The title of my epinion is a quote from our waiter our very first evening at this beautiful resort. The Hyatt Regency Kauai is paradise. I've never stayed anywhere else that even comes close to being as nice.  
 
Service  
 
Ordinarily, I'd start off a hotel/resort review with a description the rooms but what makes the Hyatt Regency Kauai unique is the service. You never are made to feel as if you are an imposition or that all you are valued for is the money in your pockets.  
 
As soon as you drive up to the front entrance, you are greeted by a bellhop who takes your luggage and opens the beautiful double doors for you to enter the lobby. The rest of the lobby is completely open air so I'm not sure if the doors are for show or not. You are given a lei and escorted to the check in desk.  
 
Both times I've stayed here, my basic standard parking lot view room has been upgraded. We don't spend a lot of time in our room so I don't like to pay for a view. I'll walk outside to see the ocean! For our first stay, we received a garden view room with a gorgeous view of blooming plumeria trees, multi-colored crotons, birds of paradise and the opportunity to see some weddings take place. The second time, we received a partial ocean view room.  
 
Our second stay was a last minute decision as we were traveling with my in-laws. They had made reservations at the Aston Poipu Kai where our condo was absolutely unacceptable. It was filthy, hot and there was a bedspring literally sticking out of the mattress. I called the Hyatt upon our check-in at the Aston. They were sold out for that night but found us rooms for the rest of our stay, and at a discounted rate too!  
 
During one stay, we had some problems with our rental car and even though the automobile company's desk had closed for the evening, the concierge went out of her way to make sure that the rental car company drove out immediately with a replacement car for us.  
 
Another time, we had scheduled a Na Pali Coast boat tour and we were canceled on three days in a row for various problems (with more than one company!). The concierge found us two spots on another company's boat for the last day of our honeymoon. Unfortunately, that too was canceled (by weather) but the fact that someone tried very hard to make our vacation special meant a lot to us.  
 
Rooms  
 
For both visits, I had a room in the Poipu wing of the hotel. There are two wings (Poipu and Shipwreck) and each can be a long walk to the lobby area.  
 
The rooms are very large and each of them has a lamp in the shape of a rooster. Since there are so many roosters running around in the wild on Kauai, it seemed appropriate.  
 
Besides the rooster lamp, you'll find a complimentary in-room safe, coffee maker, ceiling fan, large private balcony, hair dryer, marble tubs and sinks and some really nice bath amenities. The shampoo and conditioner is manufactured by Emlin and is one of the few I've tried that really get your hair squeaky clean after being out in salt water all day without damaging your hair. We also received a small sample of the Anara Spa's Coco Mango lotion. It has the most luxurious scent and is quite addictive. You can order additional lotion directly from the resort spa.  
 
If you wish to pay extra or have enough Gold Passport points, you may wish to reserve a Regency Club room which includes complimentary refreshments throughout the day. Even if you don't wish to upgrade, be sure to join the Hyatt Gold Passport program (it's free!) or give them your membership number. You'll receive a daily newsletter with all of the resort activities, news clips and some very good recipes to try when you return home. Be sure to check the number of servings in these recipes so as not to make the mistake I did when baking up some pineapple-coconut muffins. I ended up with 4 dozen of them!  
 
Pools and Landscaping  
 
Everything is open air at the resort except for the hallways to the guest rooms. The landscaping was absolutely breathtaking with flowers everywhere. The plumeria were a special favorite and you can smell the flowers in the air everywhere. The smell is my absolute favorite thing about the Hyatt. It's intoxicating.  
 
One of the neatest things about the Hyatt is the use of water. They have a giant koi pond with what must be at least a hundred fish. Below that is a bi-level free form freshwater "action pool" which includes a water slide, caves and waterfalls. Right below those is a salt water lagoon on a gypsum beach since the regular sand was clogging their filters. In the middle of the lagoon is an island with a hammock - if you don't want to swim, there are plenty of hammocks around the lagoon. We really enjoyed those! If you continue walking, below the saltwater lagoon, you'll find Shipwreck Beach and the Pacific Ocean.  
 
The beach is often marked with red flags indicating high surf. That means don't go in the water! Many people drown in Hawaii every year when they disregard the warning flags. Also at the beach is a large cliff where we often saw young men jumping into the waves. It looked scary to me!  
 
A word of caution if you visit: after it rains, the steps and walkways around the pools are extremely slippery. We didn't have any problems but there probably have been some in the past.  
 
Another really neat thing about Hawaii in general is that they don't have thunderstorms or lightning unless there's a hurricane or something terribly out of the ordinary. There is absolutely no need to get out of the water when it rains. The Hyatt is located in the Poipu Beach region of Kauai, which is on the "sunny" side of the island. It really only rained a little bit on the last day and a half of our first stay (which was in the month of June - our second time was an October visit).  
 
If you have any interest in scuba, they have complimentary beginner lessons!  
 
