Traveler FAQ Questions

Find answers to Traveler Questions

Traveler FAQ Information


Use the content table on the left to quickly access answers to your questions.

Booking Fees

No. We do not charge any traveler fee to renters who book through our site. One of the main purposes in developing Maui Owner Condos (MOC) was to provide travelers an alternative to book directly with the host without paying traveler fees, such as those charged by HomeAway, VRBO, Expedia and Airbnb, Booking.com, etc... which can add hundreds of dollars to your vacation costs.

Cancelations and Refunds

Each host has their own cancelation policy posted in their property listing. If you have questions regarding a cancelation policy please contact the owner/manager directly.

Details relating to cancelation policies should be included in all rental contracts. If you have to cancel your trip (especially at the last minute), you may forfeit a portion or all of your rental. Read the contract details carefully as this is your binding agreement directly with the host.

During Stay

Most of our hosts (owners/managers) use their unit themselves and are very proactive on maintenance issues to ensure that things will not go wrong.  In the unlikely event that something does break while you're there, simply call the ON ISLAND CONTACT or HOST directly. They should be able to get the problem resolved quickly and professionally.

Sometimes parts can be hard to come by in our rather remote location. We all do our best to see our guests are taken care of should an issue not be able to be resolved quickly.

Under Hawaii's Residential Landlord-Tenant Code, if you offer to rent your property and live off- island or even travel off-island, you'll need to find an on-island agent to act on your behalf. The on- island agent doesn't have to be a licensed real estate professional, unless he/she is involved in real estate activities, like renting or offering to rent the property.  

Most of our members self manage their properties and use their cleaner as their on-island-contact. Some use professional Management Companies. Many of us had an on-island contact available long before the State required it.

The cleaner is most familiar with the property, is local (no calling a different time zone hoping for help) and is available 24/7 to help in most any emergency or natural disaster. During regular business hours the contact is also available to answer any questions, concerns, or property issues that arise.

Find a Property

The best place to look for that perfect property is to use the Search form on the home page of our website.

  • Enter the area or city or even resort where you want to go.
  • Enter your travel dates to get short or seasonal availability.
  • Don't have dates yet? That's okay. You can search in the area you wish to go regardless of dates.
  • After your initial search list pops up use search filters on the left menu bar and narrow results to carve out your dream holiday

View your results in LIST or MAP form or clustered by Resort (Neighborhood) in our GROUP Calendar. Know you need a property on the beach? ground floor? a stay of 30 days or more? These and more options are available. in the left side bar of your results page or in the top menu VACATION TYPE button.

If there are no results for your search ... broaden your search area, size of property, etc.

Yes - we make it easy to create a list of properties that interest you most. We generate a list and you can cut and paste to share with friends. First step is to REGISTER as a Traveler - this way you are able to login and view properties you have LIKED (just click on the heart on the listing).. Once registered you can create lists that you (or anyone you give your PW to) can manage when ever convenient.

Since Rentals are found all over the island, this isn't an easy question for us.

Do you require the pampering a hotel will offer? The convenience of having a spacious condo with a full kitchen and easy parking? How about a camp site or B&B? Do you wantthe sun & island feel of South Maui; the hustle & night life of the West side; the simple life in a bit cooler climate of Up Country or that of rustic Hana? Maybe the wild waves of the North Shore are what you long for.

Use our AREA GUIDES to take a trip around the island and discover the distinctions and types of accommodation for each locale so you can make the best choice for you and then use our SEARCH box to find that perfect Maui vacation rental.

Before you search use our MAUI GUIDES tab to learn about different parts of the island and what to expect from each. We talk about the weather, activities, types of accommodations, shopping and offer "Life Style" info for each area.

Remember unless you're going to Hana, most any part of the island is within 40 minutes from the airport . You can easily STAY in one area and PLAY in many.

How to Book a Property

You should book your condo as soon as possible, especially if your time is not flexible. Some of our reservations are booked 18 months in advance. When you decide to come, start researching and reserving. Many first time Maui visitors are shocked when they see how early Maui Vacation rentals book- especially in South Maui. We don't have lots of high rises here and the condos are usually larger than in other areas so they really are a limited resource and book out early.

Contact the Owner. Owner contact info is provided on each listing. Use the Message Owner button on the property listing page. (Don't forget to CHECK For AVAILABILITY first)

Each of the vacation rental homes on the this website is individually owned. To make a booking for one of them you must deal directly with the owner or their representative. Our webmaster can also help with general reservations questions should you not be able to contact an owner.

