Koa Kea Hotel and Resort

For our first trip to Kauai, we picked Koa Kea for its reputation for quality service and boutique chic on the South shore resort belt. The reviews are right: this tidy hotel is hard to beat. It never felt crowded or hurried, and the staff was engaging and helpful. Rooms were quiet and even the roosters next door at the Marriott were respectful in the AM.

Beautiful rooms, nicely appointed. Staff very helpful ,and accomodating. Red Salt restaurant for breakfast is delicious and a hidden gem in Poipu for excellent dinners. Location location location, perfectlly situated on Poipu beach , beautiful pool area that's quiet.

Recently returned from my trip (first week of October '10) and his resort was great as expected. I was very happy that it was somewhat small and quiet. I was worried about being stuck in a large overcrowded resort that was packed full of kids and didn't have a problem here. We stayed in the Garden view king room and thought that was plenty. Very comfortable bed, nice TV, large and well decorated. The maid service was great as were the valet. It was a little weird having the valet park the car a few feet away, but didn't really bother me once I was there. The coffee thing in the room was a little weird, but since they had really good coffee in the lobby I was happy. We also stopped at the local grocery store about 5 minutes away and loaded up on snacks and beer. It was nice to be able to stock the small fridge up (saved a bit of money on beer) and not worry about mini bar stuff. Little hint there is a Wal-mart by the airport, Costco by the mall and two grocery stores within 10 minutes by car. We ate at the resort restaurant (red-salt) once for lunch and once for dinner. Food was good maybe even great. It was expensive but not a lot more than going out to eat. We skipped the buffet for breakfast and ordered off the menu. I think the total bill for breakfast was around $25. The staff at the red-salt was a bit rude (might be better stated as weird – either way something about the red-salt staff just wasn't quite great). The pool was just enough as was the hot tub. We didn't spend much time there but when we did we didn't have any problem. It was fairly quiet the entire time and wasn't really crowded (which was great as I am not a big fan of crowds). We did grab lunch and a few drinks from the pool bar twice. Everything was great there. The beach right in front of the resort was great for snorkeling. In the early morning it was a bit rough for swimming (rocky), but got much better in the afternoon. We rented the snorkeling equipment and ended up keeping it all week. Well worth the $25. We spent almost the entire time on the beaches. We did find a few better beaches for swimming, but kept coming back to this beach (the convenience factor had some influence on that). The island in generally was very nice and easy to get around. Driving was fairly normal (think small town), but the roads got harder to negotiate at night. I would recommend arriving to you hotel during the day, just to get your barring (after that should be fine). This resort shares a drive with a couple of condo's so watch for the turn closely (it might be easier to look up the name of the condo next to it and look for that sign). There was not much in the way of great shopping on the island, mostly touristy shops (none of which I would say where bad, just not our thing). The two strip mall type shopping areas near the resort where actually two of the better ones we found on the island. I haven't been to the other island yet so cannot really compare, but overall we really enjoyed the great beaches (none of which seemed crowded – fairly quiet for the most part). That's what we wanted most and that's what we got. [...]All together a great trip and very happy with the resort. I would say if you're butler service rich (we are not), there might be better options at the higher price ranges. I bumped my review up from a 4 to a 5 just because of how nice the staff was. That might be a bit generous, but several weeks after the trip I am still really happy about it.

Hotel staff very friendly and professional, rooms very nice and comfortable and clean. Did not like the valet parking since everytime an access to the car involved getting the staff involved too. Food availability was low and pricey and had to go next door to the Marriott for some great choices. The outside bar hours were too short and again low snack/food choices. For a Boutique Hotel it was very nice and quiet, great beach access.

Great service and extremely friendly staff. They remembered our names/faces and greeted us with smiles every day. We were able to book our Na Pali raft ride through the hotel and it was one of our most memorable moments of our honeymoon. Dinner at Red Salt was absolutely delicious! We definitely would recommend this place to our friends and family !!!

You will not find a more friendly and helpful staff. Everyone from the front desk to the valets to the rental booth by the pool could not have been more accommodating in making sure our trip was special. And the extra bonus of walking right onto the beach from the resort only added to our pleasant getaway at Koa Kea. My wife and I were treated like royalty for our special week away from L.A.

We were so disappointed I spent the first night looking for a new hotel. You may wonder how this could be possible given all the great reviews. I too was dumb founded. We were staying for our honeymoon so when we arrived we were hoping for a room upgrade. That never happened. Thanks Koa Kea. But when we got to our room there was a bag of nuts waiting for us (yay), but no shampoo in the shower. The airline treated us better. Our room looked out on the public beach access and was one room away from the hotel dumpsters. Just what I was hoping for on my honeymoon, trash and spectators. Once we left the room I had hoped things would improve. We sat down in the wicker chairs on the lawn, and wondered where the cushions went? They were very uncomfortable and would explain why people need a massage while staying here. The side tables on the lawn where dirty, so flies land on you as you try to relax. The pool was full of kids screaming and running, no parents around, no hotel staff to stop this. This was day one, so I can't imagine what other nightmares Koa Kea has in store. But rather than wait I'm moving to the Grand Hyatt. I suggest you do the same.

Clean and elegant property, friendly staff. Made our stay pleasant and relaxed. However, they haven't updated some of their price lists, so there was some confusion on room service charges and not great clarification on the bill. Also, though they advertise outdoor massages, they actually aren't set up for outdoor services yet. We wish we were told that when we booked the massage instead of when we arrived for the appointment. Regardless, the massage was wonderful. I would definitely come again and recommend this place to couples.

We have stayed at the Grand Hyatt several times and a condo with our toddler last time, but this time we came without kids and decided to try a new place. Location: The Koa Kea is a great location and RIGHT on the beach. It is also right by the little Poipu Mall where Roy's is located and many little shops. There is a great surf break right there for either surfing or boogie boarding. There is also a small inner break for beginner surfers/kids. Staff: All the staff was exceptionally friendly, no matter who you talked to. They aim to please and go out of their way for you. Food: We ate breakfast and lunch at the restaurant at least once (never had dinner only b/c we had other plans and weren't there long enough to fit it all in). Food was definitely good (probably a little overpriced, but it's Hawaii). Cool looking bar both poolside and in the lobby. Rooms: a bit small and the low ceiling on the first floor made it feel even smaller. The modern style is nice and the big (46 inch?) flat screen actually has HD channels. There is a weird frosted window between the shower and the bedroom which lets in light whenever someone is in the bathroom (no getting up early while the other sleeps). The shower is big and has two shower heads and a bench, but there is no bathtub if you prefer one in the basic room. Spa: There is an actual spa area on the second floor of the main builing with nice spa rooms (not just using empty guest rooms). We had a couples massage. I thought my masseuse was a bit amateur, but my wife who gets them more frequently than me thought hers was great. We prefer the spa at the Hyatt though. Activities: There is a little activities desk with surfboards, boogie boards, and snorkel gear for rent. Overall, I think this is a nice little boutique hotel. I did see a couple small kids here, but most of the guests did not have kids. I would not stay here with my kids as the rooms are small and there aren't really kid friendly activities/pool.

We absolutely loved our 6 day trip from Oahu to Kauai. The Island was gorgeous! Koa Kea Hotel was amazing! The valet service was great, and the rest of the staff did anything and everything to keep us happy. The twice-a-day cleaning service was very good and the showers are insane! Also, for those of you looking for peace and quie, this is the hotel for you! We saw/heard hardly any children, whic we very much liked! We would stay here time and time again.