As I got into points and miles, I noticed that Hawaii had many hotels you could book with credit card points. I quickly learned that the Grand Hyatt Kauai was one of the more luxurious properties available for booking with Hyatt points. In this post, I’ll review my stay at the Grand Hyatt Kauai and share my thoughts on one of the most aspirational points redemptions
When I first got into using points and miles, I began to take note of some aspirational destinations that other points influencers have visited. I never thought Hawaii could become an attainable or affordable destination, however I was wrong!
I knew that Hyatt hotels wer going to be the route I wanted to go when booking my trip to Kauai with one hotel in mind: The Grand Hyatt.
How did I book this reosort for FREE?
I booked five nights at the Grand Hyatt Kauai for $0. Yes, that’s right. If it sounds too good to be true it isn’t believe me. I booked a Standard King Room for 35,000 Hyatt points a night and $0. How did I earn enough points for this stay? I earned Chase Ultimate Rewards points from these cards and transferred them to my free World of Hyatt account to book this luxury stay. Learn how to do this here!
Location
The resort is located on the beautiful island of Kauai, has a rich history that reflects both the natural beauty of its surroundings and the luxurious hospitality industry of Hawaii. The resort opened in 1990 and is designed to blend seamlessly with its stunning coastal environment, featuring lush gardens, lagoons, and a pristine beach.
The Grand Hyatt Kauai is located about 30 minutes from the Lihue airport. We rented a car through Hertz and we used my Capital One Venture X travel credit to cover most of the bill.
The Grand Hyatt Kauai was not in a walkable distance to any of the major attractions besides the beach. I would definitely recommend renting a car to make the most out of your trip!
First Impressions
When we arrived we were able to park our car for free or valet our rental car. The parking lot was big, but we often had difficulty finding a spot especially at night. The open air lobby was stunning. It had a beautiful ocean view with trees and parrots!
I receievd a “Guest of Honor” certificate from a friend who is a Globalist with Hyatt. This means that we were “gifted” all of the Globalist benefits perks, which is Hyatt’s highest tier status. If you are a “Globalist” or gifted a “Guest of Honor” you can enjoy the following perks: free parking, access to the Club Lounge, and room upgrade (depending on availability). Needless to say this was a very generous gifting of status and was extremely valuable at the Grand Hyatt Kauai!
Room
I originally booked the standard king room and the hotel upgraded me to a partial ocean view! We were elated about the upgrade! This room retails for over $1,000 per night (WOW!!), but we paid 35K hyatt points a night and $0. Where did I get all of those Hyatt points? Learn how I transferred them from my Chase Ultimate Rewards here.
I will say the room was a little underwhelming for this high of a price point. The room seemed a bit dated and in need of a refresh, but we did not mind being that we did not that high price tag. I think that the rest of the resort amenities made up for the lackluster rooms.
We had emailed the resort prior to our arrival and had mentioned that this was our first time in Hawaii and our anniversary and they were able to upgrade us to a partial ocean view with a balcony!
Resort
The Grand Hyatt Kauai features an expansive pool area, complete with a lazy river, waterfalls, and waterslides, making it a family-friendly destination. For a more serene experience, the Anara Spa offers a range of treatments inspired by traditional Hawaiian healing practices, allowing guests to unwind in a tranquil setting.
Club Access
Certain Hyatt hotels including Grand Hyatts, have club rooms which include club lounge access. These Club Lounges include daily free breakfast and snacks and drinks throughout the day. ou can access these lounges by purchasing a club access pass, including it in your room rate, or using your Globalist status. The staff served breakfast at this club lounge daily from 6 AM to 10 AM, and they served it buffet style.
We visited over Easter break in April, and the place was packed. We were still adjusting to the time change, so we would head over to the lounge around 630AM and it already had families eating. I would say the breakfast buffet is on the summer side with about 4-5 hot options and muffins, bread, pastries. They also had a coffee and juice machine as well as bottled water to grab. Hawaii has notoriously very expensive food, so we were very happy to save money each morning at the free breakfast. “Limited seats are available, so I recommend arriving early if you are visiting during a popular time!”
Pools
The Grand Hyatt Kauai has a variety of different pools to choose from including an adults only pool, a lazy river, the main pool with two slides, and the lagoon. The lagoon was out favorite spot as it was closest to the ocean and away from the kids playing in the pool .
The beach was just steps away from the pool, however there were no lounge chairs from the resort on the beach. I don’t think guests are allowed to swim in the water here, but we did watch surfers each morning!
Restaurants
The Grand Hyatt Kauai offers plenty of delicious dining options to choose from including 5 star dining to poolside grab and go options. My husband and I decided to have Easter dinner at the Tidepools restaurant. I did make reservations in advance, especially since it was a holiday. This restaurant is located in the middle of the resort over a coy pond. Where we were seated we could see fish jumping out of the water during our meal!
The food here was delicious but definitely on a pricier side. We enjoyed the ambiance for a special occasion and felt like it was designed for adults and honeymooners in mind. We didn’t mind splurging on this fancy Easter meal since we were able to book this resort for free!
The other two dinner options were Stevensons Library, Ilima Terrace, and the Seaview Terrace. We decided to stick to having dinner at the resort once so that we could explore other restaurants on the island.
In terms of casual options, there was a coffee bar in the lobby serving grab and go coffee and small bites, the Hale Nalu pool bar (grab and go style geared towards kids), and the Captains pool bar (adults only). We enjoyed drinks and snacks one afternoon at the pool bar while watching March Madness basketball and it was delicious! We enjoyed pina coladas and the pool nachos (they were delicious!).
The Grand Hyatt Kauai does have an onsite luau that you can purchase tickets in advance for. The prices for adults were $203 per adult and $96 for children. We decided to do a cheaper luau offsite to save some money as we didn’t think we would eat and drink that much food to make it worth it. Read more about the Luau we chose here.
Final Thoughts
Overall, we loved our stay at the Grand Hyatt Kauai. The resort had a very family friendly feel, however I do not know if I would recommend it to honeymooners who are looking for a more quiet and luxurious vibe. But, as two people who were looking for an (almost) free trip to Hawaii this was the perfect stay on points. Even during a very busy Easter week, it was just as magical as we had hoped. It was definitely a bucket list points and miles stay that we will never forget. Mahalo!
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