Trip report - Kauai and Maui
Oct 10th, 2005, 09:14 AM
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Trip report - Kauai and Maui
Just returned from our HM - 5 nights on Kauai at the Hyatt and 6 nights on Maui at the Four Seasons. While both islands are fantastic and we would go back to either in a second, we really fell in love with Kauai. I don¡¦t know if it¡¦s because it was the first island, or the more relaxed atmosphere, or the fact that the Hyatt was so great ¡V but we just loved it. If you¡¦re deciding between the two, I would say that both are equally beautiful. During the day, there¡¦s plenty to do on both islands. Definitely more night life and better restaurants on Maui. Kauai is a lot more laid back than Maui. But really, you can¡¦t go wrong with either!
Kauai
We stayed at the Hyatt in Poipu in a partial ocean view room (upgraded from a mountain view room). The room was very nice, huge bathroom, awesome shower, and good size lanai. You really had to step out onto the lanai to see the ocean, but we were close enough to hear it, which was awesome. We slept a lot of nights with the screen door open and the ceiling fan on, and it was the perfect temperature. Falling asleep to the waves crashing was great.
I can¡¦t say enough good things about the Hyatt. The hotel is incredibly beautiful, the pool is very large and kind of windy (like a lazy river, sort of), so that lots of time you can swim or sit by the pool and not see anyone else. It¡¦s true that the beach is not great for swimming, but the pool area is fantastic and the views are awesome. The hotel is pretty spread out, and our room was a bit far from the lobby. We liked that we never had to take an elevator ¡V it seemed like most of the rooms opened to these outdoor hallways, and we could take walking paths everywhere.
At the Hyatt:
Anara Spa ¡V The spa is pretty close to perfect. The treatment rooms are open to the outside but still covered and very private. I had an herbal wrap, massage, and facial. All were great. They have ¡§lava¡¨ showers, a nice whirlpool in the women¡¦s area, plus steam rooms, etc. There¡¦s a pool with very nice chairs and more whirlpools. You can easily spend several hours at the spa. I think it¡¦s worth checking out no matter where you stay in Kauai.
Seaview Terrace ¡V This is basically the lobby bar, but it has some of the best views we saw on Kauai because it is set up high. They have great pupu and drinks, and live music in the late afternoon. Also, a pretty normal continental breakfast every morning.
Tidepools ¡V We had dinner here one night. The food was great, service excellent. Very romantic setting. Not sure that I would come from another hotel for the restaurant, but we loved it and would definitely go again.
Donderos ¡V Dinner here on our last night in Kauai. I have high standards for Italian food, and this was surprisingly delicious! It was raining, so we had to sit inside, but still very pretty. The service was fine. Again, I would definitely eat here if you stay at the Hyatt or nearby, but probably not worth traveling too far.
My husband played golf at the course at the Hyatt, and loved it. We did a small hike from the beach at the Hyatt, sort of along the edge of the golf course, and it really was beautiful. We saw a bunch of turtles swimming close by, and also a monk seal was sunning itself about 10 feet away.
Other things on Kauai:
Helicopter tour ¡V Jack Harter ¡V Matt was our guide. We both agreed that the helicopter trip was one of the highlights of our trip! Matt was a great guide, gave us the right amount of information, but was not boring. First, if you are nervous at all, don¡¦t be. It was smoother than many airplanes I¡¦ve ever been on, and the views are so incredible you aren¡¦t thinking of anything else. You get so close to the waterfalls and mountains, and seeing the coast from the helicopter is great. We would definitely do this again!!
Princeville ¡V We drove up to Princeville one day, wandered around Hanelei Bay (which is great). My husband played golf and I rode along on the Prince Course. We had heard that the views from here were the best of the island, but I was not that impressed. We had dinner at the resort, and it was good, but not great. The service was fine, but again, not great. I definitely preferred the food and service at the Hyatt. We did have drinks and watch the sunset, which was incredibly beautiful.
Beach House ¡V We¡¦d heard lots of great things about the sunset from here, but mixed reviews about the service and food. Anyway, we couldn¡¦t get a reservation until late, so our concierge suggested just going for a drink, and somewhere else for dinner. This worked out perfectly for us ¡V we arrived just after they opened the bar, had a drink, saw the sunset, and left. Definitely use the valet parking here, it didn¡¦t seem like parking nearby was very easy.
