Kellie

Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of these two hotels? Amenities, pools, beaches...
I will be traveling in November with my husband and five year old daughter. Thanks.

marisa

My husband and I stayed at the Sheraton Kauai in mid-September 1999. We loved it - especially since we were upgraded to a suite. We had reserved a deluxe oceanfront room with a king size bed. When we arrived, we got the oceanfront room but it had double beds! We complained to the front desk a few times and they were not very responsive until we demanded to speak to the manager. The manager asked us if we would like a suite that was temporarily out of order (a desk was missing because the Princess of Japan wanted 2 desks in her suite). Needless to say, we took it. It was spectacular. Even the first room we saw was great. The beach area was great - not too crowded. Most people opted to stay by the pool. The pool area was beautiful as well. Every Friday night, there is a seafood buffet. It was excellent and worth every penny - I think it was about $35 a person. If you decide to choose the Sheraton, you should join the Starwood Club so that you can get 35 % off your hotel room and certain meals and activities in the hotel. The hotel also charged us $10 per day - it covered valet parking, newspapers, fitness center, and local and toll-free phone calls from your room. The fitness center was OK - not too big but sufficient for a vacation. I don't know what else to add so please e-mail for any other info.

gtc

Have not stayed in either hotel but by far the Hyatt grounds are one of the most beautiful I've seen. I would choose Hyatt the next time I visit Kauai.

pc

I've stayed at both. The Hyatt is a deluxe hotel with spectacular grounds and amenities. It's beach called Shipwreck Beach often has the red flag up for no swimming. That said, the Hyatt has wonderful water pools, and huge salt water lagoons. It is a hotel that we have enjoyed as a couple, with kids,and for mini family reunions. It has a great spa ANARA Spa. Very pleasnat staff, and if you want to treat yoursel, a great regency club rooms. At the Sheraton Kaui,I've stayed in an ocean front suite, which had great ocean views and in a lagoon room. I would stay there unless you were in an ocean or beach room. The lagoon room looked back into the hotel and did not allow any privacy on the lani. Also, the garden rooms are across a road from the main hotel. I wouldn't suggest them either, small rooms. The ocean side is new since the hurricane. The Sheraton is on a swimmable beach. I just find the amenitites at the Hyatt to be better. It can be a matter of price. Hyatt has Hyatt Vacations, a different 800 number, than the regular Hyat 800 number. We've gotten better prices through the Hyatt Vacations number. Enjoy your trip. Oh, I took my young niece to the Hyatt kids club. She was 6 at the time, She loved it and wanted to (and did return) for half day programs three days in a row. They had enough staff, a nice staff, and good activities.

Barbara

Kellie,
My friend & I returned from the Sheraton a few weeks ago. We loved it & we stayed in a Garden room. Our balcony overlooked their second pool which had a waterfall. Not many guests used that pool so it was pretty quiet. We weren't in our room all day anyway. I don't know if they have much for children. I don't remember seeing too many around. I think they did have hotel activities like lei making, etc. Their fitness room had enough; 2 treadmills, 2 bikes, step machine, free weights, weight machines. There were never more than 5 people in there whenever I used it. There's also Shells, the restaurant, and a lounge/game room where a band played on the weekend. There they had a pool table & other miscellaneous board games. We went to the Hyatt one night just to check it out. Their pool is a winding river about 3 ft. deep which looked like a lot of fun but they didn't seem to have much for a beach. The Sheraton's is part of Poipu Beach. They seemed to have a piano bar type place there. The Hyatt just looked more expensive. It all depends what you're looking for. either way, you'll have a great time. You're in KAUAI!! --barbara

Kara

We stayed at the Hyatt for our honeymoon two years back and just recommended it to another friends of ours that just got back a week ago and absolutely loved it. The grounds are incredible, they have an open air lobby that looks right out on the ocean and for our honeymoon we got upgraded. They have a thing called camp hyatt for kids but their pools are more like interconnected lagoons and they even have a waterslide. The Hyatt is much closer to at least 3 or 4 great restaurants. My friends went and looked at the Sheraton and said it was nice but nothing like the Hyatt. The Hyatt is still to this day my husband and I's favorite hotel we have ever been to.

Tony

My partner and I stayed at the Hyatt two years ago, and I must say that as a frquent leisure traveler worldwide, the Hyatt is truely the nicest hotel I have ever stayed at. As previous posts have mentioned, the grounds are spectacular, as is the open air design of the hotel's public spaces. The hotel feels luxurious without being stuffy or ostentatious ( As does the Grand Wailea, which originally opened as a Grand Hyatt!) The hotel staff was wonderful, and I loved the bathrooms in the rooms. The recreational facilites are top notch - as mentioned the pool area with slide, and lagoon with artifical beach( the 'sand' is actually very fine pebbles)are great if you're don't like swimming in the ocean. The hotel also has it's own golf course(don't know what the green fees are. I can't say enough about the hotel - it was truely one of our top memories of our two weeks in Hawaai!