Kauia Beach Club vs Waiohai Beach Club

We are coming to Hawaii next Aug. Would like feedback regarding the 2 vacation club properties. Ocean front vs ocecan View at Kauia-building recommendations? Is one more enjoyable than the other for Families?

MountainView at the Waiohai -building recommendations?

Are their activities to do on the Island vs Maui and Oahu?

Airfare tips-using Marriot points?special airline deals? Island Hop to Maui? Thank you!

The Waiohai Beach Club property has one of the best beaches in Hawaii. The pool is just average. The units are smallish, but probably fine depending on how many kids you are bringing. It feels more like an apartment complex than a resort. Tile hallways, no hotel-style services. There is no towel service at the pool, no bellman service for your luggage, no valet parking, etc.

The Kauai Beach Club is more like a resort hotel, has a more formal feeling, and has full hotel services. The landscaping is gorgeous. The pool is grand, but is better suited to adults than kids. However, it is an aging hotel property that goes back to the 1950s. I also continue to notice deferred maintenance issues (peeling paint, chipped tiles, non-functioning fountains, etc) at the Kauai Beach Club. More and more it resembles the faded elegance of a once-grand hotel.

The helicopter tours on Kauai are expensive but breathtaking, Hiking the Napali coast is a challenge with rewards. Kayak up the Wailua River for an all-day adventure. Kauai has not much to offer in the nightlife department besides sunsets. But Kauai is the most beautiful and lush of all the Hawaiian islands. Just enjoy being there.

gblotter wrote:

The Waiohai Beach Club property has one of the best beaches in Hawaii. The pool is just average. The units are smallish, but probably fine depending on how many kids you are bringing. It feels more like an apartment complex than a resort. Tile hallways, no hotel-style services. There is no towel service at the pool, no bellman service for your luggage, no valet parking, etc.

The Kauai Beach Club is more like a resort hotel, has a more formal feeling, and has full hotel services. The landscaping is gorgeous. The pool is grand, but is better suited to adults than kids. However, it is an aging hotel property that goes back to the 1950s. I also continue to notice deferred maintenance issues (peeling paint, chipped tiles, non-functioning fountains, etc) at the Kauai Beach Club. More and more it resembles the faded elegance of a once-grand hotel.

The helicopter tours on Kauai are expensive but breathtaking, Hiking the Napali coast is a challenge with rewards. Kayak up the Wailua River for an all-day adventure. Kauai has not much to offer in the nightlife department besides sunsets. But Kauai is the most beautiful and lush of all the Hawaiian islands. Just enjoy being there.

Thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate it! Merry Christmas

mls3 wrote:

gblotter wrote:

The Waiohai Beach Club property has one of the best beaches in Hawaii. The pool is just average. The units are smallish, but probably fine depending on how many kids you are bringing. It feels more like an apartment complex than a resort. Tile hallways, no hotel-style services. There is no towel service at the pool, no bellman service for your luggage, no valet parking, etc.

The Kauai Beach Club is more like a resort hotel, has a more formal feeling, and has full hotel services. The landscaping is gorgeous. The pool is grand, but is better suited to adults than kids. However, it is an aging hotel property that goes back to the 1950s. I also continue to notice deferred maintenance issues (peeling paint, chipped tiles, non-functioning fountains, etc) at the Kauai Beach Club. More and more it resembles the faded elegance of a once-grand hotel.

The helicopter tours on Kauai are expensive but breathtaking, Hiking the Napali coast is a challenge with rewards. Kayak up the Wailua River for an all-day adventure. Kauai has not much to offer in the nightlife department besides sunsets. But Kauai is the most beautiful and lush of all the Hawaiian islands. Just enjoy being there.

Thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate it! Merry Christmas

We have been going to Kauai Beach Club for many years and we absolutely love it there. It is the really classy feel versus the apartment complex feel of Wiaohi. The pool and many hot tubs are really fun and the grass goes right to the beach sand. It is very romantic to walk along the beach promenade at night all lit by tiki torches. The grounds are gorgeous and we love the amenities of having the hotel on property(all the towels you want etc) The little beach grill has excellent and reasonable food with great fries!!!! If you asked my kids there would be no hesitation - they'd pick Kauai Beach Club every time. One other thing - we feel rather isolated down in Poipu - you are at the mercy of the local prices whereas up in Lihue there is a Walmart and Costco. Also you are more centrally located to the rest of the island. One negative is that there are no washers and dryers at the Beach Club - there are only coin operated ones. The things to do on Kauai are multiple - the canyon is marvelous, the catamaran/boats trips out of Port Allen are wonderful. Go up to Hanalaei which is sooo quaint! Go to the many waterfalls - easy drive just off the main hwy. The Queens Bath up in Princeville is a fun hike down to a large tidepool area where you'll find sea turtles swimming with you. Princeville is a very upscale neighborhood which has a gorgeous entryway. Follow the road all the way out to the end and make sure you go into the Princeville hotel - It's very extravagant and fantastic to take photos of the interior lobby!!!! You can take the elevators down to the pool and look around - it's also very pretty - but don't miss the hotel lobby!! Go out on one of the lobby patios and look across the bay - A beautiful photo op too. We Love it! (we go about 2-3 times a year and in fact are headed there tomorrow!) A great restaurant to go to is called "The Bull Shed" It sits right on the water and is not expensive. If you want more info just let me know!

