Kauai - Hyatt Vs Sheraton
 

We are looking to book our honeymoon for Hawaii for Sept next year. A little bit of background, we are a late-20s couple from the UK so coming to Hawaii is really special for us, and a long journey! We have been to Oahu and Maui before, but not Kauai.

We are booking through an agent to minimise stress! As such we have a restricted choice of hotels - we have decided against the Hilton and are choosing between the Sheraton and the Hyatt. We can get a Deluxe Ocean View at the Hyatt for alittle bit less than a Deluxe Ocean Front at the Sheraton.

I understand the Hyatt is perhaps more luxurious with big pool complex etc but I am concerned its not what we want. Specifically, can anyone with experience of either hotel answer any of the following questions:

- What are the beaches like at each - we like swimming and boogie boarding (and a bit of learning to surf). From the Sheraton can you walk to Poipu Beach Park?
- What are the restaurant options - can you walk to off-site restaurants/shops?
- What is proximity to the beach/ocean in ocean view rooms?

I'd love to hear of Fodorites experiences at either hotel. Thanks!

havent stayed at either property but the conventional wisdom is the Hyatt is the top property on Kauai. Their beach is not swimmable but the grounds, pools are spectacular. Congratulations.

You're right. The Hyatt is the far superior hotel.
To answer your questions:
Shipwreck beach at the Hyatt is a gorgeous beach that has surfing and boogie boarding. The surf was pretty big. The swimming is better at the beach by the Sheraton. Much fuss is made about the lack of a swimming beach at the Hyatt, but it didn't bother us at all. You are going to drive anyhow to get to the really good beaches on the northshore if you stay at either place.

You can walk to Poipu beach park from either hotel. It is about 5 minutes from the Sheraton and about 15/20 from the Hyatt. There is a path from the Hyatt that goes through the Poipu Kai development and dumps you out at Brennecke Beach. Poipu Beach Park is a short walk across the grass.

Walking to off site restaurants would be easier from the Sheraton, but I would not let that criterion be the deal breaker as driving around Poipu is very easy and one can get to where one wants to ge in a few minutes.

All the rooms at the Hyatt are set fairly far back from the ocean. We stayed in a deluxe ocean view room at the very end of the wing to your right and I'd say it was maybe around 300 feet from the ocean. The view was lovely and very enjoyable.

The Sheraton is an okay hotel with a great oreintation to a better beach. I'd stay at the Hyatt again. Have you considered staying on the north shore?

-Bill

I second Bill's suggestion that you consider the north shore, and suggest further that you look at the Princeville Hotel, one of the Starwood members, if you have that option. Princeville and its environs are far, far prettier than Poipu, though the latter is usually drier. You might review South Pacific, the movie version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, for a glimpse of the beaches and mountains up north. Enjoy your trip, wherever you stay.

We were on Kauai for a week in August, and stayed at the Hyatt. It was incredible! Honestly, probably one of the best hotels we've ever stayed at. The pools and grounds were just awesome. We were upgraded to an ocean view, and although the view was a bit far off, you could certainly see the ocean and we loved sitting on our balcony. It is just down the street from the Poipu Shopping Village, which has a few very good to excellent dining options (Keoki's and Roy's). The Beach House is also nearby.

I was disappointed with the Sheraton when I stayed there a few years ago.
The only thing great was the location, on a beautiful swimming beach.
Rooms, pools, and restaurants were mediocre at best...more like a Holiday Inn than a luxury resort. Very overpriced! I would not stay there again.

I forgot to mention that I am not a fan of the Princeville Hotel, either. Most rooms do not have lanais. The ambiance does not seem tropical to me at all...more like a European hotel. Think marble, and white walls with gilded mirrors. Many conventions held there, so often it's more like a business hotel than a resort. Definitely recommend the Hyatt for a sublime Kauai honeymoon.

If choice us just between the Hyatt and Sheraton it's a no brainer....Hyatt

Aloha!

The Hyatt is more upscale and has a lot of well-done artificial pools. The beach near it is not for swimming, at least as far as we could tell. I think they have a lot of cool programming there. It is more of a destination resort than the Sheraton.

