Stayed for two nights on a mini vacation over the weekend. Makena has beautiful views and scenery. The grounds are well kept and lots of quiet places to sit and read or relax on the large property. The staff provide excellent service and were all really friendly and pleasant. The hotel itself is definitely showing its age - the rooms are clean, but tired. Shower stall is small and the hot water was lukewarm at best (I was able to completely shower without even turning on the cold) and only got really hot the 2nd night after running for 20+ minutes. The bathroom also had lots of tiny ants and a few gnats. Flatscreen TV was nice, when the reception worked. Complimentary in-room wireless & wired internet is also a good +. The room door is extremely heavy and thick - great for keeping noise out, but not so great for the elderly to open. Our rooms were on the 1st floor, left wing, which meant we were right above the delivery dock and had a lovely smell of garbage just outside the room and woke up by the garbage & delivery trucks early each morning. Overall, this property is great location, beautiful grounds, quiet and excellent staff and service hampered by aging rooms that need to be refreshed. Good value, if you get it at the right price.

I believed the Aloha spirit was a myth until I met the employees at this resort. They truly welcome you and are such a pleasure to talk with, they are this hotels biggest asset.
Or maybe it was the view in our oceanfront room, or the breakfast buffet included in our package, or the lush tropical grounds,or the location on a sandy beach great for swimming and snorkeling,or the room service and restaurant, or the great value without resort fees.
I would recommend this resort without hesitation and did to several people we met that were dissatisfied in their current hotels or condos.
My only negative was that the property was undergoing some maintenance- tree trimming and the concrete in the pool area. I would suggest to the management to have the landscapers run the wood chipper off the property after they collected the palms, this was quite noisy.

Stayed 5 nights in early November and it was wonderful. Very friendly and attentive staff. Enjoyed the quiet setting that's pretty much at the end of the road. The beach is one of the nicest you'll find anywhere. Great snorkelling, saw lot's of fish and swam with green sea turtles just about every day. Catamaran trips to Molokini crater left from our beach twice daily. On our trip we got to see a pod of apprx. 100 Dolphins swim alongside the boat. Amazing. Contrary to other posts, the breakfast buffet (included in our package) was outstanding. Everything from cereals yogurts, hugh variety of fresh fruit, omelet bar, waffles, bacon & sausage etc. Food quality was also first rate. Enjoying a glass of wine on our Lanai, listening to the ocean was a special way to end the day. We'll certainly be back.

Today is our last day and we simply couldn't be more happy with our stay. I confess that I am a horrible skeptic (I probably should seek help for it). So when I read all the wonderful reviews before booking our trip I figured there was no way this place would live up to all the great reviews. I have never been happier to say I was completely wrong. From the very start, the staff is amazing. Immediate "Aloha's" and friendly smiles greet you from the valet to the front desk to cleaning room services. Our bags were taken up to our room and arrived within minutes of us getting to our room. Our bellman Lawrence gave us the lay of the land, all the information about restaurants, the breakfast buffet (which was included in our package and is nothing short of fantastic).

The room we had was ocean front and the view couldn't be better. Clean room (standard size for a hotel room) with small fridge, safe, free daily water, beach towels and other items. Perhaps for me the best part is having a Starbucks right here in the lobby. So it's not a franchise store but they do 99% of what the franchise stores do. It's great to walk down at 6, stand in no line and get my Starbucks.

The golf course is great and the price of $99 for resort guests which includes free rentals if you need them is fantastic.

If you're a skeptic like me, take from a fellow skeptic that this place is everything everyone else says it is. It's the best deal in Hawaii and you get way way more than you pay for.

Thanks Makena staff, you made our trip fantastic.