- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$$
30 reviews for Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club
I have stayed at this hotel many times over the last 10 years and have always had a wonderful experience. The staff has always been friendly and helpful and the rooms clean and spacious. This trip was no different. I had no problems with my accommodations so I didn't interact with the staff other than at check in and out.
The Marriott Vacation Club portion of this hotel is called the Marriott Kauai Beach Club and all the rooms are one or two bedroom villas and most have an ocean front location on Kalapaki Bay. This is the portion of the resort I stayed in and as always the ocean front villa had a spectacular view you can see and hear the waves crashing from your room. Another reviewer has put up a picture of the view from their lower floor ocean front room if you want to see the great view which is even better the higher up you are. The vacation villas are updated and new so no musty smell but it isn't uncommon given the humidity levels especially on Kauai. There really isn't anything hotels can do about it other than to keep their rooms updated which is a never ending process at most major hotels in Hawaii.
I haven't stayed in the hotel portion (Kauai Marriott Resort) of this resort in a really long time so I can't comment on the condition of these rooms.
The hotels location is great making it easy to travel to the other areas of the island in a short amount of time. There is a shuttle from the airport if you don't want to rent a car, but it is so nice to see the fabulous beaches and scenery so definitely rent a car.
The hotel grounds are beautiful and once the renovations are finished it will be spectacular, once again. The view over the bay is beautiful and the beach has very calm water which is unusual for Hawaii. The pool is huge and beautiful and such a relaxing place to enjoy the day. Of course the renovations made that not so relaxing but I knew that ahead of time and still came so I can't complain.
Duke's is wonderful and the poolside grill ok for what it is. As soon as they reopen the other restaurant the food will be back up to par at the resort. There are lots of choices away from the resort so drive to Roy's or other highly rated restaurants if you want to have enjoyable meals. Always expect to pay more for food at a resort.
Hawaii is an expensive destination as are most islands. Food is expensive, hotel restaurants are more expensive, you will pay to park, there will be tipping involved if you eat out, valet your car, use the bellmen or use the shuttle. Just like with any vacation in any location unless you do an all-inclusive trip. If you want to learn more about the any hotel and their fees check their website before you book and there will be no surprises. The Marriott website had had mention of the renovations for many months so if you arrived uninformed blame your travel agent or on-line booking site for not informing you. At least they don't have the ridiculous "resort fee" like the Westin in Mau and many other hotels in Hawaii.
I love this place its in a beautiful, peaceful location and I am glad they are renovating so it will be even better than before.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
Just got back from our honeymoon. We spent six nights here. Got a few mixed feelings about this place. Both my wife and I are fans of Marriott (their Rewards program is nice... because of our jobs our employers tend to put us up into Marriott's), but I am not sure if we will stay here again.
So this place is in the midst of a $50 million renovation project. We found out about this like literally, 2 weeks before we were supposed to leave. We read the horror stories about the noise, etc during the reconstruction so we made several calls to the resort and to our travel agent to reassure us everything would be ok. I mean, who would want to deal with a bunch of crap on their honeymoon?
Everything turned out ok. The only things we saw them work on was laying down the concrete foundation to relay the brick deck on the island in the pool, and the work they are doing at Kukui's. The loudest it got was the sound of the concrete mixer which, being a constant noise you just ignore it after a while.
Interestingly enough, they told us that they were about 2/3's done with the work on the pool (they are relaying all new brick on the deck) - it looked like the other way around - being only a 1/3 done.
And they say they are supposed to be done with all this work by September - I think they are also redoing the rooms (all? some?). Our section wasn't redone... or if it was we couldn't tell! LOL So who knows if they will meet their deadline.
Food selections are somewhat limited with Kukui's temporarily out of the picture for now. You got Aupaka's, where they are serving the breakfast buffet. VERY overpriced breakfast (like, $1.50 for a slice of bread... that type of thing). I will say, the $11-12 omelets they serve are FREAKING HUGE and come with home fried potato's. Our breakfast during our stay was included for up to $42 between the two of us - but there were a couple days when we would go *over* $42 !!
Tip - if you drink a lot of coffee, or anything... buy the $29 souvenir mug. Free refills on coffee, soda, etc. Otherwise coffee is $3.50 during breakfast and they only give you 1 refill.
Aupaka's also serves dinner - check the fish specials (they are actually pretty good) but I would skip the sushi next time. They close early though. Actually, most places seem to close early on Kauai! You have been warned.
Other food choices include Duke's, Cafe Portofino (expensive Italian... $17-20 plates... I like Italian but is a dish really worth that much? Also Portofino has dancing on I think Thur/Fri... $10 cover or free if you are there for dinner)... more food can be had across the street or in the small marketplace by the water. But be warned (again), some of those places are complete tourist traps.
The room... it was nice, clean, bed comfy. HOWEVER, our AC wasn't working right and the hotel staff gave us some bullshit excuse saying because we were on the 11th floor the AC wasn't powerful enough to cool our room... or something. Uh, no... there was no cold air coming out. We survived... the view made up for it (we had a balcony overlooking the harbor).
