Kauai Family Travel: Where to Stay
If you’ve ever talked to me about travel, you have probably heard me excitedly speak about the amazingness of using loyalty points and airline miles to significantly reduce the cost of travel. I am by no means an expert (my favorite resource for this is The Points Guy - there’s even a new app that can help you learn how to earn and use points), but I will pat myself on the back for how I used points to save over $3000 on hotel costs, bringing the grand total for lodging on this trip to just over $300. Let me repeat that - we paid about $300 for 8 nights of hotels. In Hawaii. A notoriously expensive destination. I plan to do a separate budget post (always a favorite), but thought the hotels specifically deserved their own post.
Night 1: The ISO $193 (resort fee was waived, see below)
This was the only night we directly paid for. We were arriving late with our flight scheduled to land at 9:30 pm, so I was searching for a relatively affordable option that was close to the airport. I also really wanted to wake up with an ocean view on my birthday. The ISO fit the bill. Because The ISO is not associated with any major hotel loyalty programs, I chose to book through Hotels.com so I could earn credit toward a free night (always planning the next trip). We had initially booked an ocean front room, but it was not available when we arrived. We were moved to an equally nice ocean view room and our resort fee was waived. The hotel staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, in this instance and in every subsequent interaction. Because the resort fee included things like a grab-n-go breakfast (thanks, covid), bikes, and sunrise yoga, this added even more value to our stay. Overall, the room was okay, with the biggest cons being that it was quite small for a double bed room and there was no air conditioner, but it was clean and everything we needed for a single night after a long travel day. Best of all, we woke up to a gorgeous sunrise, palm trees swaying in the breeze, and the sound of crashing waves. We enjoyed coffee on the balcony and ate our complimentary breakfast on the beach. Big question: Would I stay here again? Maybe. I would definitely stay here again in a similar situation. I would probably not want to stay here for an entire trip - it would have felt cramped with a family.
Nights 2 & 3: Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa (50,000 points with waived resort fees for two nights; $553 per night at time of booking)
When I say that traveling on points is a hobby, this is what I mean: it takes time and research and planning to make it happen. Although the end result was two nights at the Grand Hyatt in May 2021, I began planning for this stay over a year prior when I made Brandon apply for a Chase Hyatt credit card in order to get the 60,000 point bonus (at the time), making sure he met the minimum spend. Months out from our stay, I began looking at dates, coordinating available dates for this resort and all the other places we wanted to stay. If you saw the pool pictures from my last post, you already know that all the effort was worth it. In fact, this is an outstanding use of points, with rooms starting at over $500 a night at best and frequently starting upwards of $700. Another great benefit of booking with Hyatt points is that resort fees, which would have added around $50 per night, are waived on award bookings. Using points allowed us to stay at a gorgeous resort that would normally be out of our travel budget.
The Grand Hyatt is located in Poipu, so we headed to the south part of the island after our single night staying in east Kauai near the airport. The resort is huge, so plan on getting your steps in, but from the moment we arrived and were greeted with leis in the open air lobby that had an unbelievable ocean view, relaxation immediately set in. Our two queen bed room was large with luxurious, if somewhat plain and dated, finishes. Waiting for us in our room was a bag of goodies including water bottles (which quickly became Harrison’s favorite) and a celebratory bottle of champagne for my birthday. We had a Garden View room, but had easy access to the pools. Although covid was clearly impacting various aspects of the resort, including fewer onsite cultural activities and a closed kid’s club, the pool was really everything. We celebrated my birthday with an amazing dinner at Tidepools, which was a scenic walk from our room through the pool area. The following morning, we could have walked to the Shipwreck Beach parking lot where we met our photographer for sunrise photos. Although you may never want to leave the resort, it has a convenient location for exploring the south part of the island.
