Kauai? Anyone?

[minnie56]

Anone been to the Poipu beach area? Resort recommendations?
Thanks!!!

 

[sonnyjane]

Grand Hyatt Kauai is heaven on earth. I spent a week there in April 2012 and it was fantastic. I can't wait until I go back. It's definitely a splurge but it was so, so, so worth it.

The other resort I considered was Koa Kea but that's more of a boutique hotel and I really wanted the pools of Grand Hyatt!

 

[minnie56]

It's not on the beach though s it?
It looks beautiful....

 

[sonnyjane]

It's not on the beach though s it?
It looks beautiful....

They are both on the beach, but depending on when you go it might be too rough to swim there. Might want to look for a more sheltered beach instead.

Because the beach in front of the Hyatt isn't the best for swimming, one of their pools is actually a giant saltwater lagoon with a sand bottom and mini beach to give you the same feeling, plus they have other massive pools and a lazy river as well.

 

[LuLuO]

We stayed at the Lawai Beach Resort. It isn't fancy but it is right across from The Beach House restaurant, and Lawai Beach is just across the street. It has a nice but small pool.

Lawai Beach is a small strip of beach fronting the Lawai Beach resort and the Beach House Restaurant. Not visible at high tide and better suited for snorkeling in calm weather. This is a favorite spot to watch experienced surfers off this reef break. Lawai Beach is also popular for spotting turtles and the rare Hawaiian monk seal. Lawai Beach is also great for capturing the sunset. Located across from the Lawai Beach Resort and adjacent to the Beach House Restaurant.

We didn't see any turtles but did see a Monk Seal and watched her for a couple of hours. What a treat that was. We toasted the sunset on Lawai Beach almost every evening. I'd stay there again. Very quiet.

 

[pigletgirl]

Grand Hyatt Kauai is heaven on earth. I spent a week there in April 2012 and it was fantastic. I can't wait until I go back. It's definitely a splurge but it was so, so, so worth it.

The other resort I considered was Koa Kea but that's more of a boutique hotel and I really wanted the pools of Grand Hyatt!

DH and I plan on heading there for our 5th wedding anniversary! We love Hawaii! Kauai is the only island we haven't been too.

 

[Deb in IA]

It was 25 years ago, but DH and I honeymooned there and LOVED it.

We stayed at the Makai Club in Princeville. It is not on the beach, but on a golf course, if you are interested in golf.

http://makaiclubresort.com/The-Resort/Photo-Gallery.aspx

 

[kP72]

We too are planning a trip to Kuaui!

Instead of a resort, we decided on a vacation home. Have you considered going that route?

 

[bear_mom]

We too are planning a trip to Kuaui!

Instead of a resort, we decided on a vacation home. Have you considered going that route?

We are doing that too! We are staying on the north side of the island though - summertime so the north shore beaches shouldn't be too rough. We are staying at the Hanalei Bay Resort.

 

[kP72]

We are doing that too! We are staying on the north side of the island though - summertime so the north shore beaches shouldn't be too rough. We are staying at the Hanalei Bay Resort.

Yep, North Shore is where we're looking too! One house in particular sits right on the beach where Gilligan's Island pilot was filmed. Pretty cool!

 

[Mortlives]

We are staying in Lihue. It has a nice sheltered bay, and we liked the vibe when we were there on the cruise ship.

Threadjack - has anyone stayed at the Marriott Resort?

 

[Chikabowa]

We are staying in Lihue. It has a nice sheltered bay, and we liked the vibe when we were there on the cruise ship.

Threadjack - has anyone stayed at the Marriott Resort?

Yes we stayed there last year on the second part of our 12 day trip. Not a big fan as the resort was definitely not enjoyed by our family. I'm sorry as that's probably not what you wanted to hear if you've already booked!

 

[krnlmustrd]

Another vote for the Hyatt. It may be one of my favorite hotels anywhere. My jaw dropped just walking in the door. It's that gorgeous. Been back a number of times since.

