For the start of our month in Hawaii, we spent a week on Kauai at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa. It’s a popular place to stay for people with World of Hyatt points and I’d only ever heard good things about it.
Having stayed there, it’s not hard to see why.
It’s a beautiful property with friendly and caring staff members, a great club lounge, family-friendly activities and more, all in a great location.
Here’s a full review of our stay; buckle up, as it’ll be quite a long review as there’s a lot to share about it. If there’s a section you want to skip ahead to (e.g. you’re wondering what’s offered in the club lounge), you can click the relevant section in the table of contents below to skip ahead.
Check-In
We landed at Lihue airport late afternoon, then headed to Sixt to pick up our rental car for the week. From there we headed to the hotel, stopping off first at the grocery store to stock up on some soda and snacks for the week, as well as Jack In The Box for dinner as we knew we’d be too late for dinner in the club lounge.
Seeing as we were visiting in December, the hotel had its Christmas decorations and lights up which made for a colorful arrival.
After unloading our car, we headed inside to check in. The front desk agent was nice and friendly, checking us in quickly but without feeling rushed.
They had a map of the hotel on a sheet to take with us which was helpful for finding our way around.
A separate sheet provided more information about the hotel on one side and a list of the hotel’s activities on the other.
I have Globalist status in the World of Hyatt program and a little sheet provided details about all of the benefits we were eligible for as a result. As you can see, Globalist members are eligible for an upgrade to a standard suite if there’s one available, but there sadly wasn’t when we arrived. I booked our stay nine months before our stay and had been checking every day to see if one was available so that I could use a Suite Upgrade Award to lock in a suite rather than relying on one at check-in.
Unfortunately none became available during that time. Although we weren’t upgraded to a suite, we did receive an upgrade to a room with a partial ocean view which we appreciated.
Rather than giving you a regular room key, the Grand Hyatt Kauai provides room key wristbands. Those are handy because they’re waterproof and so you can keep them on you even when swimming in the pool or ocean. It’s also nice not having to root around in your pocket or wallet for a normal credit card-style room key.
As would be expected when arriving at a hotel like this in Hawaii, we were also welcomed with a lei each.
The resort is massive, so it was helpful having a bellhop take us to our room with our luggage so that we knew where to go. Along the way he shared useful information about where various amenities, restaurants, etc. were as we passed by.
1 King Bed Partial Ocean View Room
When entering our room the bathroom was on the right and the bedroom straight ahead.
Back by the entrance was a closet containing a dresser, iron, ironing board, safe, bathrobes, luggage rack and bedding for the sofabed.
Next to the closet was a mini fridge in a cupboard, with a coffee maker on top.
Next to the coffee maker were two aluminum water bottles which are complimentary for guests (well, the cost of them is included in the resort fee). The hotel has lots of water dispensers around the resort, so it’s easy to refill them and means there’s no plastic bottle waste. You can take them home with you, so they make a good memento.
Something worth being aware of is that these are thin aluminum bottles rather than being vacuum-insulated flasks. That means that if you put ice in them, they’ll sweat a lot and so you don’t want them sitting next to electronics in your bag or anything else you wouldn’t want to get damp. Similarly, be careful with putting hot drinks in there as you’ll burn your hand holding it. I rinsed the bottle with hot water from a tap and it got extremely hot, so if you put boiling water in there it’ll be even worse.
Our king bed was very comfortable with nice pillows and there was a bench at the end of the bed.
On one of the bedside tables were QR codes to access information about the resort and in-room dining. I’m assuming those codes are kept up to date, so if you’re planning a stay you should be able to scan those to get details ahead of time if you’re interested.
To the left of the bed was a narrower-than-expected sleeper sofa with an ottoman in front.
On the opposite side of the room was another dresser with a large screen TV on top.
To the right of that was a dining table and a couple of chairs. The shelf behind had several power outlets and USB ports, so the table can double up as a work desk.
On top of the table was a lovely welcome amenity. Well, welcome amenities as there were lots of goodies there. There was a half bottle of wine, taro chips, macadamia popcorn crunch, a box of chocolate macadamia nuts, coconut chips, fudge, taffy and more.
It also came with a welcome note, so I’m assuming the treats were all provided thanks to having Globalist status.
It was dark when we arrived, so the next morning was our first opportunity to enjoy the views from our lanai which had a table and chairs.
