TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Like many people heading to Kauai, we struggled picking THE spot for our family vacation. We chose the Kiahuna Plantation Resort for our nights on the South Shore and could not have been happier. If you’re on the fence and want a little more room than a hotel room has to offer, take a chance on this one! The grounds are lush, clean and easy to navigate. Parking is easy, with lots of spots close to each walkway leading to units. We stayed on #165, which is one of the few one-story buildings. AMAZING ocean views. During our visit, there was no A/C, but each room was equipped with fans and plantation-style shutters allow cross-breezes to cool to whole unit naturally. We had a nicely equipped kitchen, a king sized bed in the bedroom and a pull out sofa in the living area that worked perfectly for our family of four. Our unit had Wi-Fi and two televisions (living room and main bedroom), which weren’t must-haves for our trip but are a nice amenity. The beach in front of the resort is stunning…golden sand, beautiful water, amazing sunrise and sunset views. I wouldn’t consider it a “swimming” beach (especially for small children), but our kids played in the waves happily for hours and there was plenty of space for setting up beach chairs/building sand castles. The beach is a little short/sloped, so it’s not really a lay out type of experience. The resort has a surf shack on-site with essentials for purchase, and tons of beach chairs/chaises. There are a few gas grills around the property, which are awesome for a family dinner on-site. There is no pool on-site, but guests receive access to the athletic club across the street which has amazing fitness and swimming facilities. There is a crosswalk with pedestrian lights near the West Entrance to the resort, which allows you to easily and safely walk across Poipu Road (which can get busy!). We’re so happy with our decision to stay here, and look forward to a return visit!

Bldg 34 room 215. I would stay away. Condo was disappointing. Coffee pot barely functional, lamp shade in LR falling off lamp, bathroom was stained and grubby. Bedding was average. Soap was tiny, like free samples, only a few small bottles of shampoo. View was very nice. Overall expected higher quality.

We were concerned after reading several reviews about the variable quality of the rooms at this resort. But I can safely say room 301 is a great choice. It definitely has AC that works well in the main living area and the fans in both living and bedroom are strong and quiet. Nice big shutters for blocking out light in the early morning. Kitchen and bathroom are clean, basic but well enough equipped. We had 4 of us including 2 teenagers and yes it's a bit tight with all their stuff spread out and the couch (their bed) pulled out but we tried to be outside more often than not. The pillows are pretty bad and the main bed isn't the most comfortable but they did the job. Two Tv's had access to netflix and plenty of channels for the couple of times we bothered to turn 'em on. Easy walk to the beach, but unfortunately no onsite pool or eateries at all. A very quick and easy walk across the road has food and small shopping options and this room comes with free access to the gym/pool athletic center across the street. We didn't spend anytime at the pool but I used the gym almost every morning and it's good quality. As far as location goes you can't really beat this. Could it use some updating and some TLC? Yes. But all in all we were very satisfied. Find the VRBO listing pictures which were very accurate. So no need for me to include any that I took. vrbo.com/3721043

Well what happened to Kauai? Especially this tired old resort. We stayed in a 1 bedroom Unit 186. The view from the balcony was lovely and the perfection ended there. This particular unit is sad and in need of total refurbishment. The carpet is dirty and soiled, the frames of the windows in the bedroom are rusty and covered with cobwebs. The furnishings in the living room should be put into a dump. All in all it is a very poorly maintained condominium. The kitchen counters are tiled with dirty grout, not especially conducive to confidentially preparing a meal. Kitchen appliances are old and grubby. The bathroom is old and grubby. I believe The Parrish Collection Company should inspect their units before promoting such an embarrassing example of their dated and badly maintained vacation rental.

While the shoreline is one of the most beautiful in the world, it does lessen the fact that the building we’re staying in is located right next to the maintenance yard for resort, which is a constant source of noise. Add to that is the “pool”, which is located across a busy road, doesn’t belong to the resort and it has the feel of a run down municipal pool that resort guests have “privileges” at. To top things off, we requested a top floor and when we got here, we were informed that they weren’t any, even though we can see they’re empty.