The Sheraton is more like a normal hotel and is right next to Poipu beach, so you can walk out your door and actually be on the sandy beach.

The north shore is the paradise of your imagination. However, Poipu is nothing to scoff at. It is lovely. We stayed at Poipu as we heard it was more likely to be sunny and we were escaping the rain. We didn't regret it, but I would look north the next time I went. Hanalei is one of the most beautiful places I've seen in the world.

The Hyatt hands down for a Honeymoon! The beach is fairly usualble there. Wide stretch of sand to sunbathe on, take a walk along or surf or boogie board. Not good swimming, but just turn around and the Hyatt offers a huge salt water lagoon right along the edge of the beach. You can rent or buy your own mat and float/swim, or use a one or two man kayaks there. It's very quiet, and in Sept. families will be back in school. Of course the swimming pools are also very tropical with waterslide, etc.

You can find many places to find a quiet area, as there are hammocks all through the grounds, koi ponds and waterfalls along the trails.

The Hyatt rooms have balconies to sit out and have your morning coffee or sip a cocktail at sunset.

Ask your travel agent about the Sunshine on Sale package, which includes the 6th night free, and a wonderful breakfast buffet every morning. We've used it four times.

You'll hate to leave the property, but when you do, it's easy to drive to the north shore and back. There are many beaches to see along the way.

I like the restaurant choices better in Poipu as well.

Wow! Thanks everyone for a great response to my post. It seems unanimous then - the Hyatt is the better choice.

To everyone that suggests the north shore, it has definitely got me thinking. I'm not sure the Princeville is for us because of no lanais - we love to sit out on the lanai when we wake up - a great way to start the day! - and then with a drink in the evening... Also I think ocean view at the Princeville is out of our budget.

Which other hotels (or other) would be recommended on the north shore?

Also is the weather significantly rainer/overcast than in Poipu (in general)?

Thanks again for everyone's response it is much appreciated!

Here's a dead-on comparison from a new but very good Hawaii metro-blog / travel site. Their Kauai coverage is still a little thin but this review speaks directly to your question.

http://hawaiirama.com/2006/07/resort...-sheraton-kaua

In reply to OP about the North Shore: most of the accommodations are condos or private house rentals. I have stayed twice in the area...once in a Princeville condo and once in a lovely house right in Hanalei. Both times it rained a LOT! One trip was in May and one in October. The May trip was particularly wet. This was hard, consistent rain...not passing showers.
People from warm, dry climates might not mind this type of weather. I'm from a rainy Northwest state, though, and seek the sun on vacation. Since you are from the cooler UK, I think you are right on with your plan to stay in Poipu. You can take a day trip to the North Shore to experience the lush foilage and try out a beach or two.
My favorite is Anini.

The only other "hotel" on the north shore is the Hanalei Bay Resort, which is more of a condo/suite property than a hotel. It is located in the Princeville Resort. It gets mixed reviews, but I have a few units that are rented by owners bookmarked. Let me know if you'd like the info.

I'm not crazy about the Princeville Hotel either. Too bad they couldn't have built the Hyatt on the northshore. That would have been perfect! We've rented in Hanalei and will be doing that again in August.

Depending on how long you'll be there, you could always do a few days on the north shore and then some time on the south shore. How long will you be there?

When we stayed at the Hyatt, we spent the week before at a friend's house and drove all over the island and explored like crazy. When we got to the Hyatt, we crashed and hardly ever left for the entire week. It's a great place to veg.

-Bill

Thanks again everybody, especially Bill. Having looked into north shore options, I am now really torn between renting a house in Hanalei and the Hyatt!

We are in Kauai for a week - we are spending the week before in Waikiki. We love the Waikiki buzz, but then the plan is to explore Kauai (we like outdoors activities - hiking, kayaking, surfing etc) but also relax.

Splitting our time between north and south is an option, but we'd prefer not to move around. In Maui a few years ago we stayed for a few days in Kihei and then a couple of nights in a house in Hana. However we actually wished we'd spent more time in Hana where it was quieter and we thought, more scenic. This is encouraging thoughts of staying the whole time on the North Shore, where the scenery looks amazing.

