The ISO — Attraction in Kauai

We spent July 4th week-end there and was disgusted by how worn and filthy the rooms were, The bedspread and drapes were scratchy to the touch, it was obvious these had not been cleaned in years. The beds were very old and the edges of the box springs were frayed and shredded (I noticed as I checked for any bed bugs, blech!). NO A/C during the week Kauai was breaking records for high temperatures was brutal! The old ceiling fan overhead just circulated hot air. No hair dryer, no tissues (had to buy a box at Walmart). No iron so we had to take our clothes to a friend who was staying at the Marriott so we could iron our clothes for two functions we were attending. The closet doors were only secured at the top track, so if you happen to lean on them to brace yourself to put on your shoe, the doors collapse into the closet at the bottom, so you end up in the closet too! The door mirror on the back of the bathroom door was so old, all the edges had that creepy black backing showing--like one you would see in an old haunted house in the movies. The carpet was the color of dirt and had not been shampooed so there was a sticky salt air film throughout. I kept my slippers on the entire time I was in the room. There were two twin beds pushed together with a weird piece of foam placed down the "crack" of the bed. Really? The linens were so old, you could see through them. The pillows were fine, but we were only given 3 and I had to request the 4th. I asked for a second set of towels, which we received. However all the towels we left on the floor in the morning to be laundered were still left in a pile in front of the tub in the evening. My boyfriend put them all in the closet so we didn't have to walk over it every time one of us went to the bathroom. Did I mention the mysterious hole in the floor to the right of the toilet? Every time I used the toilet, I couldn't help but stare at the hole to make sure nothing crawled out of it the entire time. There was a makeshift kitchen sink area with a collapsible cutting board attached to the counter that had a big giant black stain in the middle of it. Ew! The only plus was the mini fridge we could keep bottled water in. We came across the utensils which were stored in one of the drawers in the one and only dresser in the room meant for clothing. Instead, I kept all my clothes in my suitcase. The worst part of the whole experience was the strong odor every time we entered the room. We also smelled it when we passed the laundry area where the staff washed all the linens and towels on the ground floor facing the parking lot. That smell was in the laundry detergent and we suspect the rinse cycle was probably short so the soap stayed in the fabric. Once it hit the dryer, there's no turning back. That smell was unbelievable and literally made us gag. We purposely tried to stay out ALL DAY and night so by the time we got back to our room, we were too exhausted to care. This place needs a complete renovation, update, and fresh everything!!! My boyfriend said it was like camping. We tried very hard to keep a sense of humor because the place was so bad, it was comical. I felt like I was being punked or on hidden camera?#! Almost forgot to note...as we walked by each room to get to our room at the end, we could hear every shower running and every toilet flushing (and all the sounds people make during those activities). We also couldn't help but notice the artificial plants and plastic flowers that were actually planted into the ground in between other live plants. Not kidding! The one plus about this place was the sound of the ocean waves right outside our lanai and the uninterrupted view of the moon over the water. I never write reviews, but this experience was so awful, I had to take the time to tell this story. Do not stay here until the...

Aloha! We stayed in Kauai from 9/7/2019 - 9/14/2019. For our second anniversary trip we decided to visit this beautiful island. The ISO hotel made our dream trip come true! It’s in the perfect location next to stores, food places and beautiful beaches nearby. I’ve seen on other posts people complaining of the chickens at the hotel. Let me tell you the chickens are everywhere!! It is their home and not yours!! Lol. The chickens don’t bother anyone. Yes they make sounds sometimes but that’s what they are supposed to do! It was nice to see them every morning while we sat outside and grabbed breakfast. The room was very clean and well maintained! Always cleaned and stocked with whatever we needed. The view was amazing from our room! This hotel is right on the water where you can catch beautiful sunrises. The waves are very soothing in the mornings and nights. Bed was very comfortable. It does state that their is no A/C on the website. Which many people seemed surprised about. We were not because we can read clearly. Our room considering it’s still summer time was never hot! Open the sliding door and leave the screen shut. All of the breeze will keep your room nice and cool. Everything in the room was very clean like I said. It’s nice to have the private lanai as well. The staff at this hotel are wonderful! Remember this is an island filled with chickens so do not be mean to them especially the baby chickens. Morning breakfast was perfect and it’s free! There were a range of choices for breakfast which was very nice. I loved the muffins and pastries of course. My favorite. The real MVP of this trip was Brian! Brian, our friend, you are amazing and I hope you see this. You go above and beyond. Back in June when we booked our trip I had the pleasure of speaking to Brian and had the best conversations with him! Brian is the true star of the hotel no offense to anybody else. Brian, you made our trip so special. The recommendations and advice you gave us made our trip extraordinary! He made sure everything was always good with us and went above and beyond to make sure our vacation was going great. You are the man! Thank you for everything you did for us being two younger kids from Fullerton, CA going on our first trip alone together. The dragonfruit was my favorite!! Brian I really hope I’m spelling your name right. Lol. Brian answered all of my questions and concerns from the very first phone call until the very last day we were there. I would’ve never seen sea turtles (my dream) and tried new foods if it wasn’t for you! There’s so much more to say. We are truly grateful to Brian for really helping us understand more about the island and improving our amazing trip. Please give that man a raise or make him manager because he absolutely deserves it!! From your two new friends, A...

Everything about this hotel is it's proximity to the ocean. It seems that almost any room has an ocean view - if not directly facing, from a side balcony. As others have mentioned there is a small table & two chairs on the balcony which allow you to sit outside but aren't very comfortable. The property however is very dated - I would NEVER call it a boutique hotel as indicated on the website.

When you reserve you can't select bed type (listed as double or king). We arrived late after delayed travel - I didn't even think to indicate that a king was preferred (as we're a couple). Ended up with two doubles and just slept Lucy & Ricky style. Just seems like you should be able to select bed type with your reservation. I take responsibility for not asking to change it but was frankly too tired on arrival and we only stayed three nights.

This has the potential to be a great hotel if they worked it's mid century style design and did some necessary rehab. But currently the building just feels like a sad, old hotel that needs serious renovation. As far as our room, maybe we ended up with a weird one? It was on the second floor & was a rather strange room with beams interrupting the corners of the room (so you couldn't even walk out one of the sliding doors b/c the beam was in the way). There appeared to be somewhat newish carpeting but looks like there was a left over border of short pile orange carpet around the edges which was bizarre (& smelled musty). The louver window frame in the bathroom is literally eroding around the edges & corners (and does face the walkway). One of our sliding doors wouldn't lock (which is really basic upkeep). There are fire pits on the property, but one of the nights we wished to use them, they weren't even lit (and the weather would have allowed it). Overall we selected this room based on other reviews and the site images. The images must be from their best or most rehabbed room? One positive, the room does have an A/C unit, but you can get by with screen doors & an overhead fan and hear the ocean.

Something I've noticed lately - at this hotel and a few others. There seems to be a very fine line between a two and three star hotel. While this is listed as a three, I don't think filtered water in the lobby, a free water bottle and having a yoga class in the morning should categorize it as such - I would consider it more of a two 1/2 given the overall condition of the hotel & our room (maybe others are in better shape?). I say this comparatively to the four star hotel we stayed at on another part of the island - difference was...