There are better resorts and there are much worse resorts. I've been coming to this resort since '86 and I've never had a bad experience. The people that work here and the people that vacation here are some of the best. When I come to Hawaii I come to relax and besides true life in Hawaii is relaxing. I've got a view, a beach, a pool and my fanciest shoes are new Reef sandals. Oh yeah! read more

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Was a nice place but dated. Staff was friendly good location. Traffic is bad in this area.

Disclosure: I own a timeshare here. It's a pretty decent timeshare at that. I have only stayed in the 2BR units which come with 2BA and a full kitchen (with pots/pans/utensils) as well. Each unit has a lanai with some patio furniture. The units don't have central air, but there is an AC unit in the living room and the master BR. The conditions of the units seems to vary a little. Some of the units have been refurbished while some are showing signs of aging. However, the association is going through and bringing all the units up to date. There are some full time residents in some of the units as well. The resort itself has plenty of amenities. They have lit tennis courts (which can double as a basketball court as well), bocce ball grounds, a volleyball court on the grass, putting greens, a pool, and gas grills spread throughout the property. If you didn't bring equipment, you can check most of it out from the front desk. It's along the ocean and has easy access to the path that runs along the ocean for most of Kapa'a. All in all, it's a great place to call home while on vacation! read more

I stayed at the Pono Kai with my family for a week to celebrate my mom's birthday. We had a two bedroom/two bathroom + loft unit steps from the water. We were on the top floor, so we didn't have any issues that other people had with hearing their neighbors above them I noticed that this resort is a mix of people who live there full-time, and rental units. The location itself is perfectly located in the middle of 'town' and is pretty close to everywhere you would want to go on the island. Since our unit was right on the water, we could hear the ocean and have a perfect view of every sunrise. I booked this rental through Interval International, so I don't know if that made the check-in and check-out process incredibly fast and easy. They do have a welcome breakfast where you get some nice music and some free breakfast, but the best part is the opportunity to win free excursions and prizes like helicopter tours, kayak tours, luau's etc. You only win one, and sometimes they do a two for one on certain prizes, but it is a way for the local tour companies to sell their stuff to you. The prices are expensive, and I found that pretty much everything they offer is cheaper if you book it yourself online :) I really enjoyed the week stay here and I would definitely come back here to stay next time I am in Kauai. The units themselves are super spectacular, but they are spacious, and have all of the basics you will need for your stay...plus free AC and wifi-but the wifi never worked while we were there unless you were in the lobby. Great resort, great location, great views. read more

This resort is fine to stay if you are ok with roaches, ants and extremely loud squeaky floors. I'm praying none of the roaches crawled into our suitcases and hitched a ride back to the mainland! There is a walking/biking path that runs along the ocean. It is awesome to rent bikes and ride that path. At the end of the path is a small hike down to a secluded inlet. Very beautiful! We got this room from a charity auction so I don't know how much they charge per night. But I wouldn't pay too much. The walls in our bedroom were rotting and squeaked badly when the wind was blowing. Which was during our entire trip. Pono kai really needs to update their property. While they are at it, they should have their front desk personnel go to some customer service class's. read more

One word.....ROACHES! I get were on a tropical island and all but seriously there's an infestation problem here they needs aggressive attention. I had to switch my rental car out mid week because I parked to close to the building and a scouting party of roaches moved into my rental vehicle. Ridiculous. The resort solution. ..they "sprayed " and placed bait traps when we were out and about. Really. .ever hear of professional pest control? read more

Pono Kai Resort - Roach on popcorn ceiling. - Hotels Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

