The Hyatt Regency in Kauai comes very close to being a top notch hotel, in my opinion. We stayed at the Hyatt on our honeymoon - it was the first stop in a two-week honeymoon that took us to 3 hotels (Four Seasons in Maui and Four Seasons in Kona being the other two).  
 
Since this was the first stop, we didn't have the other hotels to compare this one to. That was probably smart because nothing can compare to the Four Seasons.  
 
My biggest complaint about the hotel is that they charge you a daily fee for parking. They charge you whether you choose valet or self park. Valet is more expensive, of course, but they charge for both. I found this an unnecessary charge for such an upscale hotel.  
 
Okay, now that that is behind us, let's talk about the beauty of this hotel. The grounds are breathtaking. They landscaped it so that you feel as if you are in a tropical paradise. The best part of the grounds is the lagoon and pools. The pools are all freshwater. We're not talking about a standard rectangular pool - the pools are like meandering paths that curve around and go under foot bridges, under rock bridges, etc. The pools are on multiple levels with waterfalls between the levels. All around the pools are sun decks with lounge chairs. And then there is the lagoon. The lagoon is salt water with an artificial sand-like bottom. I say sand-like because the sand pieces are way too large to be natural sand. When I first saw this, I couldn't understand why they used it but it became apparent. When walking on it, it doesn't stick to your feet! The individual pieces are too big! How clever. Swimming in the lagoon was more fun than the pools, in my opinion, because it felt more like swimming in a natural setting. The deep end of the lagoon is also used for scuba diving classes.  
 
The room. We had a large room with a balcony that contained a king bed and a full bed. I'm not sure if we were upgraded because it was our honeymoon or if because they were only at 40% occupancy at the time but who cares. I have two minor complaints about the room - the very small TV - I don't know the exact dimensions of it but it was definitely smaller than a 20 inch. The other complaint was the bathroom. I guess I am spoiled thinking back to the Four Seasons bathroom and I guess it is unfair to compare them because the Hyatt bathroom was completely adequate - just not up to par with the Four Seasons.  
 
Our package at the Hyatt included free continental breakfast every morning. This is key. To pay for a full breakfast at these hotels will set you back a hefty sum so the free all-you-can-eat setup was a definite plus. We ate in an open air setting adjacent to a small pond with swans. Perfect.  
 
The main lobby of the hotel is beautiful - kind of indoors and kind of outdoors. Actually, the entire hotel is kind of indoors and kind of outdoors. There will be a room with an entire wall that just isn't there. A bit hard to describe but you'll know what I mean when you see it. Makes you wonder what they do in bad weather.  
 
Although the hotel is situated adjacent to a beach, the beach is not among the best I've seen. First of all, the water is way too rough in this part of Kauai to swim in. The beach itself was a big narrow and not the clean white sand you think of when thinking of Hawaii. Also, the hotel is on the southeast side of the island so there were no sunsets over the water. We did see some very nice rainbows though!  
 
We ate in all the restaurants at the hotel at least once. All excellent and exactly what you'd expect at an expensive hotel. The cost of dinner for two can easily exceed $100 with wine, etc. so be careful.  
 
I would have liked a complimentary newspaper each morning but that would have cost extra...  
 
If you are into spas, I'm told the Hyatt's is above average in quality and in price. Not too surprising - that is a recurring theme at this hotel. I didn't go to the spa myself so I cannot comment on it.  
 
On the one rainy day we experienced, we asked the concierge what there is to do when it rains. We were told to go to the movies or to go bowling. I did not go all the way to Hawaii to do either of those. We were on our honeymoon so we didn't really care about being stuck in our room while it rained. :-)  