The grounds are very nice... very green, jungle like. Almost got lost a few times... this place is HUGE. The private beach is very nice as well. The pool is great... oh yeah there is the Kalapaki Grill at the pool where you can get drinks and some pretty tasty food items (my favorite of all the places) - but their hours are only from 11am to around 6pm. Needless to say, we gave this place some pretty good business while we were here! (Which is why we didn't get in the car to explore more dinner choices at night... )
Oh, that reminds me. I HATE THOSE GODDAMN CHICKENS. You should also know, that there are a bunch of chickens & roosters who roam the resort (and all of Kauai itself). And no matter what time it is, the roosters will be noisy. 2-3am seemed like that was their quality time.
If you have your own car/rental (like we did)... check this out... the Marriott charges you $11 *per day* to park in the parking lot. They should get back that $50 million in renovation costs in no time! I mean, they are raking in at least a million a year just in parking fees. But maybe all of the resorts charge for parking? I dunno, wouldn't surprise me.
So, in conclusion (am I done yet?) tough to say if we would stay here again. Might be easier if they were done with the construction? But for the value, today... not so sure. We had a very pleasant stay overall, for sure... but nothing screamed out that gave a powerful, lasting impression.
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
- Funny (2)
- Cool (1)
really 3.5 but i think it will be a solid 4 when renovations are done.
the grounds are gorgeous. lit tiki torches at night make it even more beautiful. the coy pond isso nice and i have never seen coy soo big or hungry.
we were upgraded to an ocean view room that had been remodeled. there was still work going on in our tower, bw 9-5 which i wasnt in the room at that time anywas so that wasnt an issue. but the dust was. i got allergies immediately the first night.
the pool area is only half usable due to renovations which was kind of annoying bc it gets full early.
the buffet area was nice, typical overpriced hotel prices but the quality and portions were worth it!!
Stayed here for our honeymoon... the pool / jacuzzi's are amazing... dukes has a great walk up bar that our wife and I enjoyed a few times. Great memories... very nice destination... Kauai in general can be a bit slow (especially Princeville)... but for a few days, this is great.
5 stars for the hotel, but yes there is construction going on until mid-sept. Still, grounds are beautiful- we had a great room, great view of the garden & the private beach. The koi pond was pretty gross, but i'm just not a fan of koi in the first place.
The pool was great, the staff we encountered during our stay were super cool. This hotel made for a super relaxing anniversary vaca for the hubs & I. We even made friends with a wandering cat- fed him some nightly leftovers.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
Nice hotel but would not stay again for the following reasons:
1) There was no balcony in my room.
2) TV and furniture was lame and cheap.
3) Bathroom was TINY!
4) The massage was good but the pedicure was terrible. They did not do a good job at all.
5) No flower or Lei greeting - what up with that!
6) Saw the Grand Hyatt and that was Beautiful!
7) Given all those things, definately not worth the price!
But, the pool is nice and large but no slide for the kidies, and the grounds are beautiful (not as much as Hyatt but still)
I give this place 3.5-4 stars, can't really decide. We were here recently for our honeymoon, and loved it.
PROS:
- Grounds are BEAUTIFUL! Loved the pool, loved walking around the gardens, gorgeous beach access, and awesome views.
- The hotel's location is really superb. We ended up driving all over Kauai and were able to get anywhere easily.
- The valets are super nice and friendly. They always remembered us, had good suggestions, and could give us directions anywhere. They also had tasty fruit water for us all the time while we waited for our cars...I loved it so much I bought a dispenser of my own when we got back!
- I was worried because A) they had started hotel renovations when we were there and B) i had read LOTS of reviews on TripAdvisor complaining of a mildew-y smell. We were never in our room during the day because there was so much to do, so we didn't notice the renovation noises (although if you were staying in your room, you definitely would have). Luckily there were no mildew scents anywhere we encountered.
- Though the decor of our tower of the hotel is VERY dated (hence the renovations), the space was ample and we had a nice little lanai overlooking the pool and beach.
- We had 5 days of free breakfast included with our package, which was a $42 credit each day! We were able to stuff ourselves silly, and the hotel's breakfast food was VERY good. If ever we ordered less than $42 worth of food, the servers always encouraged us to get more just so we would get the best value for our money :)
CONS:
- Front desk staff was never all that friendly.
- The sushi dinner was RIDICULOUSLY overpriced. It took forever for them to bring us the wrong order even through there was only one other table waiting for food...that got there after us. Also at first we thought $14 for a spider roll was reasonable, until we found out it only came with FOUR pieces!!! What sushi roll only comes with FOUR pieces!?
- Like I said, very dated decor, especially for the price, but really, Kauai isn't known for it's luxury accomodations and that's part of the appeal. Plus I would imagine on a return trip the remodeling would help out a lot.
