We had a great time at the Makai Inn - it was in a beautiful setting, with garden in the middle and ocean right in front of you. You really can see whales and turtles playing from the lanai if you're there during the right season. We were looking for an affordable, comfortable place for a group of 8, and this was just right. Yes, there are quiet rules and yes, there are some ants, but it didn't put a damper on our stay. I was a bit anxious to meet the owners based on some of these reviews, but I found Suzie and her husband to be lovely people with interesting stories to tell - they've been in the area for 40 years, so they know the drill. It is a fair walk to town, but it's certainly possible, and you get nice views the whole way. I'd stay here again.

We enjoyed whale watching from the seawall, an easy stroll to MaLa's for dinner and the close-by Cannery shopping mall for groceries. A minor inconvenience was not having hot water for showers - it was just lukewarm at 7 a.m. I also would have liked better lighting for reading. If you book from this website, which goes through bookings.com, you will pay more than if you book directly.

I read the negative reviews on this site and took it with a grain of salt (of course), as I'm used to budget accomodations and often find that people's expectations are somewhat out of line when they criticize a place for being run down or less than five star quality. However, I think this place has its definite pros and cons but for me, I don't think I will be returning here.

We stayed here for 3 nights in January, and while we loved Maui, I can't say the same about The Makai Inn. We were on an apartment on the first floor, not one of the larger apts w/lanais upstairs. Our apt. was on the older side, we didn't cook much but the kitchen was well worn with questionably old drinks/leftover from previous visitors and definitely felt like an apt. that has not been renovated in about 20 years at least. Normally, this all would be a minor inconvenience, but the thing that bothered me most was the "feel" of the place we got. Like others have said, this is a quiet place, but there is a book of rules written on the table that is written in the tone of a parent telling their teenage kids to behave or live somewhere else. I think one of the other reviews quoted one of the rules verbatim, but something I remember was along the lines of, "rooms need to be paid for before leaving, and don't wait until the last minute, I'm not sitting around in the office all day." I don't have any problems with quiet or rules at all, it's just me and my husband, but I personally find it rude to have several pages of rules on the owners going on as if you are inconveniencing them to stay at the property. My husband and I are both used to budget accomodations, but I can't deal with overbearing or rude attitudes on top of it. Thankfully, we didn't have any issues with our apartment (except for an extremely hard springy bed) so at least we didn't have to interact too much with Suzie, the owner. This may or may not bother you, but it left me and my husband with a bad taste.

Overall, if you're on a budget, it's hard to beat the price and although in her book, it says something along the lines of the owner wanting people to come knowing they can relax in peace and quiet and not because it's a cheap place to stay, the price is really the only appeal I can see in this place, and even then I don't plan on returning here. It's a bit far from the town of Lahaina so you will need to drive if you're planning to spend time in the town proper, but it was within walking distance of Aloha Mixed Plates which is was our fav place for good, cheap food.

I read a lot of reviews on the Makaii Inn and you must know a few things before you choose this place. If you don't have a problem with these things or even love them, you will come back here (as we did). First of all: This is a quiet place. The owner is very serious about that. And we love it! Thank you, Suzie! There is one exception to this overall rule: You will hear Hawaiian music from the beautiful garden every day starting at 9 am. If you can't live with that, choose another place. (Actually, Suzie and her husband support Hawaiian musicians - think about that before criticizing it.) The rooms are clean but they are well used. If you don't like that, search another location (and pay much more, probably, especially on Maui).
We were here 3 years ago and came back this winter. We stayed 10 nights and it was a great time. We were cooking every evening and eating outside in front of the room (22). From there, you can look on the ocean and listen to its sound.