Jan 3, 2020, 9:30 pm
Last edit by: Dcislander
Gold and Diamond receive two (2) full buffet breakfasts (billed as $24) with one item in addition ordered off the menu (i.e. omelet)
As per latest posts, Diamonds do not get free breakfast but receive $10 a day My Way benefit (or 750 pts).
- Diamond status covered multiple rooms (breakfast was included for the additional rooms - i.e. 3 rooms booked by diamond on points and all 3 received breakfast)
- Gold/Diamond receive 2 free water bottles per day (sometimes have to ask) even though there is a tag on them saying $2
- Resort fee waived by paying with points
- 2 Bike rides included - highly recommended early in the morning beginning in town about 10 min drive away to the north.
- Moments away out behind the property is the ocean shore with a path to walk on - highly recommended
- Shell leis were given to each guest checking in
- a box of macadamia nut chocolates were given only to diamond members 1st time, 2nd time a box of hawaiian cookies
- checkout at 11am and on request extended to 12 pm
- storage for suitcases until evening in a secured area by the front desk (right behind them with tags/numbers with matching tag for you to hold onto)
- No airport shuttle
Hilton Garden Inn Kauai/Wailua Bay {US-HI}
Nov 28, 2017, 1:26 pm
#91
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 27
Does anyone have any insight into availability with this property? Had some discussion about a trip to Kauai next Thanksgiving, and looking at this property there are no check-in dates available starting 11/1/18. Not paid, not with points, nothing.
Jan 2, 2018, 9:44 pm
#96
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 22
I spent 7 nights here in mid-December as Gold. We paid $160 per night - including taxes and resort fees, i felt that this was a good value considering the location and the cost of other expensive properties.
Pros
Great breakfast - large selection of buffet items, to order items like french toast, pancakes, omelettes, and chef specials
Friendly staff - everyone we talked to there were very friendly and helpful especially Katherine for breakfasts and Woogie at the bar
Decent amenities - we used the free 2 hour bike ride (located off site in Kapaa), beach mats, and coolers, 3 fluffy beach towels
New furnishings and they were high quality - real wood, soft closing doors
Large rooms - we stayed in the 2nd floor Pikake wing which has larger rooms than Maile
Close to Lydgate park - we watched the sunrise here one morning and swam in the lagoon. Snorkeling was terrible due to bad surf conditions, but great for those with little kids.
Location - ideally situated for exploring the island, which is what we wanted to do. Equidistant from North and South Shores. Can't turn left to South shore out of the resort in the morning due to contra-flow, but it is easy to turn right and flip around before the bridge.
Cons
Parking in front lot can be limited especially if people park 'illegally' behind cars rather than in designated spots. There is plenty of parking on the side.
Laundry is $3 for wash and $3 for dry - there are only 2 washers and 2 dryers - I had to wait to do laundry and it wasn't dry. Machines take coins or credit card.
Didn't get upgraded to a better room or cottage as Gold - they didn't have availability. Overall they didn't really seem to care about status
Resort fee - yay free parking, but there is nothing else around here. Mai tais were hit and miss, $20 for a beach cooler mat and $20 worth of bike rental doesn't seem like a great value
Food - breakfast was great - lunch and dinner selections were just OK and limited.
Pool - we actually didn't go into the pools here but they were both tiny with a small hot tub.
Location - there isn't much to walk to or see, we had to drive into Lihue or Kapaa for lunch and dinner
Recommended eats
Sams Oceanview, Kapaa. Unfortunately they had a fire there 2 days after we ate. Get there early to sit at the window or go for lunch. We liked the passionfruit iced tea.
Marks Place - Lihue - they were open late. Great for takeout and very large portions
Kauai Brewing Company, Lihue - Great beers, go on Thursdays to hit the food trucks. Black Limousine and Kobobo were our favorite beers.
Hee Fat General Store, Kapaa - Shave ice - a 2 block walk from the bike rental
Sushi Girl, North Shore - Amazing fresh and reasonably priced sushi
Lava Beach Club, Kapaa - Sit on the beach with live music and a mai tai in a coconut cup you can take home. Free valet.
Pros
Great breakfast - large selection of buffet items, to order items like french toast, pancakes, omelettes, and chef specials
Friendly staff - everyone we talked to there were very friendly and helpful especially Katherine for breakfasts and Woogie at the bar
Decent amenities - we used the free 2 hour bike ride (located off site in Kapaa), beach mats, and coolers, 3 fluffy beach towels
New furnishings and they were high quality - real wood, soft closing doors
Large rooms - we stayed in the 2nd floor Pikake wing which has larger rooms than Maile
Close to Lydgate park - we watched the sunrise here one morning and swam in the lagoon. Snorkeling was terrible due to bad surf conditions, but great for those with little kids.