Don't do it. On arrival the stay had decent potential. The flat was a spacious 2 room with a large living room and kitchen with fairly recent updates. HOWEVER, we stayed on the first floor (of 3 or 4 I think) and were woken up at 4 o'clock every day by the people upstairs. The floors were so thin and squeaky that we could hear their alarm go off, enough to wake not only them but us. We could also hear every squeaky foot step they took, the closets opening, the shower and them talking. We knew where they were and what they were doing at any given moment. When we approached the staff about the issue they said that they usually recommend that guests reserve top floor rooms. Apparently this has been an issue since the big hurricane in the 90's and the owners have opted against renovating. The resort has good potential with being right on the beach and having the beach walk right outside the door. It's also within walking distance of a lot of shopping and foodies. But between the smug little Kauai chickens running around and the room noise I don't think we'll be staying at this resort again. read more

Located along the beach, this place is an excellent time share to stay at. The staff is very friendly and do their best to accommodate your needs. The condos have everything you would need for your stay: fully equipped kitchen with utensils, cookware, and appliances (even dishwashing detergent, sponges, and paper towels), tv, air conditioning, hair dryer, iron with board, and safe. There are numerous outdoor grilles scattered around the complex on a first-come-first-serve basis. There is also a community pool with jacuzzi. The gym is very small with a few exercise machines and weights, and can feel a bit stuffy. I hardly saw anybody else at the gym so you're likely to have the space to yourself most of the time. You can check out games from the front desk and enjoy some croquet, shuffle board, or table games. Beach towels can be checked out for free and returned for fresh ones (there's a fee for lost towels). They also have an equipment rental shop for snorkel gear and other beach activities. The orientation is pretty long but you get a chance to listen about all the different activities you can do on the island. The resort offers complimentary donuts and coffee at the event. You're also given a chance to be picked for discounted/free activities in a raffle that is conducted after each presenter. Some of the big prizes are towards the end and include discounted pairs of tickets for a luau and helicopter tour. The only problem I had in my room was the occasional cockroach appearing. I found three during my week stay! read more

Great location for Kapaa. Easy walk to all the little town restaurants and stores and they are right on the beach. The resort has a lot of great extras. We played Croquet, shuffleboard, and horseshoes. We never used the pool area, tennis courts or the little putting green. Only 2 complaints. I wanted to get an ocean view and there wasn't anything available. WiFi was horrible read more

This resort is not bad. I arrived at night the whole place was lot with torches. There is an ample amount of parking. Not every room is on the beach but it is less than 2 minutes walking away. During my week stay the air condition broke twice and they were very quick to fix it. There was also a leak in the ceiling. I stayed in the 1 bedroom and it had a good amount of room. Sleeps 4 comfortably. The location is good. Is about 20 minutes away from Lihue airport. You can get to North Shore and South Shore in a good amount of time. A couple times a day the traffic will be right out in front of the resort. There is an awesome walking/biking path that follows the coast for awhile. You can rent bikes in walking distance from the resort. Twice a week the resort puts on a "get to know the island" breakfast. They give away 2 for 1 deals for activities you might want to do. My advice would be to attend and if you win great! And if you don't win, write down the prices to the activities that interest you and price Check down at the coconut marketplace. Also anything that you can choose to pay additional for lunch don't. Go to safeway and pack your own. I wouldn't mind staying here again. read more

This is a very nice resort! Rooms are renovated, beautifully decorated, comfortable and adequately sized. Our bed is very comfortable and we are very satisfied with that!! The staff at the front desk were awesome the night we checked in.... Extremely accommodating and kind. The housekeeping staff are so very sweet. Today's front desk staff, however, were less pleasant and appeared irritated with our questions. Sorry, y'all, but we're new at this! Be patient with us! The grounds are perfectly landscaped and very well taken care of. Overall, a very beautiful resort, representative of the tropical paradise it's on. The beaches are beautiful BUT littered with trash. Someone took a dead seagull and posed it like a crucifixion on a piece of driftwood. That was pretty sickening. There are a lot of homeless in the area which detracts from the allure of the tropical paradise but they didn't bother us, it was just unnerving. We wound up going to Kealia beach up the walkway and found clean sand and blue waves. Gorgeous. I did find a live baby cockroach in the utensil drawer, so we're washing everything. I do understand roaches are a part of life and very hard to control in tropical areas. I'm not quite turned off but just a little yuck right now. We still have three more days here, so I'll post an update. read more

