Kauai's 12 Best Beach Hotels and Resorts

You’re only ever moments from Poipu Beach at the Ko’a Kea resort, located on the sunniest side of the island. The hotel offers an oceanfront pool, a spa, a yoga and fitness studio and an on-site watersports hut, where guests can try everything from surfing to a traditional Hawaiian outrigger canoe. Watch the sun sink into the waves each evening by a beach bonfire or toast the nightly lighting of tiki torches with a rum-soaked Hawaiian Mai Tai.

Families will never want to leave this resort on the island’s sunny south shore at Poipu. The pools alone will wow kids of all ages with a lava rock-lined lazy river, waterfalls, a 150ft (45m) water slide, water volleyball area and saltwater lagoon. Back on dry land, there’s a fantastic kids’ club offering activities including shell bracelet-making, hula lessons and movie nights, while the vintage surf shack dishes up irresistible fish tacos and ice cream.

Idyllic Poipu Beach may be on the doorstep – but it’s still not easy to leave the jaw-dropping pool at this enormous resort. Voted the best pool in America, the 350,000-gallon (1.3million-liter) main pool offers a gobsmacking array of waterslides, swim-through waterfalls, poolside fire pits and several jacuzzis. Those wanting even more entertainment can discover a putting green, soccer area, enormous spa, complimentary yoga classes and an activity hut offering over 600 island activities and adventures, including helicopter tours and sunrise snorkel sessions.

It’s all about laid-back island living at this boutique property in Kapa’a. Bright simple rooms have splashes of zingy lime green and a Keurig coffeemaker, while some have pool or ocean views. There are two swimming pools, a hot tub, bikes to rent and daily outdoor yoga on an oceanfront lawn. With your toes in the sand, you can enjoy a meal at the hotel’s very own casual beach club, dishing up island-inspired flat breads, gazpacho, coconut shrimp and ahi burgers.

Adjacent to the family-friendly Lydgate Beach Park with its protected swimming beach, playground and picnic areas, this Hilton hotel is a great choice for those traveling with children. There are shops and restaurants nearby, plus a 24-hour mini market, car rental desk and coin laundry on-site. Guests can also dine in style at two hotel restaurants, including the retro-inspired tiki restaurant Mamahune’s where handcrafted cocktails and contemporary Hawaiian dishes come with picture-perfect views of Kauai’s Wailua Bay.

Follow a tree-lined drive leading straight to the ocean to find this blissful retreat, where 25 acres (10ha) of tropical gardens spill into the sea. How much you do then is up to you. Laze by one of four pools – three with their very own waterfalls – or book a massage in the oceanfront cabanas. Those with itchy feet can ditch the chaise lounge and join an array of activities including paper flower-making, hula classes, jewelry-making or lessons on the ukulele.

Pretend you have your very own beachfront property at this relaxed resort, set in six acres (2.5ha) of gardens on the Coconut Coast. Individually owned rooms all feature a private lanai (balcony) with either garden or ocean views, while communal amenities include a pool with bar, on-site laundry, barbecue areas and bike rentals. Bonus extras include a daily drinks voucher, complimentary airport transfers and twice-weekly live music with happy hour specials.

It’s easy to explore the rest of the island from these beach villas, just three miles (5km) north of Lihue airport, south of Kapa’a. The East Side’s restaurants and attractions are nearby, and it’s still less than an hour to Princeville on the North Shore. For the days you want to stay closer to home, the resort offers a quiet beach in Lihue, a tennis court, barbecue grills and a pool, while the one- and two-bedroom condos mean you’ll have plenty of space to relax.

Named after Hawaii’s Crown Prince Albert, who visited the area in 1860, Princeville is surrounded by the soaring green sea cliffs that loom over the North Shore’s idyllic Hanalei Bay. It offers more than knockout ocean views, though: visitors can ride horseback through 2,500 acres of rolling pasture to an 80ft (24m) waterfall, fly through the sky on a range of ziplines, hike to a hidden valley or hit the resort’s shopping center, to buy everything from locally made soap to Hawaiian art.

Enjoy a little more space at this resort in the heart of Poipu Beach, on Kauai’s south shore. The Sheraton property offers guest rooms and studios – but also one- and two-bedroom villas for those looking for a home from home on the island. Villas have well-stocked kitchenettes, for cooking up fresh Kauai produce, but it’s well worth visiting the resort’s RumFire restaurant too. Every seat has 180-degree ocean views for lingering over Hawaiian seafood banana curry and misoyaki butterfish.

This stylish oceanfront condominium property – in the island community of Kapaa, which is filled with boutiques and restaurants –is a great base to explore Kauai. Some of the island’s best beaches, including the family-friendly Lydgate Beach Park, are also close at hand. Afterwards, head home to a plush studio, one- or two-bedroom property on this resort, all set around a heated river-pool with flume water slide and three whirlpool spas.

It’s tempting to go nowhere once you’ve checked into one of the Marriott’s spacious two- or three-bedroom villas, with spectacular ocean or garden views. Spend days lazing by the two-level pool or sampling the exercise classes in the fitness center before sipping sundowner cocktails on your private balcony. If you can bear to leave, stunning Kalapaki Beach is close by while Fern Grotto, Huleia National Wildlife Refuge and Opaeka’a Falls are all must-dos.