Makena Surf
Oceanfront Makena condos featuring spacious lanais and direct beach access away from crowded hotel strips.
The verdict
Pick a traveller type to re-weight the scores and re-rank the rooms around what you actually care about.
Makena Surf is a low-key condominium complex situated directly on the beach, offering contemporary open-plan condos with generous lanais. Guests appreciate the tranquil Makena setting away from high-density tourist areas alongside easy access to pools, hot tubs, and ocean views. However, because units are individually owned, some guests encounter dated furniture, tired mattresses, and sluggish internet speeds. 197243
Every line below traces back to something a traveler actually wrote — open a line to read the original sentence and follow it to the source.
What travelers noticed
- Spacious lanais with large sliding glass doors offer direct ocean views and scenery extending toward Kula. 12197
- Guests value the quiet Makena location that avoids the packed crowds found around major hotel strips. drawn from the full read
- Bathrooms are well-equipped with walk-in showers, clean tile, hot water, and flexible towel exchanges. drawn from the full read
The catch
Who it's for
- — Quiet oceanfront condo stays
- — Guests avoiding mega-resort crowds
- — Relaxing on private lanais
Skip it if
- — Guests wanting mega-resort lobbies and amenities
- — Remote workers needing fast internet
- — Travelers expecting uniform modern furnishings across all units
Seen on camera
7 moments · 1 video · Makena Surf
Each moment is pulled at the second a cited reviewer said the words. Play it here, or open the original video at that timestamp.
“The part about it being far away from the rest of the hotels the advantage is that you don't get all the tourists slamme…”
youtube.com1:57“rooms rooms are a decent size relative to other ones”
youtube.com2:21“modern TV good enough never really watch the TV desk for your computer electronics”
youtube.com2:33“the staff was friendly they were they were fine”
youtube.com5:50“if you're at this place on a Sunday or even in the area on a Sunday you got to go to the brunch it's Sunday brunch it's…”
youtube.com6:30“the rooms are again adequate internet was okay I wish it could have been a bit faster but it was it was workable”
youtube.com9:40“internet was okay I wish it could have been a bit faster but it was it was workable”
youtube.com9:42Frames are citations: each one links to its second in the source video, attributed to the creator who filmed it. Nothing here is supplied by the hotel. Creators who want a moment removed can ask and we take it down.
No loyalty-earning direct rate was found for these dates, so the lowest cash rate is shown first.
Prices shown are an estimated range, not a live quote — the booking site confirms the real rate for your dates.
This sits inside our estimated range for this hotel.
Confidence: medium · modelled estimate, not a live quote. Check the supplier for the real rate on your dates.
Score breakdown
How the 90/100 is built, category by category — each one with the strongest thing travelers actually said, and the source it came from.
Bathroom
89Nothing quotable yet on this one — the score leans on the rest of the coverage.
Food
92Location
97Noise
91- “This particular condo is right on the ocean which not only gives it good views, but puts you well back from the street that runs along the back side of some of the other buildings in the complex.” 16
Room
89Service
88- “We hesitated to rent from a big company as opposed to an individual owner, but we found the Destination Residences folks to be very friendly and responsive. When the coffee maker in our unit didn't work, they had a brand new replacement at our door within the hour!” 16
- “We hesitated to rent from a big company as opposed to an individual owner, but we found the Destination Residences folks to be very friendly and responsive.” 16
Bed & Sleep
87- “The part about it being far away from the rest of the hotels the advantage is that you don't get all the tourists slammed together” 201:57
Value
82- “One more thing Ali'i Resorts is proud of: not charging any booking fees - ever!” 19
Where it is, how to reach it
Stay value
How this property reads against the hotels we cover alongside it. Measured on review evidence, not on a nightly rate.
On par with what $$$ usually buys
Scores 2 points below the upscale median of 92, across 365 hotels in the same bracket. In Maui it sits 2 points above the local median of 88.
- This hotel
- 90
- Bracket median
- 92
- Index median
- 90
Based on 365 comparable hotels.
Which room to ask for
What reviewers say about where to sleep inside this building — by room number where one is named, and otherwise by floor, wing, aspect and position. Every line opens onto the quotes behind it.
- 4 mentions
- 2 mentions
- 1 mention
- 1 mention
No location within the hotel draws repeated complaints yet.
Where travelers agree — and don’t
The topics reviewers split on most. A wide bar means your experience depends on which room you get — or whose opinion you trust.
View the 26 things travelers said behind this verdict▾
Quotes run exactly as travelers wrote them — spelling and all. We trim for length, never for tidiness.
