Kauai and Maui Hotel Recs needed

[love1999]

We've been to Maui but have never been to Kauai. We liked where we stayed in Maui last time but right now it looks like the rates are much higher than the last time we went so I'm looking for other options. Since we've never been to Kauai, I definitely need help there. Thanks!

[chicago]

We stayed at the Grand Hyatt Kauai - it was great! The rooms are pretty basic, of course, but the grounds and pool/lagoon/beach area were fantastic. We ended up laying by the pool on 3 of the 6 days, which we never do!

It can be pricey, but they have specials all the time. Like them on FB. We had just opened two Chase Hyatt cards, so we got 4 of our 6 nights free.

We liked being on the Poipu side - a lot of the restaurants we wanted to try were in that area. We did a day driving up the North Shore which was beautiful. If we were to ever stay up that way, I'd definitely book at the St. Regis.

[mdgirl]

We've stayed at the Sheraton, Hyatt and Koa Kea on Kauai. The Sheraton was terrible, but it's in a good location and cheaper (but not cheap enough to justify what's bad about it IMO) than most other hotels on Kauai. It's gone under a renovation recently so maybe that improved things, but we also had a problem with the staff. They Hyatt was gorgeous, the pools are great, and the staff was really nice. Two drawbacks to it are that it's a bit harder to walk to other parts of Poipu from it, and you can't swim off the beach in front of it. We loved everything about the Koa Kea -- almost no kids, not too big (by Hawaii standards), beautiful rooms, nice central location, and a really good restaurant on site.

If you're going to look into the North Shore on Kauai, keep in mind that if you're going during the winter it tends to be rainier and the water can be rough/unswimmable. But if you're going in the summer it's not an issue.

We've only stayed at the Sheraton on Maui and that was years ago, but we liked it. The beach is really nice and it wasn't too hard to walk to other parts of Ka'anapali. But we got upgraded to a Black Rock room, so I was a little spoiled.

[keweenawlove]

What sort of budget are you looking at and what's do you want to see? DH and I went with another couple and stayed at the Puu Poa condos in Princeville. Eating out wasn't a huge deal to us so being near Poipu wasn't a huge deal to us. We were mainly there for the hiking and beaches. We loved all the north shore beaches. It was great for days of hiking in the morning and relaxing in the afternoon.

[love1999]

We haven't done much research into Kauai yet so we aren't sure what we want to do yet. We will want to eat out and not cook so sounds like maybe we want to be closer to Poipu. Our preference would be under $300 a night if possible. We were able to do that and still stay at nice resorts last time when we went to Maui and Oahu (in fact we got it under $200 a night). I'm open to all suggestions though. We'd be going in January or February.

I will definitely check TripAdvisor as well...I always do...just thought I'd start with you guys first!

[Deleted]

We stayed at the Marriott Kaui Resort:
www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lihhi-kauai-marriott-resort/?

It has a really nice pool, nice rooms, and the beach in front of it is swimmable. It's also pretty much right next to the airport and across the street from some helicopter companies, if you wanted to do that. It's pretty affordable too. The only drawback I would say is that in order to try some other food options, it was a drive to Poipu. There are a few restaurants right on the resort though. It's also not as lush and beautiful as the Hyatt, which we found out when we had dinner there one night. I think if you could get the Hyatt for a good deal, I'd do that.

[basilosaurus]

I only made a last minute trip to Kauai, so only the large hotels were open. If I was planning ahead, I'd try to stay at a b&b. Hawaii has such wonderful small local options, and the beaches are public, plus you'll be out all day, that I'd rather avoid the resorts when I can.

That said, we spent one night at the Hyatt. It was an amazing resort. I really enjoyed the 1 day of swimming and lounging, but more than that would have been overkill, especially at that price (and we got a good deal!)

We also stayed at Kauai Beach Resort (in the Aqua chain) which is close to the Marriott. I actually ended up liking the location b/c there were actually really good food options in Kapaa. I want to say I got that on hotwire for like 130/night. The room was as nice as the Hyatt's, and the hot tub was closer to our room.

I haven't heard good things about the St Regis. We had lunch there, and it seemed nothing special. I didn't see the rooms of course, but the location was a PITA, and the beach wasn't good for swimming.

[Deleted]

We just went to Maui in may and stayed at the Westin. I love it there. I'd highly recommend it.

[Deleted]

Last October we stayed in the Hyatt Regency in Maui ($140/night) and the Grand Hyatt in Kauai ($170/night). Loved both of these hotels. I booked on Priceline via bidding. One tip is that if you select a resort category in Poipu on Kauai, the Hyatt is the only resort there so you know you are going to win that hotel. I would double check and make sure that's still the case.

[shorty20]

We liked the Aston Ka'anapali Shores on Maui

[catsarecute]

We just went to Kauai and stayed at the Kauai Beach Resort. It isn't as big as some other hotels but we loved it because it was minutes from the airport, central location and the pool is really great. The beach in front of the hotel isn't really accessible to play in but it is a great beach for strolling along.

We did go to the Marriott for dinner one night and thought that place looked really nice. If we were to go again, we would stay in the Poipu area since my husband really liked those beaches the best.

The good thing about the Kauai Beach Resort was the location though. It was 45 minutes North to Princeville/Hanalei and 45 minutes South to Poipu. 20 minutes from Wailua Falls and 10 minutes to Kapa'a with lots of shops and restaurants.

In Maui, we stayed at the Westin and loved it there.

[jchokie79]

We're staying at the Honua Kai Resort in West Maui this Sept. We reserved it through VRBO and got great rates. We got a one bedroom with a full size kitchen, dining area and washer/dryer since we'll be there for two weeks.

[redheadk]

We have stayed on both the north and south shores of Kauai. We prefer the north; however, I agree that you should stay south in the winter and especially if you are looking for more of a resort experience.

We stayed at the Grand Hyatt in Poipu and it really is a nice resort. The pool, especially is wonderful, as are the on-site restaurants. We didn't mind the short drive to area restaurants and we like to just hit random beaches so the lack of a swimmable beach didn't matter to us. Their beach IS nice for sitting and walking.

If you are willing to consider a condo, there are many nice condo comlexes in the Poipu area. Some reputable rental companies include www.summitpacificinc.com and www.parrishkauai.com. We like to use a rental company and stay in a condo or house. It makes me less nervous than going directly through an owner plus I know there is someone to call on island that can take care of any issues quickly, just like at a resort.

[cransplash]

As for Maui, it depends on where you want to stay. Most tend to stay near Ka'napaali and we stay at the Hyatt there. Beautiful grounds, beautiful hotel, and we would go back in a heartbeat.

If you are planning to stay near Wailea, which is an hour south of Ka'napaali, we stay at the Four Seasons. Yes, it is an hour drive but it is a beautiful drive. We love Wailea area since it isn't as busy/touristy. It is an upscale area with a beautiful atmosphere. Lots of nice shopping and restaurants. I have also heard great things about the Kea Lani Fairmount hotel.

My family and I have been to Hawaii about 6x, so if you have any questions, feel free to PM me. Have fun!