Name: Kepuhi Beach Resort
Address: 1171 Kepuhi Place, Maunaloa, Maunaloa, Maunaloa, 96770, United States of America
Rating: 7

Smoke-free property

Garden

General

Laundry

Services and amenities

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Barbecue grill(s)

Barbeque

Recreation

Free parking

Parking

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the resort

Kepuhi Beach

Pohakumauliuli Beach

Puʻu o Kaiaka

Molokai Airport

Lanai Airport

Kepuhi Beach Resort

Maunaloa

We stayed in #1186 ground floor corner unit (Expedia). Very reasonable but you get what you pay for.  It’s the extra touches that had us select this condo and we weren’t disappointed. The condo itself very comfortable furnishings.  Excellent selection of kitchen supplies, toiletries, and beach gear. WiFi works well.  The host provided initial basics including coffee, eggs, yogurt and fruit for our first breakfast. Which was very nice.  The corner condo was perfect with extra windows and fan for breezes  and expansive views of the lawn and a well taken care of property.   Beach and pool are a short walk away.  The West side of Molokai has the best access to amazing beaches.  Very clean and quiet.  

We felt very safe while we were there.  Nice beaches nearby and a good side of the island to stay on.  The section of condos we stayed in was quiet and occupied so it felt very comfortable.   No issues with parking.  The other half of the property was very much a deserted ghost town of the old Sheraton hotel and golf course.  Strange indeed. We were there in winter, so high surf on all the beaches.  Great for wave watching but not for swimming or snorkeling. 

Very reasonable near great beavhes

My wife and I stayed in one of the units (VRBO rental) and we pretty disappointed in the property overall.  The unit itself was fine and the lanai was very nice but there are several units boarded up and basically falling down.  Most of the public buildings were closed, dusty and pretty depressing.  The little store onsite was handy with sky high prices (as expected).  This place was a long way from main attractions and restaurants which some people might enjoy, but we did not.  The pool was okay and it was nice to sit out on the pool deck in the sun right next to the ocean.  We spent a lot of time watching birds, particularly wild turkeys, which was okay but got a bit dull after a while.  Definitely watch for axis deer on the roads, lots of them running around.   We would not stay here again but it could appeal to folks who really want to be away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Very dated property

This island has roughly 7500 residents and is not your typical destination.  It has a down home feel and is great if you want to spend time alone or learn what it's like to be Hawaiian if you're there long enough.  The road sign by the airport says, "Go slow - it's Molokai".  There is much Aloha spirit and friendliness from the locals, which you generally won't find on the other islands, especially on the dry west side which has the fewest people.  I stayed for 3 weeks at a condo (85/day total) at the Kepuhi Beach Condos.  This used to be a golf resort, but long history - it closed in the late '90s and people bought up maybe a third of the apartments as condos which they may live in part of the year or not, and try to rent out the rest of the time.  Summer is the best time to be on Molokai to avoid the winter rains and rough surf.  You get what you pay for, but the condo I was in was very nice and had an unobstructed ocean view, although I had to share my view with a few people walking the sidewalk or in their golf carts.  Sunsets were magnificent with a view of Oahu.  My only caution is that there are small mosquitoes that love to bite ankles, but they weren't aggressive at all.  I was bitten by a large centipede on the knee after it fell out of my pillow, and saw a couple native cockroaches, but otherwise the bugs weren't a problem.  Plenty of wildlife outside my Lanai - axis deer at night, and during the day flocks of partridge, turkey, and a few ibis.  The beaches were swimmable most days (because it was summer), but it helps to be a good swimmer and stick close to shore.  Papohaku beach is only a mile away and has facilities including an outdoor shower to remove the sand.  This beach is amazing - 2 miles long (it is also called 3 mile beach, but this is a misnomer since it is 3 kilometers).  There are plenty of small fish along the beach for snorkelers and larger ones closer to the lava rock outcropping on the north end.  For great snorkeling, go to Molokai Fish and Dive - they take groups to the south side fringing reef and know the best spots for fish of all sizes as well as sea turtles, moray eels, and octopus.  There are also reef sharks, but they keep their distance and you don't see them.  There are also scuba outings.  The currents can be strong, so again it helps to be a strong swimmer, although they through out a line with attached life preservers for people who are tired but want to continue snorkeling.  Ok, that said it really helps to get to know the locals - they know where the interesting things are to see and what to watch out for.  Our captain was also a musician and invited us to Paddler's Inn for a gig in Kaunakakai, the only real town on the island.  It wasn't advertised except by word of mouth, so for the second set I and a couple I met on the boat were practically the only ones there.  Saturday night, on the other hand, has music/dancing and can be crowded.  Kaunakakai has small supermarket, a great ice cream shop, and a bunch of other stores, including a NAPA.  There is also a medical clinic and a small hospital.  There is also a small general store in Mauna Loa which is closer, and on some Wednesdays a local woman sells delicious meals of Korean Chicken on the yard.  Did I mention you have to rent a car for your trip?  They can be pricey (50-80/day), but I found a guy who rented me an old clunker van for 30.  Ideally you would want a 4 wheel drive jeep or pickup truck for the back roads that take you to the north side beaches.  My van was barely able to make it to Mo'omoni bay where I did some beachcombing (the best time is winter when the storms blow Japanese glass fishing floats towards the shore.  I did one cross-country hike as well to see if I could make it to the north shore that way, but the deer leave their crap everywhere on the west side ranchland and forests so it wasn't very pleasant.  I did discover a hidden beach frequented by the locals, although in the middle of the week I only saw one couple.  There was even a forest latrine.  Now you can also take Highway 450 past Kaunakakai.  Along the south side there are some nice beaches, especally Kumimi beach (Murphy's beach) - this is reef-protected with lots of coral and fish - great for snorkeling when the tide is in and perfectly safe.  There are also a large number of ancient man-made fish ponds off the shore which used to be a source of food for the islanders and at least one has been restored.  Now this road takes you to Halawa valley and is very narrow and circuitous.  It deadends at Halawa beach, which is sort of black sand.  This is a favorite of the locals and is crowded on weekends with families - the women watch over the kids who swim and boogie board, and the husbands sit around a picnic table joking and drinking beer.  Finally, you learn that although people are mostly poor in the way westerners understand it, the local culture doesn't measure their standard of living in the same way.  There are no rules about hunting and fishing (unless posted private property) - no permits required for these activities.  Deer, chickens, turkeys, partridge, are all fair game and subsistence living is fairly easy, supplemented by selling fruits and vegetables mostly or piglets and other farm animal produce.  So, all in all I had an interesting time, but you have to be into a laid back trip to appreciate what the island has to offer.

