Your Tropical Getaway Awaits at Grand Hyatt Kauai
The oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands, Kauai is most famous for its iconic Nāpali Coast (those towering emerald-hued sea cliffs on the North Shore), but tropical rainforests, waterfalls, beaches and epic whale watching during wintertime lure travelers looking to get off the beaten path across the Garden Isle too. Considered the go-to Kauai resort for South Shore vacations, Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa is home to dreamy pools, gorgeous gardens and luxe rooms with private lanais in postcard-perfect Poipu. Here are eight reasons we’re still dreaming about this beachfront paradise.
1 | Location, Location, Location
Located just under 30 minutes from Lihue Airport means you can easily be poolside—mai tai in hand—at Grand Hyatt Kauai within an hour of touching down on Kauai. Steps from Shipwreck Beach, shops and restaurants in Poipu and Old Koloa Town, plus the Mahaulepu Heritage Trail, are close by too. The resort is also ideally situated for exploring the island, and Waimea Canyon and Koke’e State Park are within easy striking distance. If you plan to hit some hiking trails in the parks, the popular 3.1 mile Awa’awapuhi Trail offers amazing vistas of the Napali Coast.
2 | Everyone Can Embrace The Local Spirit
A fixture on Keoneloa Bay for 30 years, the resort attracts a broad range of guests, from couples and multigenerational family groups to business travelers—each welcomed with a flower lei. After being greeted by the black swans at the entry, kids love meeting the resort’s resident birds in the lobby atrium. The green-winged macaw, Duke, the scarlet macaw, Rico, their friends Niele, Tahoe and Elmo each strut their stuff for “Parrot Time.” Daily koi fish feeding takes place by Tidepools restaurant. But everyone loves learning about Hawaii’s land and people through ancestral music and dance at one of the weekly Grand Hyatt Kauai Luau feasts and shows ($175 on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 5:30 p.m.).
3 | Soothing the Senses at Anara Spa
Blissful body treatments, such as the lilikoi body polish with island-grown passion fruit and Hawaiian sugar and traditional lomilomi massages, are performed under lovely thatched roof bungalows or the hale at Grand Hyatt Kauai’s gorgeous Anara Spa. In addition to a 24-hour fitness center there are daily open-air yoga and fitness classes, a serene garden, lava rock showers and walkways lit with flaming tiki torches to add to the idyllic hideaway retreat feel. And should you fall in love with Anara’s signature Coco Mango scent, then shop bath and skincare goodies from its namesake product line to take home.
4 | Teeing off at Poipu Bay Golf Course
To tee off and play a round at the award-winning Poipu Bay Golf Course—one of the most acclaimed resort courses in the Pacific that hosted the PGA Grand Slam of Golf from 1994 to 2006–is a quintessential Hawaiian experience. Grand Hyatt Kauai guests only need to walk across the street to reach this course! Dotted with ancient Hawaiian heiau (places of worship), its bunkers, water hazards and varying tradewinds make the 18-hole oceanside links-style course as challenging as it is visually stunning. But with pro-run clinics, private lessons and youth programs, players of all levels can tune up their game here too.
5 | Endless Epicurean Delights
Eating out at Grand Hyatt Kauai spans poolside casual to fine dining thanks to seven separate restaurants and bars. For Keoneloa Bay views, there’s nowhere better to grab coffee and pastries in the morning than the scenic Seaview Terrace. Tidepools’ koi pond and waterfall setting with fresh-caught seafood make it a must-do romantic dinner spot, but for cocktails and stellar sushi, post up at the koa wood bar in Stevenson’s Library. Foodies should meet head gardener Ashly for a hydroponic garden tour (Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30 a.m.), where she grows lettuces, microgreens and herbs for the resort restaurants.
6 | Floating the Lava-Rock Lined Lazy River
Nothing says vacation like soaking up the sunshine poolside, and the resort delivers with multi-level pools and places to chill—from cabanas at the adult-only pool (order cocktails from surf shack Hale Nalu) to the VIP Na Ali’i Cabana on the sandy shoreline of its saltwater lagoon. Perhaps floating past waterfalls and secret caves on the lava rock-lined lazy river or bombing the 150-foot waterslide, which drops into a large activity pool flanked by hot tubs appeals more. For ocean breezes, Keoneloa Bay and white-sand Shipwreck Beach are mere steps away.
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7 | Taking Classes at the Hawaiian Cultural Center
For insights into the Hawaiian Islands’ history, customs and traditions, the resort’s Ke Kumu o Hihinui cultural center offers weekly classes in hula and ukulele, plus flower lei and kukui nut bracelet-making workshops for guests of all ages. But another way to form a deeper connection to local culture is by stopping to talk story with Moani Tolentino, the resort’s Manager of Hawaiian Culture, who launched the “Hawaiian Word of the Day” initiative (lobby signage teaches guests handy island phrases).
8 | Learning to Scuba Dive
Sunny Poipu is home to several dive sites including Koloa Landing and Sheraton Caves populated by colorful reef fish, moray eels and Hawaiian green sea turtles. However, if you’re looking to test the waters before setting a flipper in the open ocean, take a scuba demo class in the resort’s saltwater lagoon. The introductory experience includes a brief orientation covering equipment features and safety procedures before you’ll get to don scuba gear and air tanks for a confined water dive in a controlled and safe environment.
With endless experiences for travelers of all types, Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa offers a remarkable beachfront paradise to revel in. Warning: you may never want to leave.
Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa
1571 Poipu Rd
Koloa, HI 96756
808.742.1234
Keri Bridgwater is a freelance writer covering travel and lifestyle. Her work has been featured in Fodor’s Travel, Marie Claire, Matador Network and InsideHook, among other outlets and publications.
