2-Star Hotels in Kauai

The Hotel Coral Reef was a disappointment, as was the whole trip. The family who managed the hotel were lovely… very friendly and helpful. But, the absentee owner didn’t care about the place. It desperately needed a coat of paint… the walls were dirty. Obviously hadn’t been kept up in general… just looked rundown. The room wasn’t very clean… we wiped all the counters down, the bathroom and side tables. The drawers were so dirty, I couldn’t put my clothes in them. There was a washer and dryer available for guests, but they were dirty around the openings, so I wiped them down. $2 for the washer and the dryer was free. They had bikes available, for free, but they were so rusty and corroded with salt and sand that we had trouble getting them to work. The day we left, they received 2 new bikes. Such a shame since the location was very good, right on the beach. The views were awesome!!! Would never go to Kauai again anyways… it is overrun with chickens. They are everywhere. You can’t walk barefoot on the grass because of the chicken poop. And the roosters are cock-a-doodling all day and all night. On the day we left we had to be out of our room by 11:00, but our flight didn’t leave until midnight. The hotel said they would watch our bags but there was no washroom that we could use… so we would have to use the public ones on the beach, which were filthy. There is a huge problem with homeless people. Someone told us about “Resort Pass”… you can pay to hang out at a nice hotel for the day, use their facilities and restaurants . We went to the Sheraton and that was the best part of the week! It was lovely. They even try to get rid of the chickens!

Good access: 10 to 15 minutes drive from the airport. Good for convenience: There were several malls nearby and restaurants, markets and shopping centers were close. Car parking: Overall good, but there is no space after 9pm so you have to use the valet service or walk along the street. Overall, the facilities and location were too good for the price. A hotel that impressed us as a honeycomb.

It's not what it seems. It is a hotel that has very good things and others not so much. When we arrived we were given a room with a double bed and a sofa bed. We had booked a twin room and were told this was Trip's problem. That they only guarantee the views. All the furniture is wooden and very old. The old sofa, with a thin mattress and perforated sheets... Finally the next day we were changed to a room with two beds (and sea view) which was much better. However, the furniture was also old. It is advertised here that the cleaning of the room is daily but it is not true. They clean only one day for stays of at least 5 nights. If you are staying less than a few days and you want the room to be made for you, 50 USD. If you want clean towels, 10USD. The hotel does not have elevators, so you have to carry your bags up the stairs to the room (on the floor you are on). Just arriving they charge you 147.45USD in taxes (amenity fee, ta tax, ge tax, county ta tax...). Good: Prime location, in front of (private) beach, with restaurants, supermarkets and shops next door. The main road is right there. Swimming pool with hammocks and a bar (opens at 3pm). There is a refrigerator, coffee maker and microwave in the room.

The hotel is quaint and calm—away from hustle-and-bustle of Lihue proper. Pros: Solitude. Beautiful lush mountains and the view is gorgeous. Scenic overlook on way to hotel. Pool towels available. Staff very courteous. Linens and bath towels changed daily. Microwave and fridge/freezer. Target and Costco are close a couple of miles to stock up fridge. Live music in evenings was a very pleasant touch and musicians were great. Shout-out to Sheldon Espina. Cons: Don’t let the pool photo sway you as this is a dated hotel and needs work. Our room had broken louver shades, rusty and dust-covered lamp. Very run-down dirty bathroom. I am a stickler on a clean bathroom and this did not come close. Mirror cabinet very old and swelling/peeling /decrepit on the top. Cabinet under sink dirty and gross. Fixtures and curtain rods old and rusting. I had to wipe down the shelf above toilet fixture before placing our toiletries and extra towels there. Mildewy shower curtain. Bathroom curtains dirty and need to be discarded. Air conditioner loud. Continental breakfast: Juices were sugary drinks. (Actual fruit good, however). One coffee maker out of order for the entire week. No pancake or waffle maker or breakfast meats . Fyi you should rent a car to get back and forth for an extended stay. Uber is costly.

Loved it! Best hotel experience ever on Earth! Fantastic! Better than the Westin! Better than luxury condos! I loved the experience of being at Kauai's Hilton Garden Inn. It was my first time on the island of Kauai, and I really wanted a real experience but also luxury. Included in my hotel stay were 1) awesome ukulele lessons by Kalani Joe that had me playing real songs in minutes, 2) awesome hula dancing lessons (that taught me a whole, real hula dance with good technique and with a gorgeous view of the ocean by Kiana, and 3) awesome ti leaf and orchid lei making classes that enabled me to make a complete and beautiful Hawaiian flower necklace from local raw materials (leaves and flowers) by Kiana. We also saw an exciting fire dancing show at the hotel; in this show were the most dangerous, heart-stopping stunts I have ever seen. The show also included hula dancing and beautiful live music. The hotel restaurant/bar, Mamahune's, has the best French fries I have ever tasted and (completely delicious and vegetarian) taro burger with pineapple jam that I liked so much, I would travel to Kauai just to eat the taro burger with pineapple jam. Also at the hotel, the concierge, Courtney, is fantastic and gave us great, real advice that led us to great experiences; she surfs and snorkels and gives good advice. Additionally, the hotel is located right at a state park with the safest (and good) snorkeling right at the beach in front of the hotel, in two ponds protected by rocks. In the larger of the two small protected ponds, I saw bluefin trevally, saddle wrasses, tangs, sergeant major fish, and many more kinds of colorful fish of relatively large size. The hotel offers all good coffee in the morning and chilled, tasty POG (punch) in the afternoon, and the front desk staff led by Amy are great! The vibe of the rooms is relaxing and feels good. Furthermore, the swimming pool is the exact ideal temperature for swimming and just enjoying the pool in daytime or at night and is surrounded by beautiful flowering plants and a spectacular sunset view. Another great thing about this hotel is the interior design: it feels like a movie or TV set for Charlie's Angels. Also, of note, the hotel next to a very important historical and spiritual site for Hawaiians. If you are interested in history, culture, religion, spiritualism, authentic experiences, this site is a place to respectfully visit. Loved this hotel! I want to book another vacation there asap. Great rooms, service, and location! Hotel highlights: Luxury · Great view · Romantic · Quiet · Kid-friendly · Great value Rooms: large rooms, great views, comfy bed, good shower tub, includes refrigerators, cabinets, microwave Nearby activities: protected snorkel/swim area, beach, important historical/spiritual site Safety: very safe Walkability: great. Mamahune's restaurant and bar on the property, very short walk to swimming/snorkeling protected beach area, very short walk to significant historical site Foo

Location is great and the property is extremely clean and quiet. Our room was very outdated ( early 80's for furniture, carpet, bathroom) but clean and everything worked. It was spacious but bare minimum in kitchen for supplies, the coffee pot is super tiny. My only complaint is you can't extend your stay for late check out or additional day, that really impacts people on hikes and etc. We had to pack our stuff out (530am) and couldn't do late check out to come back to pack and shower. The young desk clerks stated policy for late check out was call morning of after 9am. That's ridiculous because most tourist are traveling across island exploring early. We asked at 815pm night before and staff couldn't give us late check out for next day, that's a deal breaker for us coming back to this property and was absolutely not willing to check or call management, for this reason I would avoid property if you have early tours or adventures. No one wants to pack out 5am without opportunity for late check out.