Our room had two bedrooms, the living room had air conditioning and only one of the bedrooms did. The second bedroom was very warm, kept the door open all the time to get the air from the living room but it really wasn't enough. The pool is small for a resort, difficult for an adult to use it when there are a bunch of kids in it. It's walking distance to shops and restaurants which was nice. Even though it's oceanfront, the beach area is not usable and there are homeless people that camp on the beach (they kept to themselves, weren't a bother). For nice beaches, you would need to drive to the south side of the island. read more

Probably wouldn't ever come back. My family and I stayed here for a week. The chickens will wake you up at 4 am if you're on the ground floor. Where I happened to stay. Also this resort is full of old people and little kids who seem to be louder than ever. The walls are super thin and you can hear your neighbors who let their kids run around after quite hours. Also the wifi here is horrendous!!! Even when you buy the wifi that's supposed to "make it faster". On top of that, the water here doesn't get hot at all nor warm and if it does its for one shower. Everyone else after you will suffer. I do not recommend coming here with a family with kids over the age of 15 because it won't be fun for the kids. Also the beaches around here were not safe for us to go to at the time because of a near by hurricane. Overall I hated it here. read more

Great location. Downtown Kapa'a is right next to it so there's plenty of shops and food places to walk to. Obviously, it's by the beach too. I have no complaints!! read more

Pono Kai Resort - Hotels Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

Loved this resort... Central location between North/South shores... Even in walking distance for the shops, food and beach... Clean grounds & helpful staff... Don't set an alarm the rosters will crow for you at 0530 hours!!! read more

Pono Kai Resort - All around Happiness... - Hotels Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

The Pono Kai Resort hands-down the best place I have stayed in Kawai thus far. Everybody was so friendly, professional, very knowledgeable about the island, and just all-around great service from nice people. The front desk made sure we had a smooth check in and check out. We played shuffleboard, croquet, bocce ball, tennis, went swimming in the heated pool, and relaxed inside the warm hot tub after a long day. One of my favorite parts, all these activities are right there on the resort's grounds. The beach had easy access, soft sand, mellow waves, and warm water. We spent a lot of time at the Pono Kai Resort because of all of the amenities they had to offer. They do have an area where you can rent beach chairs, snorkeling gear, ice chest and so much more to be able to lounge around on the beach right there at the resort. Word of advice, rent your equipment first thing in the morning when they open up at 7:30AM to be sure you get what you want for the day before it's gone. You can also go to housekeeping and check out beach towels for the week you are there. Second word of advice, remember to return your beach towels to housekeeping the day before you leave or you will be charged for missing beach towels on your credit card. Our room was clean, the landscaping was immaculate, the Oceanview was breathtaking no matter where you were staying at the resort and I couldn't say enough about the beach access we have from the resort. I walked my 6yr old son out to the beach every morning for the sunrise and every evening for the sunset, the beach is right there at your fingertips. My overall experience at this resort I would give an B+. I had to give a B+ instead of an A+ because of the noise of the people above you in the condo. I literally thought I was hearing thunder the first two days I was there because of the rumbling sound of people above us. We spent a lot of time in our room and at the resort, so a few times I had to walk outside and head towards the beach once I heard the people back in their condo above us, because the loud noises would get on my nerves. You can hear them pulling out chairs, walking across the floor loudly, we could hear them taking a shower and even flushing the toilets in the condo above. We stayed for eight days in our condo and went through two sets of families above us during our week stay, so it wasn't just because we had loud upstairs neighbors, it was definitely because there is no sound barrier or insulation between the ceiling above my head and the floor beneath their feet. I did pick the bottom condo because of my 6yr old son being able to play in the grass area right outside our living room sliding glass door and the 2nd reason, I took my parents (in their 60's) that were unable to climb the stairs up and down every time we wanted to go somewhere or out to the beach. I would most definitely stay at the Pono Kai again. But if it were just my husband and I going to Kauai, I would definitely pick the top condo because of the noise. But on the other hand, I would put up with the noise again just to be able to see the look on my kids and my parents faces on our next Hawaiian family vacation (someday again, I hope) I still give this place five stars, that's how satisfied we were with our overall stay at the Pono Kai Resort. Until next time my friends, Aloha from the Fabre-Scott and Villa family read more