Each listing has an availability calendar showing booked and open dates. Each owner is responsible to kept their calendar and rates up to date. There may be times when the calendar does not indicate the current status, but for the most part our owners are very good at maintaining this information.

If the property you are interested in shows it is already booked, or if you have a wedding, reunion or other large group to book, please feel free to contact the owner of a property you like. Cancellations do happen and solutions can often be found for availability that is off by up to 3 days. Our members are also available to help you find other units should you need them. We all love our piece of paradise and are dedicated to passing on the Aloha! spirit of our islands.

We also have a GROUP availability calendar. It is sorted by Resort (Neighborhood) and makes it easy to identify properties that might be combined to make a long stay.

Though we (MauiOwnerCondos) maintain the network web site on behalf of rental home owners, the final financial contract is made between the owner and the renter. Rates are subject to change without notice so, please, check with the owner to confirm current rate.

Inquiries

Use the search box to enter your ideal location, enter your dates and any other pertinent information in the filters and press the "Search" button. Narrow down your final decisions to at least 4 or 5 properties. Send the host an inquiry directly from their property listing page.

Note: Do not include any url links in your inquiry. This will block your inquiry and the host will not receive it. We do this for security purposes.

To respond to a host within the system travelers must create a free account to track all of their inquiry details.

The host has not updated their availability calendar. It is up to each host to manage their calendars.  Many of our members use Calendar Sync with other platforms to help insure their calendars are up to date.  Depending on the platform, it can take 10 minutes to several hours for the booking site to notify other calendars.  None of us want duplicate bookings and one way we prevent that from happening is by letting you know the property owner/manager will be the final authority on bookings.

Owner Verification

Yes! Maui Owner Condos was the first directory style website to verify hosts and their properties.  We were also the first to provide an easy to find place to display a Hawaii Tax ID and required it be supplied for each property. We are still ahead of the curve as rather than asking for a utility bill, to verify ownership, we physically inspect each property. 

Our 6 Step Verification Process:

  1. We check with Maui Co. to confirm the property you are interested in is in an area zoned/permitted for legal vacation rentals
  2. We confirm Ownership of all rentals with Maui County
  3. We conduct an in person inspection of each property to insure the host requestion membership can give us access and that the property looks as depicted in photos.  We reinspect every 4 years - sooner if complaints are received.  Not every unit inspected is granted membership.
  4. We require owners to post their Maui Tax ID and we check with Maui County to be sure it exists
  5. We vet the owners by speaking with them directly and read condo reviews to find caring owners who treat their rentals professionally.
  6. We review each listing prior to it's going live to be sure the condo is depicted as it is in real life.

Quote Calculator & Payments

Once you find a property listing that you are interested enter the check-in and out dates on the right. The quote shows the total price based on the host's information they have entered in their rate settings.

Quotes are an estimated price for the rental period selected and may not include optional extra guest, pet or seasonal fees.

Click the "Contact Owner" button to get a final detailed price based on your exact needs.

Prices may change if a host is using pricing optimization software. The final detailed price is quoted directly from the host to the traveler.

Maui Owner Condos is not the merchant of record. MOC does not have payment processing in place for reservations. We feel it is best to leave it up to the individual host to determine the best way to accept payments for reservations in order to get travelers the best price.

We recommend travelers pay hosts through a secure payment platform where they have recourse by using a Credit Card or PayPal for Business (not friends and family). Once you have established a relationship a Bank Transfer can safe lots of credit card fees.

Of course, hosts are free to ask for another payment option, including checks but a credit card offers the best chance to recover money should a scam be involved.

We want everyone to have an enjoyable vacation experience, protecting yourself is important whenever conducting digital transactions with an unknown vendor/host.

No. You will deal directly with the HOST (Owner/Manager) when making reservations and payments.

Each host has their own booking process in place and we respect their right to do things their way which is how our vacation travelers get the best price.

It is totally within their discretion how they would like to accept reservation payments. Each host has their own booking policy within their vacation rental listing. Be sure to read it carefully.

We highly recommend travelers only make payments through secure platforms (https) as well as using a credit card for added security.

We guarantee that Maui is a special place; a sunny area with lots to do and experience. We guarantee that you'll have restaurants galore and stores to explore. But we also suggest you check the individual condos for their refund policy. Trip Cancellation Insurance is always a good idea when planning in advance for things beyond your/our control.

