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Grand Hyatt Kauai REVIEW- MASTER THREAD - mid-2011 Forward

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Old Aug 20, 2018, 3:29 am
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SHOPPING
1. Safeway
a. Multiple locations (2)
b. Significantly more polynesian/asian offerings in regards to food, Made in Hawaii, Grown in Hawaii goods

2. Longs Drugs
a. CVS-owned; all CVS coupons and rewards are accepted.
b. Many locations, including Lihue and Poipu https://longs.staradvertiser.com/loc...p?island=kauai
c. Stores have a more significant focus on local items and goods than Mainland CVS stores.
d. Reliable source of distilled water for CPAP users.

2. ABC Stores
a. Significant number (3) of locations, accessible.
b. They carry almost nothing but local items, and also beer

3. Costco (2.6mi from LIH):
a. Gas up before dropping rental car off. It was at least $0.80/gal cheaper than anywhere else (8/20/18)
b. Kauai/Kona coffee, other gifts (e.g., macadamia nuts in multiple preparations)
c. Gift cards for local vendors are often available
d. Food court (many of the same items as continental US with same prices)
4. Walmart (1.3mi from LIH). Exceptionally busy. Busy store inside/outside/around it.
a. Beach/pool toys
b. Snacks (if you don’t have a huge family staying a long time to eat Costco bulk item)
c. Souvenirs (they have a section in the front for this)

KAUAI TOURS/SELF-GUIDED ADVENTURES
Swimming/Snorkeling
1. Poipu Beach - Massive reef offshore, with a reef onshore separating two beaches. With the closure of Tunnels/Ke'e/Lumahai beach due to landslides on Kuhio highway, Poipu beach has one of the top snorkeling spots on the island currently, and is just 5 minute drive from the hotel. Turtles and monk seal are spotted here regularly
2. Lydgate Beach - protected snorkeling spot perfect for beginners. Located on East side of the island. This looks close, but traffic in Kapaa can make this a 45 minute drive.
3. Anini Beach - Northeast on island, 1 hour to reach. Reef with significant amounts of sea life.
4. Tunnels Beach/Ke'e Beach - currently closed. 1 hour 30 minutes away. Snorkel right next to the beginning of the Na Pali coast, with significant amounts of turtles. Before Kauai restores access to the beach via Kuhio Highway, residents are strongly considering limiting access to the beach (no vehicles, only shuttles, or limited number of vehicle permits sold per day). Parking fills up fast here, and these beaches are the end of the road on island.


GUIDED TOURS
1. Wailua River + Secret Falls Hike. 30-45 minute drive from hotel. Cost $40/pp. 4 hour+ trip. 1 mile of kayaking followed by a short hike to a large waterfall. Some tours offer pineapple as a snack at the waterfall. Some offer just chips or granola bars like what you might buy from Costco.
2. Kauai Sugarloaf Pineapple. See the Huber families sugarloaf pineapple farm. Hole in the mountain farms is situated on 38 acres of land, where you will be given the rare opportunity to taste sugarloaf pineapple. An extremely low acidic pineapple that has a core that is edible, and not stringy. $65/pp w/ free pineapple and smoothie. The ARV of the pineapple you receive will be around $8-15. Sugarloaf pineapple sells for $3-4 a pound, with an average pineapple being 5-6 pounds in size. This is a once in a lifetime experience. 1 hour from GH Kauai http://kauaisugarloaf.com BOOK TOURS IN ADVANCE. We booked two weeks in advance, and at the farmers market on a Wednesday we overheard them say they were booked out for 2 weeks (so almost September). They only do tours on Thursdays.
3. Chocolate Tour. Lydgate Farms has a chocolate tour. $95/pp
4. Captain Andy's Tours. Captain Andy is currently leaving out of the south shore in Port Allen. He offers all 3 kinds of boat tours. 55ft catamaran w/ restroom, warm water rinse, cooked lunch, snorkeling, napali coast, alcoholic drinks included (up to $179 pp). They have smaller boats that do not have restrooms/rinse/cooked lunch, but will go in the sea caves. And then they have raft boats that require you to wear gloves, and are very much a thrill ride. They do beach landings in those, and basically anything. The choices are listed from most comfortable to least comfortable. 55ft catamaran is the preferred way for most