Of course, renting a house means booking everything ourselves instead of going through an agent, which in general would be less hassle and stress. However booking it ourselves is a lot cheaper!

Lots of think about. I've done a search on Fodors and have got some recommendations of houses to look at. Any more are welcome!

I have to put in another vote for the north shore. We have stayed in Poipu and in Ha'ena on the north shore. The north is definitely more scenic than the south and the beaches are more beautiful. If you can afford the Hyatt, you should be able to afford a beachfront cottage on the north shore. Keep in mind that there is only one restaurant north of Hanalei, so if you are up near Tunnels and Ha'ena, you will have to drive back down to Hanalei to go out to dinner. It did rain a lot while we were there, but the only time it interfered with our activities was the day we went to Waimea Canyon/Kokee State Park! All that said, I have to agree that the grounds at the Hyatt are really cool! Have a wonderful time. :)

Count me as one more vote for the North shore. The amount of rainfall you'll see on the North shore depends a lot on the time of year you're going. September is the tail end of dry season, so it would be unusual for you to have consistent rain every day. We just returned from 2 weeks in Princeville and our weather was great--nothing more than a few passing showers, mostly overnight or in the early morning. North beaches are also likely to be calmer than the south at that time of year.

I thought the Princeville Resort was getting renovated next year as it has been bought out - seems like you've already decided against that anyway, but fyi just in case.
As to north shore lodgings, we love Pali Ke Kua, rooms facing Bali Hai have a gorgeous view from the lanai, perfect for that drink. :) This is the unit we stayed in in August, and the lanai photo does not do it justice.
http://www.hanalei-vacations.com/palikekua221/

I would also recommend the north shore hands down for jaw dropping scenery. After a week in Waikiki, the north shore of Kauai will be a wonderful relaxing place to end your vacation. Princeville is basically a planned community with lots of condo rentals, but Hanalei feels very authentic. If you thought Hana was scenic, just wait until you see the north shore of Kauai. The beaches on the north shore are also more scenic and will probably be more swimmable during September. Anini is my favorite beach to simply relax and take in the beautiful sights, sounds and smells. I know you want the convenience of booking through an agent, but how many times will get to visit paradise?

I think you're really going to have to decide what kind of trip you want to have. For a honeymoon, does this mean luxury and being pampered?

The north shore is going to be a lot more "do it yourself" imo. I'm not a fan of Princeville Hotel. We stayed at a condo in Princeville and toured Princeville Hotel before plopping down at the condo. The North shore is stunning yes but Poipu is wonderful too. We're talking about Kauai folks.

We stayed at the Hyatt this past May. It is a little large but they make it not so noticeable. The drinks at the pool were overpriced (because they were not that good) We loved having the lanai and sitting out there watching the waves. The grounds are great and the pools beautiful. The beach nextdoor, Shipwreck is frequented by locals so it is good for boogie boarding, surfing. The beach to the other side is rocky and often you can see large sea turtles surfing the waves.
A lot of the zodiac/raft trips take off from this side of the island too. Also, the grand canyon of Hawaii not too far away.
As mentioned by other posters, Roys for dinner yum, Keoki's and Gaylords Plantation is excellent. I did not have a good experience at The Beach House but others will recommend it.
If you do want more sunshine go for Poipu side and drive to North shore it's not that far.

Either way, it won't be bad. You must see Hanalei beach sometime. The hiking trail above is very beautiful. Good luck and here's to a great start to your marriage.

Lauricelli - I think you're right, we do need to decide what kind of honeymoon we want.

We have never really stayed in a big resort hotel like the Hyatt - we have always stayed in smaller hotels or rented homes/apartments. I am sure the Hyatt would be an amazing new experience, but I am also sure we would love to stay in a beachfront house on the North Shore!

At the moment we are leaning towards the North Shore actually... as annahead points out, it will be a lovely contrast to Waikiki. We are going to do some research and think about it before making a decision.

Thanks everyone for your input. What a turnaround from my original question!

optimystic.

You said you have been to Oahu before, so unless you are already booked in there and paid, why not shorten your time in Waikiki to 3-4 nights and spend 5 nights on Kauai north shore and 5 nights on Poipu?

