We have stayed at the Koloa Landing Resort in Poipu, Kauai, Hawaii twice in the last year and will provide an overview of the property and a review to help you decide if you want to stay here.
Property Overview:
The Koloa Landing Resort at Poipu is part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection and the resort operates as a full ownership condominium hotel. Currently, this property is a Marriott Rewards category 8 hotel. With 300+ studio and villa accommodations on 20+ acres of tropical grounds, it is a very family friendly oriented resort. Most units are sold as 2 bedroom units and include 1 studio and a 1 bedroom unit with a connecting door.
The rooms range from studios (475 sq feet) to spacious 4 bedroom penthouse suites (3,600 sq feet). Most room types are classified by the view: Resort view, Partial ocean view, and Ocean view. All rooms have a balcony, a kitchen varying from size and features, and a washer and dryer. Based on the resort map, there are 11 buildings no more than 4 stories tall that house the accommodations.
Resort Fee:
Like most Hawaiian resorts, Koloa Landing currently charges a $32USD per night resort fee that includes: parking, a welcome lei and amenity (beach bag, banana bread, chocolates, and large bottle of water), and complimentary Mai Tai from the pool or lobby bar. Overall, we find the resort fee to offer good value for what you get even if we are opposed to the cash grab that is the resort fee and would prefer it to be included in the room rate.
Location:
Located on the southern part of the island steps away from Poipu Beach, Koloa landing is in the sunnier part of Kauai and is a short and easy 20-30 minute drive from LIH – Lihue Airport. The resort is not located on the beach but it is a pleasant 10-15 minute walk to Poipu Beach where you can swim in the ocean and take part in water activities. As for access to nearby shops and restaurants, the resort is a short 10-15 minute walk to the Poipu Shopping Village and a 5 minute drive to the Kukui’ula Village Shopping Center. We highly recommend checking out Kauai Juice Company in Poipu Village for some of the best kombucha you may ever drink in your life!
Dining:
As the property is very family friendly and all units have a kitchen, there are limited dining options on-site. The main restaurant Holoholo Grill serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and has full bar service. Recently, the Koloa Landing started hosting a luau a couple of times per week which is also an option for those looking for that experience. The Gourmet Marketplace is convenient to get takeaway and items to stock the kitchen. We did not eat at any of the restaurants onsite at the resort. You can also get free coffee from the lobby every morning (bring a reusable mug from your room to reduce landfill waste). They are also BBQs for those who want to grill.
Amenities:
This resort has great amenities: from the pools to the fitness center to the spa and the outdoor games, guests of all ages will have access to a wide variety of leisure activities onsite.
The pools are outstanding and well maintained and really enhance the resort’s atmosphere. There are 3 pools at Koloa Landing open from 07:30-22:30 daily: one is the main signature pool with cabanas, swim-through waterfalls, and 2 waterslides. The top pool is the best place to swim laps and it is recommended to be there early in the morning by 09:00 to have the most space.
The Lagoon Pool is family friendly and quieter than the main pool. It has a hot tub, lounge chairs, umbrellas and a fire pit.
The Tranquility Pool is adults only and has a hot tub, waterfalls, lounge chairs and this is where the BBQ area is located.
The Fitness Center is located in close to the lobby and is open 24 hours per day and offers up cardio (a spin bike, recumbent bike, elliptical machines and treadmills) and strength equipment (free weights, benches, medicine balls, etc.).
We did not visit The Spa at Koloa Landing but in addition to body and beauty treatments, it boasts of an Ofuro Japanese Soaking Tub experience.
On the grounds, there is an entire area with sports equipment to play soccer, volleyball, and mini putt.