Location - ideally situated for exploring the island, which is what we wanted to do. Equidistant from North and South Shores. Can't turn left to South shore out of the resort in the morning due to contra-flow, but it is easy to turn right and flip around before the bridge.
Cons
Parking in front lot can be limited especially if people park 'illegally' behind cars rather than in designated spots. There is plenty of parking on the side.
Laundry is $3 for wash and $3 for dry - there are only 2 washers and 2 dryers - I had to wait to do laundry and it wasn't dry. Machines take coins or credit card.
Didn't get upgraded to a better room or cottage as Gold - they didn't have availability. Overall they didn't really seem to care about status
Resort fee - yay free parking, but there is nothing else around here. Mai tais were hit and miss, $20 for a beach cooler mat and $20 worth of bike rental doesn't seem like a great value
Food - breakfast was great - lunch and dinner selections were just OK and limited.
Pool - we actually didn't go into the pools here but they were both tiny with a small hot tub.
Location - there isn't much to walk to or see, we had to drive into Lihue or Kapaa for lunch and dinner
Recommended eats
Sams Oceanview, Kapaa. Unfortunately they had a fire there 2 days after we ate. Get there early to sit at the window or go for lunch. We liked the passionfruit iced tea.
Marks Place - Lihue - they were open late. Great for takeout and very large portions
Kauai Brewing Company, Lihue - Great beers, go on Thursdays to hit the food trucks. Black Limousine and Kobobo were our favorite beers.
Hee Fat General Store, Kapaa - Shave ice - a 2 block walk from the bike rental
Sushi Girl, North Shore - Amazing fresh and reasonably priced sushi
Lava Beach Club, Kapaa - Sit on the beach with live music and a mai tai in a coconut cup you can take home. Free valet.
Last edited by technotica; Jan 2, 2018 at 9:56 pm
Jan 23, 2018, 6:04 am
#99
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: No. California
Programs: UA MP HH LTD
Posts: 2,039
Jan 23, 2018, 3:23 pm
#100
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Snohomish, WA
Programs: AS MVP Gold, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 2,793
Neil
Feb 15, 2018, 8:55 pm
#101
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Nomadic
Programs: A Few Here, A Few There
Posts: 76
Hey all-
Just stayed here for 5 nights, here are my thoughts:
Overall impression was good, it's a HGI so it was what I expected. Relatively no frills. I would echo what others have said in that this place is a good jump off point to explore the island being about equal distance from north and south shores. In my opinion it's not the type of place that you would just come to and stay. It's also not really within walking distance of anything so if you stay here, I would be sure to rent a car.
Parking: Looks like they are trying to expand the parking up front. We were able to get a spot every day except for one when we came back late. Even then we just parked on the side, no big deal. As others mentioned, parking is "free" as it's included in the resort fee.
Check In: Staff were very friendly. They acknowledged my (lowly) Gold status and let us check in a couple of hours early. We were provided breakfast coupons and mai tai coupons for each day. They also provided us with 2 bottles of water and an additional "premium" drink coupon (good for 2) as a thanks for my Gold status.
Room: I had pre checked in so the room was what I expected overlooking the pool and ocean. Beds were comfy enough. Didn't spend a whole lot of time in the room.
Amenities: We never used the pool/hot tub as we were always out and about, but they are both relatively small by resort pool standards. I imagine the pool water is cold as we never saw anyone actually in the pool. The hotel is close to, but not on the beach. You can easily walk to it. The beach is public but doesn't seem to see a lot of traffic. Honestly it's not the nicest beach. There are plenty of other nicer ones all around the island. We did do the sunrise ceremony with a local guy from a nearby Hawaiian tribe which was cool. The free 2 hour bike rental no longer originates from the property itself, you have to drive into town (~10 minutes with traffic) to rent the bikes from a local shop. It's worth the trip as the ride is really nice along the coast. There is also a good shaved ice place next door to the bike rental (Ono Ono). There seems to always be some lemon/orange ice water and coffee out near the front desk. Beach towels are included in your room and can be refreshed every day if you like. Breakfast was great if you have it included with your status (gold & diamond), otherwise I would't pay $22 for it.
Check out: We had a late flight so requested a late check out and was told 1200 was the best they could do. Whatevs. Then at like 1140 they called me to remind me check out was at 1100. I explained I had called and requested late check out, no problem.