That is unless you really like Waikiki that much.

But, yes, we do like Waikiki that much!! Many on this board do not seem to love it as we do, but there we are! Everyone is different. Also there is so much to see on Oahu; we did not even scratch the surface on our previous trip.

More important than that though, we really don't want to spend another day of our precious 2 weeks moving between hotels...

optimystic,

I like your style! 8-)

Have fun deciding.

-Bill

My wife and I have been coming to the Poipu Beach area for 8 years, staying at a condo near the Hyatt. It is the best hotel on the island--far better than the Sheraton and much more of a Hawaiian hotel than the Princeville, which is high-class, but the decor would suit a mainland hotel. We go to Hyatt for drinks in the late afternoon, the wonderful view, and for occasional meals. It's fantastic.

I'm late to the discussion, but wanted to provide my opinion of the Hyatt - It's fantastic! We stayed there last September for our honeymoon. We had an ocean view room, which folks mention is set back a bit from the beach, but we could hear the waves, which was incredible. The pools are probably one of the best I've seen, and they keep them open all the time, which is not the case at other hotels. We went in the pools and hot tubs at night, and most times, my husband and I were completely alone. While the Hyatt is certainly a luxurious hotel, it's not over the top. We stayed at the Four Seasons on Maui, and preferred the more relaxed atmosphere at the Hyatt. We also preferred Poipu to the North Shore.

Hi everyone,

just checking back to let you all know we have decided on renting a beachfront house in Hanalei for the whole week on Kauai. Difficult decision, as the Hyatt sounds amazing, but we decided Hanalei will be the perfect contrast after Waikiki.

Thanks for all your help... still loads to plan and 10 months to go!!!

optimystic.

Who in their right mind would rent a house in Hanalei? :S-

Which one are you renting?

Well done!

-Bill

BILLY!!!! What have you done??????

Good for you optimystic, a perfect choice IMHO.... now you must tell us at some point the beach house you have rented...and you must tell us it was horrible and how it rained and how the rooster crowed all night and how dark it was.....

Good choice!!!!!
G

We've chosen the Hanalei Moon Beach Cottage. Its been mentioned a few times on this board, which is I think where I got the link from. I looked at a lot of houses!!

We chose it because its beachfront, walking distance to shops/restaurants and seems to have good feedback from others. I have been really impressed with the service so far from the owners.

Plus, with the fantastic exchange rate (for us!) at the moment, we are going to save a lot of money over the Hyatt or doing a package deal, so it means we can spend more while we're there or upgrade our hotel choice in Waikiki.

Of course, it'll probably rain the whole time and we'll wish we had stayed at home and saved our money ... but you've got to take a chance sometimes, right?!! ;) I'll definitely report back with a trip report.

Cheers guys!
optimystic.

...and how you couldn't enjoy the beach because everytime you stepped outside you were dive bombed by skeeters...

Optimystic, you're gonna love H. Stop by the little bookstore behind the Wake-Up and pick up some great island reading.

I can't remember the name of the place, but it is a small shop in the front line of Ching Young Center just below Sushi Blues. She sells all sorts of neat little things, BUT the best stuff is...she also makes her own cakes and chocolates... and they are fantabulous!
Snoop around for it and when you find it buy every piece of banana cream pie you can find. Amazing!

-Bill

we stayed at the hyatt kauai last year for our honeymoon and it was to die for. you will love it. it is truly a first class property. it is the only hotel we have stayed at on an island that i consider true tropical paradise.

- you must have breakfast at the restaurant on the golf course there.... we loved it!

Cheers Bill and G, and thanks for those tips... I want to go now!!! The anticipation and planning is all part of the fun though. And there's lots more planning to go! And I'm sure I'll have lots more questions for you all over the next few months...

optimystic.

optimystic.....can you read my thoughts????

I have nothing on the books and I can't really book anything right now, some fragile life stuffe getting in the way.....otherwise me and billyboy would be your flower boy and ring bearer!!!

Search Kauai trip reports and you may land some from me, sistahlou/gyppielou or bill/iamq or makai and many others which will add much inspiration on why you are wasting you time and money on a mediocre island. Great plans and choices!!!! Very excited for you!