Hotel Review: Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa

The debut of Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa took place in 1990, but I remember it like it was yesterday. 

The Poipu hotel commanded a prime south shore setting across 50 acres. It hugged a long white-sand beach, and its breezy lobby provided views straight out to the sea.

Its grounds featured a multilevel pool, a 1.5-acre saltwater lagoon and a restaurant that seemed to float in a koi pond. Its freestanding spa wowed me with outdoor treatment rooms surrounded by tropical gardens, showers with lava rock walls and a 25-yard lap pool in an open courtyard.

Today — nearly 30 years later — Grand Hyatt Kauai still looks and feels as impressive as the first time I saw it, thanks to its constant improvements and attention to detail.

Cultural Leader
Grand Hyatt Kauai has earned bragging rights for its cultural programs for guests. Moani Tolentino, the new Hawaiian culture director for the property, continues the exceptional work of her mentor, the late Stella Burgess.

Every day, Tolentino and her team encourage clients to take part in cultural activities such as lei-making, palm-frond weaving, and ukulele and hula lessons.

Tolentino also coordinates educational and experiential events timed with annual Kauai traditions such as the Prince Kuhio Celebration in March, Koloa Plantation Days in July and Hawaiiana Festival in October.

She has also launched the resort’s Hawaiian word of the day initiative, with signage in the lobby to teach clients some handy island phrases. Displays around the property present ongoing opportunities for visitors to learn more about the destination.

“Our guests experience true aloha from our colleagues, whether it’s through shared stories of their lives on Kauai, offerings of fresh fruit from their yard that the guest may not have tried — like rambutan or lychee — or recommendations of places to see and things to do on Kauai,” said Dan King, general manager of the resort.

Room Renovations
As it approaches its 30th anniversary, Grand Hyatt Kauai is amid a renovation of its guestrooms. Each unit now boasts a new chest of drawers in the closet, a new console chest, a 65-inch television and a chair that folds out to a bed (a great perk for families). 

This year, each accommodation will gain an ottoman, a bench at the foot of the bed, a Nespresso machine and a new refrigerator. The renovation will wrap up in 2020 as rooms receive new carpeting, full-length mirrors, upgraded lighting and new refreshment consoles.

Repeat visitors will be happy to find that accommodations still have white marble-tiled entryways, rain showers and double sink vanities in the bathroom, in addition to attractive ceiling fans. 

Reflecting the hotel’s overall dedication to the culture, rooms honor the islands with unique touches including hand-carved headboards with imprints of the native hapuu fern, while artwork pays homage to ancient petroglyphs located near the resort.

“The new furnishings blend with island decor to perpetuate our Hawaiian classic style and simple elegance, creating a true sense of place,” King said.

Spa Innovations
One of Grand Hyatt Kauai’s standout amenities is Anara Spa, where the alfresco layout takes full advantage of Poipu’s year-round warm, sunny weather. Along with the expected body treatments, the spa stays on the cutting edge with innovations such as Float Therapy, where clients drift buoyantly in a pod of saltwater.

Recently, Anara introduced Sound Therapy, in which the lulling vibrations of drums, shakers, bowls, gongs, flutes and bells lead clients into a relaxed state.

This year, the spa also installed Peloton cardio equipment in its fitness center. Future upgrades will include new strength apparatus in 2020.

Anara enhances its programs by emphasizing island wellness traditions. For instance, it uses products that incorporate native plants and ingredients, such as papaya body cream, ginger coffee scrub and lilikoi (passion fruit) body polish.

“Anara helps people unwind from their busy, daily lives and feel the innate peace and quiet that is Kauai,” King said. 

I’m ready to make the same claim about the entire resort, which has truly stood the test of time.

The Details
Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa
www.hyatt.com