The beach they have isn't good for snorkeling, but half the fun of being in Hawaii is travelling around to all the different beaches anyway.

 

[Mortlives]

Yes we stayed there last year on the second part of our 12 day trip. Not a big fan as the resort was definitely not enjoyed by our family. I'm sorry as that's probably not what you wanted to hear if you've already booked!

Can you please share what you didn't like about it? We've been through the grounds, and they are beautiful. And the pool is fantastic. Is it not heated?

 

[Tinkermommy]

My family is going to Kauai this summer for 10 days.

We booked a 2 bedroom condo on the beach with a great pool. More room and a kitchen to help with food costs.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...Waipouli_Beach_Resort-Kapaa_Kauai_Hawaii.html

We booked through Costco and got the resort with a car rental for a good price. It was cheaper than we found anywhere else especially VRBO.

 

[Chikabowa]

Can you please share what you didn't like about it? We've been through the grounds, and they are beautiful. And the pool is fantastic. Is it not heated?

The first half of our trip we stayed at the Westin in Princeville. We just fell in love with the north shore vibe, the resort especially, proximity to things to do, beaches were awsome, etc. It fit us perfectly. Our kids have begged us to take them back and have even told us they would rather go there than WDW again! (And we are currently saving to buy into the Westin vacation program there... we loved it that much!)

The second half of our trip was at the Marriott and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The rooms and corridors were institutional, dark, and dreary. It was very old and out of date; it felt closed in and dirty. Our room was really dark to the point where we needed to turn on the lights in the middle of the day and even then it was dark. The pool felt dirty with lots of chipped and stained tiles. It was heated, but felt cold me to anyway; that wasn't a deal breaker for me (I'm just answering your question). I did not use the spa. The service was really lack-luster and the food/drink was so outrageous that we didn't feel like we could sit back and relax. The resort is huge and it took us 15+ minutes to get anywhere on property. Suffice to say it was not a good fit for us, our vacation style, or what we expected.

We had a 1 bedroom "villa" style room. I just looked at the website and I notice now they don't even have pictures of the rooms... so that might tell you something.

The grounds are very nice and the common areas are plentiful. There was one evening our entire family (extended) all grabbed a large table and sat outside and talked for hours. It is in good proximity to everything in Lihue although we spent minimal time in town. Getting to the sights around the island is easy from this location. Kapa'a had a way better shopping area (we are not shoppers), food, and common every day necessities. Kids seemed to enjoy the "big" pool more than the "kids" pool, which was the exact opposite at the Westin where they spent 6+ hours in the kids pool daily. The beds were very comfortable and the room was exceptionally quiet (never heard another neighbor).

This was our second stay at a large Marriott resort and I've determined that how they do "luxury" is not our way of pampering. Our first stay at a large beach resort was the JW Marriott in Cancun and I left not enjoying our stay as much as I had hoped. This second stay in Kauai sealed it that I'm not their type of customer and we don't do large beach resorts well. We won't make that mistake again.

Hopefully that gives a qualification to my remarks (which I realize are pretty harsh). With all that said... we had an amazing trip and the resort didn't take away from our enjoyment of the island even a little bit. But Kauai has sooooo much to offer that the Marriott was not what I would suggest to someone who wants to have a similar magical experience like we had.

 

[wvjules]

We stayed at the Kauai Beach Resort. http://www.kauaibeachresorthawaii.com/

Loved it! It's small. Secluded. Had a little beach...and chickens, lots of them!

 

[Mortlives]

Thank you, that was very helpful. Since we have no financial commitment, I think we will look into different places.

 

[Muffy]

We spent 2 weeks at Whalers Cove and loved it. It's rented condos but right on the water. Just beautiful and very relaxing.

 

[Bonnie40]

Stayed at Koloa Landing at Poipu Beach which was lovely but not directly on the beach and the beach area wasn't swimmable. Walked down by the Sheraton to enjoy the beach area next door and commented that the location of that hotel was perfect! So....even though we didn't stay there, I would definitely recommend the location!