The Road to Poipu, photo by Andrew Ingersoll

The week before Christmas was our fourth stay at the beach-side resort located on the sunny side of the island of Kauai, the south side. Although not as convenient as the Marriot Resort’s mid-island location in Lihue, we enjoy the weather here and the tiny village of Koloa just up the street.

As many of you know, I’m a member of a worldwide support group and we have become fond of the gang that meets at the Salvation Army building in town. It was nice to see familiar faces again this year.

Back to the resort: We had four rooms booked. Howie and Sara joined us again and we used a combination of his Platinum status and my points for the stay. We had a total of four rooms booked. Howie made several contacts with the general manager to secure nice rooms and maybe comp us all for the buffet based on his Plat status.

My son Andrew was first to arrive at the resort and was sent across the street to a standard garden view room. I showed up next and, on check in, found out Howie’s plea had gone unheard by the GM. Howie was going to be granted whatever he wanted when he arrived as a Platinum member, but the rest of us were delegated to the across-the-road building. Now, I’m not complaining too loudly as we were in Kauai on cash and points stays.

I was my charming self and tried to work with the very accommodating check in staff. We agreed that I would be upgraded to an oceanfront room for $75 per night upcharge and my resort fee of $25 per night would be waived. The additional two rooms would be moved to the correct side of the road, where the rooms are larger and already remodeled. A properly timed “Andrew Jackson” seemed to ease the process as well. All four rooms were now in the same building with two oceanfront and two garden view upgraded rooms. Our first night, December 17th, occupancy was at 30 percent. By the 22nd — our departure day and Katybug’s birthday — the hotel was overflowing at 100 percent occupancy.

The Sheraton’s breakfast buffet was across the street since the main oceanfront dining room was being remodeled. When we were there last February, we ate in the main dining room for free as other parts of the resort were being remodeled. No such luck this time. The cost was $19.95 per head for breakfast — a standard buffet with some nice, fresh, local fruit and on-demand omelets. Lunch and dinner options were weak with only the poolside bar available until the main restaurant opens up again. We ate out at Keoki’s (highly recommended bar side menu), Bubba’s Burgers, and Pizzetta in Koloa. We never spotted the Garlic Shrimp truck. But if you do, “pull over and chow down.”

Unlike the Sheraton on the Big Island, ocean swimming is available and we enjoyed the waves and the onshore breeze. We love Hawaii for the fresh, clean air and were not disappointed, although rain showers were intermittent throughout the day. The pool at this Sheraton is smallish with limited shade. And by the end of our stay there was an over abundance of screamers. That comes with holiday travel. The pool on the other side of the road was virtually empty, so it offered recluse from the maddening crowd.

Just about to board our helicopter tour, photo by Andrew

At $150 to $209 per night, this is a reasonable option for Kauai. Spouting Horn, magnificent Shipwreck Beach, Kauai Coffee Plantation and Tour, and the Waimea Canyon are all nearby. The trip all the way to the north end, through Princeville and Hanelei, is only a 45-minute to one hour drive.

Howie, Sara and my boys Andrew and Aaron took the Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour and Aaron hiked to the secluded beach two miles in from the end of the road on the north end. The photographs will be on the blog for a month or so as the boys’ cameras were clicking away and memories were made and sites indelibly etched. We love Kauai and are so glad all got to join us.

Hotel rating again: a B-. But that’s what we paid for.

If we wanted A, the Grand Hyatt is right down the street at $570+ per night per room. At that price, we only stayed there last year because of the two nights provided with our Hyatt Credit Card. Katy and I each got one, so we enjoyed four nights there for the $75 annual fee each or $150. That’s a great option if you really want to spoil yourself. And don’t forget the Adults Only pool at the Hyatt. (It took us two days to find it.) The buffet there is also top notch.

Two Nights at Any Hyatt Worldwide