Great place to stay on a budget. Clean, quiet, well run. Not fancy. But who needs frills?? Internet can be slow or non existent. But that is not why people go to HI. Places to sit out side. Bikes to rent. Walk to the beach. Clean sheets and towels. Free off street parking if you have a car. This place is what it says it is, a budget place to stay at a fair price.More
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We came to the place and found out the condition and hygiene is far worse than what's described online. When we came to the front desk asking if we can leave and get a refund, another customer came to complain about safety issue as the back door in her room kept getting unlocked and opened. After her complain the woman in charge agreed to refund us for both nights with some cleaning fees if we leave immediately without drawing attention from other customers. We packed our stuff and moved them back to the car, but she changed her mind claiming to charge one night as cleaning fees. We were in the room for less than an hour, barely touched the stuff in the room and took our own trash, it's ridiculous to charge that much cleaning fees. At that time we haven't booked a hotel to stay for the night, we were trying to argue for the refund she promised, but she was kicking us out as if it was our fault and threatened us calling the police. We left without knowing how much she would refund us and went to a Doubletree hotel in town. The much nicer hotel charges a very similar amount but much more reasonable. This is a hostel level place but charges at a hotel level, not true to the advertisement, with concerning hygiene and safety conditions. And the woman in charge doesn't keep her words.
Aloha!
When flying to Hawaii we request that you don't leave your manners at home. Your treatment of our staff was awful, and you should be ashamed. This is a fact you seem to be aware of, since one of your group called the day after you left to apologize on your behalf, saying multiple times that she was sorry for how rude you all were to the staff on duty that evening.
Our lodge is described precisely online, with complete photos and room descriptions. We have no issues with hygiene or safety here. You complained to our staff about insects and mosquitoes, when we are surrounded by tropical rainforest. You have complained multiple times about not getting a refund (which you are not entitled to) when the actual person who made the reservation and paid for it has not contacted us a single time to request one. No refund would ever have been issued to YOU in any situation, at any time, from us. If the guest who made the reservation has overcharged you personally, leading you to believe that you were staying at a 5-star resort, that is something you need to discuss with them.
You were in the room for over an hour, you used the kitchen to cook your food, and you used the bathroom. You did not come down immediately and say the lodge wasn't to your liking and then leave. You used the room and the facilities. This was at night, when we have no ability to come and clean up after you and then resell the room to another guest. Additionally, the terms and conditions agreed to when the reservation was made AND agreed to by your group on check-in state that there are no refunds for early departures for exactly that reason.
Our staff had to call the non-emergency police line because your group was continuously shouting at her and harassing her, demanding a refund that you are not even entitled to, even after she asked you to leave the premises.
This is not the first instance we have had where guests have arrived at our hotel but the person who viewed our lodge online and made the reservation was not present. We describe what we offer in detail online, and we have the best reviews in our class of hotels on TripAdvisor. Again, if your travel agent overcharged you, you need to discuss that with them and not insult us for following our own clearly stated guidelines.
No one from your group will be welcome at our lodge in the future.
I was one of 30 college students who had the opportunity to live in Hawaii for 3 months while starting my freshman year of college online. This sounded like a dream during this time of uncertainty with everything going on in the world with COVID. Little did I know how unwelcome I would be by the people who would be hosting us for our stay.
From the start, the owners of Arnott’s created a hostile environment. They took advantage of the stigma surrounding college students thinking with that in mind they could get away with their rude behavior, but never should any owner of an establishment get away with speaking to their customers the way they spoke to us. They would openly make snarky comments to us for issues that seemed of minor inconvenience. As some of the other students have mentioned in other reviews I too witnessed Glory, one of the owners of Arnott’s, blatantly called one of my friends “stupid for being in college” for mistakenly leaving the door open while the AC was running. He just happened to be the closest of his roommates’ insight as Glory marched over to their room and continuously harassed him for no reason other than to be a bully even after he apologized multiple times. I myself had an encounter similar to this as Doug, the other owner of Arnott’s, quite literally called me a disease. This was unwarranted as I had my mask on when I politely asked Doug if he would mind if I could look for a package I was waiting for in the pile of mail. He answered me by saying, “ as long as you don’t get too close”. I half took this as a joke as I carefully stepped forward to give him a chance to back up and as he does he continues to blabber on about how “you are bringing this disease on the island” and how “you are a risk to us as your the ones carrying the virus and not being careful enough ”. To give some more context, this was after we had all quarantined for the full 14 days and made the greatest effort to protect our 30 student bubble to ensure we wouldn’t ruin our experience.