Anyway, if you're looking for posh, stay at the Hyatt (although I didn't see the rooms, just visited the spa). But if you're looking for a nice place to stay and a springboard to visit all things Kauai has to offer, I'd definitely recommend this Marriott.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (4)
Absolutely gorgeous hotel. Certainly not cheap, but we were here for a wedding. When I came, the front parking area was under reconstruction. That led to a mess for parking, a small downside. I'm hoping they've finished that by now. They have shuttles to and from the airport.
You are greeted by valet parking/staffers at the door, and you take a set of escalators down (which I was surprised at). Turns out, the parking lot is elevated above the hotel's main floor area due to being on a hill/cliff.
The entry space is open to the air, spacious, and built with an eye for luxury. Stone floors and columns prevail, and a large koi pond in a quad area separates an outdoor meeting area from the various hotel spaces. Check out the koi pond when feeding time comes around! The feeder will tell a bit about the types of koi and more information about the pond.
The main lobby is airy and has a traditional Hawaiian canoe in it for review. Check-in was painless, although a map of the hotel might've been useful. We walked past into a dining area where we were above the pool, a magnificent, large and beautiful pool area filled with towels (you can request them), plenty of chairs to sit in, and plenty of people swimming up to the pool-side bars. Hammocks and beach chairs along the actual beach beyond that, and sand and surf lessons daily.
Green green grass and you walk into the actual building which has mirrors at the entry and stone pathways that are surrounded by well-cared for shrubbery that looks like it could be used for mischief easily. The rooms were clean and well-appointed, with great sheets and comfortable AC units for those of us who needed a little less humidity.
The property also is close to it's own golf course, and a veranda that is right on the water for weddings and other special events -- accessed by a wooden walking bridge that extends out into the lagoon where the octagonal veranda sits, big enough to hold more than 60 people, seated. The veranda itself is a bit of a hike, but fortunately the hotel has shuttles to get from hotel to the point. Very scenic. Signage on the drives to and from places in the hotel could be improved.
Breakfast buffet here is pretty good, if a bit on the spendy side, but living here, you're willing to be living in luxury, right?
Lots of open beach and paths down to other restaurants and a bar exist. Locals come to hang during the day it is much quieter at night. Kids are definitely welcome.
There's a small business center, but for the most part, rooms were there to get away - no mention of internet or TV, just a chance to relax and enjoy Kauai.
Conference rooms along the right-hand side as you enter, along with a car rental agency, and a souvenir shop line that side as you come down the escalators.
There's an open conference room with a tall columned-ceiling to keep the rain off guests for various receptions or weddings, and the koi pond makes for a great photo for couples. Beautiful place for families and newlyweds. Individuals can take advantage of the service and the scene, too.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
Just got back last week from this hotel. Even though it is a beautiful hotel, the staff is horrible. Let's reminisce..
1. When we checked in, they gave us the wrong room. When they changes our room, they gave us a handicap room. It took over 24 hours and numerous phone calls to finally get the right room that we reserved months before.
2. The hotel only gives you two towels per day. For the amount of money it costs to stay there per night, I should be allowed however many damn towels I want.
3. The sushi bar closes at 8:45pm. We got there at 8:40, weren't served until 8:48, when they then told us that they stopped serving 3 minutes ago and we were SOL. Ew! We then went to the restaurant in the hotel, where we were seated, then watched two tables seated after us being served and we were ignored. WTF?
4. We ordered a tiny side of fruit from room service. It was $18.
5. We went to the concierge, asked if we could sign up for a luau. She said there are no luaus on Saturday. We asked what else we should, she said "I dont know". Isn't her job to help guests plan activities? She was rude, unhelpful, and acted like we were bothering her.
6. I went to the manager to express my displeasure with the way we were treated at her hotel. She proceeded to argue every point I made, told me her staff would never do the things I was saying they did (basically calling me a liar) and then when I started to walk away, she called me crazy! Ex-cuse me?!
8. A few other things happened but I'm sick of complaining.
9. Don't stay here. Stay at one of the groovier hotels in Poipu or Princeville or Kilauea, to name a few.
P.S. The only reason why I gave this hotel two stars instead of one is because the grounds truly are beautiful, the beach is lovely, and the bellmen and shuttle drivers were very friendly.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Funny (2)
- Cool (2)
I'm sure you could find cheaper accommodations, but I was exhausted after the marathon and just wanted to not have to deal with anything. My room had partial view of ocean, which was great. The king-size bed was perfect for when I crashed.
With some restaurants right on the premises, I didn't have to venture far, but you can walk to a couple of plazas for other meals, and the ABC store.
I also did paddle boarding (the hotel has a weekly list of sponsored activities for you to try (at a price)), which was a nice workout given the choppy waters and the post-marathon body mechanics.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
We stayed here for 7 days last week at the beach villa, kahili tower. The room was big and clean, but a little outdated although they supposedly renovated the beach villas last year. My husband complained about mildew-y smell, but I couldn't tell. I think that's just from the humidity of Kauai. Definitely not one of the nicer marriott resorts that i've been to.