Although we didn’t have a full oceanfront view, it was actually nice to have a view of both the ocean and the hotel’s grounds seeing as the resort grounds look so lovely.
Rather than having a standard Do Not Disturb sign to hang on our door, the Grand Hyatt Kauai has a nut bracelet door hanger to indicate if you don’t want housekeeping that day.
Bathroom
The bathroom was a good size, with a walk-in shower, double sinks and a closed-off toilet.
There were wall-mounted toiletries in the shower, along with other toiletries by the sink.
The toilet had bidet settings if that’s something you like to use.
Overall, we were really happy with our room. Despite there not being a suite available, our room was plenty large enough. The furniture was all in good condition, we had a good view, the flowers dotted everywhere were a nice touch and the blackout curtains worked well.
Grand Hyatt Kauai Club Lounge
One of the reasons that the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa is so popular with Hyatt enthusiasts is that it has a very good club lounge. Sure, it’s not on the scale of club lounges that you’ll find in Asia, but there was always a decent spread for breakfast and dinner which can save you a good amount of money versus eating out.
Those with Globalist status get complimentary access to the lounge, as do people who were booked with a Guest of Honor award. If you’re not familiar with Guest of Honor awards, the World of Hyatt program has Milestone Rewards you can earn for every 10 nights you stay starting at 20 nights. Some of these provide Guest of Honor awards where either you or the person you give one to receive Globalist benefits during your/their stay. Other Milestone Reward options are Club Access Awards which also provide lounge access, plus you can pay extra for a Club Access room.
If you visited the Grand Hyatt Kauai several years ago, apparently the Club Lounge wasn’t very big. However, they’ve since moved its location to a different part of the resort and so it’s larger than it was in the past. There’s lots of indoor seating, along with a patio with many more tables and chairs outside. Several tables have no shade depending on the time of day, so when the shaded tables weren’t available we sat inside as it was so hot out.
The Club Lounge at the Grand Hyatt Kauai is open throughout the day, with meals served at the following times:
- Breakfast – 6:30am-10am
- Snacks – 12pm-4pm
- Hors d’oeuvres – 5pm-7pm
- Desserts – 7:30pm-8:30pm
At the entrance of the lounge there’s a board that lists all the standard items you can expect for breakfast and hors d’oeuvres no matter what day it is. In addition to that, it lists the breakfast and hors d’oeuvres specials for each day which are rotating hot options.
Grand Hyatt Kauai Club Lounge Breakfast
As mentioned above, breakfast always had a selection of items that were available every morning. That included smoked salmon and condiments, cold cuts, cereal, oatmeal, miso soup, bagels, bread and pastries, salad and more.
The hot options changed each morning; the morning I took these photos there were scrambled eggs and loco moco. Loco moco is rice with a hamburger patty and brown gravy. It normally comes topped with a fried egg, but I think the hotel served it with a bread roll (maybe a Hawaiian roll?) on top instead.
Beverage-wise, the hotel has a coffee machine, juice machine, water dispenser and a mini fridge with various sodas in it. All of these are available throughout the day, not just at breakfast. The coffee machine always had people waiting to use it, so I didn’t end up getting a photo of it.
Grand Hyatt Kauai Club Lounge Snacks
Snacks are available in the Club Lounge from 12pm-4pm. We only stopped by there for snacks one day, so I’m not sure if the selection is different each day. The day we visited there were granola bars, chips, cookies, rice crackers and a couple of other things. It’s not enough to count for lunch, but if you fill up with a late enough breakfast, it might tide you over until dinner/hors d’oeuvres.
Grand Hyatt Kauai Club Lounge Hors D’oeuvres
Shae and I ate dinner out a couple of times during our stay, but the other nights we saved money by having dinner in the Club Lounge. Although the spread wasn’t what I’d class as comprehensive, it was more than sufficient to count as a full meal.
Every evening there was bread, cheese, salad, roasted vegetables, dips, pasta salad (or something similar) and fruit.
There were then hot options like beef slides, noodles, dim sum or, on the evening I took these photos, chicken skewers with dipping sauce.
The lounge has a self-serve honor bar that’s very reasonably priced considering the location. Beer and wine is $5, while spirits, cocktails and cordials are $7.