Nights 4 & 5: Waimea Plantation Cottages (53,995 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points plus $60 in resort fees; $773.94 for two nights at time of booking)
After our stay in Poipu, we spent two days exploring the western part of the island. There are not really any traditional points hotels on this part of the island, which is part of the appeal. Instead, we used some of Brandon’s Chase Ultimate Rewards Points (from an even older sign up bonus with the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card) to book 2 nights at this truly unique stay. I can’t explain it, but sometimes I run across a hotel or resort and I immediately know I must stay there. It’s a feeling I get and so far I’ve never been wrong. Some places are just special. Located on over 40 acres, this ocean front property has 59 historic cottages scattered throughout. A one bedroom with a pack-n-play was perfect for our little family, but there are cottages available with as many as 5 bedrooms. Each cottage was built sometime between the 1880s and 1930s and has been relocated to this property from its original location and carefully restored. The history of each cottage is included in the amenity book and was an interesting read. Our little cottage was perfect - with a full kitchen, a large bathroom, and a comfortable bedroom. We loved that we could sit outside in the evenings and enjoy a glass of wine after putting Harrison to bed. Although the ocean there was not great for swimming, it was no less relaxing to lie in a hammock next to the water and we spent both afternoons here enjoying the pool. I highly recommend a stay here - it was the perfect place to “get away from it all.”
Nights 6 & 7: The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas (110,000 Marriott points plus $37.70 for parking; $449 per night at time of booking)
As may be obvious by now, one of the goals of this trip was to explore all parts of the island. After two lovely days staying in Waimea, we drove all the way around the island to reach the stunning North Shore - it’s impossible, or at least very inadvisable, to build a road from west Kauai to the north. Unlike with the Hyatt points, I did not have a specific hotel or resort in mind, but knew I wanted to use my stash of Marriott points to save some money. After considering all the options (and there are actually quite a few options for Marriott hotels on the island), this was the one that best aligned with our desired itinerary and available points. Much of the property is timeshares, so expect to be offered a timeshare presentation. You can also book the villas directly on the Marriott website, which is what I did. Because these are villas, the rooms are spacious with small kitchens and even a washer and dryer. Did you have that one on your traveling with a toddler bingo card? Because you can bet we used that washer and dryer. The room had so many thoughtful inclusions, down to dish washing liquid and a fully outfitted mini kitchen. The beds were, of course, the incredibly comfortable Westin Heavenly Bed. The best part was the view, though. Even staying on points, we had an ocean view. Harrison loved all the little bird friends who would visit our balcony each day. The property itself was nice with cliffside views of the ocean. There was an infinity pool overlooking the ocean and a somewhat worse for the wear kiddie pool, but the slide made up for it. This is an ideal spot for an extended stay or stays with a family, with everything you need to make that comfortable.
Night 8: Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort (35,000 point free night certificate plus $36.79 resort fee; $379 per night at time of booking)
For our final night on the island (sad face) we again wanted to be close to the airport for an early morning flight and to be close to the luau we planned for our final evening. We basically ended our trip where we started, within walking distance of The ISO. I used my free night certificate (with my Marriott credit card, I get a free night up to 35,000 points each year; I don’t think this resort can be booked at that rate any longer) to book one night here. I would have loved to have stayed longer. The recently remodeled and rebranded resort is airy and stylish. Our room had high ceilings and a small balcony overlooking the pool area that I’m sad we never got to enjoy. Harrison was greeted with sunglasses and sand toys, which he is still playing with months later. The resort was in a very convenient location and I would absolutely stay here again.
Using points allowed us to stay in some pretty spectacular places all across the island of Kauai for practically nothing. If you’re planning your own tropical adventure, I would love to chat about a strategy to help you do the same. Or, if you’re looking for an itinerary to make the most of a weeklong vacation, I can recommend what we did if you’re a person, couple, or family who is seeking an active vacation full of exploration balanced with rest and relaxation (although traveling with a toddler is never exactly relaxing). Up next, I’m going to share my best recommendations for what to pack and bring when you’re traveling with a little one.