However, the grounds of the hotel were beautiful. The pool was very nice and huge! There were 5 hot tubs which only 3 were open at a time. We were bummed because we only got to really enjoy the pool for one day. The next day, they tore up the middle island of the pool. They used sledgehammer to break the concrete and was somewhat bothersome for those who were trying to enjoy the pool. It didn't bother us too much since we were out and about during the day anyways. I'm sure by the time most of you stay here, the renovation of the pool will be done since it started while we were there last week.
There is a private beach, kalapaki beach, that's connected to the hotel pool. There are plenty of lounge chairs to hang out. At night, the hotel lit the tiki lamps. It's actually quite romantic.
There is a huge pond in the courtyard of the hotel. There are a lot of colorful koi fish in there. My husband, a fish hobbyist, said that most of the koi were sick in there. Regardless, I think the pond was nice and fun for kids to participate in feeding them at 9AM every morning.
We gave it 4 star since we used my parent's timeshare to exchange for our stay here and didn't have to pay. But if I had to fork out the cash to stay here, it would've been a 3 stars for the room. The hotel grounds deserve a 4 stars.
We moved from Princeville to Lihue yesterday. At first, I was not very pleased with this property, but it has grown on me a little more overnight.
We traded a timeshare for here so that was our motivation to come to Kauai this time. I truly needed an incentive to board a plane with a kid for six hours. Luckily, it has worked out well so far.
The hotel pool is amazing for a kid. Water Water everywhere. The beach is connected and there are two dining spots alongside the pool area. The set up is very convenient and wonderful for families.
The rooms are basic and functional. I was initially upset b/c they told me I would have free internet access in my room but my room was not equipped. Thank you Paul for working it out for me! I now have high speed internet access and I am thrilled.
The push for timeshare presentations can get annoying but it seems that is what occurs when you are at timeshare. You are a sitting duck. Let them know you are already a member and maybe they will ease up a bit on the pitch.
All in all, I think this is a very nice place to be. I do prefer the Ritz but that is not an option today. Everything is at your doorstep or just a few paces away and the views are simply terrific.
People thought this was:
- Useful (4)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (2)
The Kauai Marriott is a solid 4 star hotel located in Lihue on Nawiliwili Harbor. My wife and I stayed here as part of a time share preview package I received from Marriott to preview their resort in Poipu Beach. We stayed for 6 nights 7/12-7/18/2007.
LOCATION: The hotel is located about 5 minutes from the airport. It is in Lihue, which is the largest town on the island, though Lihue is a small one-street town. The Marriott is located off of the highway (the only real road on the island) and is at the end of a long and elegant driveway.
One of Marriott's big advantages is that it is located in a harbor. This means the surf is much calmer, and I especially noticed the difference when I went to other areas of the island. The Marriott sits right on the beach.
You can walk to a small shopping center next to the Marriott which is also where the cruise ship comes in. The shops consisted of some small restaurants, an ABC store (go here and avoid Hilo Hatties), and some other craft stores. Nothing on Kauai is big and commercialized so the shopping center was small and we were glad to have it close by.
Ultimately, you cannot drive completely around the island so it is good to consider the location of your hotel. The Marriott was a perfect location for starting our ventures to the north side of the island or Waimea Canyon at the other end.
GROUNDS: The pictures do not do justice to show how beautiful the grounds are. The grounds are equal to or better than those I have seen at the Ritz Carlton chain. The lobby is located off of the giant atrium that is surrounded by the hotel. There are giant roman columns that make up the façade of the hotel. In the center of the hotel is a lava rock waterfall that flows into a giant koi pond. There are beautiful tropical plants everywhere and pathways to walk through them. Being Hawaii, everything is open air so the breeze blows through the atrium and lobby area. There were hammocks scattered around that you could lay in if you wanted. The pool area is huge and gorgeous. It is a matter of feet between the pool area and the beach. We looked at pool at other resorts, nothing came close to being as nice as the Marriott's.
ROOMS: This is the one area that needed improvement. I cannot emphasize enough that the issues I had with the room were outweighed by the other aspects of the hotel, so much so that I cannot deduct a star for this.
We were in a deluxe oceanfront room in the front tower. The room size was typical standard hotel room size, not too big. It had a small wet bar that had a fridge and sink. The bathroom had granite/marble floors and countertops as well. The view was to die for. Our lanai had double wide sliding glass doors with screens, which allowed us to sleep with the doors wide open and listening to the ocean.
The furnishings in the room were rather dated. I was surprised to see this for a deluxe room. The ceiling was 'cottage cheese' coated which further reminded me of the age of the room. There were black dirt streaks coming out of the A/C vent in the room.
The bed was nothing special though my wife and I slept great. How could you not with the ocean lulling you to sleep? The rooms need to be remodeled, as do the hallways. Other than that, they were clean and comfortable. Our room came with high speed wireless internet. Speeds averaged 450kbps, which worked just fine for me.
