After 3 stays at the next door Surfside we decided to "upgrade" to the Mana Kai. For an extra $40-50 a night you get daily maid service and are closer to the beach. The room layouts are very different. At the Mana Kai their one bedroom is really a very large studio apartment. The sleeping area can be separated from the living area by a sliding door but then the "living" area is tiny. The advantage to this layout is that the bed is right next to the ocean. The disadvantage is that the room can feel a little cramped particularly if you have 4 people sharing the common space (their 2 bedroom includes a separate room in back with bath room). The surfside has a more traditional layout with the bedroom in the back and a large living area in front. The only disappointment with the stay (besides a few days or torrential rain) was that the beach in front is seriously eroded from several winter storms. At least 60% of the beach is gone and all of the beach directly infront of the resort is gone. This was my favorite beach in the world- huge, sandy bottom and almost deserted. Now it is quite small and consequently feels crowded. Locals say it should come back. Its still a nice place to say but just don't go thinking that the beach will look like the pictures anymore. For a current picture of the beach check out the web cam.

We just finished a great week at the Mana Kai, which we very much enjoyed. We got a terrific deal through Suntrips on a one bedroom hotel room. That means that it's on the parking lot side; the condos are on the ocean side. In our case, we had a low numbered room, meaning that it was at the ocean end of the building, so we could see the ocean, and hear it every night. The room was clean, and nicely (if somewhat boringly) furnished. It came with a small fridge and a coffee maker, so every morning we had coffee, and muffins and fruit from the local grocery store. One of the nicest beaches in the area is immediately to the south of the hotel, and there is a great snorkeling spot right in front of it (we saw turtles there two afternoons in a row). We loved hearing residents blow the conch shells every evening to celebrate sunset.

If you're looking for a great meal, the Sarento right next door is one of the nicest restaurants on the island. We walked in at 7 pm on Saturday night, and were seated on the lanai 5 minutes later. Bring a BIG appetite, though!