Hyatt Gold Passport - Best Hyatt Hawaii for us?

The important things are a great swimming pool area with some shade and a great Regency Club. I'm editing to add best chance for upgrade on award stay. Any help much appreciated. Thanks

When are you going?

I had a great stay in Kaua'i. Loved the pool area, didn't love the Club (but many other people on this site do). Still the hotel was great and an outstanding experience. They treat diamonds well, I believe.

I had a great stay in Kaua'i. Loved the pool area, didn't love the Club (but many other people on this site do). Still the hotel was great and an outstanding experience. They treat diamonds well, I believe.
Comparing the pools and other pool amenities at the HR Maui with the GH Kauai, the GH Kauai wins hands down. The only downfall of the GH Kauai is that there's no swimable beach due to the break, and Maui wins in that regard. But the GH Kauai tries to make up for it with the manmade lagoon.

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I'll second (third?) the GH Kauai sugestion. The pool area is great and the hotel treats Diamonds very well. The RC is on a small side and have somewhat declined in the last couple of years but is still one of the best in the US. The island of Kauai is our favorite, too.

I've not been to Maui so can't really comment on that property but others have commented here. Loved Kauai, going back next week actually for a few days. Waikiki which hasn't been commented on in my view is a decent city hotel in a nice location but not really a resort.

I just returned a few weeks ago from both the HR Maui and the GH Kauai.

The pool and the club are MUCH better at the GH Kauai. The salt water lagoon is very nice. There is amble opportunity for shade at the GH Kauai as you can just take the Tented chairs at the pool if they were not reserved the day before. You can also rent beach-facing 2-seaters with pull over canopy shades for $50/day.

Regarding the beach, at HR Maui the beach has a lot of rocks so it's not swimmable unless you travel down 200 yards or so in front of the other hotels.

At GH Kauai it's a pretty big break with coral and rocks. So it's good for a bunch of locals surfing and cliff diving, but not really for swimming. There is a good public beach 1/2 mile down the road though.

PM me if you want more specifics or some pics that I can share ... -Matt

No question about it the Grand Hyatt Kauai is for you.

Thank you all so very much for your input--it sure looks like Kauai is the best match for us. By the way our plan would be to stay at this resort in February 2013. All input terrific^

I love the GH Kauai and have been there numerous times over the past 20 years. I've also been to HR Maui several times.

I've found Maui far better at offering upgrades on award stays. Kauai will likely offer you, as a Diamond member, a better "view" room, but I've been upgraded to suites on a couple of award stays in Maui, including one stay with 4 rooms booked.

I'm not willing to pay for a cabana, and the "tented" pool chairs tend to get grabbed very early each day around the Kauai pools. If you're on mainland time, it might not be a problem, but I wish the staff policed them better. I don't recall this being an issue at HR Maui.

I've generally loved the staff at the Kauai Grand Club, but agree with others it's declined in the last few years, and can get overrun with guests. Not my experience with Maui, but it could be the time of the year, hotels events, or ??

You didn't mention the beach as one of your criteria, but I agree with others that Maui wins here.

Thank you all so very much for your input--it sure looks like Kauai is the best match for us. By the way our plan would be to stay at this resort in February 2013. All input terrific^

Kauai by far. WHR is over the top geared to the Asian visitors and with it's price point your much better off in Kauai!

Enjoy

No the beach is not that important to us--we're more pool/with shade people however we certainly do enjoy a walk on the beach when the sun is setting. This thread was wanting to find out what would suit us best-- and it seems we've already reached a conclusion. Again thank you so much to all posters wanting to offer your suggestions. Happy travels to all.

is much better deal!

I love the GH Kauai. I love the staff, the suites, the pool.The Club is lovely. I am not such a fan of the island though. It is beautiful, but we didn't find a big choice of things to do.
I love Maui, the island.
I love the staff at Hyatt Maui.
The suites are OK.
The cabanas are great, but expensive.

If you just want to stay at the hotel, then Kauai is great.
If you like to venture out, then Maui is better.
Just my opinion!

We love maui because there is more going on than kauai where the hyatt is in the middle of nowhere really.

You ca walk to lahaina from my memory along the front of the maui hyatt- can someone confirm this in case i am going mental (-;

so alot more to do in the evening! but much nicer than waikiki which is great but can get abit rough late at night!

We love maui because there is more going on than kauai where the hyatt is in the middle of nowhere really.

You ca walk to lahaina from my memory along the front of the maui hyatt- can someone confirm this in case i am going mental (-;

so alot more to do in the evening! but much nicer than waikiki which is great but can get abit rough late at night!

I used to post I like taking long walks on the beach at night, but this HR Maui to downtown Lahaina would be pretty extreme. Depending on tides, I think it would require some obstacles to be crossed, and at least one marina.

Driving to downtown Lahaina can take a good ten minutes or more. For the Holloween night a few years back, I parked about halfway at the Safeway lot and it took about fifteen more minutes walking to get to "the action" on front street.

I used to post I like taking long walks on the beach at night, but this HR Maui to downtown Lahaina would be pretty extreme. Depending on tides, I think it would require some obstacles to be crossed, and at least one marina.

Driving to downtown Lahaina can take a good ten minutes or more. For the Holloween night a few years back, I parked about halfway at the Safeway lot and it took about fifteen more minutes walking to get to "the action" on front street.

Ah yes, we are extreme walkers but i am actually thinking of a non hyatt hotel on kanapaali apologies. for walkers it would then have to be waikiki although it is abit built up. for the hawaiian experience i think kauai wins all the way. make sure you drive up to hanalei and stop off for a burger in bubbas burgers, just the most beautiful place i have ever seen (not the burger place, the mountains and beaches- breathtaking!)