Fern Grotto Inn — Hotel in Kauai

Had the most amazing stay at Fern Grotto Inn. It's a very cozy property with different sized guest houses and cottages. I stayed in CANAL A (Perfect for one person or 2 max).

I was welcomed / greeted with a beautiful tropical floral arrangement. There were hibiscus flowers all over the room. The provided me a fresh lei on one of the towel arrangements, that I got to wear around my 1st day there.

The place was so immaculate and clean! It was cleaner than my own house! It made me feel so good!

Housekeeping prepared a welcome card and note with phone #'s for calls and txts. There was a kauai guidebook on the coffee table. They also had a binder with alot of tips, local recommendations and guides.

The mattress is nice and firm, pillows are of a good quality. You will get wonderful sleep there.

The plumbing worked well. The hot hot showers were amazing. It is on a removable shower head (just like I have at home) that is so convenient.

You do have to take out your own trash, but they provide the trash liners under the bathroom sink.

Paul and housekeeping happened to be on site when I arrived. They greeted me so warmly. I was having pain in my knees, and needed help with my luggage. Paul was so kind and helped me out.

Cottage A was a charming studio. With a queen sized bed. There is absolutely everything you could need. Paul even prepared 2 beers, 2 water bottles and a box of chocolate in the fridge.

It has both a fan and A/C wall unit that works very well!

The kitchenette is stocked with everything you could need in terms of appliances, cookware, utensils, houswares, and even tupperware and ziploc bags.

The cottage was well stocked with towels, bug spray, sunblock, extra blankets, etc. It was so thoughtful.

Oh and the property has free laundry for the guests. They even provide laundry soap. It was outstanding. Such a huge blessing.

They even have equipment: kayaking, SUP, ice boxes, beach chairs, beach umbrellas, water shoes, snorkeling equipment, etc. The freezer even has an ice tray and blue ice things to use for your daily picnics on the beach!

I property has gorgeous flowers that bloom every day. You will be greeted daily with new orchids, ginger plants, ti leaves, etc. There is even a star fruit tree. Paul showed me how to pick when it's ripe (yellow color). I didn't have to buy fruit, I had so much organic star fruit, it was great!

I had an amazing 7 night, 8 day stay. It was so quiet and serene. It's right on the river. Other guests were very nice to me. Every one is pretty quiet and keeps to themselves.

It is well located 12 min from the airport. It is on the east side of the island, so you are pretty central to the north and south portions of the island. Nearby is a nice beach within 2 minutes - Lydgate Park.

There are chickens everywhere on Kauai. But Paul thought of it all, the room comes with ear plugs. I enjoyed the roosters - it was a pleasant change from city life.

I would like to return and stay at the larger cottage - the Ohana house next time!

I would recommend this place to anybody looking for a safe, quiet, serene place to...

We planned our entire trip around the Fern Grotto Inn. My wife found the website and reviews online and decided "that's where we are going". We were so pleased with the choice and the destination. We booked the Coco Cottage for a week in March 2013.

Paul the owner is great, very friendly and laid back. He's there if you need him, otherwise you have total privacy. He took my daughter and I around the property on a couple fruit picking trips and we tried lots of new things. He gave me great choices and directions for dining. We used the phone, the laundry machines, and the shared items like lawn chairs, boogie boards, etc. We just loved having a little house to call home and use as a base.

The location is so central to the entire island. An hour north, or south and you've reached the end of the road. Lydgate Park Beach is minutes away and great for families with protected swimming from the waves and good beginner snorkeling, and a huge playground. Smith's Tropical Paradise is across the river and offers river boat tours and a very fun luau. The famous and abandoned Coco Palms Resort from Elvis's Blue Hawaii is right across the street with it's huge overgrown palm tree grove and lagoon!

The Coco Cottage has air conditioning and ceiling fans with roof ventilation as well. We rarely needed the air conditioning as the fans and vents kept the air moving nicely and quietly. Kitchenette had everything we needed, large double door fridge and gas range. Smaller bathroom but a large roomy shower.

10 minute drive from the Lihue airport. 5 minutes to Kapaa with great shopping and dining. Safeway is great for groceries. Lot's of shopping and dining within a few minutes drive.

If I had to be critical of anything? The island chickens can be a bit noisy (i.e. roosters), but they are EVERYWHERE, so you can't really avoid them. The island has a single main highway looping around the north, east, and south sides. The road is busy, and there is some traffic noise in the early morning as commuters head to work. I think all accommodations on the island would have these complaints unless they are further inland or on large properties with a natural buffer between them and the roads. You really want to drive places since walking along the highway is not really safe. The Wi-Fi was weak at the Coco Cottage because it's off to the side and separated a bit from the rest of the cottages.

If you want privacy, independence, and a house rental style of experience (ie, no hotel services like housekeeping, room service, etc) then this is a great choice for you. If you are a single, a couple, or a small family with kids willing to sleep on a sofa bed, then the Coco Cottage is a great choice especially if you like the privacy of the back yard, and the private side entrance...

I never write reviews, but I just had to. The hospitality here is unreal, even though I never saw a staff member face to face during my entire stay! (Even better!!)

Things you get staying in Coco A that you will NEVER get at a hotel for a comparable price:

-a place so CLEAN. Not even nice hotels feel as clean as this place. -a free, dedicated parking space right next to your cottage. -a quiet, serene atmosphere where you won't see anyone else most days. (Even though it's in the middle of all the favorite tourist destinations!) -Hawaiian music playing with chilled brews, water and chocolates and a piece of tropical fruit waiting for your arrival. -a privacy-fenced-in private backyard backing up to a canal. -a full-size gas BBQ grill complete with outdoor sink, hammock, table and chairs and rags to dry them off in that private back yard. -available for use free of charge: beach chairs, Beach toys, floaties, boogie boards, snorkeling gear, paddle boards, kayaks, and even a selection of water shoes! -direct canal access for the paddle boards and kayaks -a kitchen with a full size gas range, full size sink, dishwasher, refrigerator/freezer and sufficient counter space. Also stocked with essential condiments, basic seasonings, oil, small appliances (blender, toaster, etc) zip top bags, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, a full roll of paper towels, etc. -free access to washer/dryer with detergent and dryer sheets included. (They are a nice set as well!) -a hose with spray nozzle anywhere you would need one on the premises, whether to spray down your shoes, car, kayaks or anything else! -an Amazon Echo, a Roku TV preloaded with Netflix, Amazon video, etc. -a cordless Dyson vacuum to keep the cottage clean, all other cleaning supplies you could need. -a BIDET, aloe gel, first aid kit, soft toilet paper and ample shelving in the bathroom. -free access to bikes (a few hotels do offer this, but Fern grotto does, too!)

The list is endless. These are the highlights for me. The only two things I wished it had were a king sized bed and a box of tissues (but I'm guessing there was a good reason for the lack of tissues, or it was just a simple mistake). That being said, I know I was trading the better sleep from a king size bed (the queen mattress was very comfortable) for all the other amenities and amazing hospitality, and it's a trade I would do again and again. Kauai is the perfect vacation destination and Fern grotto inn is the perfect place to stay while you're here for a relaxing, quiet, paradisical nature vacation. It's the...