I can only reiterate what others have already said, but I am very disappointed by the way we were continuously blamed for issues that were in no way our fault. The washer and dryer machines would break or not work for pretty much every load, but it was always “why are you putting so much laundry in”. The old, rundown bikes that they provided and assured us were in good condition would break down multiple times while riding them, but we were responsible for WALKING the two to three miles back from town if we couldn’t figure out how to fix them.
I should also mention that Arnott’s was supposed to clean our rooms weekly, but made the conscious decision against that for safety reason with the virus, which was understandable. However, once we got home some thousands of miles away we were bombarded with charges. Some as much as $1,500 with some of those charges being appliances we never began with or “cleaning charges” when that is a service that should be free with such an establishment when promised. They asked us to treat them with respect, but that respect was not reciprocal. It saddens me that such an exciting experience was met with such distaste by the people who were getting a great deal of money at a time when others were struggling financially. I do understand that this is a scary and challenging time, but their behavior went beyond what is acceptable.
I would like to mention the people who were able to somewhat make up for the outrageous behavior of the owners. Sarah (the manager) was always so kind and understanding and would give us the benefit of the doubt when there were any issues. The security guard and the landscaper who we saw daily also engaged in friendly conversation with us.
Aloha Ms. DuMontier; mahalo for your time.
We are sorry to hear that you felt unwelcome after receiving a bill for damages your group caused to our hotel.
As we have already noted, Glory did not call your friend stupid. She told him that as a college student, he should be smart and should know better. This interaction only came about after multiple days of being asked to keep his outside door closed and his suite failing to do so. Our staff witnessed this exchange.
Our laundry machines may be old, but no dryer is able to fully dry a load that has been stuffed so full the clothing is unable to rotate. We asked your group multiple times to not pack so many clothes in, and if you were going to do so, to not be surprised that the clothes weren’t dry afterwards. Regarding the dryer that did end up breaking: it was replaced as soon as we were able to get the replacement shipped to us. We apologize that it took so long, but we didn’t have any control over how fast the barge moves.
Arnott’s Lodge never had the agreement with Pacific Discovery to clean your rooms weekly. Our initial plan was to provide in-house only, which would have meant taking out your trash and providing fresh linens as needed, and possibly light touch ups. Cleaning your rooms was never on the table and if you were told that, you were lied to by Pacific Discovery. Additionally, Pacific Discovery told us that they planned on you being able to clean up after yourselves as if you were living in a dormitory. It was never going to be our responsibility to clean up after you. Once we saw that your group was not following COVID guidelines regarding mask wearing and social distancing, we chose not put our housekeepers inside your rooms in that kind of danger during a time when COVID is such a concern.
Pacific Discovery was billed directly for damages to the rooms and it was their decision to pass these charges on to you. Pacific Discovery was only assessed a cleaning fee if you left your room in a state that took far beyond our normal turnaround time to clean, or if you left bodily fluids on our walls and foul language stained into our paint: all things that occurred in some suites. Pacific Discovery was only assessed a charge for damages if it was something that went well beyond normal wear and tear; such as holes in the walls or melted tabletops. We do not feel as though these charges are unreasonable and if you had left an apartment in such a state you would never have received your security deposit back.
We are sorry that you felt you were not treated with respect, and we are sorry that we felt as though you disrespected us. We wish you the best in the future.
