We have stayed at Kauai beach resort 10yrs ago so we were familiar with the place. The pool has been upgraded, and a slide put in. We were happily surprised by the room (the reviews were overly critical). The view from the balcony overlooks the pond and mountains in background. It’s a nice view. There is a small trash can at the entrance (which the balcony also faces since it’s a corner balcony). I wouldn’t say that’s all you see as a prior review did. It’s a great view, some people are just sour. The back door locks, but is a bit loose as per a prior reviewer. But I don’t foresee anyone climbing up to the 4th floor to steal anything, as was implied. First, you are on an island… are you bringing your family jewels that you are worried will be stolen? You are on an island going to a beach or a hike- neither of these calls for family jewels. Don’t bring them/leave them home. Second, there’s a safe in the room (we didn’t try to use it because we didn’t bring valuables- why would someone bring valuables to a beach??).
The humidity of the climate is what causes the paint to bubble up and chip. I realized that after we noticed it in areas around the elevator as well. It’s not that the maintenance crew doesn’t maintain it- the condo has high maintenance fees (1372$ monthly). We saw crews out doing maintenance the whole time we were here, cutting tree branches to sculpt them, etc etc. Just know the natural environment (humidity/brine) causes rusting of metals (u will notice this on the cars) and bubbling/cracking of paint. This is part and parcel of life on the beach.
As for the room, we loved the full sized fridge. We did use the lounge on fifth floor for its microwave. We loved the central location of LiHue. We explored the whole island while we were here because one day we could go north, next day south and west. We have a special place in our heart for this beach resort and it didn’t disappoint. We traveled with our 8yr old daughter, who loves swimming. She was able to swim in the pools, play water volleyball, go down the waterslide, and walk the beach with us. There’s a nice hot tub and gorgeous outdoor pool area for pictures with a small waterfall. We love it. We recognize that it’s Kauai, and that everything here is expensive. Food, gas, etc.
Yes, there was a 25$ nightly fee for rental car parking but there was a fee ten years ago as well.
Check in process was easy. Our flight got in 11pm or so. We got our rental car from Skip at Dollar rental, who upgraded us for $10/day to a Chevy impala (normally 35$/day). They had extra cars so we were blessed to score a great deal.
Condo 2401 is nice. Our kiddo used the chaise as her bed, and felt it was perfect for her size wise and comfort wise. We dried our swimsuits on the balcony chair. The floor is not carpet, which is great. The vinyl wood plank helps w/ beach sand since it’s easy to sweep up. We left a broom in the closet for future beach goers with families (or solo travelers) to use.
The shower and bathroom is good as well for what we needed it for. We showered after swims, and noted the warm water did take some time to heat up. But once it was going, we had warm water. I prefer super hot water, and was able to get that by putting the knob all the way around the dial (this will make more sense when you use the shower).
We had good space for our food and suitcases, clothes, etc. We didn’t spend a lot of time in the room except to sleep because we wanted to explore the whole island. We woke at 7am, went to Costco daily for a hotdog at 11 am (beat lunch rush) for our picky kiddo, and then explored all day. Evenings were usually in the pool. Hubby checked out the weight room or ran on the beach in the mornings. He’s a bit of a gym snob, but said the weights were 50lb dumbbells, which is pretty impressive. They also had a good amount of gym equipment for bodybuilding types.
The first day we all walked 2 miles on the beach- got sunburnt, which definitely made us realize we need to be very liberal w/sunscreen. The gift shop has that and sunglasses, plus trinkets for gifts. We loved the beaches, and have a great tan to show for our time here. Thanks God! 🥰🥳🤩

For gas, Costco in Lihue. (Gas pump is by home depot- hard to find unless you know where to look).
For food places, we Recommend:
the sushi food truck by Costco (near Costco gas pump).
Big monster Thai (spicy basil chicken was amazing)
Konohiki sushi in Lihue for poke.
For kids: both Burger King and McDonald’s in Lihue.
Other notable restaurants: Brennecke’s (their ahi tacos were amazing)
Island tacos- best tacos on the island. (in Waimea I think-don’t quote me. Run by a nice local family. Mom, daughter and dad all work at the shop). Gift shop next door has small Swiss Army knives on a keychain.
Beaches to go to: Poipu beach- bring bread to feed the fish- then when fish gather sometimes the turtle comes to you to see what the fuss is. We saw many fish over the three hours we were there. Ate at Brennecke’s after.
Things to do: absolutely do NOT miss Napali Kai III boat tour of the coast put on by Makana charters. It’s a local company so we wanted to support them. Great guys, Google the boat you will find contact info (Leroy, Chris). We saw whales, dolphins, turtles, seals, manta ray, etc etc and breathtaking views. What you save on