Northshore Hostel Maui

My crew and I came over to Maui for a weekend. Since we were on a budget we wanted to a place to stay but for cheap of course but decent quality accommodations. I heard about hostels and stuff and after doing some research and checking out reviews (of course) I decided to check out the Northshore Hostel. Everything on their website and stuff seemed legit and after the experience staying there (just for one night) it’s pretty legit. NS Hostel was a great first time hostel experience. The only thing I would say that the entrance to the place may seem small kine sketch (since they are doing some minor construction around the area) but once you get inside, the feeling of aloha kicks in. It is located in Wailuku which is not to far from Kahului of course so it makes for an excellent place to stay since it is so close to town area. Once you complete your booking you will have access to some helpful information that they will offer you like what to do in Maui and stuff. If you haven’t really stayed in hostel before, it is like a dorm. They have a main lounge area which is next to the kitchen. The kitchen area is free to use of course and they have complimentary breakfast to serve in the morning which is help yourself kine. Included in the room booking is also some towels to use just in case you do not have one. My group and I stayed in one of the standard private rooms with three beds. It was a pretty good room to stay. Not too small but decent enough to sleep at least haha. There are four restrooms in the whole hostel area. Sometimes they can be booked and you will have to wait for a while in the morning. I was pretty impressed with the restrooms. They are kept tidy and clean which makes for very comfortable usage. In regards to the parking, they have a lot across from the hostel. It is totally free during the weekends. So just keep that in mind just in case you have a rental car or something. They also provide free shuttle service from the airport which is a huge plus. Check-​in times are 1pm or later and check-​out time is 11am. Shout outs to Scott for helping us out with the check-​in process. The staff and customer service is pretty good too and make it a point to see fit that your stay is an enjoyable one. Anyways, I think I would probably have a bit more to say but will stop here. I will for sure come back here next time I visit Maui.

To start, 3 stars is a generous offer for this hostel. The staff where kind and helpful, and that’s the reason for the rating. Some things to be prepared for if you choose to stay here. Spiders most everywhere, and sparse accommodations in the room such as beds without blankets and stained sheets. Bathrooms way less than clean, regardless of what the response to this review is, the bathrooms are not cleaned daily. Make sure to wear flip flops in the shower. Lastly, for some ridiculous reason they allow parents to bring tiny babies to stay, so be prepared for 8am screaming wake up calls if you are so lucky to have one of these little darlings visiting. Our trip wasn’t horrible, but my next Maui vacation will definitely not be hosted by this hostel. You guys really have room to improve, and I suggest you use it.

Stayed in the private Deluxe Room with my fiancé. For a hostel, it was clean and quiet. Obviously, in comparison to a hotel, not so much, but you are not paying for a hotel. This hostel offers some very nice and considerate features. They ask guests to be quiet from 10pm to 8am. This was very important for me. Some people still make noise, but it is much better than other hostels. They also give free breakfast, free internet and computer and printing, free shuttle to places, and they offer extras like rentals and towels for a great price. They also have a lot of cameras, locking doors, and a keypad at the entrance for security. The employees were all very nice — we met a guy named Scott and a lady from Germany that folded the towels super nicely but did not introduce her name. They were also doing upkeep while we were there, which is always nice to see. Overall, I would say you are getting a good value for money.

Estuve en una habitación de 8, la camas son cómodas y dan ropa de cama, una manta y se puede alquilar toalla.
El ambiente es muy tranquilo.
Enfrente del albergue hay un aparcamiento en el que siempre hay sitio, lo cual es de agradecer. Alrededor no hay mucha cosa, si no tienes coche hay servicio de shuttle que te lleva a la playa y también organizan excursiones para hacer snorkel.
Los baños están muy limpios y aunque sólo hay 4 para todo el albergue, no tuve que esperar nunca.
Tienen un balcón muy agradable y la zona común está bien.
El wifi va fenomenal

Had a really unfortunate experience at Northshore Hostel. Scott, the manager at the place, was misleading about the rates. He verbally promised a certain rate and then at checkout showed us a different rate, denying that the verbal rate was ever agreed to. I’m sure they mean well but left a sour taste. I will not be returning here, but if you decide to go make sure to pre-​sign the rates and do not make verbal deals!

