Aloha from Kauai

A July 2005 trip to Kauai by sjusten

Quote: A vacation to remember in Kauai. I would like to describe our experience of our stay in Banyan Harbor. Timeshare review to follow...

Banyan Harbor Resort

Hotel | "Banyan Harbor"

Quote:

Best Things Nearby:It is a 5-minute walk to Kalapaki Beach, 10-minute drive to K-Mart, Wal-Mart, grocery store. It is close to two small malls where you can also get souvenirs and shave ice (yummm). It is a 10-minute drive from Lihue Airport.Best Things About the Resort:Banyan Harbor is centrally located, which allows you to travel to the North and South shores quite easily. The living room and two bedrooms have A/C's. There is a pool that has a view of the city and part of the beach. The staff is friendly and helpful. Resort Experience:The resort is a modest, older resort. The two-bedroom unit has two stories with a fully-equipped kitchen. We had a unit wit...Read More

Best Things Nearby:
It is a 5-minute walk to Kalapaki Beach, 10-minute drive to K-Mart, Wal-Mart, grocery store. It is close to two small malls where you can also get souvenirs and shave ice (yummm). It is a 10-minute drive from Lihue Airport.

Best Things About the Resort:
Banyan Harbor is centrally located, which allows you to travel to the North and South shores quite easily. The living room and two bedrooms have A/C's. There is a pool that has a view of the city and part of the beach. The staff is friendly and helpful.

Resort Experience:
The resort is a modest, older resort. The two-bedroom unit has two stories with a fully-equipped kitchen. We had a unit with an ocean view, but it was somewhat marred by a view of the busy industrial harbor. Some of the units have stairs to the carport, but ours was just outside our door, so it was pretty handy with loading/unloading.

If you are like us and gone most of the day, this resort is fine. But if you want to relax close to the beach and avail of different amenities, you might want to look elsewhere. It is a 5-minute walk to the beach, but due to our small kids, we preferred to go to Lydgate State Park (that has an enclosed area for snorkeling - I highly recommend this! - aside from a nice playground). The playground across the street was not well maintained when we were there. Although I would say that the Kalapaki Beach seems a lot of fun for surfers!

The next time I go, I think I would like to spend less time with touristy stuff and find a resort that would be more beachfront (I liked Poipu Beach, Kapaa areas - although the water there might not be great for swimming). Thought that Princeville resorts were beautiful, but being up the cliffs from the beach doesn't do much for me (maybe if I golfed more).