Outrigger Waipouli Beach Resort Rating: 4.0 Pearls

Kauai, Hawaii, United States

The luxury condos are the resort's main draw.

In the top tier of Kauai resorts, travelers have their choice of indulgences: every imaginable bell and whistle at the luxurious Grand Hyatt, attentive service at the chic Koa Kea, proximity to world-class golf at the Westin Princeville, postcard-worthy views at Whalers Cove, and so on. At the Outrigger Waipouli Beach Resort, the extravagance starts (and almost ends) in the rooms. The beautifully decorated one- and two-bedroom suites are among the most luxurious in Kauai. With granite countertops and high-end appliances from Wolf and Sub-Zero, the kitchens are a home remodeler's dream. Great beds and roomy bathrooms with separate showers and tubs create a supremely welcoming atmosphere. And the spacious layouts make the suites ideal for families.

The 118-unit Outrigger Waipouli Beach Resort will appeal to vacationers who value high-quality rooms in a quiet atmosphere. The resort goes beyond the "keys and you're done" service found at many condo resorts with extras such as check-out housekeeping, laundry and dry cleaning service, and a well-staffed activities desk.

Beyond that, the hotel has little else to offer. The sandy beach is so-so for Kauai and ill-suited for swimming. The on-site restaurant serves locally-grown organic produce and fresh-caught island seafood for lunch and dinner. But a mediocre beach and lack of dining options is common at Kauai condo resorts. At the Outrigger Waipouli Beach Resort, a quick drive lands guests at better beaches, and the full kitchens allow them to do their own cooking.

The activities desk

Service here is a few notches above what most condo resorts offer. Still, for the most part guests are on their own. Don't look for room service or nightly turndown.

• Check-out housekeeping
• 24-hour front desk, luggage storage
• Laundry and dry-cleaning service
• Free parking
• Free high-speed Internet access
• Wake-up calls
• Activities desk orients guests to the island, books adventures like helicopter rides and boat tours.
• Spa by the Sea offers special services with a Hawaiian twist -- Volcanic clay body treatments, Lomi Lomi Massage, Hawaiian flower footbaths.

View on a Larger Map

The Outrigger Waipouli Beach Resort is on Kauai's eastern shore, close to urban comforts but far from the island's best natural sights. The hotel is on Kuhio Highway, the high-traffic main road that connects the island's two largest cities, Kapaa and Lihue.

• Fronts so-so Kauai beach: rocky ocean floor, decent snorkeling but not great for swimming
• Kalapaki Beach in Lihue, the island's best beginner's surfing beach, is 20 minutes away by car.
• Across the street from Kauai Village shopping center with Safeway grocery store, activity centers, Starbucks, drugstore, and fast-food restaurants
• 20-minute drive from Lihue Airport
• 20 miles, 45 minutes from the north shore, home to the lava rock seawater pools at Queen's Bath and the rugged cliffs of the Na Pali Coast, two of the island's most popular sights
• 20 miles, 45 minutes from the south shore and some of the island's best beaches for swimming
• 30 miles, one-hour drive from must-see Waimea Canyon, the largest canyon in the Pacific

The large kitchens have high-end appliances

The immaculate, top-of-the-line condo units -- all outfitted with high-tech full kitchens, spacious bathrooms, and comfortable beds -- are among the most luxurious on the island. Unlike at the less expensive Outrigger Kiahuna Plantation and Castle Kiahuna Plantation, guests can count on high-quality furnishings in every room. At 898-square feet, the Outrigger Waipouli's one-bedroom suites are larger than those at the similarly priced Westin Princeville.

