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Candice Kraughto, is the director of public relations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Hawaii, and thelobby.com's expert on the region.
Long hours at work, family weekend commitments, and general fatigue were causing my husband and me to be out of sync. We were like ships passing in the night. It was worse than football season. We needed relief. Two days at the Sheraton Kauai Resort in Poipu turned out to be the best prescription for what was ailing us.
We arrived at the resort on Friday night around 9:30 pm having taken almost the last inter-island flight from Honolulu to Lihue after work. “WooHOO!” my husband yelled when he walked into the Sheraton Kauai Resort’s one-bedroom Plumeria Suite. This gorgeous, ground-floor suite opened up to a private Jacuzzi on the lanai, the crashing ocean waves and inky black sky dotted with stars. The living room, dining room, entry hall, bedroom and huge bathroom stretched over square footage double the size of our tiny apartment in Honolulu. We could feel our tension and exhaustion start to ebb away as we dropped our bags on the ground and just breathed in pure Kauai.
My husband and I wandered over to The Point, the resort’s indoor and outdoor bar and grill for a glass of wine and late night appetizers. We watched a crowd gather for “Release,” a stylish Friday night party offered every week for the local Kauai ultra lounge lovers. The Sheraton Sweet Sleeper seemed to be calling our names though so we strolled back to our suite before the “Release” party went off full swing.
The next morning we took a walk around the tranquil Garden Wing surrounded by dragonflies, water lilies and Koloa ducks before driving to Kilauea Lighthouse about 35 miles away on the north shore of Kauai. We had heard that the Kileaua Lighthouse was a bird sanctuary, but the local resident National Marine Sanctuaries humpback whale counters were in full force that day. A fin slap here, a jubilant release of water from a spout there, our cynical city eyes were captivated searching for the next sign of these wondrous whales.
When we got back to the Sheraton Kauai Resort, I could swear I saw whales playing out in the waters outside our room. I called the front desk. “Sure,” the hotel front desk agent said, “we’ve seen whales the whole week.” We ordered room service and enjoyed a private dinner on our lanai listening to waves crash on the rocks – knowing that humpback whales were splashing in the distance. It was just magical.
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Living on Kauai, I often recommend the Sheraton to visitors, friends and family. I love the location and the beach. The hotel has a very natural Kauai feel to it, much more so than the neighboring Hyatt.
April 8, 2008 2:04 AM | Reply
Hi, Candice, I'm planning to visit Hawaii again in this coming November for cousin's wedding. Hopefully wanna stay in Sheraton:)
I'm doing PR like you at Edelman, and running blog mainly about 'business team blog management.'
On my recent post, I talked about 'the Lobby' as a successful team blog, so it would be great if you visit mine too :)
April 10, 2008 7:17 AM | Reply
Yes! A PR colleague! I'll definitely visit your blog - www.edelman.com right? Email me before you come back to Hawaii! candice.kraughto@starwoodhotels.com I'll give you tips on the best new places to eat!
April 10, 2008 5:18 PM | Reply
Candice,
We love your blog. You really crystallize the Hawaii experience!
My multi-media production company has made more than a few visits to the Islands recently, producing television and web content for various clients. Whether in Kauai, Maui or on Oahu, the Sheratons are our best bet in keeping executives and producers content, and we usually eliminate the hassle of tracking them down, as everything they desire can be found at each of your properties. And comfort…well…the crew is always nicely rested!
(Perhaps also praising Toronto’s Westins and NYC’s Ws is straying too far from paradise)
On a personal note, our 3 year old loves the Sheraton Waikiki, in particular the toddler-perfect wading pool steps from the beach, the early evening music/dance performances, and the turtles swimming in the ocean right outside our window.
Your description of the private Jacuzzi in the Sheraton Kauai has convinced my wife that
our next visit will be spent in that suite.
Aloha!
April 12, 2008 4:20 PM | Reply
Hi Candice - What a blessing that you live close enough to Kauai that you can take a weekend trip to sunny Poipu. I had to sigh as I read your nice post.
Though I'm a Hawaii travel blogger and frequent visitor to the islands, I live on the East Coast of the mainland. So it's way too far of a trek for anything less than 7 days. Though we have done a 5 day trip and that wasn't too bad.
Do you have a way of subscribing to your blog posts via RSS?
Aloha,
Sheila
April 17, 2008 5:56 PM | Reply