Mahina Kai

In my book, Mahina Kai has attained the perfect balance between peaceful retreat and shameless luxury. Welcome to your own little slice of shangri-​la. Hidden off the beaten path, and also conveniently close
To both the north and south shore sights.
Most of the magic is emanates from the proprietor who I sometimes suspected was a Greek god moonlighting as an average Joe, to test the mettle of those around him. Joe has a knack for knowing when to lay on the charm thick, and when to leave you alone. He knows everything the island has to offer and can steer you toward your heart’s desire, and also makes sure the villa is a cozy place to come
Home to. The fresh tropical fruit is an especially nice touch. As well as the pool, wifi, Japanese architecture, and beach access. I really like the balance of having the owner there when I need guidance, but also having total privacy when desired.
My wife and I chose Mahina Kai for our honeymoon — billed as the gayest BnB on Kauai — as the perfect transition from our home in San Francisco. We will definitely be coming back for our anniversary. Gay or straight, as long as you have an open mind and open heart, you will love this place and Joe will love having you.

We really enjoyed our four days at Mahina Kai. We stayed in the Garden Room and had a wonderful time. The place is located in Anahola such that it takes about an hour and a half to drive until the road ends in either direction, although the road south is longer.
Mahina Kai is beautiful, with flowers and vegetation everywhere. It is totally open, and very comfortable with fans. Really quite and peaceful with free Wi-​Fi but no television.
Joe is the star of the show, great host and storyteller, and supplier of coffee at 6:00am and a great fruit plate and muffins at 8ish. Joe is friendly, full of energy, and a welcoming nice man. A beach is a short walk away and the salt pool is just down the hill.
Overall, a wonderful experience.

We stayed at the Bamboo Cottage for 5 nights in July of 2015. One word — FANTASTIC. Mahina Kai is the perfect place to stay while visiting Kauai. Centrally located in Anahola, it’s right across the street from the beach.
The owner Joe could not have been more helpful. His Southern hospitality was spot on. He was available ²⁴⁄₇ and gave us his cell to text him. Joe lent us everything we needed to enjoy our time at the beach including comfy chairs, coolers, snorkeling gear, fresh towels and he even has a little dresser full of sunscreen and bug spray.
It’s important to note that Mahina Kai is in a very densely tropical area. No air conditioning, no locks on doors, no TVs and spotty wifi. None of these bothered us because we wanted the real Hawaiian experience. This isn’t a 5 star resort but it is spectacularly clean, beautiful and even has a clothing optional pool and hot tub. I’ve traveled to 20+ countries and stayed at many accommodations. Mahina Kai is by far my favorite.
Mahina Kai mainly hosts LGBT couples. If you’re not super liberal stay somewhere else. As a lesbian I loved being able to be openly affectionate with my girl without homophobic guests from middle America staring. Kauai is beautiful in it’s own right and has many fancy hotels. Skip the cattle call rooms and stay somewhere uniquely homely and inviting — stay at Mahina Kai.
Ps — prices are super reasonable. Well below area hotels!

My partner and I just got back from Oahu & Kauai including a FABULOUS 2 nights stay at Mahina Kai in Kapaa, HI. Joe is an absolute sweetheart with a southern hospitality that makes you feel like you’re at home. He offers the most loving accommodations in a fabulous Japanese-​style home. We will never forget our stay here and plan on coming back whenever we decide to visit Kauai again. The views are stunningly amazing with trees in the forefront and the ocean in the back. Thanks so much for a wonderful time, Joe!!! :-)

Not only does this place offer a true Aloha Spirit, great ocean views, and enjoyable accommodations, the owner/​operator Mr. Moore, is as sweet as Southern Sweet Tea, and is quite hospitable and fun. This B&B is best suited for the LGBT adult community, (in my opinion…) though other very nice & open-​minded allies were seen there as well.
The place offers an open atmosphere, and one that seems to really attract travelers who want to experience get-​away unlike what would be found at the ultra-​expensive and commercial-​style high-​end chain hotels. The pool area is beautiful and the breakfast feasts are delicious.

