We traded our timeshare at Marriott Maui for this hotel and I will not recommend it.

On the plus side we were given a room that was ocean front, so it had a nice view. The beach in front of the hotel is rather tiny (comparing to Maui) and you can't snorkel there.

The landscape is beautiful, very impressive entrance with Koi pond but when we got to our room I was very disappointed with the size, furnishing and lack of amenities. The rooms like Maui Ocean club was renovated from regular hotel rooms, but unlike Maui it's rather small. A 1 bedroom may be OK for a couple with one young child but any higher occupancy results in a less than comfortable situation. The bed in the living area is a murphy bed, and there's not really any room for setting up a table for dining once the bed is down.

On top of it the furnishing was rather old and tired, and the sheer curtains had holes in them.

So if the expectation is a 2 regular hotel rooms (not very spacious at that), it's OK. But if the expectation is a timeshare, not so great.

On the plus side, for the first time visitor to Kauai, Lihue is a central jumping off point to either the north or the south. Just not many good entertainment or dining around Lihue. Next time I think I'll give the hotels at Poipu a try instead.

Full disclosure, we own a timeshare here but had never been prior to this visit. The short story is that we bought the timeshare second hand. We really enjoyed the location and the resort. The room was maybe not up to the size and standard that we normally expect, but the overall resort more than made up for that. We will definitely come back, vs just using this resort for trading. We loved Kauai! We really liked the overall resort, the beach is great for ocean activities including surfing, SUP and Body Surfing. A variety of restaurants within walking distance including Dukes. Excellent golf course right behind the resort also great for walking with excellent views. Good Fitness Club, beautiful wife enjoyed Yoga on the Beach. Lots of activities! Staff were friendly and helpful. You really should go here!

My friend and I got a really great price on our room so I hate to complain; however, for those of you who won't get such a good deal...

I have read other reviews saying the hotel is dilapidated but I wouldn't go that far. It is an older hotel though. The grounds are beautiful, the pool is fantastic and the beach is amazing.

The poolside service - horrible. We even asked someone to check in on us and they still didn't. They would only check in on certain people - my friend and I tried to figure out their strategy but after a week, we couldn't manage to come up with a good reason why they only waited on certain people.

The food is overpriced like any hotel. We bought sandwich stuff, snacks and sodas when we got onto the island. I am glad we did because our sandwiches were much better than what they were serving.

The guys in the front of the hotel (do you still call them bell hops?) were fantastic and very helpful. The people at the front desk? Not so much.

I had a massage and facial here. I definitely would recommend the beach side massage. I don't normally fall asleep during a massage but between the sounds of the ocean and the massage, I was lulled to sleep.

Room was a little dated, but comfortable and clean. Perfect oceanfront view. Within walking distance to some shops. Walk right next door to the Kalapaki Beach hut for fabulous, inexpensive breakfast with a killer view. Great pool and beautiful grounds. Can sit at the pool, beach and they have chairs on the grass in between. Staff is very friendly.