Pro Tip: Go hang out with Woogie at the bar, he is awesome and LOOKS JUST LIKE WOOGIE. It's amazing! Ask him to show you the photo of him and 'Cameron Diaz'
Overall we had a good stay. It was really nice to be halfway between North and South shores, but I wish the hotel was closer to one of the small towns so you could just walk out to town to eat or for happy hour, etc. Traffic and parking can be a nightmare on Kauai. That said, this place is one of the cheapest places to stay on Kauai so can't complain too much!
Shawn B
Just stayed here for 5 nights, here are my thoughts:
Overall impression was good, it's a HGI so it was what I expected. Relatively no frills. I would echo what others have said in that this place is a good jump off point to explore the island being about equal distance from north and south shores. In my opinion it's not the type of place that you would just come to and stay. It's also not really within walking distance of anything so if you stay here, I would be sure to rent a car.
Parking: Looks like they are trying to expand the parking up front. We were able to get a spot every day except for one when we came back late. Even then we just parked on the side, no big deal. As others mentioned, parking is "free" as it's included in the resort fee.
Check In: Staff were very friendly. They acknowledged my (lowly) Gold status and let us check in a couple of hours early. We were provided breakfast coupons and mai tai coupons for each day. They also provided us with 2 bottles of water and an additional "premium" drink coupon (good for 2) as a thanks for my Gold status.
Room: I had pre checked in so the room was what I expected overlooking the pool and ocean. Beds were comfy enough. Didn't spend a whole lot of time in the room.
Amenities: We never used the pool/hot tub as we were always out and about, but they are both relatively small by resort pool standards. I imagine the pool water is cold as we never saw anyone actually in the pool. The hotel is close to, but not on the beach. You can easily walk to it. The beach is public but doesn't seem to see a lot of traffic. Honestly it's not the nicest beach. There are plenty of other nicer ones all around the island. We did do the sunrise ceremony with a local guy from a nearby Hawaiian tribe which was cool. The free 2 hour bike rental no longer originates from the property itself, you have to drive into town (~10 minutes with traffic) to rent the bikes from a local shop. It's worth the trip as the ride is really nice along the coast. There is also a good shaved ice place next door to the bike rental (Ono Ono). There seems to always be some lemon/orange ice water and coffee out near the front desk. Beach towels are included in your room and can be refreshed every day if you like. Breakfast was great if you have it included with your status (gold & diamond), otherwise I would't pay $22 for it.
Check out: We had a late flight so requested a late check out and was told 1200 was the best they could do. Whatevs. Then at like 1140 they called me to remind me check out was at 1100. I explained I had called and requested late check out, no problem.
Pro Tip: Go hang out with Woogie at the bar, he is awesome and LOOKS JUST LIKE WOOGIE. It's amazing! Ask him to show you the photo of him and 'Cameron Diaz'
Overall we had a good stay. It was really nice to be halfway between North and South shores, but I wish the hotel was closer to one of the small towns so you could just walk out to town to eat or for happy hour, etc. Traffic and parking can be a nightmare on Kauai. That said, this place is one of the cheapest places to stay on Kauai so can't complain too much!
Shawn B
Last edited by vacashawn; Feb 15, 2018 at 9:09 pm
Feb 16, 2018, 1:57 am
#102
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Silver, M&M, HHonors Gold
Posts: 1,223
Was check out time moved to 11.00 from 12.00 now? Phone call reminder to check out is exactly the same what happened to ma a year ago, even though late check out was agreed. And then I was charged for extra night without being aware of it until I got invoice by email next day. I don't think they are any good with late check out at this property.
Jun 7, 2018, 6:47 pm
#103
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HNL
Programs: HA, DL, UA, PC Gold, A/club Plat, HH Gold, Hyatt Pl
Posts: 1,461
gonna make a stay as a gold next week..booked a cottage..when i could have got the jr suite for same price...hopefully will have less bugs then the last time...although should I message management to ensure I get a different cottage?
May 16, 2019, 4:31 pm
#104
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Nomadic
Programs: A Few Here, A Few There
Posts: 76
Was check out time moved to 11.00 from 12.00 now? Phone call reminder to check out is exactly the same what happened to ma a year ago, even though late check out was agreed. And then I was charged for extra night without being aware of it until I got invoice by email next day. I don't think they are any good with late check out at this property.
May 16, 2019, 4:35 pm
#105
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: YVR, HNL
Programs: AS 75k, UA peon, BA Bronze, AC E50k, Marriott Plat, HH Diamond, Fairmont Plat (RIP)
Posts: 7,832