Kauai Inn in Lihue

[eleakai]

On a scale of one to five I would give three stars to the Kauai Inn. Coming from the Hanalei Bay Resort to the Kauai Inn was a little bit of a shock at first. The Inn is located in a residential neighborhood behind Nawiliwili Harbor and there is nothing there besides a few homes and a small beach park, where mainly local people gather. The Inn has 4 buildings and I left with the impression that in one of the buildings people live there permanently. After we checked in we felt watched by a local Filipino man who did not look like a guest there (maybe he was one of the residents). As two women, me and my partner did not feel very comfortable. Luckily during the rest of our stay (5 days in total), we did not feel watched again. One thing I would like to mention is my dissatisfaction with our room. When I first contacted the Kauai Inn I asked them for a nice quiet room with a garden view, so when I booked I thought I am getting a nice quiet room. Unfortunately I was given a room in Building 1, which is located right on the street and in front of a pavilion where local people gather, talk, sing and drink. I was really disappointed that the owners did not take my request for a quiet room seriously. Not to mention that there were constant beeps and noises from Nawiliwili Harbor which is right next door. The room itself was overall clean, but very hot and bright when the curtains were open, or too dark when they where shut. There was a fan and AC but even with their help it was still unpleasant to sit inside. There was a TV, microwave and a fridge in the room but no coffeemaker. The bed was very hard and uncomfortable. The Kauai Inn has a pool and garden and we sat outside a few times in the evening (during the day the area around the pool is very hot and there are no umbrellas at the lounging chairs). Most of time it was quiet and nice. On one of the evenings, three kids were playing in the pool. They were not guests, but kids from the neighborhood and they were a bit loud. Below I list pros and cons about the Kauai Inn.

Kauai Inn Pros:

• Friendly service
• Free breakfast, coffee and juice every morning – the breakfast is not that great but it is nice that they offer a free breakfast to get you going for the day
• Free wireless Internet
• If you need to you can print your boarding pass for free in the reception office
• There are laundry facilities
• Pool and nicely-landscaped garden area
• Maid service daily
• Close to Lihue Airport

Kauai Inn Cons:

• Isolated location with no store or any other neighborhood shops where you could walk to; the closest shopping area is Anchor Mall and Harbor Mall located near Kalapaki Beach
• Hot sunny rooms, especially in Building 1
• No coffeemaker in the rooms
• Constant noise from the harbor during the week

Overall if you are going to be out all day, the Kauai Inn is a good choice. But if you also want to spend time at the Inn and relax, this might be a challenge especially if you are in Building 1. Below are photos of the Kauai Inn (garden and outside area).