• The large 898-square-foot, one-bedroom suites sleep four.
• Two-bedroom, three-bath units sleep six.
• Full kitchen boasts granite countertops and high-tech brands: Wolf stove and oven, Sub-Zero fridge, GE Profile microwave
• Comfortable beds have Simmons Beautyrest World Class Innerspring mattresses, four pillows, duvets.
• Separate living area with dining table, pullout couch
• Jacuzzi tubs and showers
• 37-inch flat-screen TVs with 98 channels; all rooms have DVD-VCR player
• iHome iPod docks
• Free wired Internet access
• Washer and dryer in rooms; welcome packet includes large bottle of Tide.
• Guests can upgrade from the basic garden view to partial mountain view, partial ocean view, ocean view, and oceanfront units.
• The hotel has six hotel rooms with no kitchenettes, just mini-fridges and coffeemakers.

Guests paying top dollar to stay at the Outrigger Waipouli Beach Resort will expect above-average extras -- a pool complex and a fitness center -- and by that measure the hotel delivers. But the facilities don't stack up to what you'll find at the Westin Princeville or the Grand Hyatt, the Outrigger Waipouli's two major competitors.

• Large, family-friendly lazy-river pool with two waterslides, sand-bottom kids pool, sand-bottom hot tubs; not as extensive as Grand Hyatt's pools
• Windowless fitness center with seven cardio machines, weight machines
• Only one barbecue grill for guests
• Live music four nights a week at Tahitian Lanai Bar and Grille
• No tennis courts, no golf

The beach can't match Kauai's best.

The beach at the Outrigger Waipouli Beach Resort is wider, cleaner and less steep than the shore in front of nearby Kapaa hotels like the Aston Islander on the Beach or the Kauai Coast, but it still can't match the fine south shore beaches at the Outrigger and Castle Kiahuna Plantation, Sheraton Kauai, Marriott Waiohai, or the Kauai Marriott, where guests can swim, snorkel and learn to surf in the gentle waves. All in all, the beach is fine for getting your toes wet, and, on a calm day, decent for snorkeling.

• A lava-rock jetty creates a small calm pool where the clear water exposes the rocks that dot the sandy bottom.
• Plastic lounge chairs and a table for sunbathing, three small shade umbrellas, but that's about it for beachside amenities
• Guests can borrow towels at a hut by the pool.
• 20-minute drive to large, picturesque Kalapaki Beach in Lihue, which is good for bodyboarding, beginner's surfing, and swimming
• Hotel doesn't rent snorkel equipment or other beach amenities, but several activity centers across the street provide those services.

Waterslides are a surefire kid pleaser.

The Outrigger Waipouli Beach isn't in the top ranks of family-friendly resorts. In that category, the Grand Hyatt has five acres of pools and a better beach. The Westin Princeville has a separate kids' pool and free kid-friendly activities every day. Both have kids' clubs. Still, thanks to its spacious suites, the Outrigger Waipouli sleeps families more comfortably than either of those resorts do.

• All suites have full kitchens and washers and dryers, along with enough space to easily accommodate families.
• The pool has waterslides, a lazy river, and a sand-bottomed section.
• Island Explorer Program teaches kids about the islands; if they complete the Island Explorer Kit workbook, they get free membership in Jean Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society
• Cribs and rollaways are charged nightly.

The staff keeps the entire resort in excellent condition.

The Outrigger Waipouli on the Beach's on-site dining options are thin, but the suite kitchens and a grocery store across the street help make up for that. And low- to midpriced local and chain restaurants are easy to find on the eastern shore, especially in Kapaa and Lihue.

• Oasis on the Beach Restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner, and has a happy hour every day. Entrees include veggie plates, various fish, and other dishes, like Oxtail risotto and pork chops.
• Safeway grocery store in shopping center across the street
• One barbecue grill on-site
• Coconut Marketplace in Kapaa, a quarter mile away, has several affordable restaurants; Hukilau Lanai serves local fresh fish.
• 15 to 20 minutes away in Lihue, local favorite Hamura Saimin has some of the best saimin on the island, plus great lilikoi chiffon pie; go for lunch to avoid the long dinner lines).
• 15 to 20 minutes away in Lihue, Duke's at the Kauai Marriott offers happy hour specials plus live entertainment.