Our stay at the Manteo Resort was fabulous, for sure, but that doesn’t mean that everything met our expectations. It has nothing to do with being difficult to please {AT ALL}, and everything to do with the expectation that comes with paying $300+/night.
So these are the 5 things I would change:
- Smack Dab ~ Their in house restaurant, whose slogan is *Crazy Good Food* had okay food, but nothing spectacular. We had their pizza for lunch, which was good, but the crust was SO thin that the piece nearly collapsed as soon as it was picked up. It was very difficult to eat without a knife and fork {and who wants to eat pizza with a knife and fork?}. My cousin tried their fish tacos {$16 for two fairly small portioned tacos} and was less than impressed {size and taste}, though her husband had the fish and chips and was happy with them. But perhaps my {our} biggest complaint was the lack of options. I felt by day two, there wasn’t anything else that appealed to me. While I understand the simplicity, I felt for the poolside menu, they were lacking some basic, but delicious options. There are about 5 things that I make personally, that I would love to see on their menu, and to snack on while laying in the sun. I just know they’d be instant favourites.
- Lack of restaurant options ~ On a resort that large, it surprised all of us that Smack Dab was the only on site restaurant. We had 6 kids between us {ages 3-10), so having a waterfront café, burger or sandwich joint, or even a little ice cream/popsicle stand would have been so convenient for meals and snacks. We ended up ordering Boston Pizza on the first night and Cactus Club the second night, which were delicious, but next time I think we’ll look into more options nearby.
- Outdoor pool area ~ Again, based on the size of the resort as a whole, we were surprised the outdoor pool wasn’t larger, even possibly offering two slides. The outside area is designed in a bit of a triangle, with the outdoor pool, kiddie pool and hot tubs in each of the corners. The kiddie pool/splash pad was also smaller than we expected, but perhaps our greatest complaint is that there is no visibility from the hot tubs. There is a partition blocking the view completely, which makes it difficult for someone with children who want to be in different places at once. In an ideal world, every section of the outdoor area would be visible from any given point. In addition, we were also bummed that there were shrubs and a {now unused} gazebo that blocked the gorgeous lake view.
- The Villa garages ~ We did not stay in a villa, so this is merely an observation. While the villas looked fantastic {and they sure did}, the garages were too small. I’m not sure who designed them or how this detail was overlooked, but many of the villas had a vehicle parked on the driveway, noticeably larger than the garage. I realize this is an impossible change at this point, but it’d be awesome if they were able to change the garages into a sort of bonus room, additional bedroom, or something like that. But honestly, having not stayed in a villa, I don’t know if this is a feature that has bothered other guests, it just seems like unused space.
- Additional Fees ~ {directly from the website}: *Manteo offers the “Manteo Resort No Surprise Service Fee Guarantee”. At Manteo Resort there are many pleasant surprises. Like the exceptional service – the extraordinary comfort of your room, the long list of amenities and the perfect surroundings on Okanagan Lake. What you won’t be surprised by is that long list of extra charges. That’s right. No resort fees, no charge for local phone calls, Internet, national newspaper, and parking. Manteo Resort. Be pleasantly surprised!*
Sounds awesome, doesn’t it? I love not having to worry about additional costs, and for the most part, this was accurate. But unfortunately, there were a couple of things that weren’t:
* Kids Club ~ not including babysitting rates, I anticipated the kids activities to be included just like they are at other resorts. But they weren’t; there was Pizza and Movie night – $25/child, Craft Hour – $3/kid {I think, though could be wrong}, and Sundays Sundaes – $5/kid while we were there. I do think including these activities would be a nice perk, but at the very least, the fees should be noted on the website.
* Breakfast ~ Most hotels, even our *not fancy at all* hotel the first night, offer some sort of complimentary breakfast. But breakfast at the Manteo Resort in Smack Dab {albeit more than muffins and juice} is $9/adult and $4/child. Really, It’s not that the price is outrageous {it’s not)} I just like when things like this are included. Even if it was just a separate table of complimentary muffins and juice, and then still a charge for the Smack Dab breakfast if necessary {it does sound fabulous}.
Our stay was still enjoyable and relaxing, and our time together was fantastic, but these are the 5 things I would change…you know, if I had a say {Especially Smack Dab’s menu and a complimentary breakfast option}. 🙂
{PS. One thing I would definitely NOT change is the location. It was perfection.}
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