Help! Marriott's Kauai Beach Club

[pedro47]

We are planning our first trip to Hawaii this year. Is this a good resort selection for a first time visitor to the islands?

 

[michael49]

We are planning our first trip to Hawaii this year. Is this a good resort selection for a first time visitor to the islands?

Yes, I believe it is, assuming that you do not need a full kitchen and you want to stay on Kauai. If you need a full kitchen, then Waohai or Kauai Lagoons would be the alternative on Kauai. While my wife and I love all the Hawaiian Islands, my suggestion for a first visit would be Maui or Oahu. Nevertheless, Kauai is a gorgeous island providing the true Aloha spirit.

 

[jme]

We are planning our first trip to Hawaii this year. Is this a good resort selection for a first time visitor to the islands?

Pedro, I am not the Hawaii expert because we've never been to Maui or Oahu (headed to Maui next year), but we did visit Kaua'i a few years ago and stayed at Kaua'i Beach Club. We loved it, and we were glad to go there first. The island in general is very laid back, perhaps more so than what I've heard for the others, and definitely has less to do than the others overall, but what you lose there you gain in sheer unsurpassed beauty. Being the so-called "Garden Island", it has some of the most spectacular sights you'll ever see. The NaPali coast is one of the most gorgeous places on earth, bordering on unbelievable, (we saw it from a boat tour, highly recommended!), and I've seen some very spectacular spots from our travels (Highlands of Scotland, including The Quiraing & Isle of Skye, which I told myself would would probably end up being the "most spectacular" thing I'll ever witness, and it was and is. BTW, we stayed at the Cameron House in a private 2-story cottage, via II trade.)

NaPali coast:
https://www.google.com/search?q=ima...mn9YDTAhUD7SYKHVDTAnkQsAQIGQ&biw=1148&bih=599

for comparison, Scotland's magnificent Quiraing.
http://www.lovethesepics.com/2015/07/sensational-isle-of-skye-50-pics/

The rest of the island is great too, although it's small. The famous little beach called Ke'e Beach on the north end is worth the relatively short drive!!!! A MUST! Along the way you'll pass Hanalei Bay, also a famous site (from song "Puff, the Magic Dragon"). Gorgeous vistas over the cliffs looking into the bay at the Princeville resort St. Regis.
https://www.google.com/search?q=ima...jx-4DTAhUDLSYKHdIzCpoQsAQIGQ&biw=1148&bih=599

The amazingly spectacular Allerton Botanical Garden Tour is world class, and should not be missed!!!! Only a half-day but extraordinary. You'll see and experience things you'll never see otherwise.
Jurassic Park movies were filmed there, and you'll see why when you visit.
Below, click on "Tour Allerton Garden" below flower. Tour is a must-do, very relaxing and slow-paced.
You'll also see the cabin where Jackie Kennedy Onassis stayed when visiting the Queen.
http://ntbg.org/gardens/allerton.php

Kaua'i has several very good luau options. We did the Smith and it was very good, but there may be other
recommendations now, not sure.
http://www.10best.com/destinations/hawaii/kauai/restaurants/luau/

Back to Kaua'i Beach Club.......the mega pool is the prettiest I've experienced in the Marriott system, partly because of the shape and size, but also because of the setting. Especially given the large "gazebo-type" structures around the periphery (can still dine at a private table inside each tower & on each level, I think). And when you add in the gorgeous veranda which is a huge semi-circle around the pool complex, full of sofas, chairs, plants & gorgeous landscaping, and an entertainer's grand piano, it's something unique and beautiful which makes the resort quite memorable. It's fantastic to spend an evening out there, sipping on a favorite beverage and listening to live music, with the beautifully-lit pool in the background. During the day, if you were lucky enough to get a high floor unit, you can see the mountain over the palm tree-lined beach in the background...it's definitely one of the prettiest views at any resort, and THE best "post-card" photos I've taken at any resort.

