It is a budget hotel, so if you expect $500 amenties than you will have to go elsewhere. The decor is completely 1970s- Hawaii 5-0 era. Yes, the towels are thin, it didn't bother us. I didn't see any bugs while I was there. The AC worked but we didn't need it since the winds were awesome. The refridgerator worked great. The sink was small but no big deal. The ice machine was not far. My husband and I got so lucky because NO one was in our building facing the beach. That was cool. There was no noise that I heard from other hotel guests or the neighboring marketplace. It is convienet to the Coconut Marketplace which had great tourist items, pizza, and shave ice. We had a car (thats a must on the island) but the hotel was in a great location. No this is not an area to snorkel in but anyone who has been on an island knows that there are typically special areas where you do that. I had a fun time and it was just fine. Basically if you want to be economical this where you would go. We used the money we saved on excursions to fly and boat off the Na Pali Coast. The staff were extremely nice to us, great job.

I stayed at the Kauai Sands Dec 30 to Jan 9, 2008. This was my 20+ time there. I find the staff very helpful, friendly,courteous. I especially like the Lei building, western side (away from the pool)as it is in a good location and had a nice lush garden view. That building is in a serene setting.
The desk clerks are courteous, especially Angela and Clarissa.
The restaurant, Al's and Don's, had decent food with a friendly staff and oceanview.
The hotel location is ideal, adjacent to the Coconut Marketplace and within walking distance to stores, downtown, and the Wailua river boat marina - takes you to Fern Grotto..

This was given to me by my timeshare company with the words......it is on the beach. I was there over New Years Eve 2009. The hotel was once a beautiful hotel. In the 70's perhaps or earlier. The bed is SO hard it is impossible to sleep. The NEED new mattresses. Instead they have plywood under the mattress! No space to store clothes because the tiny fridge is in the closet.

The one saving grace was the maid staff and a couple of the folks in the resturant. The rest of the staff just plain didn't want us there!

Absolutely NOT enough parking! You have to walk a long way and in the rainy season that is a pain. NOT one real advantage to staying there. We felt ripped off by the time share consultant as the other choices were AMAZING. Almost anything in Poipu is wonderful.

We were truely on the beach. One with a rip tide you can't swim in. Only a few chairs for us to use if we wanted. Little rectangular pool. Resturant had very limited hours. Fortunately we rented a car and only slept there so the trip was wonderful.

I stayed at the Kauai Sands to fill in a few gap days before I could check into the Marriott at Poipu. The property is definitely showing wear and tear and is in need of a major remodel to bring it up to date. My room was very basic and was neat and clean. It had a lanai with an ocean and garden view, a/c unit, and ceiling fan. The refrigerator did not work but the water pressure in the shower was great. The hotel is a beach front property and is within walking distance to several shopping areas and restaurants. The location in Kapaa also is within easy driving distance to the north shore and south shore areas of the island. I was told the property was recently purchased by a timeshare developer so, a conversion from hotel to vacation ownership property is probably in the works. If I needed an inexpensive (relative to Kauai prices!) place to stay for one or two nights I would consider staying there again.