HIKING/SIGHTS
1. Kalepa Ridge Trail. 1 hour from GHK. Free. 2 hour round trip. 1.7 mile hike. Classified as hard by alltrails.com. For the time and distance you walk, this trail beats the Awaawapuhi Trail
2. Awaawapuhi Trail. 55 minute from GHK. Free. Half day. 6.7 mile hike. Classified as moderate by alltrails.com. It is a longer hike, but once you get to the end, the views are IMO better than the Kalepa Ridge Trail
3. Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls. 50 minute from GHK. Free. 3 hours. Hike to a the top of a waterfall on the Waimae Canyon.
4. Heritage Trail. Literally on the beach at the GHK. Free. Not necessarily a crazy cool hike
5. Wailua Falls: do some research if you plan on doing a hike down to the waterfall
6. Spouting Horn. 7 minute drive from GHK. Underwhelming, but worth it to say you've seen it. 2-3 minute drive from Spouting Horn is the Kukui'ula Village Shopping Center, which has a Bubbas Burger/Tortilla Republic/The Lanai/Merriman Fish House/Eating House 1849, Dolphin, Ruth's Chris and other restaurants. To see the spouting horn, you will walk past a 150-200ft of street vendors selling crafts, everyday of the week.
7. Queen's Bath-dangerous, slippery and muddy on way day, rocky and if you are inside you may get washed out by the waves. But go at sunset and you'll see why.

FARMERS MARKETS
1. Kukui'ula Village Shopping Center - Wednesday Evening, 3:30PM - 6PM. Kauai Sugarloaf Farms attends this, and will let you try their pineapple and buy tours here. There is supposedly a beer garden, but I didn't find it. There is also food from restaurants there, as well as a booth by the "Pie Lady" (The Right Slice).

RESORT FEE INCLUDES
1. Free self-parking (for all, not just Globalist)

2. Free laundry in each guestroom with free laundry pods

3. Towel at Valet for excursions (and after 7pm for pool)

4. Free bike use

5. Sunscreen at pool

6. Hospitality lounge for early arrival & late departing flights

7. Refrigerator in all rooms
  1. Self-parking
  2. Two complimentary refillable water bottles
  3. Purified water stations
  4. Poipu Bay Golf Course and Clubhouse shuttle service
  5. Coffee maker in room with Hawaiian coffee and tea
  6. Complimentary self-service washer, dryer and detergent
  7. Reusable logo tote bag located in closet
  8. Access to 24 hour Anara Spa fitness center
  9. Fitness and yoga classes at Anara Spa
    1. See daily activities schedule, 14 years and older
  10. Hospitality lounge for early arrival & late departing flights
  11. Welcome lei greeting
  12. Guided sunrise walk Monday - Saturday
  13. Hawaiian crafters daily in lobby
  14. Wildlife Walk twice weekly
  15. Hydroponic Garden tours twice weekly
  16. Entertainment and hula at Seaview Terrace
  17. Torch lighting ceremony three times per week
  18. Ukulele, lei-making and hula lessons
  19. Koi fish feeding and parrot talk
  20. Sunscreen samples at pool recreation desk
  21. Mountain Bike use - based on availability
  22. One hour tennis court time daily
    1. Reservations required, equipment rental available
  23. Complimentary boarding pass and incoming fax printing
  24. Unlimited local and toll-free calls
  25. In-room safe
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Grand Hyatt Kauai REVIEW- MASTER THREAD - mid-2011 Forward

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Old May 20, 2021, 2:51 pm
  #1996  
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 61
There's hiking next to the hotel on the Maha'ulepu heritage trail. I'd still want a car but it's something if there's no car available.
lily23 likes this.
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Old May 20, 2021, 2:56 pm
  #1997  
 
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA 1K MM, Accor Plat, Htz PC, Natl ExEm, other random status
Posts: 2,876
Originally Posted by lily23
Given the shortage of rental cars, is it possible to do a trip here and not rent a car? Curious if there are options for tours, hiring a driver, etc. I'm perfectly happy to just lounge at the resort the entire time but my other half prefers a more active vacation and it seems a car is required to get around for hiking and other activities.
I'm sure others would disagree, but in our experience (and we love the resort - have been there multiple times), the food isn't very good and so we would dine off-property almost exclusively (even for breakfast and for pool days, I'd go pick something up for the family). As a result, we would not stay there without a car. YMMV...
bsdstone, TravelingChef and lily23 like this.
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Old May 22, 2021, 2:48 pm
  #1998  
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 38
Is the hotel booking at full capacity? Or are they limiting the number of rooms sold?

