Kaluakoi Villas

If you’re not a resort person (and believe me, I am not), but love the locale and scenery of the areas resorts are built on. Look no further than the Kaluakoi Villas for the best aspect of resort life: the views and beautiful terrain; without the worst of resort life: the people upon people, the gimmicks, and the expensive price tags.
Kaluakoi Villas are found in a closed resort on the west side of Molokai. If you are traveling there at night, be prepared for the lack of street lights, lack of road signs, and lack of cell service to find your way. I would highly recommend getting directions before you get in the car. The surroundings at these condos are absolutely beautiful. Nature has overgrown the beach and the golf course that once stood on these western shores of this tiny island.
The room itself was very quaint. The rooms are booked through the individual owners and most cost below $ 100 a night. This is a steal considering the location and the beauty as well as the amenities. The room had a kitchen, a lanai, and beds for sleeping. It’s great to have a vacation rental that allows for cooking. Especially because there are no restaurants within a 30 minute drive.
Overall, this was one of the more interesting and unique vacation locations I have stayed in. I would highly recommend staying at Kaluakoi Villas for a great Molokai vacation.

We took the Island Air propeller plane and went to Molokai for a few days. Picked up a car from Alamo at the airport and drove 20 minutes west to the Kaluakoi Villas, AKA Castle Kaluakoi Condominiums. This huge condominium, hotel and golf course complex was built to accommodate the throngs of tourists arriving by the proposed cruise ship port. But the locals fought off the cruise ship thing, and the investors pulled the plug after spending a pretty penny or two. Now only the condominiums are still open, but it looks life they are breathing life into the grounds again. The whole place is well-​maintained but devoid of people. Lots of cats wander around and play. You feel like you have arrived on the set of a virus movie, where everyone has been killed off except for the few survivors who are wandering around in a daze. Security guards patrol the grounds and landscapers & maintenance workers do their thing.
Check-​in was 3:00 pm. We arrived at 3:10 pm as we didn’t want to get there after the office closed, supposedly at 4:00 pm. But the office was closed, and a sign said to use the phone outside for instructions. I received a recording that asked me to leave a message. What kind of message are they expecting besides: «I’m here but you are not. How do I find and get in my condo?» The message could have told me how to obtain the key, but it didn’t. We flagged down a security guard who told us where the key was hidden for us. For security reasons for future guests, I don’t want to say where.
The condo was very basic, but it did have all the basics. Stove, microwave, and an excellent fridge that made things very cold indeed. A decent size TV. No A/​C. However, standing on a chair I was able to open the window slats above the door, and a nice breeze began. We chained the front door and placed a rock in the doorway, which helped the ventilation breeze even further. Thus, the lack of A/​C was not a problem. At night we opened up the double sliding glass doors and placed the patio furniture in the doorway to stop any intruders. It was funny that the only «intruders» onto the property at night were a small herd of Axis Deer who came to graze on the irrigated grass that is greener than the surrounds. It looked like Bambi and friends grazing about 30 feet from our patio. Even when they saw us they did not run away — they were looking at us looking at them. These deer were introduced by King Kam in 1869 if my reading memory is accurate — numbering about 10,000 now (compared to the 7,800 people on the island).
Outside at night there are also some Australian cane toads. They are not scary at all, but considered quite a problem since they multiply like crazy without any natural predators. They are not scared of people and just casually jump out of the way if you go near them. You could probably catch one and pick it up, but they look too creepy for me.
Not many of the condos were rented. There were very few tourists on the whole island, and we saw some of the same tourists more than once in different locations. The property is beachfront and is huge. All the condos face the beach, but you may be a about five minutes walk to the water. The beach is definitely not a swimming beach as those currents on the west side of the island (between Oahu and Molokai) are obviously very strong. If you watch the currents closely you will notice that the water swirls in several different directions at once.
The pool was being made ready for reopening, and that would greatly enhance the property. It would be nice if they added a jacuzzi.
Few amenities on the west coast. No cell phone service or wifi here. No stores, no restaurants and no gas stations (only two gas stations on the whole island). But there is a saying that sometimes a place is paradise for the things that are missing. Not to say Molokai is paradise b/​c we wouldn’t want to kiss it goodbye, would we?
For that matter, if you want lots of amenities, why come to Molokai at all? These locals are obviously hardy people and will get by just fine without your tourist dollars — witness the many, many signs on the island saying «No to cruise ships».
On the south aspect you can see Lanai. On the west aspect you can barely see the east coast of Oahu. At night you can see Makapu’u Lighthouse and the lights of Kailua.
Bring some provisions with you and you will find the condos an acceptable, inexpensive place to stay. Good for the price. If you want more luxury, pay more and rent a condo from a private owner. But don’t expect a Cadillac when you paid for a Pinto. Don’t do that to yourself as the Molokai cup is only half full.
Mahalos yeah fo’ checkin’ out dis place.