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Perfect midway point between North Shore and West Side. Great amenities. Local eats are the best. Kountry Kitchen and Pono Market are a quick short walk outside the property. We had an excellent room - two bedrooms , second floor, overlooking ocean and few steps to the the seaside "walk", which stretches down the coast for a good 5 miles (I think). You can jog, walk or bike on the path along the coast. Had full housekeeping services twice during the week - this means linen change and vacuuming. Got extra towels with no hassle at all. They also provided extra pillows, a futon on request (but it's really just a fold out mattress for the floor), an a pull out sofa-bed. The resort provides a sizeable kitchen with all the dishware and flatware you need, including pots, pans and bakeware, even a rice cooker and a blender. Also dish soap, a sponge and dishwasher detergent for your use. It was resort enough and home enough for me. I've been told that other resorts have their own washer/ dryers in the units, but there was a communal one to use on each floor. They have one room which they call a hospitality room, to store your luggage - which you may need as check in time is 4 pm, and the check out time is 10 am. We were here on invitation from someone else who owned a timeshare at another property. I liked the Kapaa location. Keeping it real, Kauai style. The pricier end is North (Hanalei and Princeville) of the place and the less touristy area is Kekaha. read more

I have been here 2 times and I have no complaints at all. It was like having my own apartment on the island. The couple of times that I needed anything taken care of, they jumped right on it. Although they do have staff to plan activities for you, I recommend checking some things out for yourself, we were able to find some things a bit cheaper. As for the pricing, I can't really comment. We use a travel club and get a great deal through them. read more

We thoroughly enjoyed our time there. The unit was clean and much bigger than we had hoped. We visited with my brother and sister in law for our 5th Anniversary. It was walking distance to the little town. Loved the walking paths and the barbecue grills available to cook meals. Will be back in 5 years. read more

Nice place! We stayed in unit b104 i read other reviews before coming and was very scared, even had nightmares, but it was really nice. The only down fall was our unit was a few 100 ft from the beach area. (Lava rock wall was on sand right out from our place but a few 100 ft to the left near unit c and d you could walk out and across grass pass the walk way to the beach area. read more

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We stayed here the night before we hiked the Kalaulau Trail. They were very accommodating and the property and rooms were very clean. They let us keep some of our belongings in a locked luggage room while we were on our hike, which was very courteous of them. Most places would have charged us for it. We would definitely stay here again. read more

We had a great time. I highly recommend staying there. They have so many things to do right on the property, and it's on the beach ! Walking distance to some cool restaurants and shops as well. read more

Pono Kai Resort - We are having a great time and the resort is awesome. This is the view from the lanai. - Hotels Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

Stayed in a small one bedroom. The sound of traffic was consistent during our stay but was easily drowned out by turning on the air conditioning. The location allows for easy beach access and puts you in walking distance of the restaurants and shops in downtown Kapa'a. If you stay here feed the fish for me. read more

Nice and decent. Not great beach access since the closest part in the photos in a rock wall. Free wifi was good! The sales people would NOT give up. They called so much I had to ask them not to call again. Happy to say they didn't call again. I know sales, once I say no I say no leave me be. But the place itself was decently clean. Had no issues with the room or the staff. I would return although it would be nice to get a little nicer bedding. read more

Disclosure: I do not own a timeshare here. Great location to be on Kauaii if you plan to drive around the island. ~25 miles to the northwest coast, ~35miles to the south east coast. These are basically time share owned condo units. The one we got was immaculate, very clean, beautiful lanai overlooking the pool, and well maintained. All facilities included in the unit - tv, cable, wireless, iron, microwave, etc. The resort folks are helpful and they do that time share presentations that if you sit through, you would get discounts on acitivities like - Helicopter ride (Sunshine helicopters), zipling etc. Would definitely go again. read more

