We are Marriott Vacation Club (timeshare) owners elsewhere and traded into the Waiohai because we wished to return to Kauai after not having visited the island since our honeymoon 28 years ago. This is one of the most desireable properties in the Marriott system and we could certainly understand why after our stay. We arrived Friday night and found our room was spacious (two bedrooms and two baths) for four. For the two of us, it was terrific. We set up the laptop and ironing board in the extra bedroom and that left the living room uncluttered. (There is an ethernet connection in the living room but the WiFi worked great in the extra bedroom.) We had a ground floor unit in the main building that opened onto the lawn with a view of the pools and the ocean. When we wanted to go to the small and overpriced (but very convenient) Marketplace, we could do so just by walking across the lobby. When we wanted a drink or some food, ditto. Very sweet. Our room was clean and there was a towel exchange service on the Tuesday of the stay. We lounged by the pool and walked to the near perfect Poipu Beach in a few seconds. Both were uncrowded.
All members of the Waiohai staff were gracious, friendly, and went "above and beyond" a few times to answer questions or meet our requests. We also had opportunities to meet other people staying there; the atmosphere afforded both complete privacy or the option of visiting with other guests. (We prefer the intimacy of the Waiohai to the larger, more elegant atmosphere of the other Marriott timeshare on Kauai at Nawiliwili.)
All in all, we would rate Waiohai at the very top of our personal scale!

I stayed as a guest of my brother in-law and family. This was a perfect vacation place for a family. The room we had was garden level so we could walk right out to the pool. I feel this is key so you can get to the pools and beach quickly. The room was well decorated and had a full kitchen, living room, master suite, and second bedroom. All in all I'd say we had the space of 3 large hotel rooms, a great value! The money we save buying groceries at Costco more than made up for the price. The hotel ammenities are pretty basic since the emphasis is more on a condo/family atmosphere. If I was comparing this to a hotel I'd say 4 stars tops. However, this place has great pools for the family and probably the best location on Poipu. I can't say a bad thing about our stay.

My brother in-laws unit was a clone of ours but close to the beach and main pool. It had musty smell that I would have been very upset with. As long as they can keep up the maintenance of the rooms consistently this should be tops on your list of Poipu resorts if you have a family or large group. We also stayed at Hilton in Lihue and Hyatt which we liked but we didn't feel we recieved nearly the value we did at the Marriott Beach Club

We stayed here only one night and I am so glad because I didn't sleep more than 1 hour. There was a rooster right out our window that ear plugs, ceiling fan, closed windows could not drown out. I talked with management in the morning and they were very nice, said they try to move the roosters often and did refund a part of our night's stay but I would not return ever. The condo was beautiful and the grounds nice, though. We were there during Easter vacation and the room rate was quite high so in my opinion, not worth the cost.

Our family of 4 are owners of the Marriott Ko Olina timeshare and we exchanged a week to stay at a 2 bedroom unit at Kauai’s Marriott Waiohai during our spring break vacation in March 2008. The Marriott exceeded our expectations as far as location on Poipu Beach, the condition of the unit and property and overall environment for a relaxing family holiday.

Timeshare Unit – Our 2 bedroom unit was more than spacious and could easily sleep 8. As a family of 4 it really felt like we lived in a beachside condominium as it contained practically everything we needed: beautifully decorated furnishings, lavish finishes in the bathroom, spacious kitchen, and a large balcony allowing the 4 of us to dine ‘al fresco’ with a view to the landscaped gardens, pools and the ocean. We were quite happy and had no complaints about the condition of our 4th floor unit in Hale Seven of the resort.

On one of our excursions we met a family who booked at the other Marriott timeshare on Kauai, the Marriott Kauai Beach Club in Lihue. While they said the property was very nice, the units were re-converted hotel rooms with no full kitchen. The Waiohai 2-bedroom floor plan follows a very similar layout of the newer Marriott timeshares we have experienced in Ko Olina, Orlando and Las Vegas – nicely laid out, spacious and beautifully furnished.

Property Overall – Compared to the Marriott Ko Olina on Oahu, the Kauai Waiohai seemed much more intimate and laid back, a feeling that best describes the island overall. The lobby and public areas were much smaller and subdued, but very well maintained. The staff was extremely helpful and courteous. On our first day we hung out by the beach and the pool and decided to have lunch at the beachside bar … over priced for what we got, but convenient. That is when we decided to go to the Costco in Lihue town and stock up on breakfast, lunch and dinner foods allowing us to cook in for a few of the days (and saving a ton of money). The fitness room was small by comparison to Ko Olina and had no windows, but was decently maintained as far as hotel fitness rooms are concerned.

Water and Fun – Poipu beach is a great beach with calm waves and plenty of sunshine. The public beach is adjacent to the one fronting the Marriott Waiohai with a lifeguard stationed there for those concerned about ocean swimming. There were plenty of beach chairs fronting the beach even during spring break. The three pools on property were well maintained and a bit cooler than what I would prefer, but a nice alternative to the beach when the sun was too hot. We did not take advantage of the MAZE activities provided by the Marriott during the week, as there were other activities we did on our own on Kauai (ATV rides at the nearby Kipu Ranch, zodiac rafting to the Na Pali coast, driving to view the Waimea Canyon and kayaking the Wailua River).

Those looking for nightclubs and high priced mainland style restaurants will not really find a lot of choices on Kauai or Poipu Beach for that matter. Stay on Waikiki if that is the kind of Hawaiian madness you prefer. We are glad we started our vacation on Kauai as it really helped to decompress and get our minds and souls into a restful vacation mode.

While the timeshare resort may not have all the “full services” of a regular hotel (room service, bellmen, etc.), you will have a comfortable and spacious 2 bedroom unity that will truly feel like a home away from home on one of the prime beaches on Kauai. We loved it and will return again.