Kauai Sands Hotel

This whole place felt dreary. The room was so-so and the bed uncomfortable. Bath fan did not work, and the place did not smell right. I got the feeing that the management just does not care about the place. It also seems to cater to local workers and trades persons, so if you are not a local, you may not feel comfortable socializing with some of them. It IS next to the beach, but that particular beach is treacherous. It is rocky and not good for swimming.

We stayed in one of their oceanview rooms and we could hear the waves from our room. We never needed the air conditioner once and slept with the patio door open every night. The beds were comfortable and the staff always around to clean your room. I found the front desk staff very friendly and informative. The rooms are older but definitely not expensive for the location.

Quiet, cheap, beautiful location. Hotel in need of remodeling. Clean, but no amenities. Room service did not clean room on one night. Good stay for the money,

We liked our stay at this hotel. Felt like we stepped back in time when staying at Kauai Sands. Property had an 'old Hawaii' feel. Rooms were quite large. Very clean. But in need of updating. Beds could use replacing. We didn't use the pool as we were out all day. Location right on the ocean was great value. Biggest drawback is no coffee available anywhere on the property. We missed not having morning coffee in our room. Closet place to get coffee was quite a walk.

Basically, you get what you pay for. Very standard room, your typical budget hotel. There are no vending machines, but at least there is an ice machine and the sundry shop in the lobby that you can access 24/7. There are two very small pools, but I don't see why you would need to use them (except for a quick dip to cool off) when the ocean is literally steps away. The hotel's beach is small but has a gorgeous view and is relatively quiet. The Coconut Market is just minutes away on foot from the Kauai Sands, so anyone who says there is nothing closeby is sorely wrong. Most of the shops are gift shops filled with nearly any souvenir you might want. If you're ambitious enough, take a hike down the main highway (56) and discover the local shops and chains of Kapa'a. For a full island experience I would definitely recommend renting a car, no matter where you stay. Public transportation is almost nonexistant and the shuttles won't bring you to nearly enough places that you should discover in Kaua'i. As a whole the Kauai Sands hotel is a great basic hotel for the budget traveller. Unless you plan on spending most of your time hanging out in your room or chilling by the pool, this is a great place to stay. If you're expecting luxurious amenities and tiki bars by the sand- bottom pools, then spend the extra couple hundred for a nice resort. However, we were more interested in the sights and sounds of the island itself so the Sands met our needs perfectly.

Exactly no frills and a bit shabby but otherwise perfect for the price. A 10-12 minute walk (15-20 if you walk on the beach) to two grocery stores and a lot of affordable restaurants. Right on the water but not a great beach for swimming (at least in winter), especially for small kids. If you are the kind of person who would walk out of a room at a single glance you will probably want to avoid this place. The place looks like it has not been updated since 1962 but guess what? They built things well back then and frankly the aesthetic isn't bad (the tail end of mid century modern before it went downhill). The bed wasn't comfortable but I've slept on worse. There were no odors in the room at all. There are no views to speak of from any rooms. You can stay in the St. Regis up in Princeville for one night or a whole week in Kapa'a at the Kauai Sands for the same price - they both have the costs and benefits - it's your call. For us the limitations were no kitchenette (though there was a mini fridge) and what seemed like a somewhat high percentage of smokers (though our room was truly smoke free). We are people who spend time out of doors on vacation so we were mostly looking for a bed that wasn't expensive. The Kauai Sands is exactly that and nothing else. Short cab ride to the airport (about 7-10 minutes) and cheaper than a rental car for a roof over your head (a better night's sleep too). You can take a bus that runs from Kapa'a all the way up to Hanalei if you aren't in a hurry (nor should you be on Kauai). There are a few farmers' markets not too far away. No good hiking close to Kapa'a but nothing is particularly far on Kauai unless you are trying to go from Hanalei to Waimea canyon in the same day.

This is a budget level place.....no way around that, but the bed we slept on was LIKE A ROCK....as were the pillows......man oh man! We were dead tired, so we were able to sleep, but COME ON!!!!! We are not "princess and the pea" candidates, and understad tat for $75 or less in Hawaii we will not get deluxe, but this was pretty rough. Otherwise, the ssink pipes were covered by a board (no vanity) so the bathroom looked one step above a jail cell.....We MUST SAY the place was VERY CLEAN....no complaints there...no bugs, the TV works and they are actually right on the beach in the center of town so it could not be more convenient. We were between two timeshare weeks, only needed one night to fill in, and this is the 2nd time we stayed there....the wife has vowed to spend more and hopes to get better next time we have this situation. BUT for h\the money, it is a decent, fair value.

great,friendly. I would recommand,heap for Kauai.I will go back.

The location by the beach was fantastic and the room was comfortable and quite ,within easy driving distance of any location on the island .A great value for the price.

For the price, it was good. There was only 1 working washer and dryer, but there was a 24 hour laundromat not too far away. The room was clean, the maids did a very nice job. The water pressure and temp in the shower were a little weak. It was loud. We were in a room facing the driveway and the coconut market place. All night long there was traffic and car alarms. Generally a good hotel, however, I won't stay there again. I think if they put just a little money into the general maintenance, the place would be great.