What it's like to stay at the cheapest motel on Kauai

[DeniseM]

https://www.sfgate.com/hawaii/article/cheapest-motel-kauai-tip-top-20154757.php?utm_content=cta&sid=5c16552d4843ea713a1ade05&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=briefing&utm_campaign=sfgt%20%7C%20on%20hawaii&stn=nf

 

[slip]

Thanks for that one. I have eaten at the Tip Top a few times and always wondered about the Motel.

 

[DaveNV]

I'll file this one away. Thanks!

Dave

 

[klpca]

That's a pass for me. I can get pretty close to that nightly amount with a timeshare stay, thank goodness.

 

[Ken555]

Hard no. This isn't why I go to Hawaii.

 

[Vacay0606]

We've stayed at ISO in Kapaa in-between our timeshare and flying out. Very impressed. Clean comfortable rooms and ocean front. Free breakfast and bicycle rental was complimentary. The staff were very helpful and friendly. I booked thru Expedia and got a great deal.

 

[linsj]

WAY too basic for me anywhere and definitely not in Hawaii! Hard to imagine anyone but construction workers wanting to stay there.

 

[Marsbar]

I used to drive by that place all the time when I lived in Kauai for a bit. I remember when a pickup truck smashed into the restaurant back in 2019!

 

[vacationtime1]

The restaurant there is a favorite of locals and great for pancakes and similar.

 

[jp10558]

$195 a night per room? I should be able to do that easily in an HGVC if I can get one of the older ones. I think if any of my trades go through in II I should be close to that for one room. Presumably this is all before parking and taxes though. I guess Hawaii is "special" but around most places I've been that would be a $60 a night place lol.

 

[ScoopKona]

$195 a night per room? I should be able to do that easily in an HGVC if I can get one of the older ones. I think if any of my trades go through in II I should be close to that for one room. Presumably this is all before parking and taxes though. I guess Hawaii is "special" but around most places I've been that would be a $60 a night place lol.

The owners aren't going to sell. (They've learned the golden rule about Hawaii real estate.)

But if you could buy a similar hotel, you would learn quickly that it's hard to turn a profit at only $200 per night. They're keeping the rates that low because they're doing much of the work themselves. And they have a popular eatery which is almost certainly the main profit center of that business. Also a difficult thing to do here.

If Hilton bought that hotel, they'd name it "Hilton Kauai Villages," put a captive dolphin attraction next door, and charge $400 per night.

 

[DeniseM]

I would consider it if I needed a one night stay to add onto a timeshare stay.

 

[Luanne]

I would consider it if I needed a one night stay to add onto a timeshare stay.

Whenever we needed to add a night, or have a night in between, timeshare stays we'd go more upscale to someplace we could afford one night, but not much more than that.

 

[pedro47]

A very hard no way. The Commander in Chief would kill me.

 

[DaveNV]

You guys are missing the point. This isn't an invitation to have your vacation from there. It's an option if you need a decent bed for a night. As Denise says above, to extend a stay. If your timeshare stay ends on one day, but the best flight off the island is two days later, it's an option for a place to sleep. Or maybe to tide you over till your timeshare stay starts. If it's clean and convenient, it doesn't have to be fancy. It's just an option. And it's Kauai, where accommodations are very hard to come by. There aren't motels on every corner.

As for the pricing, not everyone has extra timeshare points to book a night somewhere. People who have a Weeks timeshare have a check in and check out date that are tied to their visit.

This place would be something to know about, and use if you needed it. Plain and simple. As a military man, I've stayed in MUCH worse. LOL!

Dave

 

[Tucsonadventurer]

Back in the day , in our 20's we stayed in a place that looked similar though no tv. Back then we were just happy to be in Hawaii. Staff took us under their wings and shared all the local dining spots and activities. I remember it being clean and convenient. Now I'm sticking to my timeshares and Nice Resorts with hotel points

 

[klpca]

You guys are missing the point. This isn't an invitation to have your vacation from there. It's an option if you need a decent bed for a night. As Denise says above, to extend a stay. If your timeshare stay ends on one day, but the best flight off the island is two days later, it's an option for a place to sleep. Or maybe to tide you over till your timeshare stay starts. If it's clean and convenient, it doesn't have to be fancy. It's just an option. And it's Kauai, where accommodations are very hard to come by. There aren't motels on every corner.

As for the pricing, not everyone has extra timeshare points to book a night somewhere. People who have a Weeks timeshare have a check in and check out date that are tied to their visit.

This place would be something to know about, and use if you needed it. Plain and simple. As a military man, I've stayed in MUCH worse. LOL!