We just returned from a stay at the Kauai Beach Club. We went on a Timeshare invite, that was a referral of a friend that purchased at the Waiohai Beach Club. We THOUGHT we were staying at the Waiohai...our bad (our invite stated they were going to give the presentation on the Waiohai, but when we went for our 90 minute meeting...they never mentioned it! They are trying to sell out remaining rooms that they have "re-aquired" back at the Kauai Beach Club in order to refurbish the Hotel. That wont begin until Sept 2009). We were not happy with our stay and ended up spending a crap-load more money on food than we had thought we would, had we stayed at the Waiohai. Kauai Beach Club is a Hotel made into a timeshare resort. Yes, you get all the conveniences of a Hotel...but you pay for it.

Our room, although upgraded to an ocean view, was very small. The "kitchenette" consisted of a mini frig that barely kept things cold and a coffee pot. They said they could bring a microwave up to our room, but after viewing the size of it, we decided not too as it would take 4 hours to cook something in it since it was so small. Now the bathroom?? That was a joke. Talk about claustrophobia! The ceilings in the rooms and all hallways are VERY low...

The grounds are beautiful, and it seemed there was many activities at the Hotel for children. The pool is beautiful and very LARGE...but to me, if you got to a tropical place...why on earth would you want to spend time at the pool??? Go to the beach!!!

Anyway, anytime you want food, it will cost you, it doesn't matter if Costco is up the street 5-10 minutes or not...where will you store the food, and how will you cook it? We are simple people and like simple meals, so even eating a simple meal at one of the several restaurants on site...it still cost us at least $40-$50 per meal. Except of course if you eat at Dukes Barefoot Bar. You can get a burger/sandwhich etc all for around $10.00...but if you want fries...those will cost extra.

We enjoy relaxing on a beach and having food drinks brought to us...which the two times we were able to sit out and enjoy the beach (because of the weather)...there isn't much to look at. To the left you have houses on a cliff, and to the right you have a lovely factory of some sort to look at. Not quite my idea of beauty. Of course, if weather doesn't agree with you hanging out on this "lovely" beach...your up a creek without a paddle. Either in the room or driving around looking at the sights...OR chasing the sun South as the locals say. Waiohai is on South beach. Most likely it will be sunny there even if its rainy or cloudy elsewhere on the island. We did make the trip twice to Waiohai just to use their facilities and drink in the views...nothing can beat the views you have at the Waiohai...pure open ocean. Plenty of children at both locations and they all seemed to be having fun (the beach at Poipu is one of the top ten most beautiful beaches. Its possible to see the rare monk seals crawl up on the beach to snooze...we did!). Along with just playing onthe beach and swimming in the water, there is great snorkeling RIGHT THERE! What a cool thing for kids and families to do together. We did also have a meal or two sitting at the "local" restaurant/bar...there you get a burger WITH fries...for the same price! =) Also, should you choose to stay at Waiohai...you do get two full bedrooms with a kitchen and a nook/dining area. Eating breakfast and lunch in will save you much of your hard earned money. As for the pool...or pools...yes there are several and they are lagoon style and beautiful, many kids playing in them...

Also, a quick response about being isolated on Poipu...you can get to Costco and Kauai's "Mall" (yes, there is a Macy's) within about 15 mintues.

Prior to leaving on our trip, I did extend our stay with Marriott. Now, the booking agent with the timeshare sales told me they had no openings in the timeshare resort, but that they had openings at the Hotel "right next door." Whats funny is that...ITS THE SAME RESORT!...just a different room across the pool. Although the first room was on the small side, I do have to say our Hotel room was a bit larger...they actually fit a love seat in there...we were happier with that room (and the bathroom) than the original room we were in.

I know this is long...but if I learned anything with my stay on the lovely island of Kauai...dont settle. Be happy where you stay or it really takes away from your vacation...for the first four days of our stay we actually had thought we'd never go back to Kauai...but after visiting Waiohai, we will be back...but we will never go back to the Kauai Beach Club.