On a serendipitous adventurous weekend, A couple of friends and Iventured out of Honolulu and Oahu and made my way to Molokai. No marathon or any type of adventure racing this time around. For me, I just wanted to see the island for the natural beauty that exists in our Hawaii and is not overkill on the commercialization like Maui and Oahu has become. It was a nice weekend getaway and I enjoyed it.
This property isn’t a hotel, but a stand alone condominium complex that sits on the western side of the island. You are basically on your own if you decide on coming here. Very relaxing indeed. It’s one of the reasons why you need a car while exploring the island. Molokai is one of those hidden gems that many people talk about, but rarely explored. From the Kalaupapa settlement to the rugged unspoiled beauty that the island provides is a blessing for all to enjoy and cherish. Finding the Kaluakoi Villas actually came through Unilocal instead of through
or even orbitz. Actually, one of my friends booked the room so I was pleasantly surprised that this vacation rental is awesome the way it is.
This place reminds me of when I spent a weekend on Maui running the Maui Ocean Front Marathon one year, staying at the Maui Aina Nalu in Lanhaina. One was a vacation rental but the other was a hotel. They shared the simple fact that it was a condo atmosphere and it wasn’t your stereotypical hotel room. It was magical and amazing. To be here on the island of Molokai for a weekend was awesome. I wish I could do this every weekend but sadly I cannot. The accommodations we received were nothing short of great. The property was very immaculate and clean. You can tell that they keep this place in tiptop shape.
The group consensus between us was that we were livingquite the dream and you were in store for a fantastic weekend ahead. The property was located on the west side of the island so a car is definitely necessary to be able to travel and sightsee. The check in process was great and everything was in order. Could not have expected anything less than pure awesomeness. We stayed for three nights. I did not know the price per night because we split the bill right down the middle three ways so it was affordable enough for a weekend getaway. It was our slice of paradise here on the west side of the island and it was bliss.
The suite /​cottage we received was basically like a small house. Very quaint and idyllic. Like a private bungalow where you feel like a rock star on your own private island, I felt like this. It was a surreal experience to feel this way for a short while. Everything in the room was perfectly placed and everything was in working order. Why stay in when you have an entire island to explore? The bedding was comfortable and you really didn’t need air conditioning. All is peaceful here.
It was the first time coming here this island and it was great. Wish I could do this more often but I need to save up for my traveling to the US mainland in the coming year and run more marathons. It was the perfect get away from life. Overall, it was a joy coming here and recommend to anybody who needs for safely detox and unwind from the stress from daily life to come here to Molokai to true paradise. The people here and the aloha spirit has been found.
No wifi, no Internet. Best place to declutter and truly unwind.
Support local!
A+

This review is strictly for the condos since the hotel part no longer exists. We borrowed a family friend’s condo for five days since neither my husband nor I had ever been to Molokai and really wanted to take our children on a bit of an adventure. We were fairly aware of the minimal amenities on Molokai prior to our decision to come here and felt fairly prepared.
We arrived by ferry in the evening and had a pre-​arranged cab driver take us to the condos nearly 25 miles away. When we told him where we were going, he repeatedly asked us if we were sure we wanted to go to the west end, telling us there is «nothing» out there. No stores, no transportation, no internet, no cell phone service. We had filled a suitcase with groceries in Maui earlier and assured him we would be ok. Maybe we should have taken the earlier ferry because 25 miles in pitch black headed to nowhere with a local filling your head with fear can be a bit overwhelming, but we survived the trip and settled into the condo and had a quick dinner before heading to bed. The next morning, we woke up to dozens of wild turkeys, one brown chicken, and three feral cats outside our condo door and really started to wonder what we had gotten ourselves into. A introductory walk through our surroundings introduced us to a gorgeous view, several empty beaches, a schedule for the rural shuttle (since we hadn’t rented a car), and, to our relief, several other occupied condos. We also became aware of the field of weeds that was once a gorgeous golf course, many abandoned, dilapidated, and sometimes falling down buildings, an abandoned restaurant, and an available pool. It was very obviously a ghost town but perfect for us to get away from our electronic tethers.
This is not a place for the faint of heart to visit. There are NO amenities what so ever. There is one very small gift shop, the pool, and that’s it. Town is 45 minutes away, although the village of Maunaloa is 15 minutes by car or via the weekday-​only rural shuttle. There’s another small store there where you can buy a gallon of milk for $ 10, eggs from the Mainland, and some other odds and ends. Every single person we encountered, guests and residents alike, was incredibly nice and friendly. One thing to be aware of, though, the west end of the island has beautiful beaches but they are incredibly dangerous with rough waves and lots of rocks. With no emergency services to speak of, no cell phone service, and no people to help, it’s critical to be hyper-​aware of your surroundings there.
Returning to a touristy part of Maui after five days here was a huge culture shock and we really missed Molokai once we were gone. We will go back to the west end again in a heartbeat, but probably rent a car next time.

This was a phenomenal hotel and especially for the price. ($ 95 per night)
We had a large room with balcony and high ceiling over looking their golf course and white sand beach.
This resort is on the Papohaku Beach. Hawaii’s longest white sand beach. The slow pace and scenery in Molokai is almost surreal. I was amazed at how empty the place was. We felt like we were on Fantasy Island. Very few people at the resort, few people on the island and the few who are there are very friendly.
This is an older hotel (build in the 1970s) but very well maintained. The staff was very courteous and accommodating.
Overall, a great experience.