-Arnott's Lodge Staff
I was part of the group with 30 college kids, and although the experience was amazing, I did have a few issues with the lodge. Firstly, the pictures do not show fully what the apartments look like. All rooms at Arnott's are made up of a living room and two bedrooms, but the living room also has two beds in it. I slept in the living room, given no privacy or space to store my clothes. It also will only be air-conditioned if the doors to the bedrooms are open. I became close with my roommates, so my initial issues became less of a problem. I bought drawers and a hanging rack to store my clothes, but I ended up losing money because I could not transport them back home, it would have been nice for Arnott's to provide more amenities for people who stay in the common room. The kitchenette had no oven, which is disclosed, but the fridges are very poor quality and are only meant to hold a very small amount of food. It is not meant to be used to hold food for four people for three months, and it did cause us several issues throughout our time there. We actually bought a separate mini-fridge, because the Arnott's amenities were not adequate. If you were traveling by yourself or in a smaller group, you would have to rent the entire space that can hold 5 people in order to truly have privacy. The walls are very thin throughout the entire lodge, but especially in apartments as well. The staff at the front desk was great, but many of my peers had issues with the owners, Doug and Glory. It mostly stemmed from them inviting college students to stay there for 3 months and expecting them to not act like college students. We took the Mauna Kea Summit tour with Arnott's which was very enjoyable, but was priced a bit too high for what it is, in my opinion. Overall, most of the complaints I have are things I can deal with, but I think it is important for the Lodge to be more upfront about what they offer.
Aloha! Mahalo for staying with us. We appreciate that you have tried to provide a more objective critique.
If you feel as though you were misled about the layout of our suites, we suggest you discuss it with Pacific Discovery. They were aware from the beginning of the layout of our rooms and what we had available in terms of amenities. We generally do not provide a large amount of storage space or large-sized fridges because our standard guests are short-term guests, and the benefits would not outweigh the negatives. Your group was not the type of group we would normally accept, especially for that time frame. We have hosted plenty of college groups in the past for short terms stays with no issues whatsoever.
We did not expect you to not act like college students, but we do have to consider liability from our end. So no, we could not allow underage drinking at our hotel and we were responsible for following state laws regarding COVID. If you wished to be treated as responsible adults, you must act like responsible adults. This is especially important now, during a worldwide pandemic. Our only rules regarding your behavior involved maintaining your bubble, following state and federal law, and following our basic lodge rules which included no smoking in your rooms, maintaining quiet hours out of consideration for our neighbors, and etc. We were assured by Pacific Discovery that your group was focused on study and there would be no partying and you would comply according to our county and state COVID guidelines. We pushed the mask-wearing on our premises out of a concern for the safety of yourselves and others. It was clear that we had to be the enforcers of state laws in this case because your group leaders appeared to be unable to take control of the situation. We did not want to diminish your experience as a student but we did intend to keep you and our staff safe.
Thank you for your comments on our Mauna Kea tour. We already offer the lowest rate for this tour on the island, and we gave your group a substantial discount. Our tour is the best value to be had and we are happy to hear that you found it enjoyable.
Thank you for your time with us.
-Arnott's Lodge Staff
I have traveled all over the world and stayed at all different kinds of places. This was by far the worst experience I've ever had. They gave us the impression that we would all have either single rooms or a room with two twin beds. It was an unfortunate surprise when I walked in and saw that one of my room mates was having to sleep in the living room with no privacy what so ever. Only the bedrooms had ac units which they don't allow you to turn below 72 degrees. This was a huge issue because even when leaving the bedroom doors open for air circulation, the rest of the apartment would still be muggy and make you feel like you need to take shower. On my first day there I had to kill more flies than I had to in the past year. The bathroom doors have about a 5 inch gap between it and the floor giving you minimal privacy. The hot water wouldn't work unless you showered in the morning. Before we came, the owners, Doug and Glory gave us their word that the WIFI would be strong enough for all students to sufficiently attend their online zoom classes. Frankly, they knew it was not strong enough and just wanted our money. The first day I came, Glory was immediately being extremely hostile and rude. I didn't see this lady smile once over the course of three months. My friend left the door open one day by accident and you would not believe how cruel Glory was to him. He was a genuinely sweet kind hearted boy and kept apologizing and saying he wouldn't do it again. She continued to belittle him and went as far to say, "You're really stupid for someone who is in college!" Even after she had got her point across she continued to yell at him creating a scene.
