The Villas at Poipu Kai — Hotel in Kauai

The property is fantastic, the grounds are well-groomed and beautiful - true paradise until you try to check in it... as a Canadian...||My husband and I arrived from Vancouver on December 14. The flight was delayed and we had to spend the night at a motel by the airport. ||We arrived at Poipu Kai Paradise Resort at 1 PM on December 15. We enthusiastically toured the grounds: being so close to tennis courts and the sea was great!||At the reception a lady named Leanne said they will allow us an earlier check-in the moment the room was ready. At 2:45 the cleaning crew signaled to us that the room is ready. We walked to the reception office where Leanne in rapid fire told us to download and fill in the 'Safe Travel' app on our phones. My husband tried to explain to the receptionist that that app and site is for Americans only, but she would not hear of it: "I need to see the Safe Travel app green dot, not red dot to check you in. No green dot - no check in!" We offered our full vaccination QR codes, Canadian passports - all in vain. After 15 minutes of this, another official appeared from the back door and said that Canadians do not need the Safe Travel app. Leanne heard that but became defensive: in loud whisper with her back to us just behind the counter she said to a younger woman by the computer: "As they are not fully [electronically approved] - no early check-in! Check in time is 4 PM". ||After another 45 minutes outside the reception office we were given the keys to our unit.||Dear Canadians, If you travel to this location, beware:||As you are not FULLY... AMERICANS, be ready to be treated here with tight lips, sideway glances, and in unpleasant manner. And forget about an hour-early check in...

DON'T let the fact that this isn't an ocean-front resort scare you off! It's a fantastic place to stay on the best island of Hawaii...and I'm a grand resort kind of traveler. ||The walk to the surf is perhaps 5 minutes through a pleasant lawn with a trail directly to the pacific. ||The on-site pool is fantastic for a family with kids. The suites are very nicely appointed and upscale. Yes - if you have the cash to spend, stay at the Grand Hyatt Kauai, but if you're looking for a great alternative in a great location Poipu Kai is tops. The equivalent at other resorts would be 3-4x the money if you want private spaces for the whole family. ||We've stayed here a few times and the top floor is great but the ground floor has it's appeal with the pool right outside. The masters have a stunning en-suite bathroom and the other bedrooms either have an en-suite or a jack and jill bathroom.||We enjoy making a big breakfast in-house that lasts us through the day (with snacks for the beach) and then heading out for dinner. This resort is perfect for that with a well equipped kitchen. (Pro-tip: head to costco to load up on essentials on your first day)||Kauai is the best island in the chain - by a long shot. We recently went to Maui because everyone seems to love it. Blah. It's like a non-descript, busy suburb of a US/Canadian city. No character and super-expensive. Kauai will change your life! It's a Hawaiian post card everywhere you look with cool back roads and village destinations with character...

We needed space for the whole family during a conference in February that was at the Hyatt. Booked here through VRBO just in case we couldn't go and had to cancel if there were covid issues. Thankfully that was not the case and the conference went on. The villas are very conveniently located, 10 min walk to the Hyatt and 10 min walk to the beach and park, 10 min walk to the roadside fruit and veggie stand. It was perfect for our family. Parking was adequate when people only took one spot for each car. Condo was clean and nice. Beds were very comfortable and linens all clean. Washer and dryer is a major plus for the daily wet kid clothes and towels. Our condo had all the beach gear, boogie boards, surfboard, cooler beach chairs, and a beach wagon on site. Also had a bunch of spices and cooking supplies which was a major plus, as we cooked in a lot during our stay for convenience and saving a few $ on meals for the family. Pool and hot tub right outside and a couple of community grills poolside which we used about every day and every day they were nicely cleaned by the staff. Sliding glass wall opened up the condo to the lanai and we had that open about every day. Overall it was perfect for our large family for a couple of weeks...