Hope this helps in your vacation planning. Everyone has different thoughts on what is wonderful...Kauai Beach Club might be what you are looking for...who knows. It wasn't for us though. Good luck and have fun!

We are owners at the Waiohai but also have stayed at the Beach Club twice. We just stayed our week at Waiohai over spring break and then spent our last 3 days at the Beach Club. They are both wonderful. We had our 3 kids plus two friends with us at Waiohai and never ate a meal out. The kids never complained as there wasn't alot of temptation. The snorkeling is great as well as the swimming, the resort borders the Poipu public beach park, one of the best beaches on the island. We saw several monk seals also.

The Beach Club is a completely different feel. I liked ending our vacation there because it was more resorty for us adults. We didn't cook there because they don't have a full kitchen but rather just enjoyed being at the resort. It was definitely more costly. If I had to choose one and was traveling with kids, I'd choose the Waiohai.

As far as islands, we have been to Maui, Ohau, and the Big Island also. I think Kauai is hands down the best. It is beautiful every where and not too big to travel the whole island. We did a hike every day, most not too hard - but even the non-hikers loved it and it didn't cost a thing.

Have a great vacation.

We were at Kauai Beach Club Jan-Feb. It was so disappointing, and no one prepared us for the shoddy condition, run down lool,feel and function. There was a Owners Meeting while we were there and there were many unhappy owners there-quite understandably. Bill Marriott visited and toured this troubled site while we were there and spoke to a group of the disgruntled owners. We had purchased out timeshare at St.Kitts-which is quite lovely and expected a comparable experience working with our 'vacation planner' through the Marriott. As a relatively new owner this gave us great pause for acquiring other weeks or traveling outside of our known sites without personal references for the property condition as we obviously don't have any advocacy through the planners. We visited Waiohai Beach Club while we were there which made us even more angry because there was availability during our visit week, but our planner put us up at the older facility instead.

This is great info. Thinking of buying a 2 bedroom in waiohai. We are visiting Kauai July 2016 for 11 days and it has been 15 years since we visited the island. We have been going to Maui. We are also considering Maui vacation club. Maui is getting too commercialized and we have been there a lot and kind of bored with it. We do love Poipu beach.

Before buying at the Waiohai we toured the Kauai Beach Club. Location alone made the decision for us. Admittedly, KBC is very close to Costco, Walmart and the airport, but we came here to get away from the city. The Waiohai, Poipu and Koloa have a much more laid back vibe than Nawiliwili and are only 15 minutes from Lihue if we need to go there. The Waiohai villas each have their own washer and dryer and a full kitchen and that makes vacationing there much more enjoyable. KBC gives you fresh towels at the pool because they don't provide washers and dryers in the villas. KBC shares it's bay with cruise ships and the resort is located in the heart of the more industrial and developed part of the island.

The Waiohai is our favorite place to stay anywhere in the Hawaiian Islands and we have seen them all. We vacation here every year and my wife and I love this timeshare because it has everything we like in a beachside resort without the negatives you find at the high-rise resorts. Two older hotels, The St. Regis and the hotel that became KBC (10 story buildings) were built before Kauai legislated a 4 story restriction on height. "Nothing taller than a coconut palm" is the rule now and we like that restriction. We’ve never been fans of monstrous resort pools with loud music and big crowds. The Waiohai has beautiful pools, its tropically landscaped grounds are rarely crowded, and the resort sits on Hawaii’s best swimming beach. Poipu Beach is comprised of 2 beautiful coves. To the east of the resort's beach is Brenneke's cove and with a short three-minute stroll west you'll find yourself on Kiahuna Beach where the Sheraton resides. The Waiohai's cove is perfect for relaxing in the sun with the added benefit of daily visits from sea turtles and monk seals. We also love that a protective reef sits just 75 yards offshore making ideal calm swimming and snorkeling conditions near the beach while creating nice reef breaking waves further out that are popular with both beginning and advanced surfers.

The sunny South Shore of Kauai boasts year-round ideal weather conditions for beachgoers and the cool gentle trade winds keep things very pleasant. Great restaurants are within a short walk or drive, and this resort’s closest neighboring community is the quaint historic sugar plantation town of Koloa, a step back in time to traditional Hawaiian culture and charm. For waterfalls and tropical paradise you can't beat the island of Kauai, but it is NOT for folks looking for parasailing, shopping malls and exciting nightlife. Kauai and the Waiohai are more about watching beautiful sunsets with a drink in your hand, watching the surfers and eating pork nachos with mango salsa at a torchlit beachside bar!

Long story short, we have made the Waiohai our home away from home and own nine weeks there now. It perfectly meets our needs for a relaxing vacation in paradise!