We stayed in a Vacation Internationale condo at Pono Kai, F-106, in October 2008. We were very pleasantly surprised to find that our one-bedroom unit had a great view of the ocean. It would have been slightly better to be on the 2nd or 3rd floor, but it was nice to be able to walk straight out our sliding-glass door onto the grass, and then out to the beach.
A drawback to being on the first floor was that the drapes were semi-sheer and not lined, so we felt that after dark anyone walking by outside could see into our living room area.

I loved getting up before the sun every morning, and watching it rise from our lanai. Being from the west coast, I’ve seen lots of sunsets over the ocean, but had never seen the sun rise over the ocean, so it was wonderful to see.

I had read reviews here about noise from people on the floor above. We didn’t notice much noise the first 5 days we stayed; I know there were people staying there, but they must have been quiet. Then the last 2 days we got a loud family upstairs. They seemed to wear shoes all the time, and not just flip flops or sneakers, but shoes with heels. They must have still been on another time-zone, because they were up and talking before 5:00 a.m. each day.

The kitchen was less well-equipped than other condos we’ve stayed in. Appliances all worked fine and were newer, but cabinets (white laminate with wood trim) and counters (white tile) were probably from the 80’s. There were only 3 basic small appliances: blender, toaster, coffee maker. There was a smallish TV in the living room, with a DVD player; a larger TV in the bedroom (which seemed backwards to me). There was wired internet access, which cost about $41 (including tax) for 7 days. There was an air conditioner in the living room, along with ceiling fans in living and bedroom. The stacking washer/dryer was in the bathroom. It made the bathroom hot and steamy, but was definitely nice to have. The patio had a round table and four chairs, made of wicker-looking resin. It would have been nice to have a lounge chair, though.

The grounds were very nicely kept. Pool was very clean. Not large, but not too small. Hot tub comfortably held 8 people. The staff we encountered were civil, but not overly friendly, smiling or helpful. Basically just there to do their jobs, which was okay.

There is a paved walking/biking path that runs along the edge between the property and beach. It’s about 8 feet wide, and ends just south of Pono Kai, on the other side of a bridge over a canal. It goes quite a ways north, for about 5 miles.

There were some chicken and roosters on the grounds, and they did crow in the mornings, but it wasn’t obnoxiously loud. More obvious were the cats that were plentiful. Skinny and stray, they were brave and would come inside if we left the patio & screen doors both open.

The beach view was slightly marred by a bright orange mesh “fence” that ran the length of the shore along Pono Kai. There has been erosion, and the warning signs indicated “sand holes” so I’m sure they are posting the signs and fence to avoid liability and warn guests not to go on the sand there. But walking just to the north end of Pono Kai provided sandy beach access. There was plenty of shade from palm trees, and it was very nice to sit on the grass or sand and watch the ocean. I saw quite a few people bobbing around in the ocean; not really swimming, but just playing in the waves. Supposedly it’s not a good swimming beach, but on calm days the waves were gentle.

There are quite a few restaurants and shops within a few blocks, including an ABC variety store and a couple coffee shops. A little longer walk to Safeway.

Overall I give Pono Kai a big “thumbs up” and look forward to staying there again.

My in-laws gave my wife and I their timeshare for Christmas. I did not have much time to make the decision (about 20 minutes) as to the property of choice.

Once I was informed of the property that we would be staying, I started google searches. I found this site and began to read all of the postings. I have to say that I was extremely worried about this property after reading all of the negative postings.

Once we finally arrive, we were pleasantly surprised at this resort. The pictures on the various website does this property no justice.

The two bedroom/two bath was nicely furnished and beachfront. We found this property to be centrally located and convenient to everything we needed. I did find it interesting that the air conditioning system had a timer on it. Not a big deal at all.

We were constantly on the go and out of the unit everyday. It was true that the beds are really, really hard. We would wake every morning with sore shoulders. We did not do much cooking but did find there to be enough cooking utensils to prepare a nice meal.

We stayed in building C which offered a direct front ocean view.

We both have travelled extensively and stayed in 5 star resorts. While the Pono Kai is no 5 star, we both would definitely stay there again.

My husband and I just came back from a wonderful and relaxing vacation in Hawaii. Kauai itself is a dream-island . . . lushciously green, great beaches, friendly locals. We stayed at Pono Kai in Kaapa for a week. The Resort is located by beach, common grounds are well maintained, pool, his/hers sauna, tennis/basketball courts, BBQ grills are avaiable. Very nice resort. We stayed in 1 bedroom unit, with an ocean view -- just perfect. The unit is well furnished, kitchen is fully equipped, housekeeping service is very good. The appartment units are all made out of wood and not sufficient insolation. Although the occupants are very careful and considerate of the noise level, we were awaken by a loud snore next door a few times and they hear us too.

Check-in and Check-out was fast and efficient. The activity concierge is excellent, full of information and nice acitivities lined-out. Most of the staff have the hawaiin attitude, very friendly and warm and so helpful, except for one lady at the front-desk whom we found cold and unfriendly as we check-out.

Kaapa is an old town with convinient shopping and restaurants at every corner. Lydgate Park beach is great for snorkling.

I traded my timeshare through RCI and I was a little nervous staying at the Pona Kai after reading reviews. I called the resort to see if I could request a top floor unit. They informed me that I had a partial kitchen and the only building I could be in was K. I called RCI and was able to up grade to a full kitchen 2 bedroom unit. RCI asssured me everything would be fine and to call if there was a problem and they would take care of it. When we arrived at the resort they put us in a top floor oceanview unit. It was wonderfull. Unit E302. I'm so glad that we changed buildings and got a top floor. The floor creeked every step we took. The unit was very large, it was clean, everything worked, no bugs. The view was great. We were very pleased. It is an older resort. Be sure to request a top floor unit. The grounds were very nice and the service was excellent. The location is good, central and Kapaa is a great little town. The path along the ocean was really nice. We love Kauai and will be back.. I would stay at the Pona Kai again only booked through RCI, still a little leary about those other reviews.