Grand Hyatt Kauai Club Lounge Desserts
Hors d’oeuvres end at 7pm, then there’s a 30 minute gap before desserts are served. The dessert options rotate each day, but there were always several options to choose from.
The staff working in the Club Lounge were always working very hard, ensuring that none of the items ended up empty.
Amenities
The Grand Hyatt Kauai is set on 50 acres, so there’s lots of space for both its 600+ rooms and lots of amenities around the resort.
Swimming Pools
The hotel has several outdoor swimming pools. There’s a kids pool area with a slide…
…an adults pool…
…a freshwater pool…
…a lazy river…
…and a saltwater lagoon.
If you’re getting into one of the pools after being on the beach, there’s a shower to rinse off the sand before hopping in the water.
Guest Laundry
A really handy amenity – especially if you’re staying for a week like we did – is a guest laundry area. Even better is the fact that it’s free to use and the hotel also provides complimentary laundry detergent and dryer sheets.
Water Dispensers
I mentioned this earlier, but there are water dispensers located all over the resort. What’s particularly nice is that there are several in the pool areas, so you and your family can stay hydrated if out in the sun all day.
Fitness Room
I tried to get photos of the hotel’s fitness room, but whenever I went in there quite a few people were working out and so I didn’t feel comfortable trying to get photos. It was a good size though, with lots of equipment and weights to use.
Spa
As the full name of the hotel suggests – Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa – the hotel has a spa which is open from 7am-7pm each day. We didn’t get any treatments there, but you can find treatment pricing here.
Concierge Desk
On the opposite end of the lobby to the front desk is a concierge desk where staff can help you book activities.
Activities
The Grand Hyatt Kauai offers a wide range of activities every day of the week. These activities are – unless otherwise specified – complimentary, although you do pay for them indirectly as part of the hotel’s resort fee.
Here are examples of some of the paid activities you can do. When QR codes first started becoming a thing ~10 years ago, it felt like a bit of a fad. Nowadays, it’s kinda handy being able to scan them to get more information.
Shae did a couple of activities during our stay while I was working. Here are her quick accounts of them:
Lei Making
One of the activities included for free at the resort is lei making. This class was held in the cultural center and run by Moani. We learned that the traditional flower leis on Hawai’i are mostly brought in from Thailand because there isn’t enough room on Hawai’i to grow as many orchids as would be needed for the number of leis produced on the islands.
Each flower had a stem that you needed to pluck off, then we threaded through the bottom of each flower. It was a simple but sweet experience getting to learn how to make one of the traditional welcome gifts with others. Moani advised there was a rock to place our leis on before we left the resort to ensure we’d return to Kaua’i and the Grand Hyatt. We made our way over there with Duke (my adorable hotel stuffie) on our final morning to make sure we’re destined to return.
Scuba Diving
One of the activities that you pay extra for is a scuba dive taster experience in the hotel pool. This is an excellent way to see if scuba diving is something you’d enjoy and if you can get over the mental hurdles that can often come with scuba diving. The instructor was Rooster, from Dive Kaua’i and he did an incredible job with our group. He was kind and patient but also really knowledgeable. He’s living his dream of teaching scuba diving which he’s had since was 11. It came through just how important his work is to him in helping others understand the safety aspects and enjoying the wonder of a scuba dive.
We were offered a discount if we booked in with an exploration dive and I took it since Rooster was scheduled to lead the dive we’d join. It was another great choice. It was so cool to be 20-30 feet below the surface of the water for the first time. Highlights of my dive included seeing the “sea turtle hotel” where the honu pull in for a little nap under the edges of the rocks and the “sea turtle cleaning station” where they swim up and fish clean their shells in a symbiotic relationship.
I still have a lot to learn about proper breathing when diving since I did spend a fair bit of time with my nose in the sand or floating to the surface as I tried to regulate my breathing and therefore my buoyancy. But, I wouldn’t have changed the experience for anything. If you’re on Kaua’i I highly recommend signing up for dive experiences with Dive Kaua’i and if you can get Rooster as your instructor, even better. You won’t be disappointed.
Business Center
If you need to use a computer and/or print something off during your stay, there’s a business center for guests to use.
ATM
There’s also an ATM if you need to withdraw any cash for spending money, tips, etc.
Parrots
In the hotel’s open-air atrium, you can find parrots during the day, two of which were called Duke and Rico.
