esquish

My partner and I are going to Kauai for five or six nights in May and we have 140k Marriott points to burn. Marriott seems to have five properties there. We'll have a car, so we're not really fussed about location. Bonuses for us are: nearby cheap restaurants or grocery stores, full kitchen, shadier and quieter beach, near hiking.

We'd only be able to book Kauai Lagoons and Coconut Beach for six nights. Does Kauai Lagoons always require $200 extra per night? Coconut Beach is the only Cat5; is it better to stay there for six nights or at a Cat6 for five nights?

Thanks

UpgradeMe

Just one of the numerous existing threads:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...erty-best.html
Happy reading.

esquish

Sorry I should have been clearer. I have seen a lot of threads on this topic, but they were honeymoon-, wedding-, or family-oriented and had answers catering to that (for example, that particular thread talks about guest facilities and places for the ceremony and reception). I guess I'm looking for more general info, specifically because we're somewhat limited on points so I'm wondering about more nights versus nicer property, and because I'm confused about the +$200 for the Lagoons property. I also haven't seen much comparison of the Courtyard Coconut Beach with the other properties.

If there are threads that answer any of these questions, I would appreciate being directed to them since I wasn't able to find them while searching.

Thanks again!

CPRich

If it helps, Tripadvisor ratings among 35 Kauai hotels
Marriott's Kauai Lagoons - 9
Marriott's Waiohai Beach Club, Poipu - 11
Marriott Kauai Resort, Lihue - 16
Courtyard by Marriott Kauai at Coconut Beach, Kapaa - 17
Marriott's Kaua'i Beach Club, Lihue - 22

Lagoons and the Beach Clubs are timeshares/Vacation Club properties - award availability there are pretty rare, IME. It looks like Lagoons is only 2BR and 3BR villas, so I would expect them to be much more expensive. On the random date I picked, it was $535, with the CY at $170 and others in the $250 range. So $200 on top of regular points seems about right. 2BR is probably overkill for 2 people.

I've only stayed at the standard Kauai Resort hotel. It was fine - great pool. CY's tend to be less elaborate in terms of decor, furnishings, amenities, etc., but I haven't stayed at this one in particular.

Nothing's going to have a full kitchen except that villas.

hhoope01

I do believe the MVCI Kaua'i Beach Club only has "kitchenettes" due to it being converted from hotel rooms and not purpose built for villas. I do know the Waiohai property has kitchen's but you have to get a 1 or 2 bedroom unit. The efficiency suites only have a small kitchenette as well.

To answer the OP's question, it really depends on your preferences. I've taken vacations where we stayed in as cheap a place we could so that we could spend our money elsewhere. We have also paid up to stay and much nicer properties to have better views and be right on the beach. And we were happy with both decisions.

Given Kauai's many beaches, if you are adventurous, I might be temped to save on the hotel and spend my time driving/hiking to all the remote/secluded beaches there. And then use my money for things like a helicopter tour of the island (expensive, but well worth it.) My kids (who were both in elementary school at the time, truly loved the all day hiking/swimming/kyaking/hay ride tour we took.

So if money is tight, I'd say spend it on things other than the room and spend your time (and money) elsewhere.

PointerBrother

Kauai Lagoons and Kauai Beach Club are MVCI properties adjacent to the Kauai Marriott Resort. There will always be a premium on the MVCI properties because they are typically 1+ bedroom units, have some sort of kitchen option, etc. These three properties are in Lihue, which is the main city of Kauai. Lots of restaurants and grocery stores (including Costco!) are nearby, and the cruise ships port right near the resort. Overall, it is a nice resort, and if you plan on spending lots of time at the resort, it might be your best bet.

The Waiohai property is in Poipu, which is a high end area on the south side of the island. The Waiohai is a MVCI as well, so there would probably be a premium on those rooms as well. Poipu is a great beach area and would also be a nice option if you wanted to stay near your resort and be on the beach, as the beach in Poipu is far superior to the beaches near Lihue.

If you just wanted a place to stay but were planning on going out and seeing the island, then opting for the Courtyard may not be too bad. It is located about 15 minutes north of Lihue near Kapaa, which is a decent sized town and has grocery stores, etc., along with the best shaved ice on the island (HeeFats!!!!) It is a nice location to explore the island from, as you can get to all parts of the island in about an hour or less. If you stay down in Poipu and want to go to the north shore, it is 1.5 hours+.

My suggestion...stay at the Courtyard and gain yourself that extra day. Kauai is not an island to go to and sit at the resort...do that in the Caribbean somewhere, Florida, etc. Get out, see the island, do hikes, drive the Waimea Canyon, and definitely do the Kalalau Trail along the NaPali coast. It is truly heaven on earth, so go explore and enjoy!!

ckosh

I stayed at the CY back in November 2012 and here are some of my recollections:

-Room was pretty standard CY, perfectly acceptable but nothing special. We were upgraded to ocean view but it wasn't really special. We were overlooking the pool and could see a glimpse of ocean
-The lobby had a tropical feel like a beach resort.
-The pool water was freezing. I couldn't swim in it, so swam in the ocean--not at the hotel--instead
-Location pros: very close to restaurants and grocery stores. Also, mid-way between the sites to the south and those to the north. There was a very nice trail along the cliffs close by. Also there were parks with beaches close by, though not as nice as the beaches to the south.
-Location cons: not realy close to any of the major sites
-Beach at the hotel wasn't that nice. It was very slanted so hard to walk on and I had heard that it was too rocky to swim at

hhoope01

Unless things have changed, the pools at both the Kauai Beach Club and the Waiohai were the same (i.e. very cold.) So it's not just the CY.

HealthyAcademic

While you may want to burn points, I just booked a $149 limited-time offer for the CY that runs March through August. Larger room with balcony, ocean view (not to be confused with ocean front).

Haven't stayed there yet but it's a ridiculous rate (at least for when I was looking) and I would just pay and save the points.

nickfromct

There have been some sub $100 LNF claims at the Courtyard over the past year or so, so that could be a nice option.

esquish

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate your help! We definitely don't have the cash to pay for a stay, even with those great deals people mentioned. I think we'll do the Courtyard for the sixth night on points, or maybe use one of those deals to pay for a sixth night at Waiohai. Thanks for the help

ladyjaneMN

This information was helpful to me as well as I'm looking to book for next February. I didn't think we'd be in the room much and DH doesn't swim so don't really care about the pool or ocean for swimming, but are looking for proximity to hiking, etc.

esquish

We did end up staying at the Courtyard for six nights and I think it was the right decision. It was a beautiful hotel with a nice enough beach and pool for us, and plenty of hammocks and seating. It was very easy to get to from the airport, was close to grocery stores, and was a nice halfway point between the hiking areas near Kalalau Trail and those at Koke'e State Park.

Kauai is beautiful; it's well worth staying for longer at a less fancy hotel.

ladyjaneMN

Glad to hear you had a good time. We'll be there in February.

msp3

Finally getting around to booking a trip to Kauai that I've been putting off for so long. Something is still bothering me about booking at the timeshares:

Marriott's Waiohai Beach Club, Marriott's Kauai Lagoons - Kalanipu'u, and Marriott's Kaua'i Beach Club are the Marriott timeshares, all go for 40,000/night. Waiohai and Kalanipu'u only have villas, all at "40,000 points for stay eCertificate plus 200 USD required per night", the Kaua'i Beach Club is straight up 40,000/night.

My preference is in that order, but before booking I still want to know is it possible to book Waiohai and Kalanipu'u at only 40,000/night w/o the extra $200?