Post #594057 by TikiTomD on Fri, Jun 17, 2011 10:59 AM

Tim (Swanky), thank you for keeping it accurate. I was working without field notes and, as you well know, when the Molokai Bar is open, conditions are perfect for corrupting a few memory cells... :wink:

Please sign me up for the next Swanky (drunken or not) walking history tour of the Mai-Kai. I really like your idea of including that as an event for the next Hukilau.

If you’re from out of the area and looking for a place to stay as a base for excursions to the Mai-Kai when it’s not Hukilau, I’d recommend you consider Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. It is at the ocean end of E. Commercial Boulevard, about three miles and five to seven minutes from the Mai-Kai. There’s a beautiful beach, fishing pier, shops and some great moderately-priced restaurants within easy walking distance (one to two blocks) of accommodations. There are also a number of smaller inns to choose from...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g34381-c2-Lauderdale_by_the_Sea_Florida-Hotels.html

We had intended to stay an extra night at the Bahia Mar after Hukilau, but were informed by the front desk Sunday morning that we would have to vacate our room in the Marina building and wait for a room to be cleaned in the Tower building, as the Marina building was being closed that day for renovations. Hanging around for an indeterminate time to move to another room within the Bahia Mar was not in our Sunday plans, especially since the extra night was part of our original room reservation. No one bothered to tell us of this at check-in; else we could have chosen the Tower building initially. So, we checked out of Bahia Mar and headed up the coastal road.

In a very short while, we found a great little old-Florida style motor inn, Courtyard Villa, at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. One night in an ocean-front efficiency cost the same as our Bahia Mar marina view room (if you include the cost of parking at the Bahia Mar). The place was charming. The room was small, air conditioning worked great and the bed was quite comfortable. My one regret was the inn’s Wi-Fi coverage didn’t extend to my room. It had a pool-sized spa and splendid beach patio area with grill. Though we loved it and it was a perfect base for the Mai-Kai, there are some more highly-reviewed places nearby that are listed in the web link above.

We tried these eating places out and found the food to be good to very good: Diner-by-the-Sea for breakfast, Keese’s (American-Mediterranean food) for lunch and The Village Grille for dinner (if you’re not doing dinner at the Mai-Kai), all an easy walk from the inn.

-Tom