The Mana Kai Maui (Spirit by the Sea and Maui) is a sparkling jewel that places you right where you want to be — and steps from the soft sands of Keawakapu (Forbidden Cove) Beach. Both the Mana Kai Maui and Keawakapu Beach are located at the far southern end of South Kihei Road, bordering the entrance to Wailea. The mile-long-beach is a popular swimming, snorkeling and the perfect location to relax and enjoy the beauty of Maui. Here you are offered the convenience of having all of your needs met at our beachfront property, or venturing out to Wailea (less than 5 minutes away). Just north of the Mana Kai are the bustling activities of Kihei, popular restaurants, shops, and activities, (which we can happily arrange for you) from seeing waterfalls to whales (seasonal).
The Mana Kai Maui, the official on site rental management program, manages 44 two bedroom condominiums. The variety of condo upgrades has created nine different categories, ranging from Hotel Room to newly renovated Ali’i Condominium. One building, 8 story, 2 elevators and there are no ground floor units, all rooms start on the 2nd floor. All of the Condominium category rooms have a private lanai (patio) with fabulous million dollar views of the sandy beach of Keawakapu. Daily maid service, (no check out cleaning fee) and pool towel exchange is included in the rate. Free parking, free WIFI, Fitness and Business Center and no resort fees.
Our front desk is open daily from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm HST. Our reservations staff is also located on site and available Monday – Friday from 8 am to 4:30 pm, HST. Reservations department is closed on the weekends and most major holidays; however, guests may book their reservations online 24/7.
The Mana Kai Maui ‘ohana (family) strive to preserve the “Aloha Spirit.” Our guests have been returning for many years. Some even returning since the year we opened in 1973. Generations of visitors return annually and are greeted with aloha by their names. Just as our visitors return year after year, we have the good fortune of retaining a long-time staff with a handful of employees with 20+ years of service. It is this familiarity that embraces the soul and spirit of the Mana Kai Maui ~ where true Aloha lives.
They were very professional. Great service. Also rented a car from them. NO PROBLEMS..........great experience. The beach is best we have seen. Turtles to the north........great skin diving. Nice green lawn and pool. Upkeep was first rate.
We were there on our honeymoon, and after some mishaps at the wedding, we were looking forward to our trip; little did we know it would be a disaster. When we arrived, they told us that the restaurant and general store were closed, so we had no food or drinks available. We didn't rent a car as the plan was to enjoy and relax at the resort and then have a day or two to explore Maui via uber; unfortunately, since there was no restaurant/bar or general store, we had to Uber way more than expected. We spent so much money and got little return on it. The only nice thing was access to the beach, but that is relatively standard at (almost) any resort and the maid service was pretty responsive and nice. The room was small and had a glass sliding door for the bathroom. When we asked about the honeymoon package we were supposed to receive, we were told that they didn't know anything about it and asked where we would see something like that. I sent them the email, and once they received it, they apologized and told us they'd get back to us. We didn't hear back until after we had told our travel agent all the information. It was such a bad experience and so disheartening as we had expected a lovely honeymoon, especially for the amount we paid and after our mishaps at the wedding. In addition, we were told the resort couldn't hold our bags (and if they did that, it would have to be before 5 pm because when the front desk closes) but that we could leave them in the lobby and use their facilities as needed. It wasn't until our travel agent called that they let us stay in the room until 8 pm since our flight left at 11 pm. However, they called us around 11 pm to ask if we had permission for a late checkout and that they were ready to clean our room, but our stuff was still there. This was just human error, but with all the other added problems, it was just what we had expected from the resort. We both wish we had just stayed home. It was horrible =(…
Not as advertised, screaming kids, noisy loud parties at night, (people screaming) public takes over beach and grounds and bring lots of dogs (poop everywhere). Dirty room, (some mold) no fresh towels, sheet’s available. No security or control over the entire hotel. Would NEVER stay here again!!
I booked 3 nights at the Mana Kai Maui as an extension of a another trip with my girlfriend. My terrible experience started the day prior to my arrival when I called the hotel the day prior to see about upgrading to an ocean view room. I was met with the rudest front desk attendant Paula who talked in circles to tell me she didn’t know and she couldn’t tell me til the following day. So when she texted me the following day with the door code I again inquired and she said “she couldn’t because she was leaving at 5:30.” It was 5 and I said I’d be over in 20 min- maybe she could take credit card info over the phone. She answered with “no because I need my manager to show me the new system and nope sorry not tonight.” LITERALLY no effort to accommodate or TAKE MY MONEY. Then we get to the hotel where you call to check in because NOBODY WORKS ON PROPERTY AFTER 5pm and she answers (hiding behind the closed desk window) saying well maybeeeeee I can call Winston the manager and maybe he’ll call you back maybe he won’t. And she also said she couldn’t do it because she “had a lot of things to do.” —again talking in circles. Do you want my money or not?! Winston never called. So we found his number on the directory and left a message never heard from him. Checked in the next day with the desk who “had note of this” but couldn’t upgrade us without moving us each night. Which made TOTAL sense- not sure why Paula couldn’t articulate this from the beginning. Then fast forward to our last night when we got home to COCKROACHES in our room and all windows and doors had been closed. We tried to call the front desk for a new room, help with killing it- idk anything but again. EVERYONE leaves the property at 5:30. Also of note the restaurant there does not serve breakfast or lunch so plan to have a car. Apparently there are also plan to remodel it in two weeks so I imagine that won’t be entirely peaceful. Which is disappointing as their food was pretty good. The general store next to it is stocked 1/3 full and the woman that works there is almost more rude than the staff at Mana Kai who power wash the lobby EVERY morning and yell at you to go around (I’m not joking) There is a rental place next to hotel chairs $10 a day but no umbrellas so buy your own at the ABC store. All in all the location is fabulous but I have never felt more disregarded by staff working in the hospitality industry. And all I wanted was to spend more money and not have cockroaches. Still no call from Winston….…
Terrible Customer Service!!! Manager was extremely rude and said you can just check out if you are unhappy. No way to try and solve the solution. Rooms are run down and not well maintained. Door on balcony doses not lock (safety issue), toilet does not flush, and dirty bathroom and kitchen. Advertised having premium bedding and heavenly bed, but did not. Sheets were worn and dirty and could feel coils in the bed. Purchased a ocean view room for $684 dollars a night and was looking at trees and a building from our room. False advertisement. DO NOT STAY HERE!