We just finished up a week-​long stay at the Mahina Kai, short one day (darn you Hurricane Iselle!). It was really pleasant and embodied what must be the island’s unofficial motto, «Slow Down.» And since you can’t drive completely around the island, it was very conveniently located for going either North or South to the sites and beaches. It’s also close to Kapa’a for groceries and restaurants, and about 30 minutes from the airport.
I have to admit that I am not a good «slow down» kind of person, but you can’t help but relax here. The setting is perfect – just across from the shoreline around the corner from a little used beach. We stayed in the Tea House at the top of the property, and we could hear and see a panoramic view of the ocean from our bed and everywhere else in the room, actually. It was huge! You could fit about 6 to 8 of our Waikiki hotel rooms in there, and this was less than half the price. No stupid resort fees for no reason, either.
This place could certainly come across as a little rustic, so I was a little concerned at first, but the open, Asian-​inspired layout and décor should help you relax. No, there are no locks on the doors, but there really aren’t doors but shoji-​style screens. Yes, the shower is outside, screened for privacy of course, but I found that very relaxing. There is also no air conditioning which really had me worried at first, but even at the height of summer it wasn’t necessary. I did see 1 mosquito on our last day there, and we often sat and even slept with the doors wide open so we could listen to the surf or the occasional early morning rain storm. We packed bug spray but only used it when hiking.
Despite all the beautiful beaches, I think we enjoyed the pool most of all and spent at least an hour or so in it each afternoon to wind down. It’s nicely landscaped, cleaned every day, and as warm as bath water in the middle of the summer. There’s a hot tub, too, but we didn’t partake as the pool was so nice.
An extra star goes out to Joe, our host, who greeted us both with a big Southern hug and bent over backward to make our stay pleasant. He had local fresh fruit, hard-​boiled eggs, and baked pastries every morning for breakfast. He knew all the ins and outs of the island and even did our laundry! He’s brought Southern hospitality to the islands.
So, if you’re one of those high-​maintenance folks that only vacation at high-​end resorts and are seeking an army of staff to wait on you hand and foot, you might not be happy here. But then, you might not be happy on Kaua’i, at all. Even the high-​end resorts seem fairly low key. However, if you want to get away and relax and not worry about the world for a while in a beautiful tropical setting, you’re likely to have a good time.

Mahina Kai is a one of a kind B&B! It is set on a hillside in a very quiet part of Anahola. It’s lush, and green, with fresh flowers blooming all over the property.
I personally love the pool, and spent hours an hours there. It’s quiet and private and you feel like you have the place all to yourself. The rooms are each uniquely set up, with a cozy feel. Yes you won’t find TV’s which really adds to your stay, and forces relaxation. Besides you don’t come to Kauai to sit and watch TV. And if you need access to the outside world, there’s free WIFI, so you can connect when you want to.
The best part of staying there is Joe, he runs the place and is full of Aloha, which actually seems like Southern Charm! I swear he’s from the South. He’s so warm and friendly, and greets you with a smile and makes you instantly feel like family. He truly makes the place special!
The views are wonderful, and you are literally steps away from the water, and it’s a lovely area to take walks, with very little traffic nearby. You can even hear the ocean from your room which is so soothing. Yes, it’s the best of the outdoors, with lovely furnishings, and a roof over your head. (If you want a/​c this isn’t the place for you, but if you like cool breezes, and the fresh air of the ocean nearby then this is it!).
And just spend some time with Joe and he can make your experience, one you’ll never forget.

