My family and I stayed in Mana Kai in late august and had an absolutely fabulous trip. Would absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a more homey stay.
We rented a 2 bedroom condo, meaning we had essentially 2 totally separate rooms with their own doors - one small one with a single bed and full bathroom, minifridge, microwave, and hot water/coffee maker, and one large, with a full kitchen (totally stocked with utensils and cookware), full bath, balcony, and sitting area. The small rooms look toward the parking lot and the large rooms look toward the ocean. Both rooms were extremely clean and comfortable, but make sure you know what you are booking. If you book a small room you are liable not to get the beachfront views you may want. Personally, my family and I found our stay to be very enjoyable and loved having a fully kitted out kitchen that could ensure we didn't HAVE to go to restaurants to eat every night. Plus, it's great to be able to pop in for a snack in the middle of the day without a hassle.
The hotel itself has a restaurant, which we truthfully did not visit, but it sure looked good from the outside and was always busy. The beach itself is GORGEOUS. It has the best feature of all - grass! There is a nicely grassy area with lounge chairs, which is a blessing. You don't...My family and I stayed in Mana Kai in late august and had an absolutely fabulous trip. Would absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a more homey stay.
We rented a 2 bedroom condo, meaning we had essentially 2 totally separate rooms with their own doors - one small one with a single bed and full bathroom, minifridge, microwave, and hot water/coffee maker, and one large, with a full kitchen (totally stocked with utensils and cookware), full bath, balcony, and sitting area. The small rooms look toward the parking lot and the large rooms look toward the ocean. Both rooms were extremely clean and comfortable, but make sure you know what you are booking. If you book a small room you are liable not to get the beachfront views you may want. Personally, my family and I found our stay to be very enjoyable and loved having a fully kitted out kitchen that could ensure we didn't HAVE to go to restaurants to eat every night. Plus, it's great to be able to pop in for a snack in the middle of the day without a hassle.
The hotel itself has a restaurant, which we truthfully did not visit, but it sure looked good from the outside and was always busy. The beach itself is GORGEOUS. It has the best feature of all - grass! There is a nicely grassy area with lounge chairs, which is a blessing. You don't know the luxury of not burning your feet on hot sand until you've tanned on a grassy beach. The ocean is extremely pleasant to swim in - glassy water, but it can be a bit windy and the waves a tad rough, though there are calm spots every day that give even the weakest swimmers a chance to splash around. There are actually rocky shoals right by the hotel that give you a chance to snorkel and a pleasant walk along the shoreline will lead you to inlets where you can spot sea turtles (as I did - beautiful creatures!).
The only downsides - and I hestitate to call these downsides - are just things you have to be aware of as a guest. Many of these rooms are OWNED condos - which means the individual owners modify and maintain them. There is a basic standard the hotel holds them to, but know there will be some variation across rooms. Our own room - 810 -, for example, did not have a divider between the living room area and master bedroom, which for some people (a couple with kids for e.g.) may be inconvenient. As far as I know it's the only room with this arrangement. This, and whether you get an ocean-view room, are just things you need to know beforehand as a guest.
Overall, a great stay at a great price. Highly recommend for those looking for a place that is less busy but with all the tropical relaxation of the priciest areas of Hawaii. I will certainly be recommending it to my clients.More
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