Kawaihau Holidays from AU$9,899

Thank You Kindly for the staff's hospitality and friendliness . My wife and I enjoyed spending our vacation in Kauai .

This is an amazing property (staff, location, amenities), but the food and beverage quality is sorely lacking. Overall: Every drink is at least $16. Mind you, this is a no-frills mixed drink marketed as a cocktail. I use the word "cocktail" here very loosely. I guess this is to be expected; you're on an island. Seaview Terrace: Food was served on plastic plates (unclear why; it's nowhere near the pool) and was served lukewarm. Ilima Terrace (breakfast buffet): $52 per person and everything's cold (you may start to see a pattern here). Weirdly, specialty coffees (like cappuccinos) are limited to 1 per person. Salmon Wellington was not. I guess the margin is made on the coffee? Stevenson's Library: No risk of cold food here ('cause sushi). Good quality, wholly uninspired presentation, but hey actual plates! Tidepools: Center cut steak, medium ($79 or thereabouts) served absolutely raw times two. Replated and reserved, no apologies, no comps. Also, expect to have shutters slammed shut and lights turned off during dinner if you take a late seating (8 PM in my case). I get it; you want to get home. Poolside (Hale Nalu): What you'd expect from poolside food, served in gray plastic buckets. I get the safety aspect here, but come on, a gray bucket is a gray bucket. Let me stress we enjoyed our stay. Do rent a car if you decide to visit Kauai (there's limited Ubers and Lyfts on the south shore), and eat off property if you can.

This was a wonderful experience at the Royal Sonesta in Kauai, Hawaii. The staff were incredibly friendly and the overall atmosphere was excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay and would definitely choose this hotel for my next vacation.

Fantastic stay! So close to excellent beaches and service was wonderful!