Keokis ¡V In the Poipu shopping center. We had a great time here. The food was good, the service was good (although our bar waitress was pretty rude), and the atmosphere was very fun (and very kitschy). Also, cheaper compared to some of the other restaurants. The Poipu shopping center has some cute shops, too.
Maui
We stayed at the Four Seasons in a partial ocean view room. The view from our lanai was great, and we saw the best sunset of our trip from the lanai. The room at the Four Seasons was great ¡V a little bigger than the Hyatt, with a nice soaking tub in the bathroom and a super comfortable bed.
The pool at the Four Seasons is very pretty, with great chairs. The service at the pool is awesome, like everyone says ¡V they come around constantly with ice water, and then several times during the day with the cold towels and evian spritz. They brought strawberries around to everyone a few times, too. The beach here is gorgeous, and basically the same services as at the pool.
At the Four Seasons:
Ferraros ¡V We had lunch a few times at Ferraros while we were at the pool. The food here was great, and I can see why people love it for dinner. It¡¦s almost directly on the beach, so the views would be great.
Room service ¡V We ordered a picnic basket from room service the day we did the Road to Hana, and it was delicious. It was expensive, but easy, and saved us from having to stop and pick up something. They give you tons of food, so we had plenty of leftovers.
Outrigger canoe trip ¡V They have an outrigger canoe trip a few mornings a week, and I would highly recommend it. The guy who runs it was awesome, and gives you some good Hawaii background. Do the earliest one they offer, because there¡¦s almost no one else around and the ocean is so calm.
Snorkeling ¡V You can borrow snorkeling equipment right at the hotel, and there was some great snorkeling not too far off the beach.
Other things on Maui:
David Paul¡¦s ¡V In Lahaina, this may be one of my best meals ever. I had the firecracker shrimp, which were delicious. We didn¡¦t really like Lahaina in general, but David Paul¡¦s was fantastic.
Feast at Lele ¡V Definitely more intimate than what I¡¦ve heard of other luaus. The show was great, and the sunset from Lahaina was beautiful. The food is good, some we loved and some we didn¡¦t, but it was cool to try food from so many different places. You really do need to book early ¡V we had a great seat in the front row. We enjoyed it, but if we went back, probably wouldn¡¦t do another luau.
Nick¡¦s Fishmarket ¡V at the Kea Lani ¡V Awesome! The setting is pretty, although you¡¦re kind of in the middle of resort, it¡¦s very peaceful. The service was perfect, the food was delicious. There was nothing that could have improved the meal. Very expensive, but worth every penny!!
Roy¡¦s ¡V We¡¦d heard a lot of good things about Roy¡¦s, and it was fine. Not much atmosphere, the food was okay.
Stella Blues ¡V This was in Kihei, not far north of the Four Seasons. We got the recommendation from some of the valets at the hotel, and we loved it. It¡¦s nothing fancy, just a regular restaurant that could be anywhere, which was exactly what we wanted that night. I would definitely recommend it if you are tired of eating big dinners every night!
Bike trip down Haleakala ¡V The sunrise was unbelievable, and definitely worth the early morning. I was scared on the bike ride. Not scared enough to ride in the van, but the bike part was a little too much for me. It was cold, and wet, and it was a while before the views were worth it. I would definitely go up to Haleakala again, but would probably not do the bike trip. My husband loved it, and everyone else seemed to, too. I was just a little bit of a wimpƒº
Kapalua ¡V We drove up to Kapalua one day, which is just beautiful. My husband played golf, and I rode along again on the Plantation Course. This was REALLY gorgeous ¡V way better views than Princeville, and probably some of the best views we saw.
Road to Hana ¡V We left Wailea about 6 am, so we could be ahead of most of the traffic. It was a good choice, because for most of our stops we were alone. As the day went on, we started to see more and more people, and it just made it less great. It was beautiful, there was a lot to see. We bought the CD, but didn¡¦t really use it. It was easier to follow the Maui Revealed book, although we did find some of their directions a bit confusing. We went the whole way around the island (in a Toyota Corolla) and it was fine. The unpaved section is actually partially paved, and where it isn¡¦t there¡¦s a hard packed dirt road. The road on that part of the island is definitely more narrow and windy than the rest of the road to Hana, but at least there aren¡¦t many cars coming in the other direction.
