I've read a lot about the Hyatt in Kauai, but haven't seen anything about the Marriotts there. Any input? Thanks!

Have stayed for a week at the Marriott in Lihue...it is wonderful..pool is grand, location is great...right on the bay..beautiful gardens..

We stayed at the one in Lihue last November. We loved it! The pool was great and we never had a hard time getting a chair. We ate at Duke's twice, which is within walking distance. The rooms we clean and the service was great.

We now have three Marriott properties here on Kaua`i -- the oldest, being the one already mentioned (Lihu`e, near the airport).

There is also the Marriott Waiohai down in Po`ipu (south side of the island) -- finally reopened early last year, after severe damage from Hurricane `Iniki ten years earlier:
http://marriott.com/property/propert...rshaCode=LIHWI

The newest -- a renovation of another hotel, just recently "officially" reopened as this state's first Courtyard by Marriott -- is located in Kapa`a (east side of the island):
http://marriott.com/property/propert...rshaCode=LIHCY

The Lihu`e property is a "destination resort" -- multiple restaurants & shops, large pool, beachfront.

The Po`ipu & Kapa`a properties are beautiful, but with fewer amenities.

There are two Marriotts on Kauai. One is located in Poipu (south) and the other in Lihue (east).

The Poipu location is smaller and is mostly a time-share type of situation and not a resort. They have a small pool, not much for grounds and a very nice snack bar/shop. Poipu is lovely, a very popular beach, not very big and is often crowded. The Marriott property has its fans, people who return to Kauai year after year and are looking for a dependable place to stay.

The Lihue location is a true resort and my pick for best all around hotel on Kauai. It is a large but not overly large hotel. It has a huge pool with several hot tub pavilions. There are acres and acres of grounds to walk/run with lovely views of the ocean and an attached golf course, tennis complex. The beach is large, protected in a cove and so the waves are very gentle here. The staff is extremely down to earth and thoughtful.

All sorts of vacationers stay at the Lihue site, honeymooners, business groups, family reunions, families with children (gentle waves, remember?).

The Lihue location is more central on the island too. It's more convenient to the North shore and restaurants in Kapaa. Poipu is a little removed from the action.

You can often get a nice discount rate at the Mariott if you search through travel brokers.

Hyatt Kauai is much pricier. I can't say that their rooms are any nicer than the Mariotts (standard room). Their lobby is very impressive however as are their lagoon pools. The waves at the Hyatt beach can be very very rough though.

I would steer clear of the Sheraton. Have had very bad experiences there.I don't consider it a resort and they have old buildings which they assign to you at no bargain rate.

The Radisson property is small scale but very comfortable hotel if you want to spend a week at a decent hotel in Hawaii but not spend a lot.

kakalena

Auntie,

I didn't know they opened the Courtyard. Thanks for the info.

kakalena

I stayed at the Kauai Marriott in Sept. 2003. I was bowled over with this megaresort. I loved everything about it. The room was billed as "deluxe poolview" and it didn't disappoint. A large, very upscale-feeling room with a terrific view of the pool. I initially found this rate on the Marriott website for $299. After receiving some very good advice from this website, I joined Marriott Rewards and was able to book the same room type for $239. If ever I return to Kauai, I'll definitely go back to the Kauai Marriott.

For those of you who have stayed at one of the Marriotts in Kauai....I read recently on another thread (can't manage to locate it now) that the Marriott has a weekend Seafood Buffet. True? We had planned on hitting the one at Princeville, but might want to consider the Marriott if quality and value are good. Thanks! 41 days(DAZE!) and almost worthless!

RickyB - How does joining Marriott rewards enable you to get a discount?

The Marriott in Lihue, is this the rainy side of Kaui? We are thinking of a summer trip 06 and including a stay on Kaui. We collect Marriott pts and were thinking of this property. Any comments? (We prefer to be on the sunny side.)

We stayed there last week for 4 nights and thought it was very nice. The room was large and very clean, with turn down service at night. It was our honeymoon and they left us a split of champagne and a small platter with 6 large chocolate dipped strawberries on our first night.

I loved the pool with its easy entrances. It was near Duke's and we had 2 meals there. The Fri/Sat night buffet (at hotel) was good, not outstanding. Breakfast buffet was included in our plan--very good. My husband did not care for the exercise room, which seemed to have been relocated to a conference room.

We stayed in the Ho'oapu (sp) Tower on the 3rd floor with pool view. This one was the furthest east. All rooms in this tower faced the pool/bay. The good part is we had very easy access to a parking lot and did not have to walk thru the entire hotel to get to our car. It's the lot with beach access.

Oops, we were at the Lihue location, close to the airport.

The Marriott in Lihue is very nice, and is a fine resort hotel. A downside (or upside if you value being in Lihue) is the fact that you're right next to the airport, so you get some noise. Prices are a beter deal than the Hyatt ($200-250 per night), esp. if you have Marriott Rewards.

My wife and I travelled to the Hyatt in Poipu for our honeymoon. Though the prices were steep ($300-400), it was worth it as a one-time only visit - the lagoon and waterslide are spectacular. But if I go to Kauai again with kids, I will look to the Marriott instead (hope this helps to clarify the difference).

Gilber20
One might think that there would be a lot of jet noise staying near an airport. I've stayed at the Marriott Lihue Resort several times and can't recall hearing a plane day or night. I think the pilots mitigate the noise factor somehow.

Someone also asked about the sunny side of the island. It can rain anywhere on the island anytime. Poipu (South - Sheraton and Hyatt) boasts that it gets the least rain but I wouldn't book a hotel there because of that. It's a little island. Lihue isn't far from there (Southeast-Big Marriott Resort) and may get a tad more rain but not much. The North side of the island decidedly gets the most rain (Princeville Hotel/ Hanalei)but again it's a little island and you can go somewhere else until it passes through.

More importantly than all of that you are going to be there in the summer when it is hot and there is the least chance of rain no matter where you stay.

Kakalena

We stayed at the Lihue Marriott a couple years ago, and agree with the positives written here. The one negative for me was that it's on a bay and sheltered by a jetty. There are still waves for surfing and all, but you don't have that expansive view of the ocean.

topping for girlonthego.

We stayed at "Waiohai Beach Club" and loved it. It is small, just a small restaurant on site, but the rooms are suites and it is beautiful.

We stayed at the Marriott Lihue in August of 2004 and really loved it! I worried, too, about the "rainy" side of Kauai and I have to say, we never had a rainy day! We almost stayed in Poipu to insure that we would get sunny days, but am so glad that we decided to stay at the Marriott.

First of all it is close enough to the airport that you're there in a blink, but far enough that we never heard a lot of plane noise. The pool is incredible at this place (although it is only 4-5 foot deep), but just magnificent!! The spas are pretty awesome, too.

The other advantage we found was that it was centrally located to the north and south so if you intend to visit both areas, you will not have a lot of driving.

Duke's also is right next door and is a great place to eat. The beach is nice, but there are nicer beaches in Kauai so I wouldn't stay there just for the beach. Also our room was on a high floor in the building behind the pool facing the beach and the view was to die for!!!

I don't think you can go wrong staying here, unless you are looking for a beach where you can snorkel (this is not the one), but then that's what makes exploring the island of Kauai so exciting, there are lots of hidden beaches especially in the north area around Princeville (check out Queen's
bath if you get a chance).

Hope you have a great time.

Mahalo!!

ttt for bwimmer.