I knew before I went to the Hyatt that I would be one of the youngest (paying) guests at the hotel. My travel partner and myself are both in our early 20's, but I honestly did not feel out of place.

Check-in was easy and WONDERFUL. We were greeted by a friend staff member who asked us if we were celebrating anything special to which we said "Vacation" - and he thought that deserved a complimentary bottle of champagne! He took the time late at night to answer various questions we had and really seemed to enjoy his job and actually want to help us.

The hotel grounds are amazing. The pool is never-ending, the koi pond is full of fish, and the lagoon is beautiful. I did not particularly care for swimming in the lagoon as the "sand" is made up of tiny gravel and just was not comfortable, but it is a beautiful addition to the property and loved just being around it. Lounge chairs around the pool and lagoon area were not particularly easy to come by but were not unable to be found even at the busiest part of the day.

The beach is pretty much un-swimmable, but on our last day there were about 10 people surfing and body surfing there. For swimming, Poipu beach is a quick 3-5 minute drive down the street (but is not within walking distance). Do the drive to Waimea Canyon, but don't stop just at the canyon continue to the top for an AMAZING view (which is the background image for Hawaiian Air's website at the current moment).

My only caveat would be to younger couples. At the pool the waiters would ask guests sitting all around us if they wanted drinks or food, but never us. At the luau (which is not worth $$, but no luaus are worth it no matter where you go in my opinion) we experienced the same thing where a waiter avoided us although we had been seated (drink-less) for 15 minutes and went to a family behind us that just sat down. I did bring this matter up when I checked out and $100 was taken off my bill. I expected an apology (which was all I needed really), and the gentleman said that he could see some younger employees being intimidated by younger guests. He really seemed to care that we were not taken care of, and I appreciated his concern. When you stay at a large resort sometimes you feel "lost in the crowd," but this experience made me have so much respect for the hotel.

In general the service was OUTSTANDING. I would definitely return to the Hyatt on a second trip to Kauai, though I would recommend doing as we did: stay a couple of nights in the southern part of the island and a couple of nights in the northern part. They are like two different worlds completely and both worth experiencing.

Our stay was for three nights in late July, two rooms for my husband and me as well as our three young adult daughters. We were celebrating our 25th anniversary, but had used points for our visit, so I checked availability before I left home. The Hyatt website showed no availability for our stay, and I didn't expect, nor did we receive an upgrade. No worries there. Just an FYI for anyone who may be expecting an upgrade.

Our rooms were garden rooms on the ground floor facing the parking lot, but you didn't see the parking lot at all. You looked out on tropical foliage, lawn, and then there was a slight rise that was landscaped. They were perfectly acceptable.

Starting off with the positives - the property is gorgeous. We loved the Seaview Terrace, loved the evening entertainment, and even grabbed a light breakfast there in the morning. It was just a beautiful part of the property.

The pools were very nice but pretty crowded. With the hotel at full capacity, that was to be expected. My girls didn't complain, and I'm not much of a pool person, so it didn't have a negative impact on our stay. We were aware that Shipwreck Beach wasn't a swimming beach, but we had already spent a lot of time on the northshore so we weren't bothered by this. I loved the gardens throughout the property. They were lush and felt really tropical.

We ate at Tidepools one night. I had the prime rib (delicious, huge cut!) and my husband had a delicious fish dish. The food and the service were outstanding. I don't remember what the total was but I think that the entree's were in the mid 30's. When food is well prepared and the ambience is wonderful, it is worth it to us. We also ate breakfast on site one morning. That was a wonderful breakfast. We ordered off of the menu and the entrees seemed to be in the $12-$17 range. The servings were large. I could have split one with one of my daughter's. The service that we received was impeccable.

Unfortunately we didn't always find the service to match the surroundings. I would say that the bellservice was consistently slow. We also had a major lapse in basic housekeeping procedures, but once housekeeping was made aware of the issue they handled it well, including leaving a handwritten letter of apology in our room. The service was very uneven, but perhaps the number of guests had something to do with the level of service. We have had far superior service at both the Prince and the Sheraton on Maui.

We have stayed at the Hyatt in Kauai in 2006 and 2007 and loved it!! I thought I would still write a review, because we just got back from Maui and I definitely prefer Kauai. The Hyatt is absolutely gorgeous, from the moment you walk into the lobby, greeted with fresh flower leis, it is simply breathtaking. Our favority spot is the Sea View Terrace, an incredible panoramic view of the resort and ocean. Great food and great entertainment. They have a Keiki Hula and Torch lighting ceremony, going on every night, that is free. The pool is incredible and runs throughout much of the resort, with a lagoon to rent kayak to float along. The luau is the best I have ever seen with a awesome fire dancer! The beach is beautiful but I don't think is a good swimming beach, which would be my only negative comment. The rooms are very nice, and clean. From what we have just experienced in Maui, people of Kauai are much kinder. You do not have the big crowds, and you really feel like you are on an island in Kauai, I can not say how incredible it is! Some great activites to do on island, for horse back riding , go to north shore at Silver Falls Ranch. Suki was our guide and was great, we saw scenes of Jurassic Park and swam in a waterfall and ate lunch on our ride. Great!!! Also, do not skip the boat ride along Napali Coast, this must be the most beautiful spot on earth! We saw alot of dolphins that came close to the boat and hung out with us when we stopped and sped up when we did. The helicopter tour is also incredible! You go to the crater (wettest spot on earth) and waterfalls, above the Napali Coast and ocean. Words cannot describe this adventure!
Like I said, if you are trying to decide between Maui and Kaui, we loved Kauai! More laid back and more beautiful. Maui is fun, with alot of shopping, busier island.

Breath taking. As soon as my wife and I stepped into the lobby our hearts left our bodies. Our reservations were upgraded by the hotel and we were guests for almost two weeks.

We had an ocean view and the sun rise every day was beautiful.

The service was five star and all staff members from the desk to the room service were all top notch. At the pool, one of the waitresses was from Thailand and I had a great time conversing with her in Thai. Morning breakfast overlooking the lagoon was just a wonder.

We had one problem which was taken care of immediately. Our key cards would not work one day. Upon our reorting this, within minutes a member of the security staff arrived and corrected the problem.