It’s a very cool hostel with great people and a great location. Big cities and great parks are around this hostel. If you are looking for a cheap spot on Maui, I can recommend it. Btw. There are a lot of Germans :-)

Awesome. One of the nicest hostels I’ve ever stayed in. The staff here were great in accommodating a last minute reservation. For $ 30.00 this is an outstanding deal. Clean, private bathrooms and showers, chill people, free coffee and pancakes for breakfast. Thanks Scott and everyone else on staff for making this such a painless experience. I forgot to pack a towel, $ 1.00 to rent. Mahalo.

Clean, nice and well kept. People were super nice. My room was booked and it was nice to have a room with a door. A soft clean bed. Bring your towel. The place is awesome!

Northshore hostel is the bomb! Close to the airport, safe, clean, informative. There is so much guidance for tourists to the area, the staff is phenomenally organized and helpful. You can lock up your belongings and not worry about theft. But the people there were so cool that we didn’t worry anyway. Great vibes! Late checkout at 11am and cheaper than any other hostel. Recommend it for sure!

Nice, clean, friendly, well organized. The only drawback — their dorm fridge froze our hummus and lettuce ;).
Thanks for having us!

I had marvelous 5 nights stay in this hostel. It was all clean, tidy with a very positive atmosphere. The hosts were very friendly and cool. The actual people who stayed there were very nice, interesting. In the evening some of them would gather in the main lobby to watch a movie and discuss the passed day. I stayed in a 8beds female dorm. we had an air conditioner so it stayed cool during the night. I would definitely return to this hostel again next time.

Nice, quiet hostel compared to others. Regarding the comments about cleanliness — this is a hostel and not a 5 star hotel and they do their best to keep everything clean all of the time with groups of people arriving and leaving every day.
FRIENDLY!
I stayed here for a course I was taking down the street and found it very much like home after a few days with new family members changing everyday. :)
I also had my own room for every night except for one which was nice considering it was Maui and $ 29 a night.
FREE SHUTTLE to and from the airport only if you leave at the times highlighted.

I stayed one night in the Northshore hostel. This was my first time staying in a hostel, and Kim glad it was thus one. The staff, Scott, was delightful and friendly. The kitchen and bathroom were very clean, keeping in mind that they are used by a myriad if people throughout the day.
I stayed in the women’s dorm. It was very clean and pretty spacious for a dorm style room I thought.
A helpful hint, they have free, locked luggage storage that its only accessible by staff. Attach you’re name to your bag, and you’re good to go. They also gave a safe for valuables like electronics, passport, ect (also free).
I was originally going to walk from my daytime destination to three hostel, but was told by a couple of local, min-​hostel related contacts that walking there at night was risky. I’m not sure if it was, but the door has an access code and the whole inside if the hostel has a homey feeling.
Scott, thanks for the offer of ice and bandage for my knee. :-)

We stayed in a private room for 5 days. 4 people. Room was clean. Not much storage space so I’d say leave luggage in car if you have a lot. Bathrooms were not. They have a sign that says they bleach the shower but all 4 days I noticed the same soap scum and clumps of hair. The sink and toilet had hair all over as well. The staff is amazing though. Scott is so friendly and helpful.

Forgot to check in so can’t review but will write a tip instead.
three of my friends and I stayed at the northshore for 3 nights and we didn’t regret the $ 30ish we spend per night for a private four beds (2 twins and a queen). The kitchen, living room and bathrooms (4 in total) are in the middle of all the rooms which creates a pretty cozy ambience. I have to admit that I felt good in this hostel and even more than in the hotel in oahu we stayed at afterwards.