Molokai in summer

After dealing with the week of traffic congestion that was Kawaii, we were pleasantly surprised by the profound quiet of Molokai, including the Kepuhi beach resort condo. The condo faced the beach and was very nice and a great value for the money. That being said, as noted by other reviewers the nice condos are surrounded by crumbling buildings which detract quite a bit, as does the abandoned golf course long given over to weeds and mice. There is a clean, nicely maintained pool and miles of what were once golf cart trails to hike next to the ocean. Restaurants and a reasonable grocery are 30 minutes away. If you love quiet, great views, and very uncrowded spaces you will enjoy your stay here. If you are a social butterfly, have kids to keep busy, and find the amenities and activities too far away then you wont. It is mostly an older crowd in this complex and though they are very friendly they love its partially abandoned nature with great joy and you have to adapt to that. This is a quite different feel for Hawaii and we really rather enjoyed it and will probably be back. But it is NOT for everyone.

Great for the right people

such a spectacular view can be misleading. we were. surrounded by derelict buildings as a result of bankruptcy. constant itinerant visitors passing by throughout the day. security requesting we reverse park our car because of petrol theft. if we could find parking!! amazing when everything around us was empty and derelict. would not recommend. stay in town at hotel molokai. they have a shop and restaurant if you need and are close to everything. do not stay here its a rip off.

be aware: no trespassing

We stayed in unit 1181 and this review reflects that unit being nicely decorated and stocked for a reasonable price. The resort had been owned initially by Sheraton and then subsequently by Molokai ranch that closed the property with the exception of the few units that were privately owned. There are abandoned buildings on the property but the grounds and pool are still well maintained by the ranch and there is evening security. It feels like having a large resort to yourself. There is no restaurant or bar but there are public grills. Our unit had a view of a beautiful beach with crashing waves. The beach is not swimmable and unfortunately the entire week we were in Molokai it was rainy and overcast and too cold to swim. There is not much to do on the island with few restaurants and little tourist infrastructure. The calmer beach in the area dixie Maru was washed away at the time of our visit and we also found coffees of Hawaii closed. Glad we saw Molokai but if the weather doesn’t cooperate there is no back up plan. Also really enjoyed the free roaming wild turkeys on the property. 

Kepuhi Beach Resort

Main amenities of the hotel

Location

Available rooms

Location

Description of the hotel

What other amenities are there?

Policies

Check-in terms and conditions

Paid on the spot

Additional information

Payment