stacey

We have reservations for May. Been there or know anything about this area? Anything that we must see while we are there. Been to Maui, but not Oahu. Good eats in the area .. any information would be greatly appreciated Thank you.

stacey

Anyone ... please! Thank you

aloha

Hi Stacey. Sorry I don't have any knowledge of the resort you are interested in. As far as the Makaha area I can tell you that it is a more "local" area where there are fewer tourists. In the general area you may encounter some residents who are not welcoming to tourists. It seems to me that a lot of mainstream guidebooks gloss over this area. My old copy (1993) of Hidden Hawai'i by Ray Riegert has a couple of pages on the area, giving an overview and listing hotels and restaurants; you might look for the current edition of that guidebook. at Makaha Beach Park depending on surf conditions you will see some great surfing.

Waldo

I would definitely STAY OUT of the Makaha area. This is an extremely high crime rate area, and they hate tourists, especially white people. I wouldn't go there on a bet.

MelissaHI

Hmmm, never heard of the place (and I live on Oahu) but if it is your first time to Oahu, you should not stay in Makaha! That is waaaay out in the boonies.

Postal

Let me add my vehement DO NOT stay in Makaha! I lived on Oahu for three years and there were numerous violent incidents between the locals there and haole (white) people. Of course not everyone who lives there is like that, but there are enough who make things very unpleasant for non-local people.

stacey

Oh my! Well, we have already paid for this place (non-refundable) and our tickets are bought. ??? HELP!

linsan54

Aloha,

I'm a life long resident of Oahu and can offer you honest insight to the Makaha area.

Makaha is on the the farthest west point on the island. Traveling to/from the Honolulu area will take you at least 45+ minutes (with no traffic).

The property itself is nice, but unfortunately, the surrounding areas - Waianae, Nanakuli, Maile - has earned a bad reputation. I have many friends that have lived in that area all of their lives and can tell you that not all people are unfriendly. Every city - no matter which state - has its bad seeds. There really are very nice people in that area, however, it still is on the rough side. If this is your first trip here, I would suggest something closer to the Honolulu/Waikiki area, or maybe even the Windward (Kailua) side of the island.

The Makaha Beach Resort should be able to offer you some kind of refund being that your travel date is not until May. Give them a call and see what they can do. Keep in mind that they may have a cancellation policy and that you may end up paying a fee when cancelling your reservation.

Hope this helps.

Aloha

stacey

Thank you all for your wonderful help!

I called and since we purchased a "getaway" from Interval International .. and I did not purchase the insurance ... we are locked in.

My sister and I enjoy just hanging out in the sun and water. In the eve's and a day or so we'll go into Honolulu to explore, shop, eat and whatever. We'll just have to be careful around the towns right there because we are going. Unfortantely hindsight is always 20/20.

thx again

Sarah

Stacey I think my favorite beach on earth is Makua although we have had our car locks picked more than once here. EVEN THOUGH WE DROVE A BOMB!!! Gorgeous area of the island your right be mindful and don't expect a lot of aloha unless you have brown eyes. Sorry to say but it is true.

seattlesue

I realize this message is two years old, but am wondering if you had a good time at the Hawaiian Princess? We are considering renting a condo here for a week with an amazing ocean view, and a very good price. Oahu Revealed gives it a good review. Any thoughts?

Lillium

Sorry this post is so late, I hope I can add my experiences to help other hesitant first time renters. You will have the most fabulous view of whales, surf, clean beach with swaying palms, unbelievable sunsets, very friendly condo owners, etc. What you will not have is a choice of restaurants, actually none above a one star and any type of tourist amenities that do not entail a very long drive. The resort of Ko Olina is about 25 minutes away and does have decent dining at a price. The local population was either friendly or oblivious to us. We never felt threatened. We used our own beach or Ko Olina's but played tennis daily on a municipal court used by a wonderful mixture of locals and renters. We will go back again. We had rented for the winter of 2005 and 2004.