Pono Kai Resort

Pono Kai Resort could use a name rebranding. The term “resort” usually conjures images of a full-service hotel with a wide range of fabulous amenities and services. Instead Pono Kai Resort is more of a condo complex with a concierge and a few underwhelming amenities including a small pool and a lousy fitness center. For those who need a place to sleep while exploring the island, but don’t care about features such as a poolside bar or lounge chairs on the beach, Pono Kai might suit the bill. The majority of guests here are older couples, groups, and multigenerational families. Children are certainly welcome, but there’s really nothing for them to do here. The lobby is a large, open-air room with an old Hawaiian feel. The main focal point, a giant red canoe that hangs from the tall wood-beamed ceiling, is a nod to the hotel’s nautical name -- Pono Kai roughly translates to “Sea of Righteousness” or “Sea of Hope” in Hawaiian.     

Right on the periphery of downtown Kapaa, a scrappy little beach town on Kauai’s eastern coast, Pono Kai Resort is within a 10- to 15-minute walk of local shops, restaurants, and convenience stores. Safeway, the nearest full service grocery store, is about a five-minute drive from the hotel. Kauai Path, a miles-long hiking/biking/jogging trail, separates the hotel from the beach and serves as short cut for those walking into town. Lihue Airport is about a 15-minute drive from the hotel.  

The condo-style units at Pono Kai Resort are huge but bland and beige. One-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments are equipped with cheap hospitality-style furniture, and little else. Giant rooms feel empty because there’s hardly enough furniture or decorative pieces to fill them. Thanks to green carpeting and insufficient lighting, many rooms feel dark, despite their yellow walls and large windows. Beige sofas and light wood furniture seem to blend in with the space around them. Nothing stands out as being Hawaiian, or even beachy. Kitchens are generic as well. They are U-shaped in most rooms, and filled with blond cabinets, older white appliances, light solid surface countertops, and linoleum floors. They are however, functional spaces completely equipped with everything one might need for cooking and clean-up -- including dishwashers. Bathrooms are dark, and most are filled with standard shower/tub combos and either one or two sinks. Wall mounted hairdryers might be the most exciting bathroom amenity, as the provided soaps and shampoos are nothing to write home about. All rooms have balconies or patios, but not all ocean views are worth the upgrade. Some are obstructed by other buildings or trees. 

The small, rectangularly shaped pool at Pono Kai is nice, but no so memorable. For the size of the resort, the pool seems small and looks like it would be better fit for a backyard. There are plenty of nice lounge chairs and umbrellas around the pool and there is also a tiny hot tub. There are several barbecue areas, equipped with grills and picnic tables, scattered about the hotel’s well-manicured grounds. Sports enthusiasts should have no problems keeping themselves occupied here. The hotel has two tennis courts, two shuffleboard courts, a mini-golf course (though it’s really more of a putting green), a volleyball net, and a basketball hoop. However, the tiny gym is a dark, oddly configured room filled any which way with random fitness equipment, and only some of the machines work. The beach, like all in Hawaii, is open to the public but is rarely crowded. The sloped shoreline is usually covered in debris, and the rough waters deter many swimmers. Pono Kai has free, ample parking surrounding each of its buildings and also offers free Wi-Fi. An on-site restaurant, or even a quick grab-and-go market, feels noticeably absent.