Reviews for Makena Vacation Rental - VRBO 220784 - 2 BR South Maui Condo in HI, Beachfront Magical Makena Surf B303--'B' Bldg

Accurate

Guest David
Date of stay 03/01/13
Review Submitted 03/11/13

We thought we'd found the best Hawaii has to offer over on Kauai, in an isolated beach house that we've stayed at many times; but Makena Surf is an equal! The property, and this condo itself, are truly awesome, and we had a wonderful 8 days on Maui. I would say that the information in the listing is very accurate. The unit is well-appointed and clean. I would definitely recommend it to friends, and we will be back again.

Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Owner response: Thank you for your very kind review. We have been the original owners of Makena Surf and now watching our Grandchildren enjoying it along with the three generations. We try to keep it updated and so happy you enjoyed everything. We have several family's that return and feel like it is there home in Maui. Sally

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Maui vacation

Guest Barb
Date of stay 01/12/13
Review Submitted 01/25/13

Our stay was fantastic. The condo was clean and well maintained and the view is AMAZING! We saw a humpback whale have a baby and then gently push it across the ocean in front of the condo for about two hours. The beach sand is soft and it isn't too crowded with people. The property owner was very helpful and prompt with her responses to any questions. I would certainly recommend this property to anyone visiting Maui and we will be returning to stay there as well. There are lots of activities to do and our favourite was snorkelling, the turtles are amazing.

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Incredible Location

Guest lovetotravel
Date of stay 09/08/12
Review Submitted 09/18/12

The best thing about this condo is its location. It is truly spectacular, right on the most gorgeous beach in Maui with floor to ceiling windows and a great lanai. You should know that ANY building at Makena Surf is wonderful. You don't need to be in B building to have a wonderful ocean view or to be close to the ocean. Getting to the beach requires a one minute walk down a beautiful pathway. Snorkeling is fabulous and the turtles swim right up to you in shallow water. My rating would have been 5 stars except for a few things that could easily be fixed, if the owner cared to fix them. My impression is that the owner cares about the rental income derived from this property but doesn't care about making it match the luxury price charged. For example, I slept in the "2nd" bedroom in a twin bed. The bottom sheet had a rip in it and did not fit the bed - it slipped all over. The mattress protector was pathetic. The top sheet was a king sheet that had been folded in half so didn't tuck in. The blanket looked like one I had in college decades ago. We literally had trouble reading in the living room - invest in some lightbulbs stronger than 40 watts. There were no basic supplies; we had literally 1/2 roll of toilet paper in each bathroom, 1/2 roll of paper towels and no tissues at all. The promised call from the concierge never came. When I pay this much for a rental property, I expect things to both be in place and to be luxurious - I don't want to spend my vacation time making calls to follow up on something that isn't right. We stayed in another VRBO property in Napili the week before - that property was pristine and completely opposite in the care the owner displayed for the property and for making sure that her guests had a wonderful time. I would stay at Makena Surf again in a heartbeat and probably will. But unless changes are made to this unit, I would not stay in B303 again.

Recommended for: Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Owner response: I just read this review and we are so sorry. Our cleaning and management were not doing their job. We are going over and hiring a new team and get our condo the way it should be. There is no excuse for the bad mattress protector and sheets. Plus she is suppose to leave extra toilet paper in each bathroom plus new paper towels in the kitchen. She did say she tried to phone but no answer on the condo land line. From now on we will have our guest cell phone number. I did write this guest and apologize and she wrote me back appreciating our concern and would stay again if we make the improvements that will be done as soon as possible. We have owned this condo for 28 years and have always gotten wonderful reviews. After this review we realized we had a problem and the job was not getting done properly. We are hiring a whole new team and B 303 will look and be the way it should be. We are already working on the problems. Sally and Bart Hackley

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To be honest, the title is exaggerated. Location is nice; unit is average.

Guest Jim
Date of stay 08/24/12
Review Submitted 08/31/12

Again, I am attempting to be very honest. I have been to Hawaii many times and have stayed in a variety of places over 3 islands. I have never left this kind of review despite many travels. To start, I would note that the location is beautiful, and the beach outside is fun. The unit however is just ok. I felt like the description and the photos do not really capture the unit's appearance. The unit is a bit dated, and could use an upgrade. I did not like that the owners attempted to get me to sign another contract two days before I was going to enter, which made me insecure about my accommodations. A series of emails were sent by the owners that overlooked my online booking, and while I was en route, threatened problems if I didn't sign a new one! (That was not good!) Also, on our first night, we prepared for a beautiful dinner out on the deck overlooking the ocean/sunset and we prepared for a deck barbecue. We were all prepared to eat,and fixed everything except the main course, and then . . . the barbecue was out of propane. Our dinner got trashed and ruined the first evening. Everyone was hungry and ready to eat, and it would not start and there were no extra tanks. I sent emails and there really was no help at that point. No apologies from the owners, just a really late email that said we could've run down three flights of stairs with our entree to a community barbecue. I tank was replaced the next afternoon, but this is the sort of thing that leaves a bad taste. I was very, very disappointed about this very easy, and essential, and advertised item. This is an easy maintenance item that was obvoiusly overlooked. I feel like I was owed a night or part of one back. I notified the owners but it appeared to me that there were more interested in the rental fee over making sure their guests are happy. Other maintenance was not great either . . . light bulbs were out and strangely, many of the light switches were in strange places and installed upside down. I like the beach, and my family experienced excellent snorkeling outside. We swam with 3 turtles, an octopus, many many fish, but I would stay at a different unit.

Owner response: We are the original owners of this unit and our family has enjoyed it for over 28 years. We have rented to many guests, many return year after year, and have never had a negative review. This guest is not being honest! He never signed our required rental agreement. He deceived us by stating he could not print the email attachment (he was at a large Hotel with a business office) and he would sign it at our Makena Surf Office upon arrival.... which he never did! Since he had agreed to its terms by email we allowed the deviation assuming he would be honest and sign the rental agreement. His first night meal with our lanai BBQ is unfortunate. The BBQ propane was not checked by our manager as she simply did not have enough time to finish her duties with the quick turnaround in rentals. This guest requested an early check-in. He was instructed by email and posting in the unit to contact our manager if any Q's. He did not follow that protocol. He never contacted her (she called him unsuccessfully to welcome him). He emailed us in California (three hours later and we were asleep) which we followed up immediately the next day. Our light bulbs were all working on check-in. Our light switches were all approved by the County of Maui and designed by a licensed Architect. Our guest was mad before he got to our unit due to the rental agreement timing. He should have gone to the business office at the hotel to print and scan. He was probably trying to save money. The guest could have easily used the two large BBQ's to cook his meal that were downstairs 1-2 minute walk. Instead he got madder and subsequently this dishonest review. We gave him a great nightly rate, let him arrive early, let him check-out late but nothing seemed to satisfy him. We were wrong to not check the propane (we keep a second full tank at the managers house) but we corrected it as soon as we were made aware of the situation. We love our place and try to keep it updated. So many guests return and have written so many wonderful reviews in our guest books over the 28 years.

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Makena Surf, Maui, HI

Guest Mahalo
Date of stay 05/05/12
Review Submitted 05/16/12

We recently stayed in Maui at Makena Surf. We were delighted by the location and the rental appearance and amenities. It was fantastic. I would definitely recommend this property to friends and family and hope to return one day. We strongly recommend the bike down the mountain at sunset, surfing, snorkeling and Paia is a wonderful place to visit and dine. We had the best family vacation to date, it set an extremely high standard for us to try to maintain in the future!!

Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

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