In addition to signs next to their perches sharing more about the parrots, one of the activities the hotel offers is the chance to learn more about them and meet them.
Cultural Center
The property has a cultural center called the Ke Kumu O Hihinui Cultural Center. We’d planned to spend some time in there, but never ended up getting around to checking it out properly.
Lei Drop
Tradition says that if you leave your lei in Hawaii in certain ways, you’re destined to return to the islands. To facilitate this, the Grand Hyatt Kauai has a lei drop area at the edge of the resort by the beach.
Stores
There are several retail outlets in the hotel selling swimwear, souvenirs, clothing, footwear, etc.
Grand Hyatt Kauai Beach
The hotel is on the south side of Kauai, looking out over Keoniloa Bay. There had been a weather system passing through Hawaii when we were there which meant waves and currents were very strong. As a result, there was a red flag on the beach signifying that it wasn’t safe to swim in the ocean.
If the currents are safe at other times of the year, it seemed like a nice beach to go swimming at. There were lots of loungers and some cabanas you can rent.
The Koloa Heritage Trail runs along the beach side of the hotel and beyond, so that can be a nice walk to explore the local scenery by foot.
Keep an eye out for wildlife on the beach during the day as you might see monk seals.
Restaurants
The Grand Hyatt Kauai has quite a few restaurants on site. Due to a) our Club Lounge access, b) the fact that there were a couple of places we wanted to have a meal outside the hotel and c) it was expensive, we didn’t eat at any of them.
However, here are details about some of the dining outlets. You can find the full dining options on the hotel’s website which also includes links to the menus, or you can scan the QR codes in the photo below.
Tidepools
There’s a restaurant called Tidepools which is in a picturesque setting next to the lagoon.
Here are its menus:
Hale Nalu
Next to one of the swimming pools is Hale Nalu which had a fun Christmas tree when we were there.
Here’s its menu:
Stevenson’s Library
Stevenson’s Library is a sushi restaurant, with a bar serving an extensive range of cocktails. Here’s its food menu:
Ilima Terrace
Ilima Terrace is the hotel’s main breakfast restaurant, plus it offers lunch. Here are both the breakfast and lunch menus:
Grand Hyatt Kauai Grounds
The hotel maintains very well-kept grounds – here are a few photos to give a sense of the property as you walk around.
Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort Fee
The Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa charges a hefty $55 + tax resort fee per night. There are a couple of ways to avoid that charge though. One is to book the stay using World of Hyatt points as resort fees are waived on award stays.
If you’re booking a paid stay and have Globalist status with Hyatt, you’ll get the resort fee waived in that instance too. That’s because one of the benefits of Globalist status is waived resort fees on both paid and award stays.
Here’s what the resort fee includes:
- Welcome lei
- Self parking
- Reusable logo tote bag located in closet
- Two reusable water bottles per stay
- Purified water stations
- Access to 24-hour Anara Spa fitness center plus Fitness & Yoga classes (14 yrs & up) – see daily activities schedule
- Guided sunrise walk
- Hawaiian cultural center – cultural activities, lei making, ukulele and hula lessons
- One hour tennis or pickleball court time daily – Equipment rental available.
- Recreational bicycle use see valet for availability
- Self-service laundry washer, dryer and detergent
- Nightly entertainment at Seaview Terrace
- Koi fish feeding and parrot talk
- Sunscreen & after sun lotion at pool desk
- Arrival/Departure Lounge – offering lounge area, showers, computers
- Kids 5 & under eat free @ Ilima Terrace breakfast buffet
- $20 discount on green fees at Poipu Bay Golf Course
- Shuttle service to Poipu Bay Golf & clubhouse
- Nightly shuttle in local area
- Beach chairs and umbrellas for beach use
- Hydroponic garden tours 2x/week
Grand Hyatt Kauai Pet Policy
The hotel isn’t pet-friendly; only service animals are allowed.
Service
Service was excellent during our stay. The person checking us in was very nice, while everyone else we interacted with were always friendly and helpful.
Another piece of service stands out. When in the Club Lounge on our final morning, Shae saw a stuffed parrot toy modeled after Duke – one of the parrots at the hotel – on the desk by the entrance. Shae asked if they sold them in the gift shop and the employee simply gave it to her, sensing that it would find a good home with Shae. A different employee then gave Shae some little cards that shared more about each of the parrots at the hotel.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi service at the hotel was very good. Despite the sprawling resort, there always seemed to be good connection wherever we were.
