Marriott Kauai
 

Has anyone stayed at the Marriott Kauai? Is there any problem with airport noise, because of proximity to airport?

No, none. Don't worry, it's a beautiful place. You'll have a great time!

has anyone stayed in the timeshare units at the marriot in kauai?

Stayed there in June on our honeymoon. Sitting out by the pool or on the beach you can hear the planes taking off. The airport isn't that busy. It didn't bother us, but you can hear them.

Tim,<BR>Stayed there in '00. Loved it soooo much. Going back next year. Can't wait. Never knew I was near the airport. Roosters make more noise. Grounds are beautiful. Pool is large; never had a problem finding a chair and never felt like others were sitting on top of me. Location is excellent; can go north or south quite easily and windshield time isn't excessive. Rooms are average, but we spent so little time there. I've read what others have written about The Princeville and the Hyatt, but I have NO interest in staying at either place because we love the Marriott so much. Have a fantastic time; you'll love it.

Tim, We've been known to hang out at the Marriott and Duke's from time to time and the above posters are correct about the airplane noise.<BR>But, if you golf on either of the 2 nice courses located right there, you may be be bugged by the plane noise because if the wind is right, you can wave to some of the newly arriving passengers out near the lighthouse hole!<BR>Still pretty nice.<BR><BR>138 mo' days!<BR>Kal

We stayed in one of the timeshare units in July. We loved the resort but were very disappointed in the room. We reserved an oceanview two-bedroom unit. The girl at the front desk even said "We have a beautiful oceanview room for you." When we got to the 4th floor room, the only thing we could see was the roof of the lobby and tree tops. The room was also a little musty smelling. There were no other two-bedroom units available, so they cut the rate for us by 20% after getting to a manager who agreed the view "wasn't the best." Nice gesture, but it didn't make up for the disappointment. To me, it was a blatent misrepresentation. <BR><BR>I think the quality of the room depends on the wing you stay in. We were in the Nounou wing which appeared to be one of the older wings. <BR><BR>It looked like they tried remodeling the rooms within the past few years, but did a half-assed job at it. The bathroom sinks and wet bar were nicely done, but the bathtub fixtures were old. The curtains were nice, but the bedspread was obviously worn. In the ceilings of the bathrooms were little hatch doors, probably to get at the AC unit when necessary. There was relatively new paint on the ceiling, but rust was beginning to show through the hatch door.<BR><BR>In short, the common resort area is great. The rooms are a crap-shoot.<BR><BR>If we go back to Kauai, I might be inclined to stay in Poipu. We really loved the beaches there and tow of our favorite restaurants, The Beach House and Roy's were there.<BR><BR>

Why are people so obsessed with room quality? You sleep and shower there. I've never really heard good things about any major hotel's rooms (Hyatt, Princeville or Marriott). I've never chosen to stay at a hotel based on the bathroom fixtures. Who cares about that???

Isn't that the truth about bathrooms especially! What is the deal, people? Unless you are staying at Motel 6 or Days Inn, most bathrooms at places like Marriott, Westin, Hyatt, are indistinguishable from one another. And who cares? I don't get it either. At all! How much time are you in your room, especially the darned bathroom?

First, to each their own. Some people actually do choose where to vacation based upon the quality of the room. Some people do spend time in their room and more specifically in the bathroom. Second, my motto when traveling is "why go somewhere to have less than I had at home". I don't have old bathroom fixtures, a worn bedspread or rust on my ceilings at home. Why would I want to give some hotel thousands of my hard earned dollars and travel thousands of miles for these "luxuries"? Some people obviously don't care about these things, and that's cool. Like I said to each their own. Mo, thanks for the details on this hotel.

I highly agree with Jack. I will not travel 5,000 miles to have less than I have at home. That thing about not being in your room anyway is such a crock. I work hard all year and want to feel pampered and taken care of when I'm away. If I woke up in a dump like the Royal Lahaina or the Maui Islander that would surely set my mood for the day. I work hard to have a beautiful home so when I am away I will choose to pay for luxury. I don't want to worry about looking at peeling paint or bugs in my room. To some people Hawaii is the trip of a life time and they will never return so anything is better than nothing. I don't choose a hotel based on bathroom fixtures, but my room must smell clean, be clean and I must be treated according to how much I pay for a hotel. Some people don't care. That tells me a lot about their homes. Like atracts like. I won't stay in a place that has beer guzzling people in muscle shirts hanging out at the bar and screaming around the pool like redneck low lives.

This is anal retentive posters. We aren't talking going to places with peeling paint and bugs. There are endless debates on Princeville, Hyatt Kauai, and now Marriott Kauai! And please, I will wager my home is every bit as nice as yours, as are our cars, two different German models, need I say more, but I plain don't care about the size of my bathroom on vacation and if the room is olive green or whatever. If it is pleasant, and those places all are, stop obsessing about it! Actually because our home is beautiful, I suspect I'm LESS worried about a choice between these hotels, not more. I'm content, I am secure, and I have nothing to prove! None of these places whose rooms and bathrooms are being talked to death will have "beer guzzling people in muscle shirts hanging out at the bar and screaming around the pool like redneck low lives". You need to get a grip on your attitude Sweet Kathy, which really was rather declasse in tone.<BR>

I have to come to Kathy's defense here RJ. Why would you go away from your beautiful home with cars that are "two different German models" (Fiat is not German, by the way) to be exposed to a run-down room? Is that any way to be pampered? It's nice to wake up to luxury and not worry about shoddy furnishings and bathrooms when you're paying for luxury and comfort.

