Tiki Beach Hostel

Great location, but place can use a refresh and parking is an issue

Relaxed vibe, easy to meet people if traveling solo, cute place with a sweet outdoor lounge area. Felt pretty homey and cozy. Friendly & helpful staff. Comfortable beds & clean rooms. EXCELLENT location in quaint Lahaina, just steps from cute restaurants & shops, with the beach right behind the hostel which had great surfing & boat trips. There are also tennis courts and a large outdoor aquatic center (pool) where you can swim laps within walking distance. Great place to stay if you're staying for a few nights, but anything longer than 2-3 nights starts to show some inconveniences (see points listed under cons).

Parking is a real issue here. On my first morning I got yelled at by the neighbour who was about to get my car towed for blocking her gate, which is not at all evidently marked as a gate, with no signage. The hostel parking spots are few and often not enough for everyone staying there, with the spots poorly marked so people don't know how to park properly. The alternative is a 3 hour street parking or a paid lot next door. Also, while staff were friendly, they were hard to identify at first - I wasn't sure if they were just people staying at the hostel, and because I arrived late and had to self-check in myself, no one introduced themselves to me. I walked into the bathroom my first night to find many cockroaches, some crawling around in the sink, a couple on the floor. The bathroom did not really feel clean, same with the shower, which took a couple of tries to understand - the 'hot' water tap is actually cold and vice versa. I started using the outdoor shower instead and that one was always nice and hot and a better experience. While cockroaches are common in tropical places, this felt a little much - I found one crawling in a drawer in the bedroom, and one on top of the dining room table while I was eating breakfast. A friend stayed in one of their outdoor beds (under an awning) for 1 night and it rained and the awning leaked - the bed was soaked and he could not sleep (he was fortunately able to get his money back). While there WAS some equipment to use, only 1 surf board was in functioning order and thus was in high demand. No boogie boards or stand-up paddle boards, but there are many places nearby where you can rent. The snorkelling equipment did not seem clean or well-maintained. There were no bicycles to use as advertised, and I had to pay to rent a towel.