jayer

OK I missed that one. In the spa or elsewhere?

ILuvParis

It's on the other side of the jacuzzi (not the side with the sauna and steam room).

gregorygrady

Plus it's got a door that closes so you either have to peek into all the showers (there are also a couple wheelchair/accessible-type showers around there) or else you have to ask an attendant where the 12-headed shower is.........................

Mary2e

Love that shower... except it's often in use by people getting body spa treatments.

I STILL love the eucalyptus scented steam room. I could sit in there all day.

Bikeguy

Just got back this morning. Wow! I'm impressed. Going with Diamond status sure beats going with no status like I did for my honeymoon 11 years ago.

We had a room that was 3 doors down from the RC. I showered at the spa 2 times a day. Ate breakfast at the RC. Bagels with lox, granola, yogurt, much fresh fruit, salami and cheese products. For evening appetizers, the RC had penne with sausage, coconut shrimp and buffalo wings, all on different nights, along with grilled vegetables, a wide variety of cheese and salami. I was surprised about the generous takeaway policy. I'm not used to being able to get a plate and drink to go.

And nothing like a steamed milk with hazelnut or coconut syrup in it for a bedtime treat.

The coconut lobster soup at Tidewaters was unbelievably good. So was the ahi and seaweed sushi, wrapped in salmon and lemon at Stevensons Library, available Friday thru Monday (?).

I wasn't charged a resort fee.

I did valet park, and enjoyed it. Well worth it IMHO. Plus, I called ahead to the valet stand and only needed to wait a minute or two one time. The rest of the time, my car was already parked out front. I'd been saving one dollar bills for a while and had a big wad I kept in my pocket for tipping for the valet and for other help. I hate trying to tip and only having big bills.

Also, was told late checkout would be plus 1 hour if my room was to be occupied that night and 2 hours if not. I was asked to call the morning of check out. When I called, they said my room was to be occupied, but because I had Diamond status, they would give me until 2 PM.

On several occasions, the staff really made very customer service oriented gestures I was impressed with. When I asked for red bracelets for myself and my wife, the person working the counter said she couldn't give me 2, as the bracelets needed to be put on right there, but that she would radio the slide attendant and let her know it was fine for my non-bracelet having wife to go down the slide with me.

I asked at the spa if they had extra toothbrushes, as I had forgotten mine. A well meaning attendant there said they don't have any new ones, but if I didn't mind sharing, he had his with him and I could borrow it!!!! I politely declined.

If you don't know where the 12 headed shower is, I'd ask for a spa tour. I'd hate to overlook some facility I might enjoy.

Lastly, a Kauai native said John Travolta spends Christmas and New Years there.

I again thank this board and Mary2e for the suggestions I received. My wife and I thought the trip was wonderful.

The only (minor) mistake I made was I didn't ask the concierge for reservations at Tidepools. I asked at the restaurant, and was told I'd need to go standby. I'm pretty sure the concierge would have given me a time slot, based on a conversation at the concierges later on.

Actually, the other mistake was only booking 4 nights! However, I now have 2 hours of vacation left for the rest of the year.

Dr. D

Here's a tip:

We never ask for a late checkout, we just ask to use the showers at the spa later that day. We check out in the morning (taking a small bag of clean clothes with us) and pack up all of our other bags and leave them with the bellman. Then we go out for the day and come back in the afternoon, and hit the spa for a shower and change of clothes before heading to the airport for a late flight.

wizzy

This is exactly what we did yesterday when we checked out. After we left our room, we grabbed a locker in the spa, and cleaned up after spending some time at the pool.

To add to a couple of points made above, I've listed some random comments below:

Resort Fees
I was explicitly told when I checked in that my resort fee was being waived. Not sure if that was due to Diamond status or the fact that I was using points to pay for the night. They did charge me for some local calls I had made, but removed them when I questioned the charges (since they're supposed to be included in the resort fees, whether you have to pay them or not).

Concierge
For non-Hyatt questions, we had better luck with the general concierges in the lobby than the name-takers in the RC. The RC explicitly says that you're not supposed to take alcohol out of the lounge, but after finding to-go cups stacked next to the evening cordials, I figured that wasn't being enforced.

If you have a car
Be sure to call ahead for valet, especially in the 4-6pm timeframe. Don't discount traffic delays if you're going to/through Lihue, it is bad much of the time. Costco was $.10/gallon cheaper than almost every other place.

The Pool
The hotel was sold out, but absolutely NO issues getting a decent spot at the pool. From something I'd read, I thought the saltwater lagoon was going to be stocked with fish, but the fish ponds (koi) were seperate. There doesn't seem to be still enforcement of the adults-only pool. I saw a couple of small kids being brought into that area, fortunately they were well behaved.

Resort Dining
In a word, it's expensive. There are no cheap lunch options. At the Deck (Dock?), their grab-n-go place, it cost over $40 for a burger, salad, waffle fries, soda, and a snapple. Illiana Terrace, the sit-down lunch place off the lobby, actually wound up being a little cheaper (~$38 after tip for two of us)

Cell Phones
I was roaming on Sprint, my wife was fine with AT&T.

