The Royal Sonesta is a dreamy delight. All the staff from check in to check out were top notch, friendly, helpful and kind. Kauai is sleepy and tranquil, and the royal sonesta embraces the feeling of ohana all around the island. Our room was newly remodeled, with plenty of fresh towels, a keurig with local coffee and a very nice lanai. There is no nightlife on the island really, but our 19 year old son was so captivated by the beauty and serenity that he didn’t mind at all! The pool is magnificent, with 5 hot tubs and PLENTY of seating. We will definitely return to Kauai and the Royal Sonesta!
We stayed at the Royal Sonesta but the resort property is shared with Marriott Vacation Club. The pool was massive and allowed for plenty of space for all guests. There was a separate, smaller pool with slide for the littles. We could sit at the pool and overlook the beach and ocean, while enjoying poolside service. There were plenty of chairs and umbrellas for the guests. There were also chairs on the grassy area by the beach for guests, but those had more limited availability. The room was nice and spacious with an efficient balcony with an incredible view of the pool, beach, ocean, and cliffs. The resort had multiple restaurants but there was also an area across the street with multiple options and a convenience store with alcohol, some food and snacks, souvenirs, etc next door. The hotel provided complimentary shuttle service to and from the airport, which we also used when we had a helicopter tour of the island. We were on an anniversary trip but we also saw several families, so the resort is great for both couples and families.…
The resort has everything you need, we never needed to leave it! Rooms were clean and spacious. Yes there is construction going on but you barely notice it. Just be aware that housekeeping is every other day, but you can also request it. The food in the restaurant was amazing although quite expensive. The on-site shops sells fresh sandwiches daily which we found to be a cheaper alternative for lunch (we also took advantage of the nearby Domino's too!). Staff were friendly and helpful. The island of Kauai is so beautiful, green and peaceful, what a lovely relaxing week we had!
We had a wonderful stay at the Royal Sonesta Kauai for 5 nights in early April 2022. We got a partial Oceanview room and ended up on the top floor of the Ha'upu Tower, on the far side of the hotel by a public shoreline access. This was actually rather convenient since that tower has its own parking lot right behind it, vs the larger main lots that were a bit of a walk from the main building. That lot did fill up from time to time, especially since it was also used for the public access, but 4 out of 5 nights, we were able to find a spot in that lot or on the hill driving up from that lot to the road. The partial Oceanview was mostly from the lanai (the bay/ocean was to the left), while the straight on view was of the gorgeous pool and the property. The sliding glass door did an amazing job of soundproofing the room - the difference between when the door was open and closed was pretty drastic. In general, the room was very quiet and spacious. The beds were comfortable, and the bathroom was really large with a nice big counter for all of our stuff. My one complaint about it is that it had frosted glass in the sliding door, so it was impossible to make the room dark if someone was in there. Also, the sliding door was very heavy but at least had soft close. I'm not sure if we accidentally got an accessible room or if they're all set up this way, but there were a ton of handrails and towel racks (also a bench in the bathtub, which we removed, and a lower peephole on the door), which were convenient for hanging up all of our swim stuff. And swim we did - the pool was the largest I've ever seen, with plenty of seating around and in the middle of it, and (rather slow) poolside service from the Kukui's restaurant, located right by the pool. There were five hot tubs, and the beach was a very short distance away. The kid's pool is very small and very shallow, with a short waterslide. We had originally booked this hotel partly because of the waterslide but my 8 year old did it once, bumped her butt on the shallow bottom on exit, and never went back to it. It looked like a lot of fun for small children, but my daughter had more than enough fun swimming around and exploring the large main pool. Because the pool was so large and spread out, it didn't get too crowded or too loud. I also loved the beachside walk to get to Duke's and Cafe Portofino (attached to the property, but on the other end of the beach), as well as the Kauai Beach Boys rental place for SUP, kayaks, etc. Past Duke's you just crossed a bridge or a road to get to the two nearby malls with ABC store, Skinny Mike's ice cream (convenient but expensive), food trucks, and a bunch of restaurants. The beach was relaxed and not crowded, with lots of seating, beach volleyball nets, etc. We