Quote:
Best Things Nearby:
Golf club;
Sightseeing;
Restaurants;
Tennis club.
Best Things About the Resort:
Right on the ocean with an absolutely beautiful beach (Kalapaki Beach);
Huge free-form pool that was great for sunbathing and/or relaxing;
Pretty nice exercise club;
Absolutely beautiful and breath-taking grounds.
Resort Experience:
Instead of paying for a hotel room for three nights (between the end of my one exchange and the flight home), I decided to exchange for another condo (via Interval International). Unfortunately, while I did get accommodations at a
wonderful resort, my "condo" consisted of two hotel rooms (with an adjoining door). The web site uses the words "luxurious accommodations and elegance of your villa," but these words weren't written by anyone who stayed at the rooms I was assigned!
To summarize, the resort was definitely fantastic but the rooms were not what I am accustomed to. I had to laugh when I paid the bill and was charged tax for two hotel rooms per night. In other words, I stayed at a hotel and not a condo!
Let’s talk about the positives of the resort since, after all, I didn't spend that much time in the rooms and that was the only negative about my stay.
The location--the hotel was situated along the ocean so I could walk out of my room (on the third floor), through the garden and pool area, and into the ocean! In addition, the hotel property was very large so you could walk (or jog) on the complex without worrying about traffic. Based in Lihue, which is centrally located for sightseeing on the island's east, west, or north side, the location was also great for shopping. Finally, it was only minutes away from the airport. In fact, if you were staying here the entire time, you could get away without renting a car since there was free shuttle to the airport, you could walk to golf and tennis, and grab a shuttle to go shopping and sightseeing.
The amenities--each morning, we received a newsletter that listed all of the classes or activities planned for the day. There were two exercise classes planned everyday (except for the day the fitness facility was closed for moving). The fitness center had several treadmills, a couple of recumbent bikes, a few weight machines, and other assorted equipment. There was also a lot of free weights available. However, I wouldn’t call it a health club since it was lacking a lot of essential equipment to rate that distinction. That said, a person could get a good workout. I must also mention the outdoor free-form pool, which was VERY big and had several spa areas. The interesting thing about the four spa areas is that two were accessible by swimming to them (which was too cold for us!).
Beautiful grounds--no expense was spared when this resort was designed! (When we last visited the complex, 12 years ago, it was a Westin property.) Not only was the pool area nice, but abundant waterfalls and garden areas made this resort a lovely place to stay. Hopefully my pictures will do it justice! The resort property included a lot of walkways and interior roads that led to the tennis facility, golf courses, and an abandoned shopping center. In walking around the grounds, we got to see the ocean from different vantage points.
You can access the web site for lots of other information.
Note about the recommendation: I may not want to return to the resort (if I had other choices that gave me a condo) but for many, the resort is definitely worth a return visit.
Pictures to follow.
- Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
- Activities: Very Good
- Amenities: Good
- Unit Satisfaction: Good
- Family Friendliness: Very Good
- Service: Very Good
From journals
Just had three days to spend at Lihue