First: please be careful not to confuse it with the “HANA Kai Maui”—which is a reasonably-priced, good property--but in HANA.)

The hotel is ON (see photo) a sweeping, wide, picturesque and very clean beach and water. The hotel is renovated but basic (there may be no room service and no outside phones in the room.) If you rent from the hotel, you will be on the "hotel" side (more modest rooms) than the "condo" side. I rented a studio--a "fresh clean" feel. It is in a quiet landscaped setting at the border of Wailea but near Kihei. The hotel has a great happy hour--1/2 off excellent appetizers—and a helpful staff and activities desk, as well as friendly guests. It has an oceanfront restaurant, nice rooms and a few amenities. So if you want comfortable lodging and Maui for the air, ocean, beauty, and to get out and visit with the sea creatures, discovery and friendly Hawaiian people, it's fine. If you want a Super Symbiotic Soporific Sophomoric Sybaritic Synergistic Swiss Seaweed Sauna at $200 a pop – try elsewhere.

There are other helpful reviews, but let me add the importance of the setting and location of this hotel because it can affect your overall enjoyment and whether it's what you want. It’s not typical bustling Kihei. You can come from the airport with little traffic and avoid going through Lahaina. You are almost next door at world-class Sansei Sushi and get a BIG discount if you go when they open. Just up the street you can reasonably rent snorkel gear and an underwater camera and a download of your photos on a disc at Boss Frog’s. .

You’re not far from all the southern beaches, including the turtle "feeding station"; if you like a beach and hear it has good snorkeling, jump in with your gear. But be sure to first ask (not a tourist) about rocks, and the currents that day. Stay close in--always. The location is also near the resorts at Wailea to take a peek, feel like an ant, and flee. You’re not far the awe-inspiring Maui Ocean Center on the coast at Ma'alaea.

The hotel (basic-plus), and its lovely beach, relative seclusion, location and value combine to make a very fulfilling package. I liked it. It fit just right for me.

My family and I stayed at the Mana Kai in September 2003 for my sister´s wedding.

The building was located a walk away from the beach, and the wedding also took place by the ocean.

It was an unforgettable experience, and the wedding couple could not have picked better venue for the most important day of their lives.

We spent a lot of time by the pool and at the beach. The room was very large and had a kitchenette with stunning views! The hotel was also very clean...

Overall, we were very happy with what the Mana Kai had to offer.

We've been to Maui 5 or 6 times, and have stayed at the Mana Kai Maui #314 for the last two. I will never stay anywhere else! Unit #314 is beautiful and has a fabulous view! This is the first time we've visited during the winter, and we were able to do whale-watching from our lanai! We took advantage of the kayak and paddle board rentals. What fun that was! Every morning started with a stroll along the beautiful beach and snorkeling right at the condo. We've tried several locations... and the snorkeling off this beach is one of the best! We saw two turtles during our stay and dolphins swimming right off the beach, too! The owners of #314 are so easy to work with. I found this condo through VRBO.com after reading the rave reviews on Trip Advisor. Stay here! You will not regret it!

I stayed at Mana Kai in 2010 and was very impressed with the accommodations. We had a 1 bedroom superior deluxe room. The professional photos on the site were accurate according to the room we stayed in. I travelled with my mother and her friend so I was on the pull out couch in the room, it was decent for a pull out. The master bed was comfy. The condo's have balconies and the view from this side of the building is over the beach. The hotel side views would be over the parking lot, with no balcony. A quick note about the hotel rooms, we did not go in one but we could see that they are very small and we are happy we upgraded to a 1 bdr suite.

Our room was clean, the maid was very friendly. The only issue we had during our stay was we ran out of toilet paper and around 8pm in the evening and there was no one around that had access to any. We had to take some from the bathroom by the pool until we saw the maid the next day.

The restaurant on site is a bit expensive, but they do have a half off appetizer sale in the bar part of the restaurant around 4pm in the afternoon.

Mana Kai is great cause it is located on a beautiful beach, you can wake up and go for a snorkel in the little reef out front, or swim in the sandy area. A rental car would be good if you stay here so you can easily get to other beaches or restaurants on South Kihei Rd. You can easily take the bus, however they do not always come by often.