Dave

I get it completely. I am just fussy. I'd pay the higher airfare, or leave a day early, or spend an extra day or two on another island that had a cheaper fare before I would choose to stay in something so austere. In fact we flew in and out of OGG on our last trip to Kauai to save money and avoid a redeye flight. I can always figure out another way to save $100, but I am not critical of anyone else that makes this particular choice. I am just going to do something different. Btw I took a look on booking.com. Using mid July dates and setting the top price at $300, there were 4 choices. Tip Top was the cheapest at $155, next was Kauai Palms at $165, then Hotel Coral Reef at $215 and Aston Islander on the Beach at $295.

 

[Ken555]

You guys are missing the point. This isn't an invitation to have your vacation from there. It's an option if you need a decent bed for a night. As Denise says above, to extend a stay. If your timeshare stay ends on one day, but the best flight off the island is two days later, it's an option for a place to sleep. Or maybe to tide you over till your timeshare stay starts. If it's clean and convenient, it doesn't have to be fancy. It's just an option. And it's Kauai, where accommodations are very hard to come by. There aren't motels on every corner.

As for the pricing, not everyone has extra timeshare points to book a night somewhere. People who have a Weeks timeshare have a check in and check out date that are tied to their visit.

This place would be something to know about, and use if you needed it. Plain and simple. As a military man, I've stayed in MUCH worse. LOL!

Dave

I would almost rather spend the night in a rental car than at this hotel.

I get it. I just don't want it. Under any circumstances.

 

[DaveNV]

I would almost rather spend the night in a rental car than at this hotel.

I get it. I just don't want it. Under any circumstances.

And I would also choose it as a last resort (no pun intended.) But if I ever needed it, and had no other options, it's nice knowing it's there.

@klpca says above there were four locations under $300 a night. But that's only if there is availability. I'd be curious to know how often these lesser places are booked up - as with workmen, like the article mentions. They may have "cheap" rates, but do they have available rooms? If they're sold out, it wouldn't matter much.

Dave

 

[klpca]

And I would also choose it as a last resort (no pun intended.) But if I ever needed it, and had no other options, it's nice knowing it's there.

@klpca says above there were four locations under $300 a night. But that's only if there is availability. I'd be curious to know how often these lesser places are booked up - as with workmen, like the article mentions. They may have "cheap" rates, but do they have available rooms? If they're sold out, it wouldn't matter much.

Dave

All 4 had one room available for July 20th when I checked. I am sure that those rooms won't last because they were much less expensive than everything else.

 

[rickandcindy23]

We met some new people, who now friends, on Kauai. We met them at the spouting horn. They were staying at an Aston nearby through II. They couldn't get an exchange anywhere and thought it would be okay for a week. They were so unhappy.

 

[Sandy VDH]

That place looks depressing. That is a hard NO for me.

 

[Rjbeach2003]

I have been a commission road salesman for years, or was. Since lodging came out of my pocket I would have stayed in a place like that, with the prices in Washington and Oregon. The closest I had was staying on San Juan Island in Washington. There weren't many hotels and those that were there were tough on my budget. But for a few years a company set up a place with portable units that oil line workers used in Alaska. There was room for a single bed, a small TV and a motorhome sized bathroom. But it was within my budget. After a few years it was gone and I made the trip for sales leaving Anacortes at 6am, to San Juan, then to Orcas, then the last ferry back to Anacortes. It was a long day.

 

[DaveNV]

I have been a commission road salesman for years, or was. Since lodging came out of my pocket I would have stayed in a place like that, with the prices in Washington and Oregon. The closest I had was staying on San Juan Island in Washington. There weren't many hotels and those that were there were tough on my budget. But for a few years a company set up a place with portable units that oil line workers used in Alaska. There was room for a single bed, a small TV and a motorhome sized bathroom. But it was within my budget. After a few years it was gone and I made the trip for sales leaving Anacortes at 6am, to San Juan, then to Orcas, then the last ferry back to Anacortes. It was a long day.

I lived on Orcas for nine years back in the 1990s. I know exactly what you mean. Being tied to the ferry is why I left the island.

Dave

 

[Luanne]

You guys are missing the point. This isn't an invitation to have your vacation from there. It's an option if you need a decent bed for a night. As Denise says above, to extend a stay. If your timeshare stay ends on one day, but the best flight off the island is two days later, it's an option for a place to sleep. Or maybe to tide you over till your timeshare stay starts. If it's clean and convenient, it doesn't have to be fancy. It's just an option. And it's Kauai, where accommodations are very hard to come by. There aren't motels on every corner.

As for the pricing, not everyone has extra timeshare points to book a night somewhere. People who have a Weeks timeshare have a check in and check out date that are tied to their visit.

This place would be something to know about, and use if you needed it. Plain and simple. As a military man, I've stayed in MUCH worse. LOL!

Dave

Oh, I have stayed in much worse as well.....................when I was much younger. At this point in my life I am all about creature comfort.