Which Marriott on Kauai should I choose

[RebV]

I am traveling with 3 kids and am trying to decide which Marriott on Kauai would be best. Ideas? Definitely need a large pool and good beach area.

 

[daventrina]

I am traveling with 3 kids and am trying to decide which Marriott on Kauai would be best. Ideas? Definitely need a large pool and good beach area.

Marriott's Waiohai Beach Club...

 

[artringwald]

Marriott's Waiohai Beach Club is right on Poipu Beach Park, one of the best beaches for kids in Hawaii. There's a playground, picnic tables, showers, and 1/2 of the beach has a nice wave break that makes it very safe for young ones.
The other 1/2 of the beach is great for snorkeling.

 

[winger]

We got confirmed a couple of weeks back for The Marriott Kauai Beach Club
http://www.marriottvacationclub.com/vacation-resorts/marriott-kauai-beach-club/overview.shtml
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lihka-marriotts-kauai-beach-club/

Can anyone compare the beach in front of this resort versus the one in front of Marriott Waiohai ?

 

[daventrina]

Can anyone compare the beach in front of this resort versus the one in front of Marriott Waiohai ?

One is on the ocean the other is in the harbor...
Here is the beach at the Beach Club...

P8160034 by dntanderson, on Flickr

 

[winger]

Thanks Daventrina. Is there a nice water break (like in Waiohai) which results in nice calm waters for young ones to play in the water without worries of being swept away by occasional strong under currents?

 

[slomac]

Hands down the Waiohai. We went there 2 years in a row with our young kids. Great pools, even a tot pool and the beach is nice. The units are large too.

 

[thinze3]

Winger,

Waioahi beach is different than KBC. Although the water is fantastic and the beach sand to die far, Waiohai has full blown ocean waves coming in. Some are fairly large. The current can also be dangerous. Someone drowns there almost every year.

KBC is more like a lagoon. The water is not as clear, as it does not have currents to "refresh" it. The beach is nice enough and the waves are very small, sometimes non-existent. Similar to the photo above.


Waiohai - zooming in on my kids trying to surf.

on the beach at waiohai

 

[daventrina]

Thanks Daventrina. Is there a nice water break (like in Waiohai) which results in nice calm waters for young ones to play in the water without worries of being swept away by occasional strong under currents?

The beach sits across from breakwater and behind a point, so it us generally rather calm.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=marri...q=marriott+beach&hnear=Kauai&t=h&z=16&vpsrc=6

 

[scrapngen]

Winger,

Waioahi beach is different than KBC. Although the water is fantastic and the beach sand to die far, Waiohai has full blown ocean waves coming in. Some are fairly large. The current can also be dangerous. Someone drowns there almost every year.

KBC is more like a lagoon. The water is not as clear, as it does not have currents to "refresh" it. The beach is nice enough and the waves are very small, sometimes non-existent. Similar to the photo above.


Waiohai - zooming in on my kids trying to surf.

on the beach at waiohai

This is NOT accurate for Poipu beach near the Waiohai!! You are only describing a portion of the beach. Poipu has one of the BEST and SAFEST kid areas on Kauai as indicated in other's pictures. The children's area is on the OTHER side of the lifeguard. If you stand at Brennecke's looking out to the water it is slightly to the left. It is ringed by lava rock to protect from the waves and very shallow, yet gets fresh ocean water. You can often find little fish near the rocks. It's mostly ankle to knee deep (on a child), getting a little deeper by the rocks. My children played there from the time they were babies. There is a lot of shade and grass as well as the beach... and there is the playground as shown in the picture.


Directly in front of the Waiohai it is deeper and less protected, but there is excellent snorkeling and boogie boarding there. You have to take a nice 5-10 minute walk along the beach (very safe) to get to the kid's area. You may not realise it is there if you don't go far enough. (Not too far for little kids to walk, though.)

The only other area somewhat like it is Lydgate beach on the East side, but they are dredging that ringed area out and I understand it is very cloudy and being worked on right now.

