On Walkabout At: The Sheraton Kauai Resort

Basic Information

• Name: Sheraton Kauai Resort
• Where: Poipu, Kauai
• Cost: $200+ per night
• More Info: Sheraton website

Narrative

The hotel my family and I usually stay at when visiting Kauai the Sheraton Kauai Resort which is located in the touristy beach community of Poipu:

Poipu is the area on Kauai where the vast majority of the islands tourist stay because of its consistent sunny weather and beautiful beaches.  However, due to strict regulations these resorts are not the mega-high rise resorts like you find on other islands.  Buildings on Kauai cannot be higher than 4 stories thus limiting the growth of these resorts which is just the way the locals like it.  Here is the view of the Sheraton from the vantage point of my hotel window that shows the hotel’s smaller buildings that are constructed in a Polynesian style that I think makes the resort look so much better than the mega-resorts back on Waikiki:

Something my wife and I really liked about the Sheraton was that the hotel had beautiful gardens everywhere to include small ponds filled with fish:

Fish wasn’t the only thing living in the ponds as we also saw plenty of birds as well as small geckos:

We always stay in the cheapest room they have at the Sheraton because we don’t need an expensive room when we spend so little time in it.  The cheapest rooms at the Sheraton had everything we needed, a comfy bed, clean restroom, fridge, and TV:

For a cheap room at the Sheraton plan on paying at least $200.  It is possible to get cheaper rates if you stay multiple nights during the off season or pre-pay in advance.  Since I am Starwood Preferred Guest member with plenty of points I am also usually able to negotiate down to a lower rate.  Something to remember about hotels in Hawaii is that they don’t include hotel taxes and parking fees when they first quote you a hotel rate.  So what ever rate you get expect to pay about $25-$50 more than you expected.

Here is a good tip to remember, a way to save on a parking is to rent the car from the hotel.  That is what we did and we got the Sheraton to wave the parking fee.  Also since we have stayed at the Sheraton multiple times the last two times we stayed there we were able to get the hotel to give us breakfast vouchers.  The breakfast buffet they have at the hotel is delicious.  The customer service at the hotel is outstanding and they appreciate repeat customers and that is why every time we go to Kauai we stay at the Sheraton even though we could probably find a little cheaper hotel elsewhere.

The facility at the resort are also very nice with beautiful pools and hot tubs located right by the beach:

Here is a picture of the beach in front of the Sheraton Kauai Resort at sunset:

The beach at the Sheraton during the day is not very busy compared to other public beaches on Kauai.  Anyone can hangout here at the beach but the parking and all the hotel amenities around the beach are for hotel patrons only thus keeping the numbers of people visiting this beach to mostly those staying at the hotel.  Usually the waves at this beach are small enough to swim around in with no problems but there are times when some very large and rough waves makes swimming not advisable on this beach.

Finally here is a picture of a beautiful sunset from the beach:

Conclusion

This resort may not be for everyone’s budget, but I think for those that can afford to stay here I think they will have a great time.  I did speak with a young couple on honeymoon one morning during breakfast and they told that they thought the resort was boring compared to Waikiki.  The Sheraton is just representative of Kauai in general because this is not a party island.  From my experience most of the tourists on Kauai are older to mid-age people and not the 20-somethings that populate Waikiki.   So yes the Sheraton is quiet compared to areas at Waikiki but I actually this is a plus for people like me, but for the younger crowd this may be a turn off. For me the outstanding customer service, nice rooms, beautiful beach, and the laid back & quiet atmosphere make the Sheraton Kauai Resort my lodging of choice on Kauai.