The endless debates on rooms and bathrooms at Princeville vs Hyatt, and now vs Marriott has gone over the top recently. None of these are run-down. None are shoddy, none stand out above the other either. None have beer guzzling, muscle shirted red-necks polluting her pool space. 3 nice resorts. I do not understand the constant obsessing over this, most especially the bathrooms. It is precisely as if this is the only vacation in Hawaii they will ever have, and they'd better do it right this time or forever hold their peace! Discuss grounds, resort ambience, beaches, proximity to other sites and discuss weather pros and cons. Do not endlessly discuss bathrooms/bathroom sizes and debate room decor when there is so little difference between these resorts and when it's personal preference to begin with.

Tut Tut, RJ. You have your head on straight. I've never seen bugs, dirty rooms, been mistreated, or seen muscle-shirted bohunks at the Marriott. I chose the Marriott for the beautiful grounds, awesome pool, central location, Marriott name and reputation, and recommendations from friends, not petty things such as the bathrooms.

But doesn't the Marriott have a restrictive policy about taking the pool lounge chairs on the beach, like the policy at the Sheraton Kauai. Instead you have to pay extra to rent more expensive beach lounges.

My husband and I just were at the Marriott in Kuaui 2 mos ago and had a wonderful time. The service was fantastic, the pool and beach are were incredible and the rooms were great. There were no charges for the pool or beach chairs and the golf course and spa are both awesome! We went to Maui afterwards and stayed at the Ritz and actually preferred the Marriott (& Kuaui for that matter). Enjoy and have fun - its an amazing island and a great hotel. Oh, and DO NOT MISS the NAPALI COAST - you can hike or take a boat there (we hiked) and its just so beautiful!

Interesting discussion. I agree w/ RJ; if it's clean and the paints not peeling off the walls, a room is a room is a room. The Kauai Marriott is no exception. And that's fine by me, because I travel to broaden my cultural experiences, and hopefully open my mind. Others are more into hedonism.....each to his/her own.<BR><BR>So, to respond to the original post, aside from the rooms, observations from my May 2002 stay at the Marriott are:<BR>1. The beach is nice and good for swimming and beginner surfing. But it opens more to the bay, so you don't have that ocean view into infinity.<BR>2. Except for Duke's, food service/quality at the Marriott is not great. The snack shack in the pool/beach area is okay, but the other two "restaurants" are not up to the standard you'd expect of a Marriott. And while Duke's is a nice place to hang, and presents a decent meal, it's definitely not a fine dining experience.<BR>3. Airplane noise is not a factor. You're more likely to be distracted by the endless parade of helicopters beginning their island tours.<BR>4. I don't get the excitement about the pool. Its only distinguishing characteristics are its size and the 5 hot tubs. I'd much prefer slides and a swim up bar.<BR>5. The Jack Nicklaus designed courses are nice, and tee times not a problem. But they're built on what appears an otherwise failed development, complete with abandoned buildings. What's with that? Kinda depressing actually.....

I just got back from the Kauai Marriott and was rather disappointed with the service and the food. I remember when it used to be the Westin -- it was beautiful then. After the hurricane, it seems, well, a bit shabby.<BR>The line to check-in around 3:00 PM was very long -- I stood in line for over 30 minutes. The hotel made an error and checked me into an occupied room. What an embarrassing situation! I disturbed a poor couple who were apparently sleeping when I used my card key and opened the door only to have it slam against the dead bolt. The hotel remedied the situation immediately, upgrading me to an oceanview room in the Kalihi tower (same tower as the Presidential suite).<BR>The grounds are still beautiful but I do remember the hotel's "glory days" when it was the Westin. If given the choice, I would stay at the Hyatt Regency or at Princeville.<BR>Aloha,<BR>Kehau

Classic Hawaii is offering a special deal for the Marriott Kaui - fly free. Offers a free rental car also. Worth looking into at their web site. www.ccv.com

Am planning a stay at Kauaii Marriott and now you have me worried. Are the rooms and bathrooms that bad? I don't have an ocean view room -- what's best tower or floor or side to ask for? Is the service good -- and friendly? I do spend a lot of time in my room. Are they large and clean vs small/ordinary? I hate staying somewhere with a bad mattress and burned out lightbulbs. My cars are GM and my house is exactly the median price for my town -- but believe me I've got a comfortable, luxurious bed! Appreciate any suggestions.

I've never stayed at this particular Marriott, but this month's Travel and Leisure list this as one of the top 25 places in Hawaii.