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.…
This is a shabby uncared for unit. Literally, we had four teaspoons and had to wash each meal. The bathroom faucet fell off the first time I used it. The broom was so black at the bottom that I was afraid to use it on the floor. The light switches are little prongs sticking out of the wall. knobs all missing. The furniture is old, bulky and too awkward for the unit. I had to move the table and chairs aside to get to the kitchen light. Mis-matched chairs and a too big table on the balcony, make it uncomfortable for more than two people. Not dirty, just not lived in. A commercial unit without amenities. The lid of a pitcher, but no pitcher. The popcorn ceiling is dingy. On the positive side the Vacasa repair man who came to turn off the smoke detector that went off at 4 AM was fast, efficient and friendly. He also repaired the garbage disposal and tried to repair the bathroom faucet. Thank you for that. Really get rid of this rental property. Not worth any $$ as a vacation destination.…
Searching for hotel rooms at a decent price on Maui was its own job. Coming across the a reasonable rate for the Mana Kai Maui on hotels.com at a reasonable rate seemed too good to be true. Based on the descriptions and further research, it looked as if our room would be one of the interior ones that faced north (towards the parking lot). But with that foreknowledge, feeling as if we'd be out of the room most of our stay on Maui and low expectations, my partner and I decided to book our stay for Thanksgiving weekend here. The front desk was closed when we got to the property, but could reach the helpline to retrieve the temporary keycode to get into our room (525B, if I remember correctly) with the stipulation that we would have to return during normal business hours the next day to get the permanent keycode for the rest of our stay and the parking permit to park on the property. After getting that info, we were treated to a spectacular sunset on Keawakapu Beach, which Mana Kai is located directly on. We proceeded to check into our room. Cons: The room is only large enough for a queen bed, a swivel easy chair (which may have contributed to the beaten-up scratch marks on the bed frame), and a small desk with a microwave, coffee maker and a small refrigerator. The window looks out to the walkway between the rooms, so it was hard to ever have the window and side shutters open to enjoy the ocean breezes without someone walking past (but we knew this info in advance). The bathroom is also tiny, with a sliding barn door for a door. If you are queasy with noises from bodily functions, this could be of concern. There was a musty smell from the shower curtain and the shower curtain rod fell a few times (a tension rod that we could easily fix ourselves). The bed mattress was a little too soft for our tastes and we kept rolling to the sides. I also found a long strand of hair on my pillowcase (as neither of us have long hair, it couldn't have been ours), but that could have easily come from not being caught by the lint trap in a dryer. Pros: The location made us overlook pretty much everything. We could even see the ocean and beach from our window. At the base of Kihei and the top of Wailea, this was as centrally located as anything on the south(west) shore of the island. Very easy to get into Kihei for the lowkey vibes, dining, and nightlife, or over to the luxury resorts in Wailea. Lawnchairs and beach towels are included in your resort fee, which made relaxing on the beach and lawn nice and easy. Shower pressure was very good and there were plenty of towels for use. The staff was also very vigilant about COVID guidelines, as I was reminded to put one on to transverse through the lobby (from the beach to our car to get something). A self-service laundry room was available for our use (via credit card) which was very handy. We did not dine at the 5 Palms nor use the convenience store that was on the property, but appreciated that there was one. Maid service was unavailable to us during our stay because of COVID concerns. Should we return to Maui in the future, we would certainly consider staying at the Mana Kai Maui again.…
Doug, the property manager, is a superstar. He goes out of his way to make sure all tenants are happy. Our views from our lanai were breathtaking. We snorkeled right in front of the hotel and saw turtles every day. It was a magical experience. We will be back.
Highlights of our stay at the Mana Kai: -- Located on a gorgeous beach with great swimming and a super mellow vibe. Lots of space, lots of beach chairs (i.e., nobody getting up at 6 AM to save beach chairs), relaxed atmosphere, lots of sun but also lots of shade. -- Comfortable condo with fantastic view. Our upgraded "ali'i" room looked just like the promo photos, and was very clean. -- Reserved parking space and monitored parking lot meant no parking stress. Cautions: -- World's smallest bathroom. Only one person could be in it at time. -- Room layout is odd, and lanai is small. -- Service was adequate but impersonal. Front desk closes at 5:30 PM. Room tip: We felt that these rooms represented great value. Be careful about the rooms on the backside the hotel (without an ocean view). These rooms are essentially interior rooms with no windows. Overall, we had an extremely relaxing stay at the Mana Kai. It was also the best value of our Hawaii trip.…
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