at least use a little bit of it to update the showers or at least the furniture so it’s not so gross. If you have any lung or sinus issues or just value your health and cleanliness at all, don’t stay here. The hakuna matata hostel is just across the street and I was told was way cleaner and also cheaper.

Here are some things I noticed during my stay at the Tiki Beach Hostel. I stayed at the Tiki Beach Hostel for two nights this December (2021) while visiting a friend on the island. The first thing I noticed when I got to the hostel was the misleading pictures on their website. The rooms are nothing like the pictures and the general area is much more dirty (Lots of bugs, dirt, & grime). The dorms are actually right outside the housing area and should be advertised as a porch with a DIY looking bamboo wall. While this isn't too much of a problem for me, I can imagine how it can be an unwelcoming surprise for someone else. Additionally, after just getting through all the COVID-19 checkpoints and stuff at the airport, I was surprised to see there was no care or attention to mask mandates or safety guidelines. It was as if covid-19 did NOT exist. The owner, Martin, did not seem to care about any safety precautions nor did he seem to care about the risks of spreading the illness as he let his 2 year old son run around the hostel as well. Again, all subjective to the person who is staying, but good to know before planning to stay here. I will say the beach is literally seconds from the hostel which is awesome...But it also means, that you can hear all the beach parties at night, which according to locals, happens quite often. Tiki Beach Hostel has a reputation for partying on the beach and is actually quite frowned upon by the nearby residents. During my stay, I was able to hear shouting and screaming til about 2am. There is a lights out policy at 10pm which means people have to be quiet, although most people just go to the beach and continue screaming from 30 feet away. Being an outdoor person, I also noticed that the tents they have are the cheap $20 Coleman tents from Walmart. Don't get me wrong, it is a place to sleep–but the truth is, those tents will NOT keep the rain or bugs out. Prior to my stay, there was rainy weather and ultimately led to people's tents getting flooded and were forced to sleep elsewhere. Luckily, that wasn't the case for me, but I wouldn't be surprised if that has happened more than once. These are just some of the things you should consider before staying here. If you're coming to the island to make friends, just come to the hostel during the day because they really don't care who hangs out. If you want to stay the night, you might be better off sleeping in the rainforest where you can get bugs, dirt, and rain for free. I do not recommend spending your money here.