FOOD: Of all the places I dined on the island, the best overall food was here at the Marriott. We had room service twice and it was excellent both times. The Marriott has other restaurants. We looked at the sushi place one night, but it was closed. Another night we went to Dukes for dessert, but changed our mind since we have a Dukes here in L.A.
STAFF/SERVICE: The staff was incredible. I cannot stress enough how great and friendly everyone was without exception. They were all very helpful. I could walk through the halls and pass a maid and was always greeted with "aloha." It was not faked but it was genuine.
When I called for anything, I was never transferred. The person who answered could help me out with resort questions, take a room service order or even have the valet bring my car up. I even called and got a great sushi recommendation from whoever answered (see my review on Sushi Bushido).
I did use the concierge prior to arrival, though I did all of the actual booking myself. They were a big help in giving recommendations. The valet service was awesome. I could call for the car and by the time I got to the front of the hotel, my car was always waiting for me.
OVERALL: Despite the shortcomings on the room, I would be perfectly content to spend a year or more living in it at the Marriott. I think it is the perfect location, especially if you want to get out and see the island. If you want to stay and enjoy the resort instead, their pool area was far superior to anything I saw at other resorts. When looking at the resort as a whole, I would highly recommend this to others.
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
- Cool (1)
Just returned and the hotel has been completely remodeled.
We had a room overlooking the pool which is HUGE and gorgeous. With the patio doors open you can hear the ocean, fabulous!
The staff is friendly and accomodating.
The restaurants are good. Can be very pricey, depending on how you order.
Duke's is ok. Cafe Portofino was bad. Very overrated and the night we ate there was just plain awful. Service was terrible and the food was bad. Can't recommend it at all for anyone. The Kalapaki Grill is consistently good and fairly priced.
If you can eat like a drunken sailor, order the buffets. We didn't and ordered a la carte, so it's less expensive. Instead of $22 for the breakfast buffet, I order an egg, hash browns for $5. It all depends on how much you like to eat/spend.
The same with lunch/dinner. You can spend $20-50+ per meal, but don't need to. You get the idea. Motivation for NOT eating the buffet? Watch a couple of folks plow through the buffet non-stop for 45 minutes. Disgusting! Anyway...
The pool is beautiful, though if you like the beach just cross the sidewalk and you are there! Poolside beverage and food service is available. Cabanas too of course (for a price).
Several restaurants on site, but a short walk away are several others for variety (though several are even more expensive than the hotel's restaurants).
As with all hotels of this type, EVERYTHING costs extra. If you need to buy much (sunscreen or anything else), make a trip to Wal-Mart or some other store. The prices in the hotel store (near the lobby) are marked up 2-3X what you would pay elsewhere. So it is worth the drive (or the walk to the local ABC store or Whaler's general store) to save the money if you need supplies.
Aloha!
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
Mixed feelings about this hotel. The location is great; the beach is great; the area is great. However, there are some problems that cannot be overlooked. I stayed here 5 days on my honeymoon; Kauai was the last stop after Oahu and Maui. The hotel in undergoing a much needed renovation, but the way the staff handles the problems associated with the renovation ranges from bad to downright outrageous.
When you check in you have to go down an escalator to get to the main lobby. The escalator was broker when we checked in; we had to go to separate elevator to get down. Problem was there were about 30 people waiting to use the elevator so we had to wait 10 minutes just to go down 1 floor. Ok, not a big deal, but it gets much worse. They were tearing up the deck surrounding the pool and there was constant jackhammering from 9-5. Would have been nice to let me know this prior to checking in. So, once the jackhammering stops, a guy is sanding and repainting a door right outside our room. So if the jackhammering was not enough, now we have to listed to a power sander and try not to gag on the overwhelming smell of paint in our room. The bathroom door slides shut; ours was broken so we call maintenance; it starts with one guy and 1 hour later there are 4 guys in our room who finally manage to get the door fixed.
Then we find that the AC does not really cool the room, at all. We order room service at 9:15 and are told that the kitchen closes at 9 despite the fact that our menu states they serve until 11. When we ask what the deal is, we are told that the menu we have is "old" and was supposed to be replaced. WTF?? So after we go out and grab food, we come back to watch a movie and relax. Oops, the PPV does not work. We call and find out that it is only the top floor that PPV does not work. Hmmm, think you might mention this to me when I checked in??? I had to leave my room the 2nd day since they painted the hallways and placed large fans in the hallway. Nice; thanks for ventilating the smell of fresh paint right into my $400/night room. Do not bother asking the Concierge for help with anything.
All in all I did not enjoy my stay here. The valets are great, always remember your name are happy to help. The pool and beach are awesome. The room itself was cool and the view was great. Every problem we had seemed to come from the renovation. What was disappointing was that the hotel management seemed to be content to keep this place open for the sake of lost $$ if they closed it during the renovation (St. Regis/Princeville closed for theirs) with no regard as to whether they might cost themselves repeat business. Would I stay here again? Maybe, but certainly not until the renovation is complete.
