Kauai International Hostel

Hostile manager
Stay away from this place. First, I know it's a hostel (not a hotel), but my wife and I had to wait four hours before Maikiki, the manager, showed up to check us in (and that with multiple paging, phone calls). We had a reservation. Heed every woman who has posted how uncomfortable Maikiki made them feel. To be kind, he was rude, confrontational, and regimental. If you're over thirty, or just plain semi-mature, you don't need a blow-by-blow of a hostel's house rules and "quiet time." When we noted we'd read the rules online (and on the bathroom door, and in the common area), he said, "Well, there are new rules. Read them again." Without getting personal, Maikiki almost wanted to get into a fistfight with me when I defended my wife. After the rules speech, he escalated through a series of rude comments to her (with me right beside her!), culminating in an exchange where he said "You don't get English? In English," to a question my wife asked. What? At that point, I went to close the "private" room door on him (which is a box you get to by walking through the entire dorm) and he said, "Is there a problem?" I said I didn't like his attitude, his rudeness, his comments were completely uncalled for. He wanted more. So I said, "We're done," handed him the room key, and started to walk out. Get this -- the guy then calls me a "smart ass from L.A.," says I don't get the "island vibe," calls me "impatient," says, "The island doesn't like you," and actually has the gall to ask, "Did I use profanity?" As if rudeness of the highest order is just fine if you cloak yourself in "aloha spirit." Overall impression -- angry, delusional, and itching for conflict. We went to somewhere else instead, and some employees told us others had had similar experiences with the hostel (women crying after they had been verbally attacked). In sum, if there are no other rooms available, sleep in your car, risk sleeping on the beach, buy a tent -- do anything rather than support an establishment that treats guests so poorly.

Scary experience -- be careful
i did not stay here, however i want to share what happened to me as a warning to others. when i was in kauai last april, my friend and i wanted to check out the hostel for a possible future trip. although he did not identify himself as a manager, from reading the other reviews on this site i am assuming that is who he was. i dont know if i woke him from a nap when i rang the bell for service at the desk, but from the moment he walked out he was irritable, rude, and scary. i introduced myself and told him i would like a little information about the hostel and to perhaps peek into one of the rooms. his reply was "why dont you just go on the website and look?" i let him know i had already been online but would love to take a look since i was there and he said "well make it quick because i do not want you hanging around here." i let him know that my intention was definitely not to hang around and at that point felt too uncomfortable to be there any longer. as i was walking away, he shouted "Good choice." i turned around and said excuse me? he said "good choice because i dont like your attitude." i stood there absolutely speechless since my attitude could not have been more friendly and polite. then he screamed Don't come back. it was almost as if he was delusional. i am not one to get rattled easily or be offended, but i can honestly say that he caught me so off guard that i got tears in my eyes. i think part of the reason is because in kauai my heart center seems to be more open and i was definitely not expecting such a verbal assault and the viciousness i encountered. in one way i am relieved i am not alone after reading other reviews, but in another way i am just sad for him. i prayed for him several times throughout the day and the following days. i have no idea what is going on with this man, but he needs help. do not bring children here, and if you are female, stay here in pairs. but best scenario, dont stay here at all until he is removed from the premises.

Terrible Staff!
the manager "maikiki" is a weird dude. the guy is crazy, and has made many women feel very uncomfortable. He says very inappropriate comments about women, and has been in trouble with the police before. I suggest a hotel where the management isnt in your face the whole time.

Only if you can stand egotistic-weirdo manager.
I stayed here in first week of Jan. 2007. There are only two hostels on this Island and you have to listen to the ego-driven manager's lectures and rules/guidelines. He is also dominating with young girls as well. Must have the blessing of the deaf and blind hostel owner, otherwise you can not be running business like this. Weirdo manager has the reputation of telling people to leave without deposit. Small island and only one more hostel to compete, what else they need!

The patio area is a great place to hang out at and socialize, but you can't be there after 11 p.m., lights out. Me and a girl I met there had to sit in the parking lot to finish our dinner. Management is constantly involved in everything, even watching you cook your dinner. I had my name on my food and someone took it. There are all these creepy people that seem to stay there constantly.

I have never been treated so rudely. I arrived late to this hostel to be curtly told that I didn't have a reservation (which I had) and there were no more beds. Then, as I calmly tried to explain my situation and figure out what had happened to my reservation I was yelled at and kicked out for my "bad behavior." I was in total shock and was shaking as I went into the night to find another place to sleep. Now I just found out that my credit card was charged the $7.50 reservation fee. I highly suggest no one supports this hostel! It was one of the worst experiences I've had so far traveling.

This place is great, but the current (December 2006) manager is pretty shady. we checked out early and left him the keys but he refused to give us our deposit back. The place is very clean and well-located. Definitely the best place to stay in Kauai if you can stand the owner's preachings about himself. kinda creepy with the ladies as well.

I had an awesome time for the four nights that my daughter and I stayed there and met some interesting folks. I really enjoyed the local flavor for the place (travel for new experiences, not familiar) and the proprietor ran the place well. I like the lights-out policy as it keeps the place "sleepable." Some might want to remember this is a hostel, not a hotel. For a hostel, however, I'll give it four stars. It was clean, managed well, and provided more than I expected for a hostel anywhere. Good work, Mike!

I stayed here for one week back in September of 2002. The staff were friendly and the rooms were clean. The kitchen is located in the main building and was clean and spacious. The hostel is home to a number of permanent residents who I found friendly and helpful. One permanent resident was a local chef and for a nominal fee he cooked us a three-course gourmet meal. During the evening, everybody gathers around the picnic table to socialize. My overall experience was very positive and I would definitely stay here again.

I stayed here for a little over a week. I had rain coming in through the windows on my first night here. Also, there was a problem with food being stolen. There weren't as many travelers here as I had imagined; more people were living here than anything. And charging three dollars for the Internet while the people who live here are playing on it all day kind of seemed a little weird. But I did meet some really cool people who really made me forget about the actual place that I was staying at.

This hostel only had one other traveler — the rest of the people were middle-aged locals who were friends of the owners, and they all sat around drinking and smoking. One of them punched a hole through another guy's car window. I thought from the name of the place that it was part of Hostelling International, but it isn't.