- “This particular condo is right on the ocean which not only gives it good views, but puts you well back from the street that runs along the back side of some of the other buildings in the complex.” 16
- “We hesitated to rent from a big company as opposed to an individual owner, but we found the Destination Residences folks to be very friendly and responsive.” 16
- “Each pool is accompanied by a nice hot tub and outdoor showers.” 7
- “Nice bathrooms include updated lighting, new tile and marble countertops.” 7
- “We hesitated to rent from a big company as opposed to an individual owner, but we found the Destination Residences folks to be very friendly and responsive. When the coffee maker in our unit didn't work, they had a brand new replacement at our door within the hour!” 16
- “the staff was friendly they were they were fine” On camera205:50
- “Building B is built just off the beach and is in a great location.” 13
- “Ideally located on the beach in Makena just south of Wailea.” 6
- “CoralTree Residence Collection Management Thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and would stay again! This was our second visit to Makena Surf condos, so we knew the overall location was great.” 16
- “The resort's location in the exclusive Makena area also provides easy access to some of Maui's most beautiful natural attractions and activities.” 3
- “I have been to Maui many times and this condo was the nicest and the location the best!” 24
- “Excellent location for family activity base.” 16
- “Makena Surf is a luxurious, secluded beach front vacation property located in Maui, Hawaii. This private community has six, 2-3 story buildings, each offering sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and our neighboring islands of Lanai, Kaho'olawe and the Molokini crater.” 19
- “Makena Surf vacation rentals on Maui offer a unique combination of luxurious accommodations, stunning oceanfront views, and secluded beachfront access.” 3
- “Posted: 3/28/2024 Thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and would stay again! This was our second visit to Makena Surf condos, so we knew the overall location was great.” 16
- “Primary bedroom could use better mattress and family room furniture needs updated but fantastic location view, pool and grounds.” 16
- “modern TV good enough never really watch the TV desk for your computer electronics” On camera202:33
- “Nice high end, tropical style furnishings & decor, beautiful cabinetry.” 16
- “We loved having a beautiful ocean view from the balcony of the condo.” 16
- “So, again, kitchen and then full ocean views. Love that. Skip Skip the living, dining, kitchen area because this is the spot.” 1
- “if you're at this place on a Sunday or even in the area on a Sunday you got to go to the brunch it's Sunday brunch it's the best on the island in my opinion” On camera206:30
- “One more thing Ali'i Resorts is proud of: not charging any booking fees - ever!” 19
- “The part about it being far away from the rest of the hotels the advantage is that you don't get all the tourists slammed together” On camera201:57
What we still don't know
What we can’t tell you yet, said plainly. These close as we read more coverage of this hotel.
- No reviewer has named an individual room number here yet.
- Nothing reliable said about room types.
- Nothing reliable said about building or wing.
- Nothing reliable said about which side it faces.
- Nothing reliable said about position on the floor.
- Food rests on 2 sources — too thin to rely on.
- Noise rests on 1 source — too thin to rely on.
- 28 sources carry no publication date, so we cannot tell how current they are.
Ask about Makena Surf
Answered only from the coverage cited on this page. If nobody has written about your question, it will say so rather than guess.
How much we read
Solid coverage · 58/100We read 28 sources for this property, and pulled 55 traveler insights worth knowing. Last checked 2026-08-26.
Watch this hotel
We keep reading Makena Surf. Tell us when you're staying and we'll follow it until then — you'll hear from us only when the verdict is rewritten, the score moves, or new reviews land. No daily mail, and the watch closes itself after your stay.
Sources
Everything quoted on this page, grouped by traveler insights, outlets, and video & podcast. Counts beside each group show everything we’ve read of that kind; no one kind can carry the score on its own.
3 of 5 summary lines above are traced to specific quotes. The rest summarise the read as a whole rather than any single document.
View all 28 cited sources▾
Everything quoted on this page.
- 1Elua Villages & Makena Surf Property Tour | Chaston Marcos ...youtube.comVideoDate not statedListened for quotes only5 quotes used
“So, again, kitchen and then full ocean views. Love that. Skip Skip the living, dining, kitchen area because this is the spot.”
Read originalyoutube.com - 2Makena Surf Real Testimonials and Reviews From Real Guests!makenasurf.comReview siteDate not statedRead originalmakenasurf.com
- 3Makena Surfcbislandvacations.comReview siteDate not stated2 quotes used
“The resort's location in the exclusive Makena area also provides easy access to some of Maui's most beautiful natural attractions and activities.”
Read originalcbislandvacations.com - 4Help me plan a Hawaiian vacation | Page 2rokslide.comReview siteDate not statedRead originalrokslide.com
- 5
- 6Makena Surfpleasantholidays.comReview siteDate not stated2 quotes used
“Ideally located on the beach in Makena just south of Wailea.”
Read originalpleasantholidays.com
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