Steve and Melinda are listed as super-hosts, but the site’s operations are managed by Angela, whose shocking rudeness and lack of interpersonal skills or empathy led to a highly unpleasant experience in such a beautiful place. If not for the treatment we received here, Honaunau tent cottage might have been the highlight of our Hawaiian trip.
I am a middle-aged woman and was traveling with my two adult children. At our arrival, Angela greeted us in a dry and curt fashion, with no real welcome. She provided no orientation to the site, including yoga deck, workshop space, farmland, or advertised wellness retreat components.
I have chronic hip and knee problems that pose some mobility challenges, but I have travelled successfully all over the world. I immediately saw that the Honaunau site would be problematic for me, as the cottage is up a small but steep hill. With support from one of my children I could get to it from the parking, but walking around on my own was not easy. More troublesome was the compost toilet meant for guests. I realized that with its lack of handrails and very low-to-the-ground seat, it would be extremely difficult for me to use. I shared this with Angela, whose response was surprisingly impolite. She rudely raced ahead of me to show me where the flush toilet was located: down an additional steep hill to another building, then up a steep staircase for access. I tried to explain that using this bathroom would be difficult and actually treacherous at night. But she was dismissive and refused to engage in any problem solving whatsoever. I have dealt with and adapted to such circumstances throughout my entire life, yet I have never been faced with someone so devoid of empathy in response to my physical limitations.
When I ultimately used another toilet which I thought was available, she threatened to kick us out with no reimbursement and spent a solid hour yelling about me from her own cabin, which my kids and I could easily hear because the spaces are close together and quite open. This shocking lack of communication and interpersonal skills was appalling, particularly for someone who is working in a hospitality industry. While, again, this site is truly beautiful and should be a welcome respite for vacation-goers, I cannot recommend a stay here while Angela is in charge. Honaunau is billed as a “wellness retreat,” but Angela could not even pretend to care about the health and wellness of a client who needed a little extra support to make her stay work. Incredibly disappointing.
On Tue, Jan 7, 2020 at 9:04 AM Anne Rogal wrote: