Maui Eco Retreat

One of the raddest places I’ve ever stayed (and I’ve been to some pretty sweet places). The house/​property was gorgeous, the staff was so friendly, and the energy was unlike anything I have ever experienced! I recommend staying in the main house so you can meet other like minded people along your travels. My boyfriend and I met and made new lifelong friends here. Explore the land, jump in the waterfall, and soak in everything this sacred land has to offer. Maui Eco Retreat made our trip!

This place, despite being an eco-​reteat all about raising consciousness, has some very rigid, controlling negative energy.
I had to wait awhile to write this review, b/​c I was so disenchanted and disappointed with how I was treated, while I stayed there. I didn’t even know where to begin and frankly didn’t feel like dealing with Kutira’s potential wrath.
The owners are two people who are very spiritual, yet very aggressive, rigid and judgmental (who still have a lot of inner work to do.)
The dolphin room I stayed in was lovely– I loved the dolphin theme and that I could see a bit of the ocean from my room. But I also felt very ‘watched.’ And eco-​retreat, or not, ‘generic, predictable cookie-​cutter, Applebees’ experience or not, no guest at any retreat or hotel should ever feel like their every move is being scrutinized and judged by the owners.
I had the unfortunate luck of checking in just as the hurricane hit Maui in the fall. The humidity was off the charts. I asked for a fan, which they did accommodate, but there after Rafael was keeping track of everytime I had it on. He even went so far as to try and embarrass me during a group class, by announcing that I was the girl who was leaving lights on at night.
I wasn’t ‘leaving lights on.’ I was falling all over myself making sure to turn lights off, when I wasn’t using them, but I’m a night owl and I was on VACATION: I was awake and needed lights to cook and see and walk around!!! Staying at an eco-​retreat shouldnt be ‘life control.’ I wasnt a woofer, I was there on vacation, visiting a woofer friend who was staying there. I paid $ 900 for the days I spent there– I should be able to use lights and a fan, if I need to, without being chastised in front of the other woofers.
The Opua house is gorgeous– it has a modern kitchen and a lovely area to sit. Wifi too. It is however, lacking a couch or recliner for guests to really relax in. And the dolphin room (while it does have a big, round chair) it wasn’t the kind of chair that I could could comfortably recline in, due to back and neck injuries I have. What they don’t tell you is that you, as a paying guest, will be sharing the bathroom with all of the woofers, and sometimes they take over the kitchen too, instead of using their own. Sometimes it felt very serene and quiet, other times it felt very tense and overrun with woofers and Kutira bossing them around.
The last night I was there, the woofers were all talking about how Rafael was screaming and scolding someone for using a coffee pot that required electricity. I understand they want to teach about eco-​sustainability, but they need to chill out a bit, and remember they are supposed to be modelling compassion and love too. They also need to remember they are in a vacation destination and charging vacation rental prices. Guests aren’t woofers and shouldn’t be treated as such. My intuitive feeling on it is that Kutira and Rafael, at some level, resent having to host paying guests, but they do it so they can continue to keep the eco-​retreat afloat. So they tolerate having guests… barely.
Woofers deserve to be treated with respect and care too. Most of the woofer quarters were abyssmal. The screen doors were falling off, the screens were ripped and they were getting eaten up by mosquitos. I also observed one of the owners hitting on, and propositioning some of the woofers, including myself. This person went so far as to suggest that one woofer should take a bath with them, while their partner was away. Shady!
It is true the surroundings are lovely– great views! But so is every view in Maui! The island is exquisite. As another woofer, and review stated, don’t let the buddha statues and palm trees fool you. There is a definite negative energy at this place and I felt compelled to do a few clearings during my time there, and once I went home.
There is a beautiful waterfall there, that many woofers enjoyed swimming in while there. It’s very secluded and often they bathed nude there– it seemed very therapeutic for many there. Unfortunately, with all the rain, I didn’t feel safe hiking down to it, as everything was very slippery and I’d already hurt my knee on another waterfall hike.
I wasn’t able to afford to stay there the entire length of my stay. The last 5 days of my trip I went to stay at a buddhist retreat

Maui Eco Retreat feels like heaven on earth. Off the grid, secluded and perfect for reconnecting with nature. An alternative to the hectic activity of the beach resorts. You can sink deeply into the Hawaiian vibe and get infused with the Aloha spirit. Meditative and quiet, but easy access to towns and beaches.

This took a lot of contemplating to write this review but after really thinking on it I decided to write the most honest review I possibly could. This review is coming from a past WWOOFer. I live on this beautiful land for 3 months. Upon arriving to Kutira and Raphaels land (Fred and Claudia, their real names) I was shown my room. A small little loft area attached to the guest house with a tiny futon mattress. I was excited to be in Maui and was very happy to stay in the space. When you arrive as a WWOOFer you are given the next day to rest and get grounded on the land. that was a Friday then given weekends off. Well my first day everyone was busy at work so I wasn’t given any type of tour or introduction… not yet meeting the owners of the land. I then woke up Saturday to another wwoofer saying the owner (Kutira) was requesting that I help with the work that day… Saturday… ok no problem! lets just jump right in. I began my work with barely a hello from Kutira… I brushed it off
As I continued with my time there I started to question all the promises and accommodation I was told we would have. Yoga, meditation classes DAILY, music classes, raw food classes and gardening.
We did 2 raw food classes the 3 months I was there… Yoga class 2 times that another wwoofer organized and had to ask to use the space and zero meditation classes. I heard Kutira yelling at the office worker and often talking down to other wwoofers. In my time there 4 people came and went. When she heard 2 lumberjacks were leaving our work days began to get intense and she informed me she wanted to get her worth out of them.
About two months into the program she decided that we were only aloud to do permaculture and gardening 2.5 hours A WEEK. (a half day every week) This is a place advertised as a farm for WWOOFers to come work… no farm work… at all…
Also when guests arrived at Kahua they are charged extra fees that are not listed on the website. BE WARNED!
This review is to simply explain the intension and integrity of this place and its owners. Don’t let the beautiful land and deity statues fool you!!!

Maui retreat is the perfect place to forget about the busy world out there, relax, go inside, meditate or go swimming in the natural pool above the water fall or in the ocean, sit under the bamboo for breakfast, get your own coconut, watch the stunning sunsets… The views are breath taking … Watch, enjoy and breathe health and well-​being into your body and soul. The hosts Kutira and Rafael have created a very unusual and beautiful place, a harmonious mixture of Balinese style buildings combined with artwork from Hawaii, Tibet and Bhutan. My husband and I stayed for one week and enjoyed every day of it, and we will come back for sure!

This isn’t the kind of place you go if you’re interested in a 5 star resort with Olympic sized swimming pools and gift shops. This is the definition of peaceful. You come here and really learn a lot about yourself and the land. In my opinion this is the nicest place on the island. I’m not a fan of the over crowded touristy side — this place really brings you closer to earth. The land is beautiful, there are scenic views everywhere you turn! Trails down to the ocean for those up to an adventure. One of the most beautiful places to truly be secluded from all of the madness in the world. I really can’t say enough about my stay here!

In response to the negative review posted above, I think I know what the problem is that people are having, and I understand why there are some negative reviews floating around the net on this place. A lot of people expect a certain kind of experience when they travel because they do not know any better. They want a generic and predictable experience because that’s what we’re spoon-​fed. There’s a reason why Apple-Bee’s is a mega-​chain while the local organic food restaurant down your street is struggling to stay alive. It’s the same reason why Lynne R. feels compelled to blast this amazing place despite being one of the most unique and interesting accommodations on the island.
This retreat has a couple detached huts with spectacular views of the water from up high on the cliffs above the south-​east shore. Sitting in your cabin, staring at the moon over the water with nothing in front of you but cliff and jungle is truly an amazing event, as is sitting in the glass-​walled music hut overlooking the bay. The main house has shared kitchen and living accommodations wherein adults with social skills can get to know each other and discuss the island (this has been a major turn off for some people who obviously like to spend their vacation isolated from any humans who aren’t employed to serve them).
If you are a traveler who anticipates being checked-​in by some obsequious clerk then this will seem like a weird experience. If you are used to some developing-​nation migrant worker being paid peanuts to replace your towels every day then this will be a weird experience. If you aren’t comfortable with the resort owner telling you about the spiritual vibrations coming off the local geological marvels then this will be a weird experience for you. If showering in the nude in your private outdoor shower turns you off then this will be an adjustment. But that’s exactly what makes it interesting and fun. So basically don’t be a drip. Avoid the soulless and lame hotels on the Kaanapali strip mall and stay at this very bizarre and fun and unique location tucked into the Maui jungle.
It’s a shame that this review contains so much negative energy, but that’s only because the sole other review is so negative and I felt the need to combat it. Seriously, if you want to come home with some great photos and stories stay here. If you want to come home with nothing more interesting to tell people than a description of the great mai-​tai the resort served then you know where to go.

There used to be a number of bad reviews of this location both here and on tripadvisor, and it seems they’ve all been taken down. I had to wait a few months before I wrote this because I was too irritated with the experience. I don’t even want to go into details, please just know though the surroundings are beautiful the management here has no idea what they’re doing, and I found them not even remotely warm. Save your money and find somewhere else. Just don’t do it.