Our stay at the Sheraton Kauai was the last part of a three-island wedding/honeymoon trip. We also stayed at the New Otani in Oahu and the Hapuna Prince on the BI. Let me start off by saying that the three hotels were very different from each other, but we very, very much loved all three of them. Because it was our honeymoon, the rooms we stayed in at the Hapuna and the Sheraton were nicer than those we otherwise would have selected.

We spent five nights at the Sheraton in mid-December. Honestly, the lousiest part of our stay was the weather--a winter storm was with us during the entire stay, and we arrived a few hours after a tornado warning on Kauai--but the Sheraton (obviously) couldn't do much about that.

Our hotel was in the ocean wing, unit 1134. We had a nice view of the ocean and had a very, very quiet room. The hotel was not very full, so it appears that they were booking people in alternate rooms. The whole time we were there, there were never guests in the rooms on either side of us.

Our only (minor) complaint of the room was that the entrance looked out directly onto the road instead of a hallway. Our first night there, Coolio gave a performance in the bar, and guests were screaming as they walked to the parking lot near our room. The sound went clear into our room. If I were going back, I would request to have a room off of a hallway or a quieter area instead of being directly off of the road. It was quiet after that night, however. The room itself was fine.

The beach was beautiful, and we loved the monk seals hanging out there! I participated in a lei-making class and was temptped to sign up for morning yoga as well (but forgot!). The ocean was typically either too rough or too murky for swimming due to the heavy storms, but we got in a few times. I can only imagine how beautiful it would be during better weather!

We enjoyed the pool and waterslide. The sign on the jacuzzi states that guests must be 16 to use it, but the Sheraton doesn't enforce this. This is unfortunate, because the jacuzzi is small and was often overrun by a group of loud teenagers. We had no problem sharing the jacuzzi with children accompanied by their parents--and in fact enjoyed chatting with many of them--but we didn't feel that the jacuzzi should be overrun by a group of teenagers.

We skipped the concierge's spiel but turned to the concierge when we needed maps and advice on places to go. Due to the weather, we actually had a great time just driving around the island and sightseeing without any set plan. (We ended up not participating in a single activity or tour on Kauai.) The Sheraton offered a tree-lighting ceremony with carols sung by local kids that was very enjoyable, and we also enjoyed the various artists who would display their wares in the center courtyard daily. We ended up buying a ukelele for a relative from the uke seller.

We ate quite a few meals at the Sheraton, including one breakfast at Shells, one dinner at the Point, and one order of room service. The buffet breakfast at Shells is a great deal, and I highly recommend the banana pancakes with coconut syrup and chocolate sauce. Yum! Their guava juice is also fantastic. The four farms salad at the Point (also off the room service menu) is awesome. Stay away from their pizzas; they're pretty lousy. We had a pineapple that we'd purchased at the farmer's market, and the staff at Shells cut it and put it in a plastic to-go container for us for free. It was much appreciated.

Nearby, we ate two meals at Casablanca (just past the Po'ipu Shopping Center), and we adored it. We highly, highly recommend this restaurant. The food is cheaper than the resort and is delicious--plus, the atmosphere there is amazing. Puka Dogs has fantastic hot dogs, and Keoki's Paradise is fun. We shopped more than we care to admit at Whaler's General Store for gifts.

We also loved Koloa. Pizzetta is hit-or-miss, but they made a good pasta for me. The condensed milk on the shave ice at Koloa Shave Ice made us both nauseous. We found that all of the shopkeepers there are incredibly nice, and we enjoyed chatting with them.

We drove to Waimea Canyon and to Hanalei while we were there. We had fun at both places. Our one suggestion is to bring a picnic to Ke'e Beach if you intend to drive there from Hanalei. The guidebooks aren't kidding--there's nothing along the way! We met a couple who highly recommends Papaya in Hanalei. We ate at Tropical Tacos and found it to be both mediocre and overpriced.

We stopped by the Grand Hyatt one day to check it out. It was beautiful--the pool is incredible!--but we were happy to be at the Sheraton. It's a much more low-key hotel, and the ocean is much, much more accessible than at the Grand Hyatt. The beach didn't appear to be a swimming beach--we met quite a few people who said that Hyatt guests frequently drive to the Sheraton to swim in the ocean. That being said, we've also heard through the grapevine that it's easy for Sheraton guests to hop into the Hyatt's pools.

To sum up--it was a great hotel, and we'd definitely go back!