Sunfinder Vacations

The Grand Hyatt Kauai is a self-contained resort arrayed on 50 naturally contoured, lavishly landscaped acres overlooking the blue Pacific. Located at an isolated end of South Kauai, the hotel is popular with celebrating couples and families.

This relaxed retreat within the posh Princeville community encompasses 16 low-rise stucco buildings on 22 lush acres above Hanalei Bay. An open-air lobby, restaurants, and lounge overlook Bali Hai mountain. Leisure travelers, families, and celebrating couples looking for value, seclusion, and old-style Hawaii accommodations frequent this hotel.

Imbued with history from both ancient Hawaii and the 19th century, the Kiahuna Plantation preserves an aura of gracious living amid the Garden Island's natural lushness.

Three miles from Lihue Airport via complimentary shuttle, the 25-acre Hilton Kauai Beach Resort is set on a secluded beach within easy access of North and South Kauai. Lushly landscaped grounds include koi ponds, lagoons, waterfalls, and tropical gardens.

Guests of the family-friendly ResortQuest Aloha Beach Hotel enter a spacious lobby with rattan furnishings; this Hawaii resort is set on 10 lush acres between Lydgate Beach Park on Wailua Bay and the Wailua River. Families and leisure travelers take advantage of the resort’s recreational offerings and the wide expanse of beach, protected swimming coves, and playground at Lydgate Beach Park.

Budget-minded travelers intent on touring Kauai find this resort makes a comfortable vacation home. Lying in a narrow strip between Kauai's main highway (two lanes) and a 15-mph side street, the resort is screened from most traffic noise by gardens on the highway side.

Imbued with history from both ancient Hawaii and the 19th century, Castle Kiahuna Plantation & Beach Bungalows preserves an aura of gracious living amid the Garden Island's natural lushness. Space exists for families and couples to vacation in restful silence and as much live-at-home solitude as desired.

Relaxation is the focus here. The oceanside setting, the pool, the views, and tropical gardens shading the rear of the buildings all contribute to the peaceful ambience.

Complimentary shuttle service delivers a steady stream of international guests from nearby Lihue Airport through a tree-shaded avenue leading to the resort's upper entrance. New arrivals descend two stories by steep escalator to a grand esplanade and enormous tropical garden containing waterfalls and koi ponds. An airy lobby is ringed by pink-marble columns.

Situated in a tranquil beachfront location with sweeping ocean views, the Kauai Sands Hotel appeals to budget vacationers who are content with no-frills lodging and those seeking a great base for exploring the Garden Island of Kauai. Providing additional convenience is the adjacent Coconut Marketplace with shops, restaurants, and cinemas.

Tranquil, beautifully landscaped with tropical plantings, and providing superb ocean views, this small resort caters to guests seeking peace, quiet, and all the comforts of home-away-from-home living.

Near the pool, a double hammock is shaded by trees. Neatly trimmed lawns, tall coconut trees, natural ocean plants, and sweeping water views abound.

An open-air lobby with whirring ceiling fans and a veranda looks toward a spacious lawn and pool complex. Pineapple-shaped slats on balconies enhance the rustic look. Lush gardens between buildings and the expansive oceanfront lawn create an only-in-Hawaii scene.

Peace and quiet prevails at this spacious former plantation that avoids artificial, postcard-perfect grooming. Extra-tall coconut trees could be a century old. Pretty gardens surround the pastel-colored, wood cottages. A hen might usher her brood across the grand lawn and palm grove. The long, undeveloped beach was made for walking beside the blue Pacific. And snoozing on a cottage porch or in a lounge chair is inevitable.