Check-In & Check-Out Times
Check-in is from 4pm, while check-out is at 11am.
Location
The Grand Hyatt is on the south side of Kauai, a 30 minute drive from Lihue airport. Koloa is a short drive to the north, while Poipu Beach is a short drive to the west which is where you can find sea turtles resting in the evening.
Anini Beach in the north is just over an hour away, while Waimea Canyon State Park is a 45 minute drive northwest. Check out this post for everything else we did in Kauai.
Parking
Self-parking is complimentary for guests as that’s included as part of the resort fee. Valet parking costs $40 per night, although that’s waived for Globalist members on award stays.
If you have anyone joining you at the hotel for the day, if they want to park there it costs $30 or $40 depending on if they’ll be self-parking or using the valet.
Cost
We booked our stay using World of Hyatt points. At the time of our stay in December 2024, the Grand Hyatt Kauai was a category 7 property. That means it costs 25,000, 30,000 or 35,000 points per night depending on if it’s at off-peak, standard or peak pricing.
Part of the reason we picked Kauai as our first Hawaiian island to visit is because it was off-peak for the entirety of our dates. As a result, it cost 25,000 points per night, or 175,000 points for the week.
That’s not cheap, but it was still much better value than paying the cash rate. For our dates, the rate for a standard king room was $915 per night including tax. That means we got 3.66cpp (cents per point) of value by using points which is excellent value for Hyatt points. I’m not sure how much the partial view ocean view room we were upgraded to was due to cost, but I suspect it was just over $1,000 per night.
Final Thoughts
We had a fantastic stay at the Grand Hyatt Resort & Spa. It was nice getting an upgrade to a room with a partial ocean view, the grounds were beautiful, the staff were all excellent and having lounge access saved us a lot of money on dining.
The property also has many amenities to enjoy during your stay, from swimming pools to a large fitness room to complimentary guest laundry and more. It’s not hard to see why the hotel is so popular with Hyatt enthusiasts and we’d love to return.
Truffles Approval Rating
Not applicable, as she wasn’t with us and the hotel isn’t pet-friendly.
Our Rating
Room = 4.7 / 5
Hotel Amenities = 4.9 / 5
Food = 4.5 / 5
Location = 4.7 / 5
Service = 4.9 / 5
Overall Value = 4.2 / 5 (this is a tough one to assess as the cash price is far more than we’d ever pay, but Hawaii prices don’t come cheap no matter what)
Total = 4.65 / 5
Address
Grand Hyatt, 1571 Poipu Rd, Poipu, HI 96756
Great review as always! Did they offer you the option to use the shower area in the spa? They did when we were there-the bath products smelled heavenly! We also got to use the indoor pool and sauna. I was Globalist during our stay, but it was pre-Covid so things may have changed.
We didn’t end up going to the spa. Was that after you checked out where they offer that while you wait for your flight? If so, we didn’t need to stay any later. Those amenities might still be there for all guests though; I hadn’t realized there was an indoor pool and sauna!
Lovely review. I really like the picture of the monk seal in particular for some reason. Never having been to Hawaii I knew in the abstract that it could be pricey but not as pricey as you show. Are the prices listed indicative of the prices in Hawaii overall or more of a fancy resort in an expensive area type of thing?
Hawaii prices are always fairly high I think, although this was our first time visiting and so I haven’t researched in depth how much accommodation costs the rest of the year. It might have been higher than normal when we visited due to a) it being December and so people in the US might be trying to escape cold weather and b) people might want to visit in the lead up to the holidays. Thanksgiving was later in November last year too, so perhaps that increased demand for some of our time there for people who traveled there for Thanksgiving and stayed a little longer.
Ultimately though, the Grand Hyatt is a nice resort, so I imagine there are (somewhat) more reasonably priced hotels available elsewhere on the island. Just out of interest, I just checked pricing for a random week in October. The Grand Hyatt was ~$850 per night, while there are several other nice-looking hotel options listed on Hotels.com for ~$300 per night. I hadn’t realized the pricing difference would be that pronounced. If I was paying cash, there’s no way I’d pay triple for the Hyatt versus somewhere else, but as a points option it’s great.