Kauai
We stayed at the Hyatt in Poipu in a partial ocean view room (upgraded from a mountain view room). The room was very nice, huge bathroom, awesome shower, and good size lanai. You really had to step out onto the lanai to see the ocean, but we were close enough to hear it, which was awesome. We slept a lot of nights with the screen door open and the ceiling fan on, and it was the perfect temperature. Falling asleep to the waves crashing was great.
I can¡¦t say enough good things about the Hyatt. The hotel is incredibly beautiful, the pool is very large and kind of windy (like a lazy river, sort of), so that lots of time you can swim or sit by the pool and not see anyone else. It¡¦s true that the beach is not great for swimming, but the pool area is fantastic and the views are awesome. The hotel is pretty spread out, and our room was a bit far from the lobby. We liked that we never had to take an elevator ¡V it seemed like most of the rooms opened to these outdoor hallways, and we could take walking paths everywhere.
At the Hyatt:
Anara Spa ¡V The spa is pretty close to perfect. The treatment rooms are open to the outside but still covered and very private. I had an herbal wrap, massage, and facial. All were great. They have ¡§lava¡¨ showers, a nice whirlpool in the women¡¦s area, plus steam rooms, etc. There¡¦s a pool with very nice chairs and more whirlpools. You can easily spend several hours at the spa. I think it¡¦s worth checking out no matter where you stay in Kauai.
Seaview Terrace ¡V This is basically the lobby bar, but it has some of the best views we saw on Kauai because it is set up high. They have great pupu and drinks, and live music in the late afternoon. Also, a pretty normal continental breakfast every morning.
Tidepools ¡V We had dinner here one night. The food was great, service excellent. Very romantic setting. Not sure that I would come from another hotel for the restaurant, but we loved it and would definitely go again.
Donderos ¡V Dinner here on our last night in Kauai. I have high standards for Italian food, and this was surprisingly delicious! It was raining, so we had to sit inside, but still very pretty. The service was fine. Again, I would definitely eat here if you stay at the Hyatt or nearby, but probably not worth traveling too far.
My husband played golf at the course at the Hyatt, and loved it. We did a small hike from the beach at the Hyatt, sort of along the edge of the golf course, and it really was beautiful. We saw a bunch of turtles swimming close by, and also a monk seal was sunning itself about 10 feet away.
Other things on Kauai:
Helicopter tour ¡V Jack Harter ¡V Matt was our guide. We both agreed that the helicopter trip was one of the highlights of our trip! Matt was a great guide, gave us the right amount of information, but was not boring. First, if you are nervous at all, don¡¦t be. It was smoother than many airplanes I¡¦ve ever been on, and the views are so incredible you aren¡¦t thinking of anything else. You get so close to the waterfalls and mountains, and seeing the coast from the helicopter is great. We would definitely do this again!!
Princeville ¡V We drove up to Princeville one day, wandered around Hanelei Bay (which is great). My husband played golf and I rode along on the Prince Course. We had heard that the views from here were the best of the island, but I was not that impressed. We had dinner at the resort, and it was good, but not great. The service was fine, but again, not great. I definitely preferred the food and service at the Hyatt. We did have drinks and watch the sunset, which was incredibly beautiful.
Beach House ¡V We¡¦d heard lots of great things about the sunset from here, but mixed reviews about the service and food. Anyway, we couldn¡¦t get a reservation until late, so our concierge suggested just going for a drink, and somewhere else for dinner. This worked out perfectly for us ¡V we arrived just after they opened the bar, had a drink, saw the sunset, and left. Definitely use the valet parking here, it didn¡¦t seem like parking nearby was very easy.
Keokis ¡V In the Poipu shopping center. We had a great time here. The food was good, the service was good (although our bar waitress was pretty rude), and the atmosphere was very fun (and very kitschy). Also, cheaper compared to some of the other restaurants. The Poipu shopping center has some cute shops, too.