I really waver between three and five stars. Five stars for the resort setting and the gardens and the flowers and the koi fishes and the POOL! The pool is truly fantastic and the best looking pool I've ever seen. It is shaped almost like a flower with an island in the middle that has a bar and chairs. They have access to the beach which is really pretty and the waves are pretty gentle since it is set in a bay.
There are five jacuzzis which line the pool. FIVE! And you have to swim to the middle three with access only to the pool. They have fishes that sprout water into the pool and a few waterfalls.
We were upgraded to a garden view room. We had really great rates at this hotel so considering the price and the pools, we debated whether to increase our stay here by 2 more days...which we ended up doing. The reason for the lower stars - the quality of the rooms. Maybe because we paid so little we were skimped out on the remodeled rooms, or the tumblers that I saw everyone carrying around, or even bathrobes. Our room compared to the Marriott on the Big Island was a huge disappointment at first. It had an ugly dirty looking green carpet. The room just felt empty. There was an ugly green sofa that seemed to be made of styrofoam. But, the bed was comfortable, in fact really comfy. They need to remodel this place. Our elevators sometimes didn't work and I had to push the doors close myself so they would shut and we could go downstairs. However, after staying 2 nights, I think the room grew on us so we extended our stay (at a slightly higher rate) but really enjoyed the grounds. If they remodel, I'd go back, but I hear the Hyatt in Poipu is incredibly beautiful (from everyone we ran into), so maybe its worth paing the $350 a night rate over there just to check it out....
This is one of my favorite hotels in the world! My family stayed here 2 years ago on our first trip to Hawaii for 2 weeks and had an excellent time! We were there for a wedding of a family friend whose family has had a timeshare here for years. We ended up leaving with a timeshare for it too because we had such an amazing experience!
LIKES:
- You can take surfing lessons at a very uncrowded spot right behind the hotel! When I did it I was the only person doing it and had a one-on-one lesson with my surf instructor. It was a blast!
- Very helpful staff who are willing to do anything to make you have a wonderful stay.
- Nice outdoor eating area which had amazing breakfasts and pretty good dinner buffets as well.
- The great hot tubs.
- Pool is awesome!
- Close walk to other restaurants and some shopping.
- Great valet service with very nice valets.
- You can rent a car directly from the hotel.
- Convenient to the airport but without the noise.
DISLIKES:
- The beach at the resort is nice, but it's a bit of a drive to other nice beaches, so it's kind of out of the way.
I highly recommend renting a car if you're going to be here for more than a couple of days because there are some great beaches to check out!
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (2)
My husband and I just got back from here a month or so ago from our honeymoon. It was good, but we have stayed in nicer Marriotts in the past. This place is huge, which kind of makes it feel a little "Spring Breaky." The rooms were nice and the staff was very friendly (but then again, how could you not be friendly if you lived in Hawaii!).
They have a bar called Duke's that was a "barefoot bar." well, when I think of barefoot bar, I think of it being in the sand. Not the case here. it was very misleading, and cost them a star for sure. I had to take the other star because of the Concierge's desk. They seemed bothered by your questions, and we did not feel that they gave us straight answers. We plan to back to Kauai because it is so wonderful, but we will stay somewhere else next time.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
My husband and I came here in April for a week (7 days/6 nights) from a package that we got through travelocity. The grounds were beautiful though we were woken up at 3am the first morning by the roaming roosters on the hotel campus.
Once we arrived, we asked if there would be any complimentary upgrades available. This was after waiting in line for awhile. We've done this before and usually the staff is wonderful at seeing what's available. This time, however, the staff was less than friendly and said that we could get a partial ocean view upgrade for $125 a night. Um, no thanks. It was cheaper to upgrade on travelocity (but we thought we'd try our luck since we WERE staying there for 6 nights). Then she proceeded to tell us the entire hotel was booked for the weekend.
Rooms: We got a room on the first floor but we were told it was a remodeled room. The room was nice, had all its basics so we couldn't really complain. However, a few days into our stay, the hawaiian roaches started coming out. We continued to kill at least one every day. So beware of rooms on the first floor.
Staff: We asked FOUR times whether there was any way we could get a later check-out time since the check-out time was 12noon and we had an evening flight at 9pm. But each time, they had suggested we pay $75 for their "Linger Longer" program which allows you to check out at 6pm. Again, we mentioned that we have been staying at the hotel for 6 nights! But continued to be encouraged to pay for the Linger Longer program.
Finally, my husband was insistent and told them we did not want to do the Linger Longer program and really would just like to stay on the grounds and be able to take a shower before we left for the airport. The last staff member finally offered the members lounge to us. It's on the second floor with a small sofa area, a dining table, and a separate men & women's locker room. My question was, "Why the heck did they not offer this to us sooner?!" Geez! Talk about trying to make a quick buck off of us! We were less than pleased about how the first 3 staff members didn't mention this lounge to us and just insisted that we Linger Longer. Um, no thanks.