There are lots of activities at KBC consistent with others available at the other Hawaii Marriotts. I am sure that the other newer Marriott resorts are more highly rated, for good reasons, and I agree with that, but Kaua'i is uniquely beautiful, so I think it's an excellent way to introduce yourself to the Hawaiian islands. Glad we did. You would have wanted to visit there someday anyway, though, because of the reasons I mentioned.

images of Kaua'i in general:
https://www.google.com/search?q=ima...npk4HTAhXLRyYKHepGA10QsAQIGQ&biw=1148&bih=599

 

[markbernstein]

We stayed there in 2010, and were very happy with it. Just be aware that it's not quite the same as the other two Kauai properties, which were built as timeshares. The Beach Club is converted hotel rooms. Our 1-bedroom was two connected hotel-room-sized spaces, one with the bedroom and one with the living room and kitchenette. Since it was just the two of us, that was sufficient for our needs, and it's a very nice resort. We stayed a week in Kauai and a week in Maui, and Kauai was our favorite.

 

[pedro47]

I feel now we need to look at one of the newer resort.

 

[michael49]

I feel now we need to look at one of the newer resort.

A different resort on Kauai or a different resort on another island?

 

[WalnutBaron]

I agree with the positive feedback you've gotten about the Kauai Marriott. Yes, it's not one of their newer properties. But it's been beautifully maintained, has an amazing pool, is right on the beach, with incredible views. For a first time visitor (and I have been to Hawaii 17 times, with 6 of those visits to Kauai), I believe--as both Michael and JME have affirmed--it would be a very nice setting for your visit to the Islands.

 

[vacationtime1]

Think of the KBC as a small suite in a beautiful hotel with great pools and amenities. Equipped such that you can easily have coffee, drinks, takeout, or leftovers in your room. However, if you plan to cook most of your dinners, it is not the right choice.

If you choose KBC, reserve ocean front; the views are stunning. Some of the garden view rooms are awful.

Should you choose the Waiohai, you should reserve ocean view rather than island view; some of the island view suites are parking lot view suites.

 

[pedro47]

Think of the KBC as a small suite in a beautiful hotel with great pools and amenities. Equipped such that you can easily have coffee, drinks, takeout, or leftovers in your room. However, if you plan to cook most of your dinners, it is not the right choice.

If you choose KBC, reserve ocean front; the views are stunning. Some of the garden view rooms are awful.

Should you choose the Waiohai, you should reserve ocean view rather than island view; some of the island view suites are parking lot view suites.

I must have an ocean front villa for my spouse. Thanks for your reply.

 

[TXTortoise]

While I love Kauai, if your spouse is sensitive to 'oceanfront' and what that implies, then you probably need to research some KBC photos as that resort sits on a quiet bay, beautiful, but not what you would experience on Maui. Kind of neat to see the cruise lines come in though, but I like working harbors.

For me, Waiohai interior garden or ocean view is preferred. Mostly because the ocean is a bit livelier sitting out on the front of the resort, but not so much from the balconies.

I still think any first time visitor should do Marriott Maui, as there is so much to do and see...or sit on beach or lanai and do nothing at all.

http://www.ralphmawyerphotography.com/Personal/Travel/Hawaii

 

[BocaBoy]

I must have an ocean front villa for my spouse. Thanks for your reply.

Then don't choose Waiohai. It is a very nice resort, but it has very few good ocean views, even for owners. That is one reason we sold our week there.

 

[BocaBoy]

We are planning our first trip to Hawaii this year. Is this a good resort selection for a first time visitor to the islands?

It is an excellent choice if villa quality is not high on your priority list. The location, grounds and amenities at the Kauai Marriott Resort are outstanding, and Duke's (at the resort) is our favorite restaurant on Kauai. The villas themselves, however, are not much to write home about--a poor hotel conversion effort in my opinion. On the plus side, if using DC points, KBC has good availability and is quite a bit cheaper than MVCI's other Hawaii timeshares.

 

[Bill4728]

IMHO, Kauai Lagoons would be the alternative on Kauai. There may be a room there that doesn't have a good view BUT almost all the rooms have a view. the pool area is small but well done.

The only down side is that nothing is walk able. You can walk to KBC but it isn't an easy walk (about 3/4 mile but almost no cars) where Waohai is a resort with several resorts and restaurants close by.

hope this helps

 

[BocaBoy]

IMHO, Kauai Lagoons would be the alternative on Kauai. There may be a room there that doesn't have a good view BUT almost all the rooms have a view. the pool area is small but well done.

