We stayed in this unit for a week in February 2011, there were 4 of us, 2 adults, an 8 year old and a 21 month old. I did a lot of research on the Waipouli Resort, and then scoured the available condos before settling on this one.
A few words about the resort- it was exactly what we wanted, a good sized facility w/ lots of kids, a great pool (waterslides were a big hit) and beach access. Feeding the koi each morning was a also highlight for the kids. That the beach wasn’t really for swimming (I did see swimmers, and it’s calm, but there’s coral) wasn’t a big deal for us since we were mostly sand castle building and wading anyway. 24 hour safeway across the street, plenty of great restaurants nearby in Kapaa. Overall, we were very comfortable here.
About the condo specifically- we wanted a ground floor unit to provide easy in-and-out access. This was perfect for that- the proximity to the car, pool and beach was even better than I hoped. (far preferable to bldgs C-F, IMO) Lugging all our stuff in from the car took all of 5 minutes. Best of all, it’s located right by the gate for the baby pool, it was only 50 steps away. (I counted!) This was super convenient as I was constantly running back and forth to grab hats, drinks, more sunscreen, etc.
The 2 bedrooms do open to the parking lot, but my husband prefers dark bedrooms anyway, so it was no big deal to us to keep the blinds drawn. It wasn’t noisy at all, had no problem getting our toddler to nap there. The floorplan has nice separation between the bedrooms, they’re at opposite ends of the unit, and the heavy doors block a lot of sound. (Great if you’re traveling with older kids or another couple- if you have little ones you might want to pack the monitor.) The bedrooms were well-appointed and the beds were comfortable, though we noticed one bedspread was in need of washing when we were there.
The LR patio door opens onto a small greenspace that runs parallel to the parking lot and a walkway, so that you at least have a nice garden view when you look out. It would sometimes get a little annoying in the evenings with people coming and going noisily, and the occasional oblivious person barging through the bushes and cutting across the grass in front of your patio door to save themselves 10 seconds. But even the ‘oceanfront’ units face a walkway where people could ogle you as you sit outside, so if seclusion is a priority, this is probably not the resort for you. It really was fine, and I’m glad we didn’t spend the extra for an oceanfront unit.
The rest of the condo was very comfortable. The kitchen was beautiful, and well outfitted with everything we needed to make simple meals. The digital oven provided hours of entertainment for my toddler. Some people griped about the dishwasher, but we thought it was just fine- I suspect operator error. I was pleasantly surprised that the condo was well stocked with basics like dish soap, laundry soap, countertop cleaner, tupperware, even a bottle brush.
The unit iself is somewhat kid friendly- there were nice extras tucked around including sand toys, boogie boards, some snorkel gear, kiddie lifejackets, and a really fantastic selection of Dvds (Family movies, comedies, Disney, etc). The microfiber couch is impressively spill resistant, but 2 of the 3 beds were quite high, and the glass tables (epsecially the coffee table, which is 3 cubes with a floating glass top that was always sliding askew) required extra vigilance. The only thing I really missed was a high chair or booster; we considered making a trip to Lihue to buy one but just made do having the baby eat on our lap.
Candace, the property manager, was great, and check in/ out was a snap. Once we all memorized the door and pool gate passcodes, not having to worry about keys was great.
Overall a comfortable unit with plenty of space, luxury details and the conveniences of home, at a price comparable to many hotels. Definitely recommend!
·By KirstySeattle from Seattle, Washington on 3/28/2011 for a stay in 3/1/2011 at