So this was my first experience at a hostel and I didn’t know what to expect, but I’m happy to report that this place is awesome! My husband and I were looking for a place to crash for the night after two nights of camping in Hana. We just needed a place to drop off our stuff so we could go explore the west side and come back to shower and sleep. We decided to stay here because it was the best deal on the island that had equally great reviews. We also wanted to stay centrally because we left the next day for Haleakala. We stayed in a deluxe private room which had a mini frig (new/​updated), queen sized bed (?), closet, a/​c and fan, writing desk w/​stool, dresser, and ottoman. The room was more than big enough for the two of us, and was clean and really nice! The bed was comfy enough and had sheets, two pillows, and a comforter. I liked the privacy of the deluxe room and would definitely recommend it, because it’s nice to be able to lock your door and leave your stuff behind. I did pop my head into the dorm style rooms and they look comfy and nice as well.
Pros:
–free wifi on the property (fast and speedy too!)
–common room with plenty of seating and tv
–free desktop computer use with free printer
–shuttle to airport
–plenty of parking across the street (hard to find during the day but the parking lot at night was practically empty and easy to find a spot)
–laundry facilities (a little expensive, but everything in Hawaii is so meh whatever)
–the cheapest recreation rentals on the island
–free pancake breakfast DIY
–fully stocked kitchen with plenty of space to store food
–4 bathrooms (clean, big, and never had to wait for one; they clean them everyday and you can smell that they do by the bleach scent… some people were a little messy but it didn’t bother me… you can’t blame the property for the messy people, they aren’t maid or babysitters)
–security cameras (totally made me feel safe on the property)
–a balcony with plenty of seating
–food places to walk to around the area
–linens/​towels for rent if needed
–books and games for sharing
–LOADS of tips and information posted and shared
–quiet hours that people respected
–THE MOST FRIENDLIEST STAFF ON EARTH… no seriously, they were so nice!
There really isn’t a con that I would list. Some people seem to be complaining about the quiet hours, which is ridiculous IMO. It’s nice that this place isn’t a party place at all hours because you can honestly relax. You can still talk and be in the common room, you just have to be respectful of others that are sleeping. The reason the balcony closes at night is because there are rooms that face the balcony. Besides, if you truly are spending the most of your days out in Maui, you will be tired by then anyways (we were!). Some people also seem to be complaining about the location… the only two hostels in Maui are in the same area (Wailuku) and yes it isn’t located near a tourist area, but that’s why we loved it. It was centrally located so that when you went to Lahaina, or Haleakala, or Wailena it wouldn’t be as much of a drive as if you were not central. If you do your research then you should know this when booking. Think of Maui like a figure eight. This place is in the middle, Lahaina is at the end of one side and Hana on the other; the roads are on the lines of the figure eight. If you stay on either side, you will be driving far to go places. And in Maui, you really need a rental car to be honest. So it was nice to be able to stay centrally to save on time (We also only used a tank and a half of gas and were able to travel the whole island!). Besides, we saw karaōke bars and restaurants near by that apparently people aren’t aware of, but the info they place in the binder tells you about places to walk to. Oh and Iao Valley is literally 10 minutes away, which was great!
I would HIGHLY recommend this place to anyone wanting to stay on the island for cheap, and wanting to stay in a clean/​safe place. Everyone staying there seemed to be pleasant and sociable (although my husband and I pretty much just passed out when we got back from our day, I did notice everyone seemed nice and was interacting with one another). I’m planning on coming back to the island within the year for a girl’s trip and will stay here when we do. Mahalo for everything!!! =)))

I stayed at the Northshore Hostel for the first 9 days of my Maui trip. Scott, Janine and the staff were gracious hosts and were able to answer all of my touristy questions.
The accommodations were clean and tidy.
Northshore seems to attract the more low key backpacker which provided a cozy and inviting atmosphere.
Restrooms and showers were always clean.
Pancakes and coffee always available.
It’s a quality hostel and I recommend it to just about all travelers.