The only down side is that nothing is walk able. You can walk to KBC but it isn't an easy walk (about 3/4 mile but almost no cars) where Waiohai is a resort with several resorts and restaurants close by.

I don't consider things to be walkable at Waiohai either. For us, the clear choice on Kauai is Kauai Lagoons.

 

[WalnutBaron]

I must have an ocean front villa for my spouse. Thanks for your reply.

If by oceanfront, you literally mean having the ocean right outside your villa, then KBC won't work for you. But immediately adjacent to the property is Kalapaki Beach, and you could almost consider it a private beach for guests of the hotel and TS property. It's a pleasant walk and an extension of the property's grounds, which are beautifully maintained and manicured. BocaBoy mentioned that Duke's--which is one of the iconic restaurants on the Islands (there are one each on Kauai, Maui, and Oahu)--is a very nice place that will extend the "island feel" for your first visit to Hawaii. I also agree with something TXTortoise pointed out--Kalapaki's harbor is the location for incoming cruise ships, which you can see coming in and docking at some distance from the property. All in all, it's a peaceful little corner of the island and a great place to relax.

 

[myoakley]

If by oceanfront, you literally mean having the ocean right outside your villa, then KBC won't work for you. .

I think you mean the Marriott Lagoons won't work for them. If you are in the Kilohana building at the KBC, you do have the ocean right outside your villa. In fact, the noise from the crashing waves was so loud, that I had to close the sliding glass doors at night! My vote also goes to KBC as a beautiful resort with the best pool on Kauai and within walking distance to restaurants and shops.

 

[WalnutBaron]

I think you mean the Marriott Lagoons won't work for them. If you are in the Kilohana building at the KBC, you do have the ocean right outside your villa. In fact, the noise from the crashing waves was so loud, that I had to close the sliding glass doors at night! My vote also goes to KBC as a beautiful resort with the best pool on Kauai and within walking distance to restaurants and shops.

Good catch. My stays there have been as a hotel guest, not in the TS units--so I probably didn't have the preferred location you had. And even though the TS units have been converted from hotel rooms, KBC is still one of my favorite little enclaves on Kauai. It's a hidden gem.

 

[dougp26364]

I'll toss in my 2 cents for what it's worth.

Our only stay on Kauai was at Waiohai. What I enjoyed about the resort was the grounds, the beach access and the reasonably quite lagoon. We exchanged in and were assigned a room looking outward from the resort with a view of a public park area next to the resort. Not a particularly tropical view but we could still relax on the balcony. There was only one building and one side of that building that had what I'd consider an undesirable view of a parking lot and my bet is non-Marriott owner/exchangers are relegated to that building/view before any Marriott owner/exchanger would get stuck there. Of course, if you're traveling in high demand times when Waiohai owner occupancy is high, then getting that view could be a real possibility if you were lucky enough to get the exchange at all. Waiohai does not have what I'd call a true ocean front unit and the ocean view units are skeptical at best. A nice interior garden view unit would be great but, as an exchanger I fully expect my unit will most likely face outwards from the resort and not the interior.

What I found most annoying about Waiohai was it's location. We like to get out and see things and it seemed as if anything and everything was a long drive to get there. So I'd say it was more remote IMHO. Not that there was nothing around it but, it was far enough out that it always seemed to be a drive to see/do what we wanted to see/do.

We did visit KBC when we were in the area. The guest who were with us weren't impressed with KBC because it was more "in town" than Waiohai. We, on the other hand, liked it's location and felt it would be more central to getting out. I wasn't as impressed with the beach/bay area as it was much busier than Waiohai, so not as relaxing. But it seemed as if this location would be better for exploring the island. If you will, allow for more adventure than relaxation.

We're contemplating a return to Hawaii using the Marriott weeks exchange system instead of points. I plan on requesting all Marriott resorts on Kauai, Maui and possibly the big island of Hawaii. I don't believe we would be disappointed in any of the Marriott resort in Hawaii and I certainly wouldn't feel disappointed to go back to Waiohai and I'd be somewhat excited if we received KBC. KBC was a beautiful resort with what would be a good location for us. The fact the units are converted hotel rooms isn't much of a concern as any MVC resort we've spent time at has always been done nicely and was comfortable for our needs.