My partner and I had a great time at Mahina Kai and I would strongly recommend it — espcielly to gay couples staying on Kauai — it can’t be beat. Joe is an amazing sweet host and has done a great job creating a Japanese style sanctuary — we love the indoor-​outdoor Hibiscus room, with a sitting room, outdoor patio, priavte outdoor shower and lounge are where you can watch the amazing starry sky or listen to the ocean. the fresh warm muffins and fruits in the mornings were also such a treat… we will be back again so I can get that recipe! Joe also hosted an island pool party for locals that weekend so we were super luck in our timing… tell a friend about this place! Scott & Grant

First off, a three from me means a place is A-​OK and I’m happy to return. Joe, the owner is pleasant and helpful. The house itself is beautiful with a Japanese esthetic. Rooms are comfortable and you’re across the street from the beach.
Staying here is a pleasure but not for everyone. This place has Japanese style rooms that make the most of indoor outdoor living. Your room opens up to the great outdoors. This means that you’ll have visits from a variety of critters including lots of mosquitos.
The pool and hot tub are great but we didn’t spend much time lounging around because of those same mosquitos.
Anyway, I’d stay here again just to experience the Japanese indoor/​outdoor living and the beautiful architecture.

My friend’s were renting a vacation home nearby and i needed a place to stay close to them. Being a straight girl I never stayed at a gay Bed and Breakfast but Joe was super fun and friendly and I’m so glad I decided to stay here. He was extremely accommodating and bent over backwards to make sure everything was taken care of. Due to flight problems and then rent a car issues I got in kinda late, but Joe was there when I got in and carried my overweight suitcase up to my room. He would bake fresh muffins every day, and I enjoyed my fruit and coffee every morning.
My room was really cute and lovely. I’m surprised that some reviews said the place was dirty, because it was pretty neat when I was there. Yes there may of been a bug or two but in Kauai I don’t think it can really be helped.
I would love to come back one day.

I absolutely could not rave enough about the Mahina Kai or it’s owner, Joe. In fact, I’ve put off writing this review for a whole year because I just couldn’t imagine having to write everything I loved about it.
Firstly, it’s absolutely gorgeous. My partner and I were nervous on our way, not sure what we were in store for, and just driving from the road we were in love. Lush greenery, a lovely pool, Japanese style structure up the property, stunning. Joe was there to greet us and was incredibly accommodating and friendly.
Our room, which was really more than one room, was lovely, spacious, comfortable, and had a great view. The clothing optional pool was a treat, so nice to hop in at the end of the day and stare up at the stars while listening to the sounds of nature. Magical and romantic.
Joe provides you with any information you need about places to go and what to do, and gives you a real local perspective. If I could afford to fly to Kauai on a monthly basis, I would stay here every month of the year!
It’s not a resort, it’s not a hotel, it’s a beautiful gay (and straight friendly) fantasy getaway that you would be crazy to pass up on. Enjoy.

My partner and I stayed at Mahina Kai for several nights in July and had a wonderful time. Joe is a delightful host — friendly, helpful and super sweet. We found the place to be paradise on earth. Some of the previous reviewers must have been staying at a different place entirely!!!
Our plans were to hike the Na Pali coast trail for several days before staying in Anahola. After hearing about problems related to theft from cars parked at the trail head, we reached out to Joe and asked if we could leave the rest of our personal belongings with him while we hiked and he was very willing to help us out.
Needless to say, after hiking one of the most treacherous trails in the world, Mahina Kai was just what we needed. The hospitality, tranquility, pool, proximity to the beach and restaurants and Joe’s sunny disposition were exactly what our sore feet needed.
He was always willing to provide recommendations on restaurants in nearby towns, as well as on the best nearby beaches.
We would not think twice about recommending this place to our friends and are already looking forward to returning to Kauai and Mahina Kai.

I am staying at Mahina Kai this week and I was in absolute shock at the comments posted here. MK is clean, well maintained and lovely overall. Yes there are gaps in between some of the Japanese screen doors, but I did not find the bugs and Mosquitos unbearable. Kaui is a warm lush island so there will be bugs and mosquitos, but unless one keeps doors closed all the time, those gaps don’t matter. I’ve found the owner and his staff to be very helpful and working hard to keep the place in tip top shape. Towels and linens can get a bit funky due to humidity, but all one needs to do is ask Joe for fresh sheets. I h
I’ll be a repeat customer here. It’s lovely here.