Spa
We had two couples massages at the Anara spa. The first was conducted in a converted guest room, not the setting I had been expecting, but worked out OK. The second was done in the new expansion, and they need to resolve some noise issues there. My wife could clearly hear cars on the street and a barking dog during the massage, but I couldn't on the other side of the room. The new room appeared to be two single treatment rooms with a divider that opened, making it a double-wide space. We didn't have much of a sense that we were in the same room, which was disappointing.

Other thoughts
This resort was what I was hoping Hawaii would be like. The disappointments of Waikiki were quickly erased, and I highly recommend a visit. ^

jim87

I was told at check-in that the resort fee was waived, but as a consequence, my local calls would not be free. All other resort fee benefits were afforded to me.

To dine on property, try Yum Cha, at the golf course restaurant next to the parking lot, that goes upscale Asian after 5:30, and offers an affordable sampling menu from 5:30 until 6:30.

sfvoyage

How self-contained is the resort? Is it easy to venture out for other dining options at various price points?

lihue1k

The resort is very self contained, with 5 on site dining options.

There are an additional 10+ options within 5 minutes drive (15 minutes walk) at the Poipu shopping village (these are all very "touristic" meaning expensive, though generally 20 - 30% less than similar in house options). Another 5 minutes away is Koloa with another several options, mostly tourist centric.

Many who stay at the GH never venture off property, not my approach, but one I've observed on many, many occasions.

Mary2e

The hotel is pretty self contained. BUT, we will have 1 or 2 meals there, if that much, and eat elsewhere. We're always good for 1 meal at Roy's, but also will go to local places. Brick Oven Pizza has become an addiction

We don't vacation for the dining opportunities. We'll have a nice meal or two, but we don't go out of our way to seek out a meal. I've been known to go to Costco (if we're passing it) to have the cheapest lunch on the island - hot dog and soda and sometimes we throw in a yogurt I think it comes to less than $4 per person If we have a chicken caesar, it may come to $5 per person.

While the Hyatt is spectacular, I can't imagine not leaving it to see the beauty of the island.

Dr. D

We were really excited to see a new Pan-Asian option at the Hyatt when we were last in Kauai in Feb, but Yum Cha was AWFUL. Really greasy and just plain bad tasting. Perhaps our standards were too high because we eat Asian at least 3-4 times a week at home and were expecting something a little more authentic. But I distinctly remember the kalua pork spring rolls were inedible and the only thing we liked at all was the tea.

That being said, during the day the golf course restaurant is a good value for lunch. Decent sandwiches for $10-15 a person, which is pretty fair for Kauai and downright cheap for a resort.

gregorygrady

The worst part is actually the walk to the car. As the poster who asked the question above is a Diamond, he'll most likely have a room by the RC (actually GC), and the walk to his car will be almost 10 minutes. BTW, a little known hint is that there's a parking lot for the spa and the employees that is right behind the RC. Park there if your room is by the RC and you'll cut your walk from your room to your car down to 5 minutes.

Anyways, a few minutes drive away as the above poster mentioned is the Poipu Shopping Village. If you want a decent priced meal there that is surprisingly good, go to "Keoki's Paradise" just on the corner on the righthand side when you turn into the shopping center. It's the sister restaurant to Duke's/Leilani's/Kimo's etc on Maui/Waikiki/Sou Cal. Order the Fish Tacos (The Cajun style ones are fantastic and you have to specify that they cook them that way) and the Hula Pie for dessert. The wife and I always hit up these restaurants when we're in Hawaii and always order the same thing (2 orders of Cajun fish tacos and then split the Hula Pie) and we get out of there with a full meal (and we're stuffed after it, ^ we can barely finish the Hula Pie) for $35 total (including tip). ^ And the setting is quite nice as well with a nice pond/waterfall, very tropical in there.

I give Keoki's Paradise 2 thumbs up: ^ ^

Dr. D

Great parking tip Greogorygrady- we do the same thing and avoid the lines for the valets as well as the long trek to the lobby. We always ask for a room near the spa so we can make the daily shower runs.

We tend to drive to Kalaheo for food most nights. Brick Oven Pizza is good, Pomodoro is very good (and not too expensive), and we also like the teri chicken and pies at the Camp House Grill. It is a bit dingy looking, but the fries are great and the pies are amazing. You can get a slice to go and take it back to the Hyatt and grab a coffee from the RC.

Another tip for Keoki's: you can eat at the bar (find your own seat) and you don't have to wait an hour for a table. There has always been a HUGE wait everytime we go, so we just hit the bar instead and still end up stuffed. I would avoid the burger place in Poipu Village though, it was pretty bad.

ILuvParis

The burger place, Tropical Burgers, was closed for renovations in the late summer, but should be open by now. I have always thought it was a decent (not great) place for a inexpensive meal. Puka Dog (also at Poipu Shopping Village) is always fun for a quick lunch (they drill a hole in a bun, fill it with tropical relishes and garlic sauce (mild, medium or hot) and stuff a Polish (or veggie dog ) into the bun), served with fresh made in front of you lemonade.