This is a terrific midprice resort in Kapaa town on Kawaii It may be a little older but the furniture in appointments are lovely the concierge staff was terrific and we liked being mid East Coast so that we can get to both Princeville and the Poipu areas and not much time at all read more

I'm a time share owner here , and love it ! The oceanic view on the ocean side is awesome! For the price of ownership is worth it ! I recommend staying on the top floors! For less noise ! read more

My wife and I wish we had found this place sooner. Great customer service. Attentive staff and very comfortable rooms AT A GREAT PRICE! No shortage of "Aloha" here. It's in a great location and although it is lacking a "rootsy" feel, you'll be very comfortable here. read more

We stayed at here at the Pono Kai Resort for 7 fabulous days. The lobby and housekeeping staff were all very nice. The location was great, central to everywhere we wanted to go. The condo was very clean, the kitchen had every convenience that we needed and having breakfast on the patio less than 100 feet from the beach was awesome. Housekeeping provided us clean kitchen & bath towels for the duration, and beach towels were checked out with the housekeeping office. We rented bikes (across the street) one afternoon and biked on the beach bike path for 6-7 miles. It was wonderful. Great stay- can't wait to visit again! read more

We are staying in the B Complex facing the ocean! Beautiful view! We are close to the putting green. The grounds are beautiful and the staff is very friendly. The room needs to have some repair as the towel rack was constantly falling off the wall. But overall great place to stay. read more

This the best timeshare condo in Kapa'a! Staff is super friendly. Short walk into town or walk/bike the several mile path along the ocean! Resort is oceanfront, but not all rooms are, though you will be very happy with any unit at Pono Kai!! read more

Our bathroom smelled like mold. Carpets in the master were sticky as if they had been covered in something with melted sugar. No insulation in the walls. Everytime someone flushed a toilet, showered, or turned on the sink, we could hear it. One of the rooms didn't have AC. The family above us ran around at all hours of the day and night. When we asked the front desk if we could change rooms, they told us we couldn't because it would be too much of an inconvenience for them. Good thing you read the yelp reviews before staying here! Don't do it. read more

We rented four different units at Pono Kai from three different owners / management companies, and all units were very nice. Pono Kai's amenities were great: beautifully landscaped grounds, swimming pool, gas grills, activities, fitness center, hospitality room, etc. We have stayed at Pono Kai many times over the years, and each experience has been great. That is why we keep coming back. read more

Internet is insanely slow. Footsteps can be heard very significantly from floors above you. Resorts should have quality architecture and build I believe. But the slow internet really bothers me for a resort, if it was a hotel it would make more sense. I will update my review as I go! read more

When I heard this was one of the oldest resorts on island I was worried but we were pleasantly surprised with the clean and remodeled room we had. What a great view and central location. Exercise room needs attention badly. read more

The resort was infested with mold. There was a huge dehumidifier with black water in our first room. The second was the same. The rooms wreaked. the rugs were rolled from water and there was black mold by the elevators. A woman found a rat in her room. It ate her bananas. So gross. The outside radiators are rusty and filthy. read more

This review is based entirely on the lousy check-in service by an employee named Alex (female). I arrived at 4pm, their late check-in time, and was told that my room was not ready because housecleaning had not finished setting it up. I was told I would be called on my cell phone promptly when ready. No apology. No Kauai friendliness, which I have encountered just about everywhere else on the island. Just matter-of-fact unhelpful attitude. When I had not gotten a call by 4:40, I went back to the desk and the room was ready. No apology for not calling me, same unfriendliness. I semi-jokingly asked if there was anything they could offer to make me feel better about being checked in 40 min late, and she said no (making an irritated expression.). I thought maybe they would offer me in-room wifi ($20 per month only) or something, but instead I got attitude and was told that the room wasn't ready because something had to be fixed. Again no apology or kindness exhibited. What a lousy front desk employee, she really seemed to do her best to make me feel unwelcome. That being said, the room is nice and has a great kitchen. The pool is tiny, and the beach out back is one of the worst on the island, very polluted, tiny steep sand strip, usually unsafe for swimming. On the plus side, the jacuzzi is decent, and the Japanese garden is a nice touch. read more

