After picking up our tourist-red Dodge Stratus at Dollar Rent-a-car, we headed north from Lihue to Kapaa and the Coconut Marketplace, right on the water's edge. The open-air lobby at the Kauai Coast Resort is everything you dream a Hawaiian resort should be. Huge, fresh flower arrangements, tropical plants, palm trees, and ti leaves glowing in the light of the tiki torches.
Having spent two hours in a timeshare presentation in Phoenix, we earned this four-night stay. We weren't sure what to expect from this resort. The reviews had been quite positive, so we were hopeful. On the other hand, what can you expect for free? In this case, you can expect a beautiful resort, well-kept and in a great location.
Our suite was beautiful. A four-poster king-sized bed, tropical prints, lovely kitchen, two TVs, balcony with a view of the ocean, all clean and well maintained. The units face north/south and the bed is positioned facing east next to a sliding glass door. My husband could see the sunrise from his side of the bed each morning; that is, if he opened his eyes early enough.
We were on the third (top) floor of our unit, and there are no elevators. Lugging our baggage up two flights of stairs was a little exhausting. Of course, we could have used the bell staff, but chose to do it on our own. There was a lot of wear and tear on the carpeting on the stairs.
The unit has no VCR, which was only disappointing since we had brought a recording of a missed episode of our favorite TV drama, 24. The biggest problem we encountered at this resort was the uncomfortable mattress. We woke up sore the first couple of mornings and finally realized the bed was too hard. If I were to stay at this resort again, I'd probably run down to Wal-Mart and buy a foam mattress pad to throw on top for the duration of my stay.
Keeping the slider open all night, we were sometimes awakened in the morning by the many birds calling, chirping and singing. I wondered if I was hearing Mynah birds, and I'd have this song rolling around in the back of my head. I used to hear it often when I lived in Hawaii, sung to the tune of "Yellow Bird."
Mynah bird, up high in the Banyan Tree
Mynah Bird, you sit all alone like me
You just sit and yell
by the big hotel
Tourist cannot sleep. . .
There's nothing like waking up in paradise, with a glass of orange juice to start the day as I watch the sunrise off my balcony. It's going to be a glorious vacation.