We can also guarantee you are dealing with the actual condo owner or (in some cases) their personal representative by confirming ownership with Maui County prior to activating a listing. You can also be sure that every condo has passed our strict inspections. We re-inspect every 3 years and encourage renters to let us know if there is a problem. Since everyone's taste is different, we require owners to have plenty of photos on their websites to give you, the renter, the ability to see for yourself before making a decision. Same with their rental and cancellation policies. We don't regulate them, merely require they are available on the owner's website so you can see them prior to renting. Dealing with the owner means you're speaking with someone who really knows the condo and the area it is in. ASK!!

You can help us maintain the quality of our listings. Let us know if a calendar or the rates for a property are not up to date or if you have trouble contacting an owner. Remember email or text message may be the best way to make contact as our owners are also great travelers. We all try to respond promptly and maintain a proper, business like approach to our rental business while offering you a true, home like stay. A chance to experience life like a Local.

Travel Insurance & Trip Planning

Yes, Yes and Yes. We think everyone should consider purchasing Travel Insurance to protect their trip. It is responsible and should give peace of mind. Spending a few hundred dollars to protect a trip costing many thousands doesn't seem unreasonable. If you fall and break your leg a week before traveling or your dog needs surgery or something happens to your mom and she needs you, we don't want you to loose out on the trip nor do we think it fair you should expect the host to refund you.

If your trip has to be canceled for covered reasons such as illness, accident, etc... travel insurance protects your investment and may reimburse partially or fully the normally non-refundable payments you make for your vacation rental, airline tickets, and other covered travel-related fees.

Each Insurance company has their own policies and procedures, read policies carefully to ensure you are well protected. A traveler is responsible for purchasing their own trip insurance policy.

You can search online for reputable travel insurance companies within your country of residence. For those in the USA we recommend Travel Guard Trip Cancellation Insurance- we have used them, found them knowledgable, helpful and reasonably priced. When we were stranded at ORD because of a storm a few years ago the agent was helpful, empathetic and even helped find us a place to stay when spaces were filling up rapidly. The claim process was easy and we received our money quickly.

It's a bit more costly (11% instead of 7%) but we like the Cancel for Any Reason Plan. at Travel Guard.

(please note that as of January 24, 2020 COVID-19 became a known Peril and as such is not fully covered in the cancel for any reason plan)

Pack your bikinis and board shorts; sun dresses and Hawaiian shirts; plus skirts, shorts, Capri pants, and t-shirts; bring moisture absorbing cotton. Leave the sport coats and ties at home. Maui is casual. For men it's especially so. Some ladies, however, still enjoy and want to DRESS: wear jewelry, designer clothing, etc. especially if they plan to dine gourmet. You will see cotton shorts to silk dresses no matter where you choose to go. Of course golf wear is always good even if you don't play.

Think casual, breezy, and comfortable. Most importantly pack your darkest sun glasses, highest number sun lotion, sandals, walking shoes and hats. Of course all of this can be rounded up at your first Saturday Swap meet for less than the second bag of luggage so pack light and buy a bag here to take back all your treats, gifts and special purchases!

It'a always a good idea to book in advance if you know what activity you want. Just in case, check the cancellation policy. As a convenience to our guests, we've checked out concierge services and have found one we recommend. It's not the cheapest or the most expensive, but we believe this concierge will be found to be extremely helpful.

In South Maui resides Kihei known as the sunniest place on the planet. An average year's rainfall is 10 inches. Wailea and Makena are really more of the same as South Maui is a desert. Temperatures generally range in the 80's during the day and the 70's at night.

It's Cooler in KULA Upcountry) and wetter in Hana and a bit windier on the West side. Check our WEATHER page for more detailed info. Remember if it's raining where you're at a 15 minute drive will likely bring you to sun.

We Deal with these questions in our MAUI GUIDES section. Every part of Maui is special and will appeal to different folks or to all folks at different times. You can experience it all in one trip the island is not that big. Do REMEMBER our Accommodations are not hotel rooms and take much time to clean and make ready for a guest. Most owners will charge a cleaning fee if you stay less than 7 nights. You can break up your stay into several parts of the island but it will cost you a bit more to do that. Look for "holes" in the group calendar and you may be able to avoid that extra fee.

There's so much to do, see, and eat on Maui that residents here don't ever run out of new things to occupy their time. The activities can revolve around whatever you fancy: the beach; the ocean; the culture; the sea life; the arts, crafts; or health and wellness, etc. You can do it on your own with a little research; sign up for a tour, trip, or tickets; or easiest for a fee, use our recommended concierge.