Doug was sexist and would say many things that were not politically correct. When talking about the washing machines, he described them as "washing as well as an old indian woman." When giving instructions on the fire extinguishers he specifically said, " This is a fire extinguisher, most boys know how to use them and most girls don't." I thought he was being sarcastic at first but he continued on with these un-professional and disrespectful comments.
After spending thousands of dollars to stay there, we were treated as if we were a burden to them. In the rooms there was a scarcity of silverware and dishes which were extremely low quality. They then gave us a list of things at the end that needed to be in our apartments when we left, many of which weren't there to begin with. After the rough experience of staying there for three months, the rude owners made every person leave their room by 11 am. Many kids did not have flights till the night time and were forced to sit outside and wait even though Arnotts did not have any other guests coming that day. Two weeks after our small group of college students left, they sent out emails charging some rooms up to 1500$! Insanity. One of the rooms was charged 300$ because they had decorated their outside back wall with removable chalk. Something that can be easily washed away! Arnotts is a corrupt business with rude and unwelcoming hosts. The fines they gave out made it seem like we put holes in the walls and stained all the carpets. They saw the chance to upgrade their old run down facility and took it. The location is also too far from the town to walk so they would charge us 5$ a day to use their run down walmart bikes. The chains would constantly fall off. One time my friends chain fell off on his way back to the lodge and was still pretty far away. The bikes had to be back by 5 pm and even after my friend called and asked if Glory or someone could pick him up, she was the opposite of empathetic and snapped at him making him walk it back and still be back by 5 o'clock with no exceptions. Another friend of mine fell off her bike and her bike helmet broke, but to no surprise Glory made her pay for a brand knew bike helmet even tho It served no protection to my friend. If you are looking for a relaxing trip to Hawaii, you're looking in the wrong place and on the wrong side of the island. There is nothing at all to do at Arnotts lodge or anywhere near it. Homeless people walk by with their shopping carts and the entire area outside the lodge smells like sewer water. If you sat in any chair in the common areas, it would either be soaked in lysol or covered in fire ants. My girlfriend sat on one of the couches and got a huge rash on her leg which we later learned had happened to our other friend previously. Over all I am extremely disappointed with the way I was treated and disappointed that this business tries to get every dollar out of you that they can. DO NOT STAY HERE! I REPEAT, DO NOT STAY HERE!
Hi Justin, we always appreciate hearing from you. It's interesting that no one had anything negative to say about our lodge until you received the bill for the damage you caused to it.
The impression you were given by Pacific Discovery regarding your room layouts is not our issue. They knew ahead of time exactly what the layout of the rooms were, and they chose where to place you and how much to charge you. They chose to place students in the living room to save money. We had nothing to do with it. If you have issues regarding the cost of your stay, I suggest you take it up with them.
The bathroom door does not have a 5" gap below or even close to that. That you need to exaggerate so dramatically in order to gain credibility says a lot about the rest of your review. Additionally, as noted in another response, our general manager Glory did not call your friend stupid.
Your rooms were inventoried before you arrived, and inventoried after you left. You were provided an inventory list. If anything was missing you had ample time before you left to replace it on your own. There should be no shock or surprise now that you have received a bill for lost or damaged items. Additionally, we sent the bills for all the damages to Pacific Discovery one week after departure, after we had time to catalogue the entire huge list of damages that your group caused to our hotel. It is not our fault that they waited another week to pass them on to you. If you have issues with the cost of the damages and who they were assigned to, I suggest you talk to Pacific Discovery. We billed them for the damages. It was their choice to pass those bills along to you.
Your friends with the "removable" chalk graffiti depicting foul language and other garbage on our walls left it on so long that it was UNABLE to be washed off because the pigment in the chalk stained the paint on the wall. If it was so easy to remove, maybe your friends could have tried to remove it themselves instead of leaving it along with a massive mess which included blood smeared on our walls for our staff to clean.
Our bikes are maintained in good condition and were provided for your use at a steep discount because you were part of this group. All students signed our waiver indicating that they understood they were responsible for checking the bike before they left the property and bringing the bike back on their own in the event of an issue because we can’t always be available. However, on the day you have brought up, it should be noted that Glory had no communication with that student at all, AND another staff member offered to go get them once their meeting concluded, but the student was able to make it back on their own.