Towels are available by the pool as are wristbands to allow you to ride the water slide.  
 
Resort Activities  
 
One evening, we attended a video screening in Stevenson's Library (a bar) at the Hyatt. This video showed the destruction and power of Hurricane Iniki, which struck the island in September of 1992. This was a terribly sobering video and it really caused us to open our eyes when we were driving around the island. If you look carefully, you can still see some of the effects of this terrible storm. Kauai still hasn't recovered in terms of tourism so the island has a deserted feel to it in many places. The island only has a full-time population of about 50,000.  
 
The video also recounted how the Hyatt was the only hotel on Kauai to retain all of their employees on the payroll throughout the rebuilding process after Iniki. The hotel was closed for six months! We know it was a "propaganda feel good" video but it really made us respect the employees and the management at the Hyatt.  
 
Aside from the videotape, you can play golf, tennis, or billiards, go horseback riding or take advantage of the many Hawaiiana classes they offer ranging from hula dancing to lei making. Every morning, there is a walking tour of the award winning Poipu Bay golf course. There is a special camp for children as well as the Anara Spa for the ultimate in relaxation.  
 
Shopping  
 
This isn't pushed at all at resort guests. There are two sundries shops that I came across as well as a couple of resort clothing stores, a sandal shop and a fine art gallery. The emphasis at the Hyatt Regency Kauai is that you have the opportunity to shop if there is something you need or would like but they aren't going to highly advertise these stores to you.  
 
I spent a long time one evening in the art gallery talking with one of the sales clerks. They were exhibiting a number of lucite sculptures by the late Frederic Hart and I used to work at the Washington National Cathedral where his most famous sculpture is on display. I learned a lot that evening and also discovered the works of another artist I really enjoy (Fanch Ledon).  
 
Dining  
 
You have many choices at this resort so there's no need to go elsewhere unless you really want to.  
 
One night for dinner, we tried Tidepools where we spent $100 on a main course, appetizer and drinks. You're paying for the relaxed atmosphere. The restaurant is set up in grass thatched huts right on the koi pond. The food was excellent food too! We started with a shared appetizer of tropical fruits. One thing we found throughout the islands is that a lot of papaya was served and not as much pineapple as we expected. My husband had the blackened Opaka and I had the grilled Ahi. To be honest, he also had the grilled Ahi because I only ate half of it! I'd say this is the most romantic of the restaurants in the hotel. Be sure to request a table right next to the water.  
 
The Ilima Terrace features both breakfast buffets and a theme dinner buffet. I've had the dinner buffet three times (over the total of 14 nights I've been at the resort)and I don't think I'd go back again when there are so many other place to eat. One evening, the theme was surf and turf. You could get a lobster or carved prime rib or both. That was the best of our experiences there. The last time, the meat was cold and not cooked through enough. I like rare meat but this meat was raw, not rare. The selection just wasn't very good. Service was excellent, however.  
 
If a light dinner is what you're seeking, Stevenson's Library is a good place to go. You can settle down to listen to some jazz in a cozy book-lined room or go out on an ocean view terrace. We've enjoyed the pizza here as well as the fondue. Another specialty here is one you can get elsewhere in the resort but my husband has a special fondness for it so I'll mention it here. The drink is called a lava flow. It's basically a pina colada with pureed strawberries. They are very good and very addictive.  
 
I have not attended the Drums of Paradise Luau but I have passed it by while the show was underway. Hearing a version of "Wind Beneath My Wings" accompanied by a slack-key guitar is not my idea of a luau. This seemed quite cheesy but I didn't actually attend it. If you have and enjoyed it, please let me know. We have greatly enjoyed the Old Lahaina Luau on Maui so we're not against all luaus by any means.  
 
The Dock is a great place to grab a light lunch or a snack. This is the place to get a small container of freshly cut pineapple. I like to get my snack and go out to a hammock to read a book, enjoy the snack and relax in the sunshine while enjoying the cool, tropical breezes. Paradise is just where you are. There are waitresses who will come by on a semi-regular basis to bring you drinks so there's no need to get up.  
 
The last place I've personally tried is the Seaview Terrace. This was a good place to grab a light breakfast of a muffin or some juice. Often, there is live entertainment here of a Hawaiian singer or a hula dancer. A couple of evenings a week, they have a keiki show which is comprised of children from a local hula school. Quality of the show varies depending upon the talents of the current crop of students.  
 
Other dining choices include Dondero's which is supposed to be a fabulous Italian restaurant and a restaurant in the Anara Spa.  
 
Wrap Up  
 
There's a reason why this resort has consistently received top ratings from Conde Nast. It's hard to find much wrong with it. The service is friendly, accommodating and the employees go out of their way to make your vacation as perfect as it can possibly be. That attitude is what makes the Hyatt Regency Kauai special. Without that, all you have is the empty shell of a resort. It's the heart that makes the difference.  