Waiohai itself also has a nice playground and pool.

KBC beach is very nice and wide, but the water itself can be questionable and the only shade would be umbrellas. It is a harbor, and sometimes can be nasty with stuff floating in it. Other times we have seen very large waves and boogie boarders, although this may not be as common. The pool at KBC is one of the biggest in the state and very nice. I think there is a kid pool as well.

 

[thinze3]

You are correct. I am talking about the beach at Waiohai, which is technically part of the Poipu area, just not part of Poipu Beach Park where the locals go. By the way, this is the parking lot some Waiohai visitors get an wanted view of.

If you swim a good distance straight out from Waiohai, you are able to feel the currents pulling to the north around past the underwater lava and the reef. Don't snorkel there without a life jacket and flippers. Kids staying near shore are definitely protected from this. Unfortunately, I have older kids.

You just have to understand that Kauai is a small island in the middle of a big ocean that has flowing water and air currents.

By the way, "Poipu" means "crashing waves" in Hawaiin.

Type in the words "waiohai" and "drown" on google and the results speak for themselves.

Don't want to scare anyone, because Waiohai is my favorite Marriott in Hawaii.

P.S. - We did walk both directions multiple times. We even swam to the island. Couldn't walk to it because the tide was too high.

 

[winger]

Winger,

...

KBC is more like a lagoon. The water is not as clear, as it does not have currents to "refresh" it. The beach is nice enough and the waves are very small, sometimes non-existent. ...

Hi Terry. Just a comment and a question.
Comment - I looked at KBC using Google Earth. It seems the "lagoon" here is wide open to the Pacific in that if a strong current comes it, away you go; unlike the enclosed lagoon in front of KoOlina where you can not really get carried away into the Pacific.

Question - At KBC, is the current always (short of a freak tsunami or similar) non-existent or small enough that can I feel safe leaving my kids olaying alone in the water (without life jackets), say up to 5-10 feet into the water (of course, we will be laying on the sand nearby but NOT at arms distance) ?

 

[DeniseM]

The ocean is so unpredictable.

How old are they?

Are they strong swimmers if they lose their feet?

 

[scrapngen]

Hi Terry. Just a comment and a question.
Comment - I looked at KBC using Google Earth. It seems the "lagoon" here is wide open to the Pacific in that if a strong current comes it, away you go; unlike the enclosed lagoon in front of KoOlina where you can not really get carried away into the Pacific.

Question - At KBC, is the current always (short of a freak tsunami or similar) non-existent or small enough that can I feel safe leaving my kids olaying alone in the water (without life jackets), say up to 5-10 feet into the water (of course, we will be laying on the sand nearby but NOT at arms distance) ?

KBC is a wide stretch of beach that is part of a HARBOR where boats go in and out to the ocean, and where the cruise ships come in.

I have been there at times and found the waves to be large and crashing overhead very close to the beach. I have also seen it very calm. You need to evaluate it each day you go. There isn't likely to be any SUDDEN change, so if it seems calm for awhile, nobody is boogie-boarding or surfing, and people are enjoying the water, then kids are probably ok, but you are in HI where all water tends to flow away from the islands. (This is why you don't see a lot of seaweed or debris on the beaches.)

Always check the surf reports and check with the lifeguard before making assumptions if you don't know the beach. (even if you do, it's a good idea...)

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Hi Terry. Just a comment and a question.
Comment - I looked at KBC using Google Earth. It seems the "lagoon" here is wide open to the Pacific in that if a strong current comes it, away you go; unlike the enclosed lagoon in front of KoOlina where you can not really get carried away into the Pacific.

Question - At KBC, is the current always (short of a freak tsunami or similar) non-existent or small enough that can I feel safe leaving my kids olaying alone in the water (without life jackets), say up to 5-10 feet into the water (of course, we will be laying on the sand nearby but NOT at arms distance) ?

