Ka Hale Mala Bed & Breakfast - Kaunakakai, Hawaii

George A.

This is a wonderful, local place to stay in Molokai, and Cheryl, the hostess, gives the best tourist adivce of anybody. I stayed in the lower floor of Cheryl's house in a quiet cul-de-sac not far from town and across the street from a beach. It was a very nice and homey area--a large and fully-functional kitchen, a big living room, and separate bedroom. Each morning, there is also a nice, fresh breakfast Cheryl cooks with fresh fruit. The most enjoyable thing for me, though, was talking with Cheryl and getting her views on island life and what to see/do during my stay. She's lived here for 20 years so certainly knows the place well. This is definintely a home-away-from-home, and not some generic big-brand hotel! I loved it.

katbakay

My husband and I spent a week at Ka Hale Mala B&B and had a wonderful experience! Our hostess Cheryl went above and beyond to ensure our stay was comfortable and enjoyable. She made us spectacular breakfasts every morning (my mouth is still watering thinking about the fresh sunrise papaya) and told us stories about local way of life, local attractions, history of the island and so much more. Cheryl was a wonderful resource for questions about our itinerary. We also very much appreciated her flexibility as she accommodated our change of plans for departure. Ka Hale Mala itself is a cozy ground floor apartment with a separate entrance and large amount of space for 2 people. We used kitchen for cooking dinners and enjoyed a glass of wine on the lanai in the evening. We slept well with the fan running and windows open as it was enough to cool the entire place down. The island of Molokai is a special place and we truly felt taken back in time as there are no resorts, no traffic, and very laid back atmosphere. This is the island perfect for those who want to get away from it all, explore untouched beauty, be willing to slow down and welcome local aloha. Staying with Cheryl added to our experience. Her B&B is centrally located on the south shore of the island which makes it easy to explore in all directions. Highly recommend staying here!

heather Y.

What a gorgeous Polynesian pole house with native Hawaiian plants and palms in the garden. My husband and I absolutely loved our stay. Our experience on Moloka’i was amazing and it wouldn’t have been the same without Cheryl’s (our host) valuable information. We ate breakfast two days and it was lovely with fresh fruit from the garden. We will definitely stay here again on our next trip to Moloka’i.

Jonathan P.

My girlfriend and I stayed here this summer for four nights. We were extremely excited to stay at a local place rather than at the hotel on the island. We opted to do the $10 extra charge for breakfast in the morning.

We did not get into Molokai until the evening and checked in around 7 or 8. We were greeted by Cheryl as soon as we pulled in. She then gave us the tour of our floor and proceeded to talk to us for the next hour complaining about previous tenants and the mistakes that were made by them during their visit.

From the first night we felt that the guest rooms were dirty. The floor was filthy, there was hair on the toilet seat, and dust caking both the ceiling fan and the standing fan. Neither of us wanted to take a shower or freshen up because the shower was not clean. The light-colored towels were stained (which Cheryl blamed on previous guests) and other towels had an unpleasant odor. We are in no way clean freaks- we just expect reasonable cleanliness at an accommodation we are paying for.

We booked a BNB with a kitchen with the intention of using the kitchen and saving some money on eating out. The kitchen and cookware were dirty, including the sponge at the sink, to the point that we ate every single meal out.

The breakfast experience took an even worse turn. My girlfriend has some food intolerances, and Cheryl advertises that she can accommodate food preferences. My girlfriend mentioned just one of her preferences/intolerances and Cheryl became flustered and upset that she would not be able to cook anything to accommodate my girlfriend. My girlfriend ended up just letting it go and telling Cheryl that it was okay.

The meals in and of themselves were good. The fruit selection was nice, and the hot breakfasts were good. However, we couldn’t enjoy them because the plates, silverware, and mugs were absolutely caked with cat hair. We have a cat, so we don’t mind a few hairs here and there. Cheryl’s cat hair situation was entirely over the top and out of control. The food was rendered inedible by the cat hair. She advertises that she keeps the cats separate to accommodate people with allergies, so be forewarned if you suffer from cat allergies- you will suffer here.

During breakfast, Cheryl also sits with you and tries to make small talk. Any silence longer than 5 seconds was filled by Cheryl. This resulted in an unpleasant and awkward experience. If you like quiet mornings, I can assure you that will not be achieved at this BNB. I wanted a romantic getaway with my girlfriend, and instead, I had breakfast with Cheryl.

There is a stairwell from Cheryl’s area into the guests area (inside) that she utilizes each day to come into your space. I understand the need to take out trash daily in a tropical environment, but Cheryl would also go into the bedroom and move things around. Clearly she is not a clean freak, so I am not sure what the purpose behind rearranging our items was. The indoor stairwell was utilized by Cheryl, as evidenced by the door handle being left ajar, and it was unnerving to think that Cheryl could potentially enter the space whenever. It feels inconsiderate to guests’ privacy. We would’ve been happy to leave the trash by the door or simply ask for more towels if we needed them, instead of her coming into the room on a daily basis for no clear cleaning purpose.

The BNB is located very centrally on the island, and the island is beautiful. There are plenty of beaches and things to see. However, Cheryl advertises a beach just across the street which is not the case. You will have to drive a minimum of about 10 miles for a decent beach.

I would not recommend this place and I definitely will not be back. On the next visit, we will be staying at the hotel.

Natalie H.

Staying at Ka Hale Mala was a pleasure for both my young son and I. Cheryl was a fabulous host who prepared a wonderful breakfast every morning as well as provided helpful insight into Molokai, Hawaiian life and culture. Cheryl made us feel safe and welcomed! I would consider coming back to stay with Cheryl if we return to the peaceful island of Molokai.

Frank S.

I stayed here with my son (who lives on Oahu) for 2 nights when we went with some of his friends on the Halawa Valley hike. This was a near perfect place as a base for us. At the 4.7 mile mark, it's just 10 minutes from Kaunakakai and anything you'd want there, and was on the way to Halawa Valley to the East.||||You get the entire lower floor apartment, so it was really spacious - bedroom, bathroom, but also a large, full kitchen and dining room, and another living room too. Great for relaxing and unwinding. All for a great price. ||||Breakfasts cooked by Cheryl were WONDERFUL! Fresh very local papaya and mango, figs, and she baked something delicious every morning. You won't need lunch with a great breakfast like this. She is happy to fill you in on local issues, like the deer population explosion (so don't be surprised if you see them from your window) and the local Molokai attitudes to cell towers and development.||||Her WiFi worked well, too - a godsend for my son, who was totally dismayed to find Molokai has no cell phone service. Also to my son's dismay - no AC, but the fans worked well to keep air moving, and shade from the gardens and the downstairs position kept things cool enough for our visit.||||Molokai is a very quiet place, very different from any of the other islands, but worth checking out if you can do without cell phones for a few days.

Marcella R.

Loved our early morning breakfasts with Cheryl at Ka Hale Mala. She wisely sent us on a tour of an original home-visit with Gene his cousin and Uncle. They welcomed us into their traditional and sustainable home sharing the verbal and pictorial history of Molokai from their family viewpoint reaching back in time to the early 1930’s in their own father/uncle’s experience. Mahalo.

Kathy F.

Very nice accommodation. Cheryl was amazing. We enjoyed our conversations as well as her knowledge of the island. Breakfast each morning consisted of a variety of local foods wonderfully prepared.
Would highly recommend and plan to stay again. Thank you Cheryl for all you did.