Take advantage of the annual activities happening weekly such as the Music Festival, the Film Festival, Seabury Halls' Craft Fair, the Hui No'eau Jewelry Show, the Makawao Rodeo plus all the events at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center (MACC). And if you want to play or watch golf... Trust us, you'll never run out of things to do; all within reach if you choose South Maui. Use our link to Maui calendars on our Vacation Planner page to find out what's going on when you're on island.

Yes. The Big Island (Hawaii), and Kauai can be reached by air usually going first to Honolulu (Oahu). The inter-island ferry that was so controversial is no longer running but you can reach the island of Lanai by taking a ferry from Lahaina.

Add other islands, or stays at a second location on Maui, to the beginning or end of your trip to maximize the time of your stay. Please note most condos charge extra (usually by having you pay the cleaning fee) if you book a "short stay" (Less than 7 nights) so if you are planning on visiting multiple locations, try to minimize short stays to get your best rates. Our group availability calendar makes it easy for you to see open days between bookings for all our condos. Sometimes when an owner has an opening like that, they waive or split the cleaning fee.

Travel Restrictions

Currently there are no specific COVID travel restrictions in place for entering Maui. . Additionally, as of June 12, 2022, the U.S. federal government no longer requires a negative pre-departure COVID-19 test result or recovery from COVID-19 documentation. For more information, please click here

The federal mask mandate ended on April 18. Masks are no longer required in airports. Many airlines have also relaxed their mask rules and it's now optional to wear on a plane.

Hawaii's indoor mask mandate ended on March 25, 2022. Masks are still strongly recommended for people over age 65, those with compromised immune systems or who care for people at risk of severe illness, and those unvaccinated for COVID-19.

Some businesses may still require or encourage the wearing of masks.

For up to date info check the GoHawaii.com website

No. Each owner on MOC makes their own business decisions. We do not dictate them but do require policies to be published so the traveler can easily find them and make their own decision.

Our owners are caring and proactive individuals who actually live in the condo when they are on island. Most enjoy lots of repeat renters who appreciate the honesty and integrity of "their" owner and the very special accommodations they offer.

Though neither the owner nor the traveller are responsible for this pandemic, owners on our site have usually born the brunt of the financial hardship. They have lost income while allowing travelers to move their vacation forward so the traveler can still come to Maui. As we all learn more about COVID-19 and see it's affects on every part of our lives, owners policies too have evolved.  

With so many governors mandating travel quarantines and restrictions, most owners have changed prepayment dates to closer to arrival and added policies similar to airlines allowing credits should restrictions be imposed im the future. Please check with "your" owner for their specific info.

For more information on how Maui Owner Condos supports renters and owners in our Ohana and possible owner changes in cancellation and booking policies please view our COVID-19 Blog Post and Time on Maui during a Self-Quarantine

We require each member our Ohana to be a legal vacation rental. As such they must either have a license or operate in a resort property that does not require a license. They must have a Hawaii business license and display their Hawaii tax ID. We have a place at the top of the content area of every listing for this info. We track this info thru the county.  

Maui did not have standards in place for COVID-19 cleaning except to refer to the CDC. At Maui Owner Condos we compiled these CDC suggestions as well as those presented by VRMA (Vacation Rental Managers Association) and suggestions by physician members working with various state health department to compile a comprehensive check list for owners to use when working with their cleaners and deciding policy.

You should know that the condos you can rent here already have much higher cleaning standards than most hotels and many condos not actively managed by their owners. Still we are fully outfitted homes and cleaning every surface, every pot and pan and every linen in the condo after each visit means doing a deep clean each time adds significant time to our cleans. With disinfecting and sanitizing you can expect to see a special Pandemic Cleaning fee or increase in rates. In addition, waiting 3-24 hours prior to allowing a cleaner into a unit after each stay as the CDC recommends means a significant increase in costs for our owners. It also means we can no longer accommodate back to back stays so don't be surprised if an owner asks if you can move an arrival or departure by a day.

We have recommended an isotonic sprayer with HOCL (Hypochlorous Acid is currently approved on LIST-N of EPA approved disinfectants against COVID-19). Made using Electro Chemical Activation, the electrolyzed, antimicrobial biocide solution is safe on surface that touch food without needing to be rinsed off. It is also used to treat spinach and other foods to prevent other types of viruses and can remain active on a surface for an hour or more to deactivate any airborne virus that might settle on a treated surface.

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