Okay. So I hear you when you say you did not feel the love. You will not find "Aloha" warmth here , but for a hostel, you can't beat the price or location. Best to plan in advance though so a key can be provided in a timely manner.. The dorm beds were super comfy. I believe they were memory foam!! Since the manager has a bad rep, the place was not overun with visitors. Nice and quiet. The cleanliness...well that depends on how good a job the guests before you did cleaning up after themselves. It is surface clean. Good enough to call a hostel, and if you don't like the clean -level of the kitchen or bathroom...well you can do what I did. Clean it!! Plenty of sponges and cleanser is available. As far as the manager, follow the rules, and be respectful and kind to him, even if he is sometimes grumpy, and your stay should be just fine. I stayed for nearly a week, and like I said. You can't beat the price. PS. Private rooms look nice too.

LMAO!! I laughed so hard when I read all the bad reviews just based on the man who manages the hostel his way. And all the bad reviews were from those who got kicked out of the hostel. When I arrived to the hostel, Striper (the man who runs the hostel) laid all the rules out to me in a very blunt manner. I came to realize later on that Striper is a very straight forward individual because his is a very honest man. I, myself, am very straight forward and I respect those who are too. The rules were very simple, respect the hostel by cleaning up after yourself and respect those who are staying there by not being loud or inebriated. He made it clear to me that if I was looking for a party hostel to check out the other hostel across the street, which I did. I left the other hostel immediately shortly after visiting the place, because everyone looked very sketchy and as if they were on something. I felt very unsafe there.

I stayed at this hostel for almost a week and I had the time of my life. It was nice and quiet and I made friends I hope to keep in touch with for life and I got to know Striper, and he is like no one I have ever met before. He is from another time and I will never forget him. He taught me a lot. As a single female avid traveler, I can say without a doubt that this was the only hostel I have been to where I actually felt the most safe and it's because of Striper's presence. He screened out those individuals who were not respectful and could not abide by rules. After all, this is a hostel for backpackers to stay and rest their feet while exploring the island and NOT a five star hotel to make demands and act like a princess. Striper is a remarkable man and is doing a great job doing it his way and if people actually looked past their initial judgment of him, they would see that too. After all, 'never judge a book by it's cover' is the motto I've humbly learned from. (Lily)

I appreciate hostels as casual, economic housing- but this one goes beyond any I've ever experienced in my world travels.
The manager runs the place like a boot camp, using threats and intimidation with the guests.
The place is cleaned only by the guests... which is unpredictable and not sanitary.
I would hope that the owner would take initiative and offer comment sheets for the guests. Perhaps this will offer insite to the great potential that this place has, and its present state as a very unwelcoming hostel.

Im not sure why such bad reviews. Frankly I like the security and the rules gave us good piece of mind. I felt safe, and pretty much guaranteed peace and quit . The police station is right across the street, nothing to worry about. Room was a little sandy, bathroom was clean but not spotless. Its good karma to leave a place cleaner than you found it any how. The only rules are, no drinking on premises, clean after yourself, and quite hours. That's not so hard to follow. There are a few bars down the street if you want a beer anyhow. There is a full kitchen, with two refrigerators, you could cook every meal there. Or there were coffee shops and eateries with in walking distance. The manager comes off stern at first, but is really a nice guy. Had a few pleasurable conversations with him.
Your in paradise, relax. We hardly spent time there any how because we were busy enjoying the beautiful Island.
Kapaa is perfectly located in the center of the island, so its a great base location to travel north or south for the day.
Its certainly not a resort, but for the price, what do you expect.