Aloha ! Welcome to Grand Hyatt Kauai – the ultimate tropical paradise in Hawaii’s greenest island. After braving Seattle’s snowy winters, we needed turquoise beaches and island music to lift our spirits. Needless to say, Grand Hyatt Kauai’s luxury soared our spirits into the stratosphere!

Located on the fringe of Poipu Beach, Grand Hyatt Kauai boasts of periwinkle sunsets and swaying coconut palms. As the sun dips in Pacific, sounds of Polynesian drums fills the evening air and gyrating grass skirts of hula dancers hypnotize you !

Getting There:

Grand Hyatt Kauai is located about 15 miles or 30 minutes from Lihue Airport (LIH). We picked up our rental car from the airport and drove towards the hotel. There is self parking available in the resort for free. You can also take a taxi from airport. (We however rushed directly to urgent care Hospital from the airport. Let’s just say challenges of traveling with kid!)

What to Expect in Grand Hyatt Kauai :

This resort really indulges you with its grand opulence. As restless travelers we like to immediately head out to explore the sights. But this ultra luxurious resort did just what the private pool villas in Bali did to us! Spoilt us rotten.

As soon as we entered in this beachfront resort, we were welcomed with a pineapple drink and a hawaiian garland of orchids called ‘Lei’. Given my love for orchids, I didn’t part with it till the very end!

From the lobby you can directly see the wild blue waves of the Pacific. Grand Hyatt Kauai’s lobby is landscaped aesthetically with huge tropical trees adorned by red, blue, yellow macaws!

On the Premises, there are world class restaurants that serve authentic Hawaiian food and drinks, several cultural programs for culture aficionados like us and tons for fun for kids.

Amenities at Grand Hyatt Kauai :

Whether it is the rooftop pool in Hong Kong or a lake view room in Helsinki, when it comes to choosing hotels two things matter the most to us – pool and the grandeur of rooms.

Grand Hyatt Kauai is effortlessly stunning on both accounts.

The Rooms:

We booked a partial ocean view room which had the loveliest view of pool, azure ocean and coconut palms. Spread across 50 acres of lush garden, this resort is done in typical hawaiian style. Each room is spacious with marble bathrooms and a private balcony for that much loved sea breeze.

Hawaiian accents like tropical prints on bed and wooden artifacts lent an authentic decor in the room. Costing about $650 a night, this luxury was not cheap.

The bathrooms were stocked with nice toiletries, double sink and a luxurious bathtub. Psst.. come here..Given Hawaii’s proximity to Japan and if you’ve read our post on Seoul, there is a high tech surprise waiting for you in bathroom. A booty warmer on the toilets!

The Breakfast:

Considering the cost, I would have liked if breakfast was included in the price but it wasn’t.

We paid around $30 per person for buffet breakfast at the ocean view restaurant called Ilima Terrace. It was a nice spread of coffee, cereals, tropical fruits, eggs and bread. Kids (Keiki) are charged about half of adult price. The staff throughout the resort was courteous and friendly.

The Pool :

Our favorite part !! Grand Hyatt Kauai has the loveliest meandering pool. Unlike other hotels worldwide, the pool here is not a large crowded rectangular body of water filled to the brim with people.

Grand Hyatt’s pool is a unique meandering pool past rocky enclaves and waterfalls. I loved soaking in the private alcoves surrounded by beautiful Hawaiian flowers. The pool gradually widens and ultimately opens into a large area. Since the pool is massive, it never felt crowded! There is a pool bar where we downed countless Pina coladas and Mai Tais.

There are lots of water slides for the kid with you (or in you !) Towels and floats are available at no additional cost. Another section of the property is immersed in tide pools. We watched elegant swans gliding in them.

There is also a salt water lagoon across the sprawling gardens. We stayed 3 days in this Hawaiian resort and still couldn’t cover all the sections ! It’s massive and gorgeous.

What else ?

Every evening there is a free Hawaiian dance and cultural program in the lobby and another exclusive paid one at Ilima Terrace. A relaxing spa and an expansive golf course are on the premises too!

Tide Pool Restaurant :

The ambience was utterly romantic. If candle lit dinners in open-air thatched enclaves bedecked with flowers doesn’t scream luxury then I don’t know what does!

Our trip to Kauai was celebratory (despite the run to urgent care !) and had to involve fancy meals !

We witnessed the marriage of island traditions and world class cuisine at TidePool, Kauai. Lava cake filled with decadent chocolate and succulent seafood among other delicacies, sealed our evening in bliss.

Grand Hyatt Kauai delivered everything it promised and more. Time slipped through our fingers just as the powdery golden sands of Hawaii’s beaches! Mahalo Kauai for giving us the fondest memories in the Pearl of Pacific !