didn't actually go on the beach that much because we loved the pool, but it seemed fun. The location in Lihue was also really convenient for the airport, larger stores like Walmart, Costco, etc, a lot of local restaurants, and for getting fairly quickly to other locations on the island. Two of the activities we booked, mountain tubing w/ Kauai Backcountry Adventures, and kayak/hike to the Secret Falls with Kayak Wailua, were a short drive away. The property itself was also beautiful and sprawling. I'm not sure which part was Marriott Beach Club and which part was Royal Sonesta, but we spent one evening exploring. The area by the lobby and meeting rooms is beautiful, there were BBQ grills in another location, and the whole property just had a nice feel to it. The whole upper walkway area from the lobby around to the Ha'upu Tower overlooking the pool had lots of seating and chairs/tables and places to just relax or eat your takeout meal. We would definitely come back to the Royal Sonesta. I'm missing it already!…
This is the former Marriott and is now The Royal Sonesta. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Location can’t be beat. 5 minutes from the airport and 5 minutes from Lihue town and the mall. For those of you from big cities, you will be disappointed in the mall, however, one doesn’t come to Kauai to shop. You come to relax and the Royal Sonesta is the perfect place. They have plenty of jacuzzis and a huge pool. Beautiful grounds and a koi pond. I would highly recommend this property if you will be traveling to Lihue, HI.
We really enjoyed our stay here. Plenty of good food options onsite, very courteous service. Will stay here again. The premise was beautiful with gallery, shopping, gardens and nice ocean access They provided extra towels, toiletries within moments if asking. I should give an extra star just for that. Ask for cleaning service everyday. It is not be default
So overall disappointed. I've been to all the islands and this was the first hotel resort that literally had nothing going on...... Ever. No activities no entertainment. I cannot recommend this resort at least until they figure out the parking situation in the east tower. Between the construction (still have no idea what they are doing) thats taking up at least 20 spots and beach access good luck. I spoke to the front desk and their answer was to park in another lot that was a 10 minute walk to our room. Any good hotel will keep construction out of sight out of mind. So just beware.
Beautiful resort and the nicest staff. We spent 6 nights there last week. One issue is that the kids pool was built right below the main tower building, so no matter which room you are in, you hear loud screaming all day from the water slide. The newly remodeled rooms are nice but the walls seem paper thin. Can hear people walking on the vinyl wood flooring above and next to you. Food is delicious at Kukui’s but the drink prices are steep. We really enjoyed the huge clean pool and also relaxing on the soft grass out by the beach.
The hotel is literally 5 mins from the airport and there's an amazing little cafe a short walk away called Noka Grill which had an excellent breakfast and lunch plate. The pool and beach areas are beautiful and there's a great hike up to two different lighthouses starting right on the property. The construction did not affect us at all. The gym is terrific..large with every piece of equipment you could ever need. Our only disappointment came from the check-in staff who made it difficult to respond positively to our room change request. They weren't very friendly or accommodating and the room was a bit quirky; ie: no shelf in the shower, had to keep the soap/shampoo on the shower floor. Bed was comfortable. We would definitely stay here again, as it was a beautiful property. If you stay here, rent a car; it's needed to get most everywhere.…
I admit I was a bit concerned with booking this hotel given some spotty reviews. We traveled the last week in February and it was fantastic. We liked being central to the activities we planned (Waimea Canyon, Capt Andy's boat cruise, Luau Kalamaku, Poipu Beach/Spouting Horn and a drive up to the north shore. Upon check-in we received 2 free mai tais and a free appetizer at Kukios, the restaurant on property. Since we were celebrating our 15 year anniversary, we also received two free glasses of champagne. Our room was recently renovated and was very clean. Our pool view looked out to the ocean. The pool and beach were beautiful. The beach is great to swim in, but not to snorkel. We didn't hear any airport traffic when we stayed. We particularly liked the resort was so accommodating during our last day when we had a red eye flight back to the mainland. We checked out but we were still able to use the wifi and free shuttle to the airport. This hotel is excellent and I would stay here again for the value, proximity and for the resort amenities.…
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