There is no availability for when I'm looking at the end of July. Two months out and completely full. Is this common for the summer months? I'll keep checking back and hoping maybe some folks cancel due to the rental car shortage. I was able to get a rental car for $40/night so I'm all set there. Just need a place to stay now...
deltar is offline  
Old May 22, 2021, 8:25 pm
  #1999  
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: IAD/DCA, USA (MD Suburbs)
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, HH Diamond, Fairmont RIP, Hertz Plat, BA Gold
Posts: 1,622
Originally Posted by deltar
Is the hotel booking at full capacity? Or are they limiting the number of rooms sold?

There is no availability for when I'm looking at the end of July. Two months out and completely full. Is this common for the summer months? I'll keep checking back and hoping maybe some folks cancel due to the rental car shortage. I was able to get a rental car for $40/night so I'm all set there. Just need a place to stay now...
I asked someone today and they are currently at 70%. They expect to be back at full capacity soon. The rental car situation is still dire. Thankfully we have Avis preferred (Presidents Club). Even then it took us 45 minutes to get to the front of the preferred line for the 45 second transaction of handing over the keys and verification of the safe travels green check marks. It was chaos. I suspect many of those in line were there for 3+ hours and still didn’t get cars. They were literally waiting for cars to be returned, quick clean and hand the keys to someone waiting in line.
FFMilesJunkie is offline  
Old May 23, 2021, 9:07 am
  #2000  
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 38
Originally Posted by FFMilesJunkie
I asked someone today and they are currently at 70%. They expect to be back at full capacity soon. The rental car situation is still dire. Thankfully we have Avis preferred (Presidents Club). Even then it took us 45 minutes to get to the front of the preferred line for the 45 second transaction of handing over the keys and verification of the safe travels green check marks. It was chaos. I suspect many of those in line were there for 3+ hours and still didn’t get cars. They were literally waiting for cars to be returned, quick clean and hand the keys to someone waiting in line.
Oh wow. I wonder if it's the same with National. I have executive status and my email confirmation says to go to the executive aisle to pick my car. I'm hoping I don't need to wait long.

Good to know about the 70% capacity. Hopefully they open more capacity soon. I'd love to be able to stay there during my trip. I think I'll call them directly to see what's going on. Thanks.
deltar is offline  
Old May 23, 2021, 11:38 am
  #2001  
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Left Coast
Programs: UA 1K & 1MM, HH Diamond, Marriott/SPG Gold (UA comp)
Posts: 1,353
Originally Posted by deltar
Oh wow. I wonder if it's the same with National. I have executive status and my email confirmation says to go to the executive aisle to pick my car. I'm hoping I don't need to wait long.
It was almost 3h for me as LIH Avis Preferred last week, but when we returned the car Monda noon, there was nobody there. At Avis OGG Monday afternoon, there were tons of cars. This and the TA thread mentioned above 👆🏻supports YMMV at many facilities. I suspect that as long as you have a reservation, you'll get a car but it might be a (long) wait.
weezl is offline  
Old May 23, 2021, 12:49 pm
  #2002  
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: FAT
Posts: 146
Originally Posted by deltar
Oh wow. I wonder if it's the same with National. I have executive status and my email confirmation says to go to the executive aisle to pick my car. I'm hoping I don't need to wait long.

Good to know about the 70% capacity. Hopefully they open more capacity soon. I'd love to be able to stay there during my trip. I think I'll call them directly to see what's going on. Thanks.
report back please! I’m booked aisle with exec status as well. While my confirm says to go to the aisle, the location details say “Due to current events, your rental will be serviced by the Alamo Rent-A-Car brand in Lihue.” I tried to contact National in LIH but I couldn’t and Twitter just quoted the above at me when I asked if this was still happening.
49penguins is offline  
Old May 23, 2021, 1:41 pm
  #2003  
pjs
 
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: Alpharetta, GA, USA
Posts: 948
Originally Posted by 49penguins
report back please! I’m booked aisle with exec status as well. While my confirm says to go to the aisle, the location details say “Due to current events, your rental will be serviced by the Alamo Rent-A-Car brand in Lihue.” I tried to contact National in LIH but I couldn’t and Twitter just quoted the above at me when I asked if this was still happening.
Same with me for July. We arrive from KOA at 9am so I'm hopeful that the time is on our side as the mainland flights arrive much later.
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pjs is offline  
Old May 23, 2021, 7:35 pm
  #2004  
 
Join Date: Nov 2019
Posts: 49
Originally Posted by deltar
Is the hotel booking at full capacity? Or are they limiting the number of rooms sold?

