When we first arrived at the Kauai Sands we were very impressed with the helpful and friendly staff at the front counter. The lady who checked us in was not able to find our booking but them on a further search realised a typo had meant our booking had the wrong name. She then checked us in for 1 room (as we booked 2) which given we were 4 hours prior to check in time was great.
Once in our room we discovered that the Kauai Sands is a little old & tired and in need of a facelift. The hallways and rooms are well dated and the decor is very 1970-1980. The rooms though were a good size with a nice outlook and satisfactory bathrooms. The rooms were clean and well presented and housekeeping did a good job of maintaining the clean standard during our stay.
After settling in we returned to the check in counter where the lovely lady who checked us in then explained everything to us we needed to know in the area such as local shopping and how to get there including giving us a bus timetable and explaining where to catch it. This made life a lot easier for us during our stay.
The grounds of the hotel are well maintained and very tidy but the main pool could use with a facelift and some maintwenance work, the water though was clean and refreshing.
The location of the Kauai Sands is excellent with a 2 minute walk to the Coconut Marketplace which ahs many different places to eat as well as shops for those essentials. Walk about 15 minutes and you are at the main shopping area of Kapa'a with major supermarkets and a large variety of shops as well. This made for easy stocking up of supplies whilst we stayed and meant we always had somewhere close to eat. You can get the bus to Kapa'a for only $2 each way but given they are every hour you needed to time it right, it was a pleasant enough distance to walk though.
I would recommend staying at the Kauai Sands for clean, basic accommodation with very helpful staff.

The furniture, the bed spread, the carpet, all were dated, like the 1970's. However, everything in my room functioned like it should. There was TV, a balcony to sit around and air-dry your wet water gear, a small refridgerator, and a telephone. There was, however, no alarm clock, coffee maker, or air dryer in my room. There is no free Wi-Fi. The pool is there but not many people use it. The small beach is fine for sunbathing.
It is a good enough hotel to use as a home base for your adventures on the island for sure.

This place is wonderful. It is reasonably priced, clean and the staff is friendly and very helpful. It is not the most updated place but NO complaints! It is on the beach, quite and close to everything! We will be back to Kauai and plan on staying here again. Mahalo Kauai Sands Hotel!

Kauai Sands is nothing fancy but it is located close to restaurants, grocery stores, and easy to get to. Last time I stayed at the Kauai Sands 18 days. This time I stayed a week. I stayed from 20 December 2011-27 December 2011. If you need a place to stay and are on a budget this is the place to stay. How much time do you actually spend in your room? In my case very little. The money saved can be used to purchase souvenieers, go to luau's and many different excursions. The location of Kauai Sands is what makes it so good. Kauai Sands is not too far from Princeville and only a ten minute drive from the airport. Easy access to the main road. Hotel staff was excellent when I was there both times. I would suggest staying a the Kauai Sands if you want to have the conviences of grocery stores and restaurants. The place is a little old but the location out weighs any complaints others may have.