During our stay, we checked out the Hyatt in Poipu and totally wished that we booked that place instead. The grounds are spacious, newer, and has a fresher feel. Besides, it was $100 more a night - totally worth it considering the roaches and the less than amicable service in the lobby.
I gave this place a 3 star based on their dank room and their bad lobby service staff. However, their valet staff is super nice.
I came here on an AMEX Mywishlist package. It included 5 nights and a rental car as well as $50 to spend here. I was able to secure this deal for $1,000. Sure, the fellow yelpers did say it's expensive. I do agree but to upkeep a place like this in Lihue, I can understand why. The place was open aired and the staff was very friendly. Say Hi to Rosaline at the front desk, she was very helpful. She even helped us upgrade to an ocean view. The fitness gym, although it was an ok size, it was full at 8am. 8am! Who goes to the gym (besides me) on their vacation? Apparently about 30 other haole folks.
And the valet guys? They are fast and friendly too. Sure, you can save a bit of money by parking in the lot up on the hill but I chose to valet and trip these guys when I can. They gave me a few pointers for local grub. The pool here is a big circle and has strange 6 strange hot tubs surrounding it and 3 of them were broken when we were there. They have free internet access near by the pool area as well as the check in area. You just need to ask for the login and password. I truely enjoyed myself here, I will be back again! Oh, and I love the chickens here on the grounds....I'm going to try and catch one one day!
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (2)
I was just reminiscing about our honeymoon this past December/January, and thought I should visit yelp to give this place the great review it deserves.
BEAUTIFUL hotel and scenery. The resort is set in the beautiful nook on the Kalapaki Beach, and the architecture is respectful of the surroundings and is also just the right amount of luxury for Hawaii's very casual island of Kauai.
The service from every employee we encountered -- front desk, room staff, wait staff at restaurants, even the guy at the surf shop -- was exceptional
My new husband surprised me with an intimate candlelit dinner on the beach with our own butler, and the event staff helped him pull it off beautifully. The event manager (Jackie, maybe was her name?) met us by our table, and our waiter took fabulous care of us all evening. And the food, delish.
One review I read about this place prior to us going there was that it is too close to the Lihue airport and you get noise from the planes. Maybe it was just masked by rooster crows, but I didn't notice any jet noise once while we were there.
Sure, it's pricey, but hey... you're in Hawaii.
Sigh... when can we go back?
I liked this place...i think i like all marriotts...they recently remodeled the room we got was in great shape and large too. We were able to get the kamaiiana rate for the night which helped out. The views in the lower floors isn't much but you really shouldn't be spending much time in there anyways so that didn't matter..but the pool...that is the best part! So much room..it's huge and has a couple of jacuzzis ~ right in front of the beach that's protected by a bay so that the waves aren't crazy like most of the beaches on the island. The location for this hotel was pretty good too since it's close to the airport and it's right in between both ends of the island. Didn't eat here...but I did check the prices out and its pretty much what you'd get in Waikiki or any other hotel...so the local eats and stores is pretty much your best bet.
It is a nice hotel. The beds are VERY comfortable. The pool is large and has multiple jacuzzis. The beach in front is a great swimming beach. There is a Dukes restaurant right there also, which has some delicious eats.
I spent my first two nights here in Kauai. The pool and beach were unbeatable. I went surfing here(didn't piss off any locals, either) and ate at Duke's(overrated). The rooms were a bit dated but comfortable. I didn't spend much time in mine, though. The hotel is roomy and has nice gardens. But it's the location on the bay that takes your breath away. Sand and manicured grass beckon you to stay forever. Many locals hang here and it's easy to see why. If you have kids this is definitely the place to stay.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (2)
I don't understand why people are so impressed. From the outside, yes, nice looking place with a koi pond. Nothing like what you see in Vegas, but nice. Friendly people.
But can we say overpriced? I can go to a place for 1/5th of the price and get mints on my pillow and a free breakfast! Marriott on the other hand charges $22 for a breakfast buffet. Who can eat that much food?
We got there and they told us we couldn't check in for another two hours, but they held our luggage so we didn't have to worry about it. We went and got something to eat, and the room was ready when we came back.
The room was less than impressive. Your standard hotel room with a nice size bathtub, but still not a jacuzzi or big enough for two. We had a nice ocean view...but paid for the upgrade. A fridge, but no microwave. Although the beds were definitely comfortable.
We got there and rather than our 3 matching bags awaiting us, there were two of ours and someone else's. Not sure how they screwed that up, although they replaced it quickly enough. My mom paid $60 to have a gift basket awaiting us in our room. WE NEVER GOT IT. Apparently they delivered it next door. Morons.
The concierge was very helpful and set up all our excursions, provided maps, and gave us our itnerary. This was the most impressive bit of the whole place. Although I still wonder if we got charged extra because of it, not shopping around for the companies with the best deals, etc.
BE WARNED this place charges for everything- including LOCAL phone calls. That would have been nice to know before I spent time calling around to different snorkel places, verifying directions and meals. They also charge for parking in a lot that is far enough away they offer a shuttle service back to the hotel.