Stayed here on the first night of a Maui trip. Got dropped off by a cab at 4 p.m. Check in is at 5 p.m. An employee was hanging out in the common room, watchin’ some football (soccer) on the big screen. Didn’t let us check in until a little after 5 p.m., which was weird, but whatever.
We booked a private room, which had it’s own sink, toilet, mini-​fridge. Hostel is clean-​ish. Cool balcony and a few great coffee shops and eats close by. This would have been a solid 3.5 stat place, but here is where the low 2-​Star rating comes in…
Check out is at 10 a.m., which is already early, right? But we are morning people. We get up and head out for coffee and a walk, returning at 9 a.m.
When we returned, all of our personal affects had already been removed from our locked, private room. This was an hour prior to when we were supposed to be out. So, all of our stuff was just sitting out in the public locker area– like lap top and other shouldn’t-really-be-left-out-items.
Then to add insult to injury, swiped the 6-​pack of Maui Brewing Co. Big Swell IPA that we left in the mini-​fridge! Move all my things out early AND steal my tasty, tasty nectar. Not cool Northshore. Not cool.

First time stating in a hostel, clean and friendly staff and quite an international group of travelers. Community bathrooms and kitchen all very nice at a great price. Definitely the best hostel in the area from what I have heard.

Je né sais pas si il y a une autre auberge sur l’ile, mais ce n’est pas grave, celle ci est très bien! Des dortoirs et des chambres semi privées, des portes qui né ferment pas à clef (ils jouent sur la confiance), une cuisine ou tout y est pour cuisiner, et un service toujours avec le sourire!
C’est une petite auberge mais qui n’a pas grand chose à envier des autres que j’ai faite!
Le petit déj (pancakes) offert, location de scooters possible (35 $/​jr) à utiliser pour faire «the road to Hana» à plusieurs, je l’ai faite et c’était super! A plusieurs cela aurait été super!

We booked a private room in this hostel at the last minute (we were supposed to go to Honolulu, but wound up in Maui instead).
It’s clean, well kept, and the staff are all very friendly. The room was comfortable, the bathrooms were spotless, and the kitchen was well-​equipped. They have free make-​your-​own pancakes each morning, and we had great experiences meeting the other people staying in the hostel over breakfast each morning. The hostel is in a pretty peaceful location, if you can ignore the roosters that start making noise around 3am.
The only downside is that none of the Maui hotspots are particularly close by, and if you don’t have a car you are pretty restricted to spots that the Maui bus ($ 1 each ride) can take you. It’s at least an hour bus ride anywhere you want to go, but the views are pretty so it’s definitely worthwhile. The nearest grocery store is also about a 20 minute bus ride.
Wailuku is more of a governmental area, so most things close by 5pm. Also, several people warned us about the area being dangerous (?) but I’m not sure those people have ever visited a large city. Wailuku was quiet and peaceful, so I’m not sure where all the warnings were coming from. maybe those people have never been somewhere like Philly or Chicago. But I suppose it’s a little «sketchier» than other parts of Maui. If you want to stick close to the hostel for food though, I definitely recommend Bai Lee sandwiches at the bottom of the hill, and Gionattos Pizza. Definitely Gianottos. It’s real New Jersey pizza made by a guy that moved from the Newark area.
Overall, it was a very pleasant stay and I would definitely rebook with Northshore if I end up in Maui again.

Probably the cleanest hostel I’ve been to.
The location of hostel isn’t really ideal. It’s fairly close to the airport and there are handful restaurants in walking distance but it’s nowhere near beach or Maui hotspots like Lahaina and Kihei.
However, you just can’t beat the price of this place. A mere $ 25 will get you a nice clean bed and aloha spirit of staff. I believe there are 3 staff rotating around the clock but they’re all very generous and will give you lots of good tips on various activities you can do around the island. There are books and brochures, so you can check them out as well. If you’re feeling staying-​in and bum around the hostel, they have 100 selection of DVDs you can choose from and just let them roll by.
The dorm rooms were separated by gender, so no worries here. There is an A/​C installed in every room but only runs at night time for nice cool temperate for sleeping. The rooms are very clean and you can walk around in barefoot — most Hawaiians do.
The balcony is nice for you to sit and just watch people walk by. Wireless around the hostel, so you can definitely enjoy web surfing with your laptop.
Overall, probably one of best hostels I’ve been to. It doesn’t wow you with interior design and accommodations it offers but maintained clean and safe hostel for $ 25. Sweet deal.