Room Review – Ocean View Studio:
On our first visit, we stayed in an ocean view studio in building 8 on the 4th floor. The room had 1 king bed and a sofa bed, and was well appointed. Overall, we really enjoyed staying in this room due to the nice private balcony with an ocean view despite the drawbacks of also having a view of someone’s home/yard and the loud roosters that are like an alarm clock (roosters and chicken are everywhere on Kauai). We found the room to have everything we needed to relax and also feel at home due to the small kitchen and ensuite laundry. While this is room is considered a studio, we found it very large and spacious compare to a standard hotel room. This room would be best suited for a couple or a family of 3-4.
Room Review – Partial Ocean View 1 Bedroom:
On our second visit, we stayed in a partial ocean view 1 bedroom villa in building 7 on the 3rd floor. The room had 1 king bed, a sofa bed in the separate living room, a large kitchen and dining area, a large bathroom divided into 2 rooms (bath and sink in one room and the shower, toilet, and another sink in the other room). This room was also very well appointed and the kitchen well stocked with a blender, glass food storage containers, and other gadgets. We enjoyed this room even if it was we felt it was quite large and spacious for just the two of us. While it is considered a “partial ocean view”, you need to stand on the corner of the balcony to see the ocean and the view is really of other buildings, the parking lot, and the passenger drop off area that gets very busy. We did enjoy our stay in this room, including time on our balcony even if it wasn’t quite a partial ocean view. This room would be best suited for a couple or a family and is good for hosting if you plan on having visitors.
Summary:
We really enjoy what the Koloa Landing has to offer and find it to be a very well managed and maintained resort: the housekeeping, pool maintenance, and ground maintenance staff work very hard and it shows by how clean and tidy the rooms, grounds, and pools are. If there is one thing that is slightly lacking, it’s the Hawaiian vibe but the art in the rooms of scenery in Kauai makes up for it. Compared to the Grand Hyatt, we definitely enjoy staying at the Koloa Landing a lot more.
Compared to other resorts, most guests don’t have to walk too far from the parking lot to get to their room to the detriment of the property’s layout and atmosphere (in our opinion); it just feels like they built the resort around the parking lots in some spots. There do appear to be more “parking lot view rooms” here than one would like and a garden landscaping setting would have made it more peaceful.
Since the property is easily accessible from the street, security staff patrol frequently and ensure the property rules are enforced, i.e no kids in the adult pool. While this is really a family friendly property and we felt that we were some of the only people staying here that didn’t have children, we were able to enjoy our own quiet leisure time and also to take advantage of the family oriented amenities. We would recommend the Koloa Landing to anyone looking for condo-style accommodation in a resort setting in the sunniest party of Kauai Island.
More information:
- Koloa Landing website: https://koloalandingresort.com/
- Marriott Koloa Landing website: https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lihak-koloa-landing-resort-at-poipu-autograph-collection/
Have you ever stayed at the Koloa Landing Resort? If so, which building did you stay in? Do you prefer condo style rooms or traditional hotel rooms?
Related Posts:
Kauai:
- Guide: Best Beaches in Kauai
- Poke in Hawaii: Options for Kauai, Maui and Oahu
- Hiking the Awa’awapuhi Trail in the Koke’e State Park, Kauai
- Review: Anahola Huli-Huli Chicken and a Beach Picnic in East Kauai
- Review: Cafe Turmeric, Hanalei, Kauai
- Review: The Fresh Shave, Kauai, Hawaii
- Our Top 10 Pools: Enhance Your Hotel Stay
Oahu:
- Destination Guide to Oahu: Waikiki and Beyond
- Where to Eat and Drink on Oahu in Hawaii
- Getting Around on Oahu in Hawaii: Should you rent a car?
- Where to Stay on Oahu: Waikiki and Beyond
- Stay: A Review of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
- Guide and Tips: Beaches and Hikes on Oahu
Big Island:
- The Big Island of Hawaii – Kilauea Volcano and 5 Other Things You Need to Know
- The Big Island of Hawaii – Where to Eat and Drink
- Review: The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort, Big Island Hawaii
Other:
WeLeaveToday 
5 thoughts on “Review: Koloa Landing Resort, Kauai (Hawaii)”