I also tried to call a 1-800 number- I wanted to alert my credit card where I was so they wouldn't put it on fraud alert with all the charges. The call never went through. I called the front desk and they claimed I had a "bad number". That "bad number" worked perfectly fine on my cell phone. So make sure you're prepared and don't bother making any phone calls while on the premises.
The poolside towel service closes early, so if you plan on going in at night, stop by the front desk for towels. But mostly I would just recommend skipping the hotel alltogether and staying somewhere where you get real value and real service for your money.
This place is wonderful! It's probably the closest hotel to the airport with a secret back passageway when needed to get dropped off. The grounds are very well kept, the coy pond is cool and the pool - oh the pool is crazy HUGE...I believe it is one of the biggest in all of Hawaii (see photos). It does get crowded there so come early to save a chair. Our room was a decent size with pool and partial ocean view, and the staff was very friendly. If and when I come back to Kauai, I wouldn't hesitate in staying here.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
Kauai Marriot
I stayed in the KAHILI tower and it was awesome. I did not have a balcony nor did my windows open but the rooms are clean and the beds are very comfortable! I believe it has one of them memory foam bed toppers and the comforter was to die for!
The staff was friendly and courteous. There is no wireless internet available and a DSL line is available for $12.95 per day. But why do you need to connect to the internet? You are supposed to be on vacation right?
The grounds are BEAUTIFUL! In the courtyard area there is a mini waterfall with native birds just hanging around. A beautiful koi pond and a few hammocks scattered around.
The pool is HUGE and relaxing. When I swung by there were no kids yet so it was relatively quiet. I definitely recommend going to the pool side grill.
I hope you enjoy your stay at the KAUAI Marriot!
Oh forgot to mention, every morning they have a newsletter of activities for the whole family, It is called the KALAPAKI BEACH NEWS. News from the nation and an itinerary of activities! Fun fun fun!
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (1)
We were here on a bit of a discount, due to a 90 min. Marriott timeshare presentation, which is why we got the worst view, but free internet which worked the best of all the hotels we stayed at. I was posting our webgallery pictures as we went so people could log on and watch vacation pics as they came in. This place is stunning!! And if it is pricey, well, it seems to me it is a cut above the rank and file same ol' same ol' resorts that have no real style. This place has a different sense of glamor. The old Hollywood over the top type of glam that you don't see often in these places. ( I hate Vegas so I will not compare) !!! The grounds are amazing... the plantings are exquisite! If you don't go up the hill a bit and check out the golf course just to look, it is a sight to behold! Compared to their flagship at Poipu, much more character here!
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
minus 1 star b/c it just isn't a 5 star place
and they charge for parking whether you self-park or valet!! $7 for self and $10 for valet
the biggest pool, 5 acres or something like that
rented a Cabana (called gazebo with covers on all 4 sides for sun blocking or privacy, open/close as desired) for $50/day
has its own blocked off beach
1 small kiddie pool
lots of hot tubs
Xmas decor
minus star b/c food got boring after 1 day, same food at restaurant and bars/grill for lunch. fries with everything, so for a health freak like me, that was uncool. how hard is it to do salad for the side?
liked the fact that is was close to the airport. 5 minutes! and close to town, so I could swing by hamura saimin and go shopping at Kmart, Costco, Macy's as needed.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
This place has a special place in my heart because this is where I married my hubby in 2003. We've been back there once since the wedding and enjoyed it just as much the 2nd time as we did the first. I was extremely impressed with the wedding coordination services that I hired through the hotel. They made the process simple and stress free, even thought 99% of the plans were made from the mainland. They hired all of the people we needed (photographer, officiant, wait staff for our cake and champagne reception,etc.) and everything went off without a hitch. And we got lucky with the cake. We didn't taste it beforehand and it was DELICIOUS. We had a passion fruit chiffon cake and it was beautifully decorated, yet simple, with fresh orchids. On our 2nd trip to the Marriott, we ordered a smaller version of the cake to enjoy while enjoying the spectacular view of Kalapaki Bay from our lana'i. We had a choice of leis or bouquet and boutonniere. We chose the leis and the were beautiful and smelled of paradise. My husband had remarked that while waiting for the ceremony to begin, any nervousness he had felt melted away as soon as the maile lei was placed on him - talk about instant aromatherapy! I loved the smell of my ginger lei and I left it in our room after the wedding and every time we walked into the room for the rest of the week, it smelled of ginger orchids.
We stayed in the beach club section of the resort and the accommodations are spacious, clean and convenient. The beach was less than 20 feet away from our building and the view from our room was spectacular. I loved falling asleep to the sound of the ocean waves splashing against the shorelines.
The service is wonderful and accommodating. The resort is spacious, but provides a luxurious and peaceful atmosphere with a large garden and pond. There are several restaurants on the resort, including Duke's, a sushi bar and a couple of other spots with expensive, but tasty food if you don't feel like venturing off of the resort for a meal.
I can't wait to go back.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
