In a first for this ordinarily critical reviewer, I do not have a single negative thing to say about Mandolay. This was truly the highlight of a two week trip around the island. If we had it to do over again, we would have stayed twice as long.

However, if this is supposed to be a critical review, I must come up with some criticisms, so here are the shortcomings:

- There were no Capuchin monkeys present to meet us and carry our bags to our nicely appointed, clean and comfortable private room which was located in one of the buildings designed and built by the owners, (although there was a nice elephant-like creature named Ganesha to greet us).
- There were no golden unicorns to parade us around the lushly landscaped grounds, although there were a couple of perfectly mannered and friendly canines who would gladly accompany us in exchange for a pat on the head.
- There were no mermaids present, forcing us to enjoy the entire pool, complete with fountains and waterfall, all to ourselves.
- Unbelievably, the beautiful aquarium located on the lanai outside our room was completely devoid of any dolphins, sharks or whales. Instead of the excitement these creatures would certainly have provided, we were instead made to relax and meditate upon the large carp and other tropical fish swimming peacefully about.
- Finally, instead of the small cramped shower stall we have come to expect, we had to shower in either the large walk in tiled shower, or outside in your own private shower oasis.

Such was the hell that we endured during our stay.

Other than these obviously necessary amenities, we had a wonderful time at Mandolay. Dennis and Paul were consummate hosts in every way. We always felt as if we had the choice of enjoying the place to ourselves, lounging about, or socializing with the owners, who were equally capable of engaging us with a tale of an epic adventure, or a meaningful conversation about current events.

The location is close enough to Pahoa to allow you a jaunt into town, also just a couple miles to the tidepools or heated beach, while being remote enough for incredible starry skies. The peaceful evenings were interrupted with only the sound of frogs and other wildlife lulling you to sleep. While there is plenty to do around the area, we were so comfortable that we hated to ever leave. We kept finding ourselves only venturing out for food rather than going to the beaches and tidepools that we had come to see. Skip the expensive Kona resort and come here, you will find you paid much less for a much better experience.

Thanks again Paul and Dennis. We had a great time.