Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa

From the moment you step foot onto this exquisite property you are swept into its magical ambiance. You are greeted with a fresh orchid lei, friendly staff, and the magnificent open air lobby and atrium with view of the ocean. The magic has begun, and will continue throughout your visit. The staff is friendly and gracious, and they truly seem to enjoy their jobs. The service level from staff and management is what keeps this place at the top. We have been visiting for many years, and Grand Hyatt Kauai never disappoints. In fact, it keeps getting better. We were well taken care of, starting with the Guest Experience and Front Desk teams, the Grand Club team, dining staff… and everyone else. I used a Globalist SUA for this stay, and we were assigned to ocean suite 2010. I actually preferred standard suite 1038, which we had for our last two visits. 1038 had more glass doors/windows and was brighter and a bit more spacious. 2010 had a connecting room, which I am generally not fond of. 2010 was still fabulous, though… spacious and with more privacy due to being higher up, Any room on this property that is partial ocean or above will likely be terrific. Our suite was very clean, bed and pillows were comfy, and housekeeping was helpful in delivering the extra items we requested in a timely manner The suites have much nicer and larger bathrooms, upgraded decor and furnishings, more amenities like paper towels, and nice touches such as fresh orchids artfully placed throughout. We love the suites, but they are very difficult to book using SUAs due to popularity and limited availability. The pool area has been upgraded since our stay a year ago. There are more cabanas, and many are of a newer design. The prices have also gone up a bit, but it can still be worthwhile if you make use of it all day. The lazy river, slide, waterfalls, and numerous pool areas, including adult pool, offer something for everyone. We were happy to see more bench swings facing the beach. We love sitting in these around sunset or a bit later, with the pounding surf right in front of us. Those swings add to the magic of the whole visit experience. It is not very difficult to secure one, because people don’t sit in them forever, and there are now a number of swings near the ocean and pool areas. The Grand Club, if you have Globalist benefits or a club access room, is fantastic. We have stayed at many Hyatts around the world, and this club is our favorite. You will not find a friendlier, more gracious staff anywhere. They handle our special requests for gluten free bread, etc. with ease, and we have noticed that they do their best to not rush guests when closing down the breakfast buffet. I highly recommend dining at Tidepools for amazing seafood and tropical ambiance (the also handle dietary restrictions with ease)… or Stevensons for delicious sushi and side dishes. Reserve ahead, especially for Tidepools, as it is very popular. The presence of parrots, swans, geese, koi and other wildlife add to the ambiance, and they are well cared for by the Wildlife Team, which is nice to see, for wildlife lovers like us. There are opportunities to pose for pictures with the parrots and to feed the koi. The beautiful landscaping is so pleasing to the eye and very well maintained. The upkeep of a place this size, being so close to the ocean, is tremendous… but they do a wonderful job. Some of the carpeted areas in the Poipu Wing need a refresh, but I am sure they will get to it in time… it really is a lot to keep everything spiffy with all the humidity and the salt air. During the summer, you will see the most jaw dropping waves at the shoreline in front of the resort. It will likely be too dangerous for swimming, but you will get fantastic pics! Don’t miss the short hike from Shipwreck Beach (at the edge of the hotel) up to the cliff overlooking the beach. You will get even more mesmerizing views, especially at sunset. We did not utilize Anara spa this time, even though we love it there. I do recommend it to others. Very tropical, open air surroundings, very different from a traditional luxury spa, and very befitting of Hawaii. Love the scent of their signature product line, which is in all the guest rooms as well. During our stay, Hawaii was put under a tsunami warning, so there was a mandatory evacuation, and we had to leave our beachfront room to move to higher ground. The staff and management did a remarkable, flawless job of communicating, facilitating, and organizing everything. It was amazing. We were fed a delicious buffet and snacks in the ballroom, and were kept at lobby level (4th floor) and above. Once it became apparent that we would not be able to return to our rooms that evening, they issued the displaced guests new rooms for the evening. Truly seamless experience, thanks to the hard working staff and management, who worked overtime with wonderful attitudes and the utmost care and concern for guest comfort. Although Kauai is beautiful, we usually end up spending most of our time relaxing at the resort. This place is worth every single dollar. I highly recommend! Read less