Maui
We stayed at the Four Seasons in a partial ocean view room. The view from our lanai was great, and we saw the best sunset of our trip from the lanai. The room at the Four Seasons was great ¡V a little bigger than the Hyatt, with a nice soaking tub in the bathroom and a super comfortable bed.
The pool at the Four Seasons is very pretty, with great chairs. The service at the pool is awesome, like everyone says ¡V they come around constantly with ice water, and then several times during the day with the cold towels and evian spritz. They brought strawberries around to everyone a few times, too. The beach here is gorgeous, and basically the same services as at the pool.
At the Four Seasons:
Ferraros ¡V We had lunch a few times at Ferraros while we were at the pool. The food here was great, and I can see why people love it for dinner. It¡¦s almost directly on the beach, so the views would be great.
Room service ¡V We ordered a picnic basket from room service the day we did the Road to Hana, and it was delicious. It was expensive, but easy, and saved us from having to stop and pick up something. They give you tons of food, so we had plenty of leftovers.
Outrigger canoe trip ¡V They have an outrigger canoe trip a few mornings a week, and I would highly recommend it. The guy who runs it was awesome, and gives you some good Hawaii background. Do the earliest one they offer, because there¡¦s almost no one else around and the ocean is so calm.
Snorkeling ¡V You can borrow snorkeling equipment right at the hotel, and there was some great snorkeling not too far off the beach.
Other things on Maui:
David Paul¡¦s ¡V In Lahaina, this may be one of my best meals ever. I had the firecracker shrimp, which were delicious. We didn¡¦t really like Lahaina in general, but David Paul¡¦s was fantastic.
Feast at Lele ¡V Definitely more intimate than what I¡¦ve heard of other luaus. The show was great, and the sunset from Lahaina was beautiful. The food is good, some we loved and some we didn¡¦t, but it was cool to try food from so many different places. You really do need to book early ¡V we had a great seat in the front row. We enjoyed it, but if we went back, probably wouldn¡¦t do another luau.
Nick¡¦s Fishmarket ¡V at the Kea Lani ¡V Awesome! The setting is pretty, although you¡¦re kind of in the middle of resort, it¡¦s very peaceful. The service was perfect, the food was delicious. There was nothing that could have improved the meal. Very expensive, but worth every penny!!
Roy¡¦s ¡V We¡¦d heard a lot of good things about Roy¡¦s, and it was fine. Not much atmosphere, the food was okay.
Stella Blues ¡V This was in Kihei, not far north of the Four Seasons. We got the recommendation from some of the valets at the hotel, and we loved it. It¡¦s nothing fancy, just a regular restaurant that could be anywhere, which was exactly what we wanted that night. I would definitely recommend it if you are tired of eating big dinners every night!
Bike trip down Haleakala ¡V The sunrise was unbelievable, and definitely worth the early morning. I was scared on the bike ride. Not scared enough to ride in the van, but the bike part was a little too much for me. It was cold, and wet, and it was a while before the views were worth it. I would definitely go up to Haleakala again, but would probably not do the bike trip. My husband loved it, and everyone else seemed to, too. I was just a little bit of a wimpƒº
Kapalua ¡V We drove up to Kapalua one day, which is just beautiful. My husband played golf, and I rode along again on the Plantation Course. This was REALLY gorgeous ¡V way better views than Princeville, and probably some of the best views we saw.
Road to Hana ¡V We left Wailea about 6 am, so we could be ahead of most of the traffic. It was a good choice, because for most of our stops we were alone. As the day went on, we started to see more and more people, and it just made it less great. It was beautiful, there was a lot to see. We bought the CD, but didn¡¦t really use it. It was easier to follow the Maui Revealed book, although we did find some of their directions a bit confusing. We went the whole way around the island (in a Toyota Corolla) and it was fine. The unpaved section is actually partially paved, and where it isn¡¦t there¡¦s a hard packed dirt road. The road on that part of the island is definitely more narrow and windy than the rest of the road to Hana, but at least there aren¡¦t many cars coming in the other direction.
Oct 10th, 2005, 02:44 PM
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Jess,
What you really meant to say about Kaua'i is that you HATED it, especially Hanalei, RIGHT?
It rains all the time, RIGHT?
