We stayed from the end of august until the day after labor day. The room was very clean and the bed was comfortable. The building is old but that is not a problem for me. The employees are very polite and helpful. The only complaints I had was partying loud people next door. I figured it was because it was a holiday weekend. We have stayed there before with no problem. There was also a loud barking dog close by. The place allows small pets, but I was seeing large dogs, including a pit bull. Other than that everything was good. There are lots of restaurants close by.

We had a great time at the hotel. Front staff are just real people going above and beyond the normal service protocols. Sure its on a beach (omg) just beyond their great heated pools both for adults and the kids side.The gift of a great breaky in the morning is fabulous, sure we had a coffee maker in our room and a fridge and a stove and a microwave but we loved comming down in the mornings (6am) and having everything already there and ready for us! Hot toasted bagels with cream cheese and jellies to boiled eggs, cereals, fresh coffee and juices. fruits and yourguts ,muffins, pastries and they dont just shut it down at a certain time ,and above all else the happy staff to greet us and ask what we were going to do today and how was our nite! If you wanted anything at all they had it covered and or knew when and how to get it , or us to it in our case. Sure the place is getting a much needed face lift and will look just fabulous when done and okay I will concied the point it could have used a bit of tlc in the outside gardens ( where guests of the Makai have thrown their butts, walked the dog without being responsible about themselves and a few stray pieces of litter) but if you came to any one of the high end motels in London ont ca. you can see the same crap but for a WHOLE LOTTA MORE MONEY!
We found these great maps and coupon books in every state we went trough on our no time limit adventure and we are just so amazed that it was so cheap to rent there at all! With our coupons and the time we arrived there around the middle of Sept we got to stay for 4 nights for under 250US. We recommend visitors use this valuable tool. Our tour of the newer part of the Lodge was so great, since we had William and Steve take time out of their busy day to show us what the stages of updating that were going on, and the very freindly feel of the place , my husband and I have booked one of the newer rooms at the lodge for 4 months! Can,t wait to get back and thats a feeling you never ever will get from a Higher end Hotel chain.
The staff here are outstanding in trying their best or better to make your stay a very enjoyable one and without a doubt or my dollars a great place to come and stay.Have an open mind and enjoy all that can be had at the Makai! Round the world traveler.

If you are like me you are not sure whether to believe the reviews or not. Well believe this. Stay away from this place. The courtside rooms are tiny and smell musty. The ocean front room we had on the 3rd floor was ok but I itched from the time I walked in to the place. The lady at the desk was nice. She upgraded us from the courtside room for 20.00 more to the oceanfront. Still no help. We were paying more than 80.00 a night and afraid to set our stuff down. Yes there are roaches too. The new owner is working on it, maybe in a year or so it might be better. The 4th floor is supposed to be redone, afraid to wait till next day for it. Stay next door cheaper and cleaner.

As other reviewers have noted, this hotel is under renovation and it's worthwhile to request a renovated room. I did that and was extremely pleased with the comfort and cleanliness of the room and the friendliness and helpfulness of every single staff member that i met. After checking in i was greeted by name by the manager whenever i went into the office, an indication to me that they're bending over backwards to renovate the image of the old hotel as well as the building. The heating/AC system in the room was new, very quiet, and had a remote control. The tile floors were very clean (also a bit slippery). Beds very comfortable with good quality linens (altho towels were the quality that make you not want to steal them :-) Adequate number of electric outlets for the modern vacationer. Mini-fridge and new small microwave.
The pool was very clean and goes rapidly from 3 1/2 foot to 8 foot depth, but has some small surface areas that need repair. The small continental breakfast contained healthy options. Brewed coffee, including decaf, was available in the office all day, as was cold drinking water. Free loaner beach chairs, bikes, water toys are another indication of the thoughtfulness being brought by the new owners.

That said, this is not the Hilton. If you want to stay at a 4 or 5 star hotel where you're not aware that you're at the beach, travel south down the beach a few blocks. And there are some drawbacks and some work yet to be done. In my first floor oceanfront room the sliding glass door was difficult to slide all the way open: it got stuck halfway and needed a vigorous push.
The walls were kind of thin and i could hear the every word when the next door neighbors were speaking loudly. There was no security chain or bar on the room door. The courtyard area hasn't been worked on yet and can use some sprucing up. I didn't have occasion to use the elevator but it seems small.

Overall I was very impressed and will definitely go back again.