bwimmer

I'm looking for opinions on this hotel. I've read mixed reviews and am trying to decide whether we want to give it a try. This is our first trip to Kauai and we are looking for nice lodging, great beaches and swimming right outside the hotel, good restaurants, etc. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

ADAC

I like the north side of Kauai the best. It's a little wetter but it is also more lush.

Personally I much prefer one of the vacation rentals to a Hotel. The one we stayed at was right on the beach and walking distance from some great snorkeling. Tunnels beach was our favorite place to snorkel.

Also on the north side is Hanalei, that has a very good swimming beach, no worries of riptides.

Food is expensive there, we brought a lot of stuff to our cottages and mad quick meals there, spent the money on a few fancy meals. Our favorite, faster food place was call Duanes ono burger north of Kapaa.

There are no doubt a lot of other good places to stay, but we were very inpressed with Hale Makai Cottages. www.halemakaicottages.com

Unfortunatly I can't remember the name of the Hotel Resturant we ate at on the south side of Kapaa, but we had the best calamari there we have ever had.

iamq

The other major hotels that have swimming beaches on Kaua'i are the Sheraton, the Princeville Hotel, the Marriott Waiohai in Poipu, and the Hanalei Bay Resort. I'll add Kiahuna Plantation to this, even though it is not a hotel, but a condo that's sort of run like a hotel (Hanalei Bay Reosrt is a bit like that too) and has prime beach frontage. We have friends who have a time share at the Marriott and love it. There are many positive remarks about it here on this board. Use the search function with "Marriott Kaua'i" and you'll come up with a lot of hits. What time of year are you going?

-Bill

laurenzo

I know an old post was topped for you but wanted to add my 2 cents worth. We have stayed at this property twice and loved it both times. The pool is beautiful, and the location good. We ate at Dukes and enjoyed our meals. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

jamie99

Hi,

If you are talking about the Marriott Vacation Club in Lihue, we have owned a timeshare here since 1997 and love it. The pool is real big, one of the biggest in the islands, with five adjacent jacuzzis with waterfalls. There is a little man-made island in the middle of this big pool. Marriott is generally known for good service and this hotel has excellent service, folks always saying "mahalo" to you. We love the food at Duke's and the Portofino which moved in two years ago (neither of these are owned by the Marriott but are concessions). The food at main restaurant, Kukui's, is just OK, but they are supposed to have fabulous buffets and especially their Sunday brunch. The poolside bar is very good also. They are right on Kalapaki Beach and that generally has safe swimming.

I think you would enjoy the hotel and the rooms were all redone 2-3 years ago with new carpets, drapes, wallpaper, paintings, etc.

One of these years I would love to stay a few extra days down at the Hyatt but right now my budget does not allow this.

luvtravl

We used Marriott points and stayed in a one bedroom villa in May 2004. Pros: Spacious, tastefully decorated rooms; Huge pool with several hottubs; Duke's for casual dining and Kalapaki Beach Hut for inexpensive but good burgers, fish sandwiches, breakfast next door to resort; centrally located and within an hour to just about anywhere on the island, close to the airport (but no airport noise) CONS: Beach had warning signs the entire time we were there because of bacteria (this may have been a rare occurance?); Lots of people at pool and beach; Pool was COLD.

Although we tend to enjoy smaller properties and/or condos the most, the Marriott Kauai Beach Club is a beautiful property.