 

[pedro47]

Thanks Doug for your candid comments. You have made it harder to decide. I value your input and your many photo slideshows on this web site.

 

[NboroGirl]

The first (and only) time we went to Kauai, last year, I requested all the Marriott and got KBC. I was a bit worried about the rooms, since I read some villas had Murphy beds, I knew there were no kitchens (kitchenettes only), and they didn't have in-villa laundry. However, after having stayed there, I couldn't have been happier with our accommodations. The villa seemed much roomier than I expected, and we had a room with balcony that faced the ocean AND the pool. Doing laundry was not a big inconvenience - just down a floor, the the villa was more spacious than I expected, especially the bathroom. The resort is beautiful with several restaurants, and there are shops within the resort and also nearby that are walkable. The grounds are beautiful. We hiked to Kauai Lagoons and the resort seemed out of the way and was very quiet - almost dead - not many people around. I believe (haven't actually seen) the villas are very nice, though.

 

[Karenann]

We have been lucky to stay in all the Marriott timeshare resorts in the Hawaiian Islands. KBC is by far our favorite. We love the natural beauty of Kauai and the fact that is less developed than Oahu and Maui. My daughter and I were at Marriott Ko'Olina a week ago and the traffic is really bad. We like to explore and put 1,200 miles on our rental car over two weeks. While there is a lot to see on Oahu, you can sit is traffic getting there. If your plan is to stay within the resort, the traffic will not affect your vacation. Ko'Olina is a lovely resort, but I found the restaurant options limited. There is Roy's and Monkeypod, but we didn't care for the restaurants in the Ko'Olina resort. There is traffic on Maui as well, but not as much as on Oahu. Maui is very beautiful, but our preferred island is Kauai. It is where the movie "Decendants" was filmed. The movie shows some of the island's natural beauty. Still, you can't go wrong visiting any of the islands.

 

[BocaBoy]

We're contemplating a return to Hawaii using the Marriott weeks exchange system ..........I'd be somewhat excited if we received KBC.

KBC is by far the easiest Marriott timeshare in Hawaii to get, so you should be happy. For us, we rank KBC #22 of the 30 MVCI resorts we have stayed at, solely because of the villas. Maui's new towers, Kauai Lagoons and Ko Olina are my three favorites of the 30. But make no mistake, you would have a very enjoyable vacation at KBC.

 

[mlester35]

We were there 2 weeks ago and I would go elsewhere, the pool heater is broken and the food is really overpriced and sub par. Go to the other islands or the other Marriott Waiohai Beach Club(never been here) or stay at Lagoons it's way better in my opinion.

 

[BocaBoy]

We were there 2 weeks ag...... the food is really overpriced and sub par.

Did you eat upstairs at Duke's? It is our favorite restaurant on the whole island. We find the food superb and the prices quite reasonable for what you get. Dinners there even include a very good and extensive salad bar.

 

[hangloose]

We love Kauai Beach Club. The extensive well manicured grounds, on-site amenities, and fantastic pool make up for the average villas. We spend most of our time outside anyhow in Hawaii vs in the villa. It all depends on what you value (villas quality, resort amenities, etc). Choose KBC for pool/on-site amenities. Choose Kauai Lagoons for luxurious villas. Choose Waiohai for small resort feel with a great beach.

If you can stay for longer than 1 week, I would suggest a week on Kauai and a second week on a different island at a different MVC resort. Perhaps Maui or Oahu? Maui Ocean Club is our favorite hands down. Ko'Olina on Oahu is not far behind and is a fantastic overall resort.

Whatever you choose, enjoy Hawaii. It's unlikely to be your only trip.

 

[NboroGirl]

Did you eat upstairs at Duke's? It is our favorite restaurant on the whole island. We find the food superb and the prices quite reasonable for what you get. Dinners there even include a very good and extensive salad bar.

We LOVED Dukes. I didn't think the prices at KBC were worse than anywhere else on Kauai. When you think about it, EVERYTHING in Hawaii is overpriced.