We have plenty of photo evidence documenting not only the damages caused by your group to our hotel, including holes in the walls and stains on the carpets, but also the state of the rooms before you arrived. It's amazing that our "old run-down facility" did not have those holes and stains before you arrived and now magically, they are there after you left.
Perhaps in the future you can show a little more respect to your hosts instead of partying every night in our rooms and then acting shocked and leaving negative reviews full of false information because your group was billed for the damage they caused. Have a nice day.
-Arnott's Lodge Staff
Arnott's Lodge is the perfect place to stay if you enjoy a small, run down, at best mediocre room, coupled with hostile treatment and disrespect from the owners. My stay, along with 30 other college students who were promised a full kitchen, sufficient wifi, and their own bedrooms were immediately met with the opposite. The kitchens have no oven, no toaster oven, no dishwasher, 2 mini fridges, and a foot of counter space to meal prep on. We were provided the bare minimum of kitchen utensils (some guest did not receive a single sharp knife) and the number of silverware and plates for how many people were staying in the room. So we only received 4 forks, knifes, spoons, cups, and plates non of which were matching. The MINI (smallest I've ever seen) fridges broke several times, and were replaced by "new" already broken. fridges. Honestly seemed like they just cycled the faulty ones around because we received one with duct tape holding it together, which then burst and leaked of course. The living room doubled as the "bedroom" for my friend who paid the same as those who got an actual room with door. The wifi was horrible the first month, and when asked to keep working on it the OWNER essentially said "tell the students to shut up, I am done spending money on it", despite being the one thing we were guaranteed seeing as we were all college students enrolled in online classes.
I would say good morning to the owner, Doug, and he would quite literally just snarl/ growl in return. They lectured our group multiple times for over 15 minutes on how to FLUSH A TOILET so it doesn't get clogged, and they assumed we did not have any idea how to clean or use a laundry rack (mind you we are all 18 or older). We also had a cleaning inspection towards the end of our stay which I found bizarre because it is not the PAYING GUESTS job to worry about that. We then received charges for "damages" to our room, such as 60 dollars for worn-down threading in a comforter, and other things that just happen over time when old/ not properly maintained.
The only nice people I remember were the two ladies who worked at the front desk. Specifically Sarah, who was always very kind and helpful towards me.
Forgot to mention I have washed my clothes a few times after returning home, and have yet to get the classic Arnott's Lodge funky smell out of them.
Aloha Heather! Mahalo for bringing up these concerns to us that you failed to mention, at any point during your stay, until you received a bill for the damage your group did to our property.
What you were “promised” in regards to our facilities had nothing to do with us. We made our accommodations completely clear to Pacific Discovery and they knew down to the smallest appliance what we had available for you. If they told you something else, you should take it up with them. If you have an issue with what your friend paid for her accommodations compared to what you paid, I suggest you discuss it with Pacific Discovery. Arnott’s Lodge had exactly nothing to do with determining how much each student paid for their trip. We rented bulk space to Pacific Discovery and they were responsible for determining how much they charged you and for your rooming assignments.
Arnott’s Lodge spent thousands of dollars to upgrade our wifi for your group. We had no way of knowing ahead of time if the wifi we had would be completely sufficient, especially considering that each person had 3 or 4 devices active at any given time.
The only thing you did mention to us during your stay, which was that one of your fridges was not working correctly, is a bit over-dramatized here. Your mini-fridge broke a grand total of one time, not several. We made one attempt to fix it, and when that didn’t work you were given a brand new mini-fridge directly out of the box. There is no need to exaggerate.
Your cleaning inspection was requested by Pacific Discovery. We did not ask for that and were not planning on asking for that. If you have an issue with having a cleaning inspection, I suggest you talk to the company responsible for it, which is not us.
We apologize if you felt unwelcome at any point during your stay, but it seems as if most of your issue is actually with things that are Pacific Discovery’s responsibility, and not ours. We invite you to discuss it with them instead of attempting to bash us on online. Mahalo!
-Arnott's Lodge Staff