The facility is nice the staff is quite friendly however I only gave him three stars. I must say I'm bummed out with their Internet connection and lack of free Wi-Fi seems like an easy way to keep your guest happy. Why not provide free Wi-Fi that is functional. They do offer some limited Wi-Fi free that keeps booting you off throughout the day it's very annoying. They also offer a paid Wi-Fi with greater speed but the free Wi-Fi doesn't work so why would I even go for the paid Wi-Fi. I really think they need to look at this and quit trying to nickel and dime their guest. I don't charge guest at my house to use my Wi-Fi. Even McDonald's will give you free Wi-Fi.This is the year 2016 and Wi-Fi is expected at this point. read more

My bf owns a timeshare and this is the was my first time. Our unit was on the second floor, building D and it had the most amazing view you can imagine. You don't want to miss the sunrise because it will take your breath away and you'll think you've found heaven. Some things were dated like the stove. I was cooking dinner and the pan never got hot. So I saw that the burner wasn't plugged in and I got zapped with fire and sparks - ugh! Then bf was taking a shower and an old valve broke so we had to leave while maintenance got right on it. Also the remote to the t.v. in the bedroom was missing and it took them 2 days to replace it. On our first morning, it was almost 8 am, the phone rang. A lady asked if I was coming to the pool for Island orientation and that they had coffee and doughnuts (there was - bananas and juice too!). I asked her what time and she said between 8 and 9 A.M. - wth? No one told us about it the day before but I jumped in the shower & went right down. It was a total promotional gig with representatives from all over the island to get you to their overpriced excursions. I ended up winning a 2 for 1 mudbugging adventure and it was truly a lot of fun but for the price, it was not worth paying for 2. But we were sold an outing the night before for an all day sailing tour and snorkeling. I remember by bf asking the guy if another company still goes out a faster way and he told him 'no, they don't do it anymore". Low and behold, that was a blatant like because we went to the other (much smaller and closer) company that was going out to Na Pali and bf had to call him to cancel but was told it was less than 24 hours so he had to still pay but he didn't after all because he told the sales guy off and threatened to legally pursue his misleading sale. So if you stay here, beware of the sales pitches. Wait until the next morning, go to the pool for the excursion presentations and try to win a 2 for 1 to save some money and do some yelp homework to save some money. I did love this property and can't wait to come back for the view and comforts of an apartment to cook and enjoy the beach. I wouldn't swim in that part of the beach because it seemed pretty treacherous. There are better places to swim nearyby and the resort will give you all the information and maps. read more

We stayed for 4 nights, upon booking they advise you that you cannot cancel 7 days upon arrival. They however did not tell us that if we wanted to use the pool that you would need to reserve pool time and that all days we will be there is already full for pool times. They knew we were locals. If I wanted to hang out in a room all day or use the beach, I could have stayed home and just brought my kids to the beach for free. They're customer service sucked! When I brought up my frustration about paying for all those nights and not being able to use the pool, they did not care. They kept booking locals and did not tell anyone about the pool situation. Being that you can't cancel within 7 days of your reservation, you would think that they would at least let you know that the pool is all booked up and you can't use the pool and give us locals the option of canceling. Obviously we bring our kids to the hotel to use the pool. Guest satisfaction is not important to the staff, the housekeepers were rude and the front desk staff are not honest and have crappy customer service skills. I do not recommend staying here. I understand adjusting to Covid but being honest about not being able to use the pool and communicating when booking would have been nice. They only care about making money, not about happy guest. read more