Awful food, RIGHT?
Mean chickens, RIGHT?
Boring, RIGHT?
Bugs everywhere, RIGHT?
Maui was much better, RIGHT?
Glad you had a great time...on Maui, RIGHT?
-Bill
What you really meant to say about Kaua'i is that you HATED it, especially Hanalei, RIGHT?
It rains all the time, RIGHT?
Awful food, RIGHT?
Mean chickens, RIGHT?
Boring, RIGHT?
Bugs everywhere, RIGHT?
Maui was much better, RIGHT?
Glad you had a great time...on Maui, RIGHT?
-Bill
Oct 10th, 2005, 04:23 PM
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Thanks for the great report, Jess! Glad you had a wonderful time in paradise!
We have been to Hawaii twice, and are returning next summer, definitely to Maui and maybe also to the Big Island. Kauai is the only "major" island we haven't been to yet, and I think we will be headed there in summer 2007.
We are looking at the Maui Four Seasons for next summer, and Hyatt Kauai for the summer after that. Which hotel did you prefer and why? Did the 4S pool area seem cramped after the Hyatt? And can you describe Wailea Beach a little more? Are there beach chairs, umbrellas, snorkeling, etc...? Thanks so much!
We have been to Hawaii twice, and are returning next summer, definitely to Maui and maybe also to the Big Island. Kauai is the only "major" island we haven't been to yet, and I think we will be headed there in summer 2007.
We are looking at the Maui Four Seasons for next summer, and Hyatt Kauai for the summer after that. Which hotel did you prefer and why? Did the 4S pool area seem cramped after the Hyatt? And can you describe Wailea Beach a little more? Are there beach chairs, umbrellas, snorkeling, etc...? Thanks so much!
Oct 11th, 2005, 06:42 AM
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We actually preferred the Hyatt to the Four Seasons. It was just more "us" if that makes sense, which I know probably isn't that helpful. The Hyatt was just incredible, with the open lobby, and all the open hallways. The 4S was also very open, but more of a traditional hotel structure. Both places the service was excellent, although you do feel at the 4S that they are practically falling over themselves to help you and make you happy. I guess we felt like we didn't need all that! Also, the Hyatt had more dining options, including an easy coffee/pastry place for breakfast, which we liked.
The pool at the Hyatt is beautiful, probably one of the nicest pools I've seen. The pool at the 4S really is lovely, but is more of a rectangular pool with chairs around. Both have cabanas, although there are definitely more at the 4S. The chairs are better at the 4S, with nice cushions, and they set up your chair for you. There's water always available at the 4S, which is a nice perk. There were also a lot more kids at the 4S.
The beach is Wailea is beautiful. It's a public beach, so there are other people there, but for the 4S guests they have chairs, umbrellas, tables, etc. They still bring you water, although I don't think you could order food or drinks there. In the morning, the water was beautiful and calm, but did get choppier in the afternoon. It was still fine for swimming, but would not have been good for snorkeling. They do provide snorkel equipment at the 4S, I think one hour/day.
Please know that when I say we prefered the Hyatt, it is not a huge preference - both are really incredible hotels in beautiful settings, with fantastic service. Except as Bill suggests, I should be saying Maui is way better
The pool at the Hyatt is beautiful, probably one of the nicest pools I've seen. The pool at the 4S really is lovely, but is more of a rectangular pool with chairs around. Both have cabanas, although there are definitely more at the 4S. The chairs are better at the 4S, with nice cushions, and they set up your chair for you. There's water always available at the 4S, which is a nice perk. There were also a lot more kids at the 4S.
The beach is Wailea is beautiful. It's a public beach, so there are other people there, but for the 4S guests they have chairs, umbrellas, tables, etc. They still bring you water, although I don't think you could order food or drinks there. In the morning, the water was beautiful and calm, but did get choppier in the afternoon. It was still fine for swimming, but would not have been good for snorkeling. They do provide snorkel equipment at the 4S, I think one hour/day.
Please know that when I say we prefered the Hyatt, it is not a huge preference - both are really incredible hotels in beautiful settings, with fantastic service. Except as Bill suggests, I should be saying Maui is way better
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Bubba
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Apr 7th, 2003 06:54 AM