The beach at KBC is not wide open to the Pacific. It's well protected behind the jetty across the mouth of Nawiliwili Bay. It is a very nice keiki (children's) beach, and is one of the features that has historically made KBC a very attractive family resort.

 

[artringwald]

Here's a picture of the beach at the KBC:

The largest waves that are likely to reach the beach are the ones from the wakes of the cruise ships as they exit the harbour, and they can't go that fast until they get out of the harbour.

 

[winger]

The ocean is so unpredictable.

How old are they?

Are they strong swimmers if they lose their feet?

Hi D.
By Nov (our trip), DD will be 9 and DS will be almost 11. They are both relatively good swimmers and we would not worry with the waters were calm like at Ko Olina. It's just the way the water at KBC looked connected straight to the open ocean using Google Earth that got me thinking.

 

[winger]

Here's a picture of the beach at the KBC:

The largest waves that are likely to reach the beach are the ones from the wakes of the cruise ships as they exit the harbour, and they can't go that fast until they get out of the harbour.

LOL THAT looks pretty scary to me - OPEN WATERS ! I guess we'll gauge the water on a frequent basis when we are there. Thanks for the picture, that really helps.

From other comments (like Steve and Terry) - I guess I shouldn't need to worry.

 

[winger]

..., but you are in HI where all water tends to flow away from the islands. (This is why you don't see a lot of seaweed or debris on the beaches.)

Always check the surf reports and check with the lifeguard before making assumptions if you don't know the beach. (even if you do, it's a good idea...)

Good pointers, thanks.

 

[daventrina]

... unlike the enclosed lagoon in front of KoOlina where you can not really get carried away into the Pacific.

I think at times the current running out of the lagoon at Poipu can be more that some swimmers could handle...:ignore:
Big volume, small opening, big current... Physics 101.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Here's a picture of the beach at the KBC:

The largest waves that are likely to reach the beach are the ones from the wakes of the cruise ships as they exit the harbour, and they can't go that fast until they get out of the harbour.

LOL THAT looks pretty scary to me - OPEN WATERS ! I guess we'll gauge the water on a frequent basis when we are there. Thanks for the picture, that really helps.

From other comments (like Steve and Terry) - I guess I shouldn't need to worry.

That's actually a very narrow opening that is created by the jetty with the light house. The jetty quite effectively damps the waves. If that were open ocean water, the waves would be at least two feet hight - that's about the calmest that an beach facing 2000 miles of open ocean would see. Instead the waves you see in the photo are more like 6 inches.

 

[daventrina]

... If that were open ocean water, the waves would be at least two feet hight - that's about the calmest that an beach facing 2000 miles of open ocean would see. Instead the waves you see in the photo are more like 6 inches.

About the only way this wouldn't be the case is when there is a big earth quake in the South Pacific that launches a tsunami at the bay. Otherwise, like Steve said ... it is really hard for them to get into the beach.

 

[thinze3]

Winger, the beach at KBC is perfect for kids aslong as you are paying attention. IMO it is very similar to the KoOlina.

Like Oglodyte said, the waves at places like Waiohai are larger and can knock you down if you aren't paying attention.

Daventrina is also correct about the fact that week swimmer need to stay close to the shore at Waiohai.

 

[vacationtime1]

Winger, the beach at KBC is perfect for kids aslong as you are paying attention. IMO it is very similar to the KoOlina.

Like Oglodyte said, the waves at places like Waiohai are larger and can knock you down if you aren't paying attention.

Daventrina is also correct about the fact that week swimmer need to stay close to the shore at Waiohai.

This is all very accurate.

You should also consider the differences between the resorts' physical aspects: high rise (KBC) vs. low rise (Waiohai), size (KBC much bigger), amenities (KBC has hotel amenities and multiple restaurants), kitchens (Waiohai units have real kitchens), and weather (Waiohai will be better December - February; otherwise a wash).

No intended bias here; I own both.