We recently spent a couple of nights at the Marriott Kauai Beach Club in Lihue and were pleased with our choice of hotel. It has a great location right on Kalapaki Beach, a beautiful pool area, and several restaurant options all with in walking distance.
The room itself was a garden view lock-off (meaning it was part of a larger unit that could include this room if needed). It was a sufficient room for the two nights that we were there, nothing spectacular, but we did not spend much time in the room anyway. A smaller bathroom area and a small furnished balcony were also included.

Marriott Kauai Beach Club is one of the best resorts we've stayed at. We loved so many things about this resort - the location, the views, the beach, the pool, the restaurants, the spa and the service. Note that the Marriott Kauai Beach Club is part of the same property as the Marriott Kauai Resort and shares all amenities including the pool as well as the beach.

The resort location is convenient, fantastic and special. It's located on the east side, on Kalapaki Bay. Kalapaki is just a couple of miles from Lihue airport. Kalapaki must be the best kept secret in Kauai. It is spectacular, has a lot to offer and yet it's always serene and never crowded like Poipu on the south side. Even though its close to the airport and close to the major highway, the location is tucked away among hills and mountains. Kalapaki bay has a long, sandy beach, with a cliff on one side and mountains on the other. The resort is directly on the beach. Just the view of the bay, the beach and the mountains makes this resort a great place to stay.

The bay has a quite side and a surf side allowing for all kinds of fun water activities - swimming, snorkeling, surfing, paddle board. A surf shop on the beach provides lessons and rentals. Or, you could just take it easy, relax on the beach and take in the sun and the view. Tip: the resort spa offers excellent massage treatments on the beach,

In addition to the wonderful beach and the bay, the resort also has a picturesque swimming pool. It's a large swimming pool, surrounded by beautiful landscaping, a center island and five jacuzzi hot tubs. The pool-side grill serves excellent snacks and drinks.

Staying at the Resort or the Beach Club is a choice. We chose Beach Club because it offered two room, two bathroom "villas". One room is the bedroom and the other a living room with a small kitchen area. The living room also features a queen-size wall bed. Both rooms have flat screen TVs and hi-speed wireless Internet. But the best thing about these rooms is the view. They all directly face the bay and the moutains.

The resort also has good restaurants. Duke's in particular is highly rated and very popular on Kauai. In addition there are several eating spots walking distance from the beach. Tip: try Splash Cafe for crepes and Mariachi for Mexican. Both are in Harbor Mall. Avoid the Thai place.

There is also some good 'touristy' shopping in Harbor Mall and close to the beach entrance. The resort has a decent gift shop and a well stocked convenience store that features shockingly reasonable prices and stays open unil 11 pm.

While one can easily spend days in and around the resort, remember there is much to see and do on Kauai. When you do decide to venture out, the resort location makes it relatively convenient to drive to the key spots in the north, south or the center of the island. You can rent a car at the airport, or from Enterprise on-site at the resort. 

The service throughout our stay was great. The staff is very friendly, helpful and courteous. 

Final tip: Marriott Kauai Lagoons is an adjoining property and golf club. Drive up to it, past the scenic golf courses and through the road towards the Marriott residences. Stop where the road dead-ends and step out for a spectacular view of the Lihue lighthouse and the Kalapaki Bay!

We are Marriott timeshare owners and have stayed at this property three times and will be back again this year. Over the years, we have stayed on many different parts of the Island. Each area has it's pros and cons. As other reviews have noted, if you are looking for granite countertops and stainless steel appliances this is not the right choice for you. Some of the things we like about this hotel is that it has a very central location to all parts of the island and is just a few minutes to the airport. My hubby loves the fact that it sits in a cove which makes stand-up paddle boarding and surfing easier because the waves are generally more calm. We also love the pool area along with both the beachside grill and the nicer restaurant which overlooks the pool area. We also enjoy walking around the many acres of property each morning. Unlike many of other reviewers, we don't mind the chickens and roosters...we figure that's what makes Kauai...well Kauai :o). This last time, we stayed in an ocean front parlor room which was very small, but met our needs with the small kitchen, etc. We loved the ocean view and sat on the balcony often. For whatever reason, we really enjoy watching the cruise ships coming in to dock and then departing...it's really pretty cool. We also like walking over to Kalapaki Joe's to watch our Denver Broncos play each Sunday. My in-laws also joined us on the trip and they love this place and can't wait to get back. The cons are that this is an older property and Lihue isn't known to be the the most glamorous part of the island...that would be Poipu and Princeville. Anyway, I guess it's all what you make of it...we're happy just to be in Hawaii!!!

Overall, based on our experience, this is a very nice resort. The pool and beach are great for kids and the resort is well run. The housekeeping, groundskeeping, and bell staff all are personable and helpful. Its clear, based on how beautiful it was kept that they care. The beds were fine and comfortable. We stayed in an ocean view room and had the screen door to the lanai open the entire stay (high 60's to low 80's during our stay). It was great to fall asleep listening to the crashing of the waves! The onsite food service staff were also very nice and attentive, although we did get an out of the way table at the poolside restaurant, we think due to dining with our two daughters, ages 8 and 10. There are also a lot of restaurant choices within walking distance of the resort. Dukes is great for a evening cocktail and dessert.

The hotel is a great location to use as a launching pad to visit the rest of the island, sort of located equidistant from the two ends of the highway that almost rings Kauai (the Na Pali coast prevents the highway from connecting on the northwest side of the island).

The extra activities from torch lighting ceremonies to Santa's visit on the beach via outrigger canoe made this a memorable visit for our family over the holidays. Our only complaint is the cycle on which the housekeeping staff "touched up" the rooms. We ran out of soaps and shampoos and had to ask a couple of times to get additional supplies.

Other than that, we had a really enjoyable visit and the Marriott Kauai Beach Club contributed greatly to our experience.