There is no availability for when I'm looking at the end of July. Two months out and completely full. Is this common for the summer months? I'll keep checking back and hoping maybe some folks cancel due to the rental car shortage. I was able to get a rental car for $40/night so I'm all set there. Just need a place to stay now...
I am looking at October, so even further out - was able to book 1 room but need a 2nd and finding really spotty award availability. Hoping they're just holding back a lot of award space that will be released soon, but I even checked some close-in dates for May and they seem to be unavailable as well.
EPPanda is offline  
Old May 23, 2021, 8:46 pm
  #2005  
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: IAD/DCA, USA (MD Suburbs)
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, HH Diamond, Fairmont RIP, Hertz Plat, BA Gold
Posts: 1,622
One of the trickle down effects of the rental car situation is that getting around Poipu without a car is quite the challenge right now. We had dinner reservations at Red Salt last night and even though we have a car, we prefer not to drive if having a few drinks. There are no Uber/Lyft or taxis right now since they are all doing airport runs for the people who can’t get cars. No Uber or taxi wants to do $8 restaurant runs down Poipu Rd when they can score princeville fares. We ended up taking that Tiki shuttle that runs up and down the poipu rd. Took us 15 minutes to get less than a mile to the restaurant and over 30 minutes to get home. Tonight I need to skip the pre dinner Mai Tai at sunset and nurse a glass of wine at dinner so I can drive.

But other than that, the hotel is doing a fantastic job and it really feels just about pre pandemic around here. The staff are so grateful to have everyone back, and you can just feel the joy and aloha spirit from both guests and staff.
FFMilesJunkie is offline  
Old May 24, 2021, 12:01 pm
  #2006  
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 61
Regarding National at Lihue, there was one mostly positive derailed google review left a week ago. Executive status, lined up at Alamo, but the counter person recognized the status and allowed him some choice in vehicle. We have an upcoming national reservation and I was relieved to read the review.
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cebee is offline  
Old May 24, 2021, 1:19 pm
  #2007  
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Programs: AA EXP, BA Gold, VS Gold, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,947
Originally Posted by FFMilesJunkie
We ended up taking that Tiki shuttle that runs up and down the poipu rd. Took us 15 minutes to get less than a mile to the restaurant and over 30 minutes to get home. Tonight I need to skip the pre dinner Mai Tai at sunset and nurse a glass of wine at dinner so I can drive.
Mobility issues aside, is there any problem with walking the road (e.g. no sidewalks, etc)? 30 minutes to go less than a mile is about the pace of a very leisurely stroll.
coleslaw is offline  
Old May 24, 2021, 9:24 pm
  #2008  
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: ATL
Posts: 143
Originally Posted by weezl
Not sure, just stopped in for brekkie. Here's the posting, and also the Resort Fee inclusions and below that, the Globalist perks list we received at check-in:
Did you ever stop by the club for more than just breakfast? I'm curious if they're offering other items throughout the day/evening like they used to.
cebee likes this.
ahself is offline  
Old May 25, 2021, 7:49 am
  #2009  
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 38
Originally Posted by EPPanda
I am looking at October, so even further out - was able to book 1 room but need a 2nd and finding really spotty award availability. Hoping they're just holding back a lot of award space that will be released soon, but I even checked some close-in dates for May and they seem to be unavailable as well.
Wow, that's crazy. I did call the hotel and they said they are booking at 100% capacity so I've given up hope for getting a room in July. I'll check randomly, but I've booked accommodations elsewhere.
deltar is offline  
Old May 25, 2021, 7:51 am
  #2010  
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 38
Originally Posted by 49penguins
report back please! I’m booked aisle with exec status as well. While my confirm says to go to the aisle, the location details say “Due to current events, your rental will be serviced by the Alamo Rent-A-Car brand in Lihue.” I tried to contact National in LIH but I couldn’t and Twitter just quoted the above at me when I asked if this was still happening.
Ahh!!! I didn't read that small print in my email. LOL! Shoot, well I guess I will be following the car rental thread to see what others' experiences are like
49penguins likes this.
deltar is offline  


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