Frommer's Kauai - Jeanette Foster [72]
Important note: Before you book, be sure to read “The Island in Brief” in chapter 2, which will help you choose your ideal location (you don’t want to be stuck with long drives every day), as well as “Tips on Accommodations,” also in chapter 2. Also check out the accommodations “bests” in chapter 1 for a quick look at our favorites.
Taxes of 11.42% are added to all hotel bills. Parking is free unless otherwise noted.
1 Lihue & Environs
If you need to stay overnight near the airport, try the Garden Island Inn (see below).
VERY EXPENSIVE
Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club The pluses to this luxury resort are its oceanfront location on Kalapaki Beach (one of the best in Kauai), several enormous swimming pools combined into an awesome “water playground,” a terrific kids’ program, and a central islandwide location (about an hour’s drive to Hanalei and the North Shore in one direction, and about an hour’s drive to the Waimea Canyon in the other direction). The minus: The location—Lihue Airport is only a mile away—allows for easy arrival and departure, but it also means you can hear the takeoff and landing of every jet. Fortunately, most air traffic stops by 9pm, but it begins again bright and early in the morning.
Once upon a time, this was a glitzy megaresort (the Westin Kauai) with ostentatious fantasy architecture, but then a hurricane (and new owners) toned it down. The result is grand enough to be memorable, but it’s now grounded in reality—it looks like a Hawaiian hotel rather than a European palace. Water is everywhere throughout the resort: lagoons, waterfalls, fountains, a 5-acre circular swimming pool (some 26,000 sq. ft., the largest on the island), and a terrific stretch of beach. The lagoons are home to six islands that serve as an exotic minizoo, which still lends an air of fantasy to the place and, along with the enormous pool and children’s program, makes the resort popular with families.
It’s a little pricey for Lihue, but affordable compared with nearby Poipu Resort. Guest rooms are comfortable, with fabulous views of gold-sand Kalapaki Beach, verdant gardens, and palm trees; a recent refurbishment has them all looking brand-new.
There are also timeshare units in this resort.
Kalapaki Beach, Lihue, HI 96766. 80 0/220-2925 or 80 8/245-5050. Fax 80 8/246-5148. www.marriott.com/lihhi. 356 units. $279–$429 double; from $694 suite. Vacation Package Deals include deluxe accommodations and a choice of car or daily breakfast for 2 starting at $309. Extra person $40. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Valet parking $14, self-parking $11. Amenities: 4 restaurants (including Duke’s Kauai), 2 bars; free airport shuttle; babysitting; children’s program; concierge; 36-hole Jack Nicklaus golf course; state-of-the-art fitness center; 5 hot tubs; the largest pool on the island; room service; 8 tennis courts; watersports equipment rentals. In room: A/C, TV/VCR, fridge, hair dryer, Wi-Fi ($13/day).
EXPENSIVE
Hilton Kauai Beach Hotel Resort I would give this oceanfront property a multi-star rating if not for a couple of very serious problems: the windy conditions and the lack of safe swimming on the beautiful white-sand beach. Formerly the Radisson Kauai, this property went through a $7-million renovation in 2006 to convert it to a condo-hotel (which means that while the hotel will continue to operate as a full-service resort for visitors, a portion of the rooms in the hotel will be available for private ownership). Then, the Hilton took over the management of the property and spent another $17 million to renovate and add such amenities as a business center, an executive-club floor, Hilton’s bedding and bath items, and an expanded fitness center. The 25-acre beachfront property, located 4 miles north of Lihue, commands a 3-mile stretch of the beach, next door to a top-ranked municipal golf course. There is a complimentary airport shuttle. The rooms have all been renovated