Recently in Kauai Category

It's once again the season for giving, and while you could go ahead and give your friends and family the same old gifts, why not go one better and send them to the destination of their dreams? It's a snap to purchase Starpoints and give them as gifts, and it's a great way to help people reach their next award, or jump-start the account of someone just starting out. They'll love you for it, because your gift could get them to a romantic retreat like the Sheraton Kauai Resort (pictured) or any of hundreds of Starwood properties around the world. Of course, when it comes to holiday giving, there's nothing wrong with giving a gift to yourself, and you can buy Starpoints for your own account for as little as $35 for 1,000 Starpoints. After all, you deserve it. To purchase Starpoints, give Starpoints as a gift, or claim Starpoints you've been given, click here and start planning your next great trip.

The Starwood Preferred Guest program is a great way to earn free nights and upgrades at Starwood hotels and resorts around the world, as well as free flights on hundreds of airlines. Every time you stay at a Starwood property - or make a purchase with your SPG American Express card - you earn Starpoints toward the global getaway of your choice. But did you know that Starpoints are also available for purchase? If you just need a few more Starpoints to enjoy that special trip, you can buy 1,000 Starpoints for as little as $35.00, and you can even send a gift of Starpoints to family and friends. Suppose you're craving a few days at the luxurious Sheraton Kauai Resort. You can enjoy a specialty room for 6,750 Starpoints plus $110 cash. Suite rooms can be had for 15,600 Starpoints plus $110 cash. You'll love the golden sand beaches, warm ocean breezes, and countless luxuries at this exquisite resort, and you'll love them even more knowing that you got a great deal by using cash and points. A host of amazing destinations around the world await you, so pick your paradise and get traveling.

Lucy Williams is an Orlando-based writer for Starwood Vacation Ownership and thelobby.com's expert on the subject.

The Travelocity Roaming Gnome is on another adventure, and this time he has been seen at several different Starwood Vacation Ownership resorts. When you stay at one of these resorts in 2008, you can go on a Roaming Gnome scavenger hunt for a chance to win prizes. Roaming Gnomes will be hidden in secret spots around the resorts. Participants will receive a clue sheet with hints as to where they are hiding. Once you complete your clue sheet, you can redeem it for a prize at the resort. You will also be entered into a grand prize drawing to win a five-day, four-night resort stay, plus two airline tickets worth up to $750 each. The contest began on May 1 and will continue through the end of 2008. The grand prize winner will be chosen at the end of the year.

Participating Starwood Vacation Ownership resorts are: Sheraton Vistana Villages and Sheraton Vistana Resort in Orlando, Florida; The Westin St. John Resort & Villas in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands; The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas in Maui, Hawai'i; The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas in Kaua'i, Hawai'i; The Westin Mission Hills Resort & Villas in Rancho Mirage, California; Sheraton Desert Oasis and The Westin Kierland Villas in Scottsdale, Arizona; Sheraton Mountain Vista in Avon, Colorado; Sheraton Broadway Plantation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Sheraton PGA Vacation Resort in Port St. Lucie, Florida; and Vistana's Beach Club in Jensen Beach, Florida.

Opening this month is The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas, a Starwood Vacation Ownership resort gracefully poised 200 feet above the Pacific Ocean on stunning wind-kissed cliffs on Kaua‘i's North Shore. Endless opportunities for exploration and recreation abound on Kaua‘i. Ride the river to Fern Grotto and immerse yourself in 1,800 acres of inspiring beauty at Waimea Canyon State Park. Fly by helicopter over the lush cliffs along the famous Na Pali Coast. Hike down to nearby Queen's Bath. Or discover your best golf game when you tee up on lush greens. Kaua‘i’s top-two-rated golf courses, Prince and Makai, not only beckon with meticulously manicured fairways, but they also provide an enviable vantage point of stirring Hawaiian scenery. Both courses have earned a spot on the prestigious Golf Digest “America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses” list.

At the end of each action-packed day, you may unwind amid inspired surroundings at The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas. Spacious and stylishly furnished villas offer luxurious comfort, modern conveniences and intuitive touches suffused with Hawaiian culture—including the delightful Heavenly Bed and Heavenly Bath, fully equipped kitchens, entertainment centers and private lanais.

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 island paradise you daydream of just got a little bit closer. The Sheraton Kauai Resort is one of this week's participating Starpicks properties, which means that last-minute rates are at least 20% off regular rates for stays during the next six weeks. This exquisite 20-acre property on Kauai's sunny south shore is located alongside Poipu Beach, the #1 beach in America according to the Travel Channel and Dr. Beach. Kayak, surf, and scuba to your heart's content, but if you're able to tear yourself away from this fantastic beach for a day, be sure to check out the island's amazing interior.

A hike through gorgeous Waimea Canyon is an almost surreal experience. At ten miles by two miles and nearly 4000 feet deep, it's a lush, green contrast to the sands of Poipu. Spectacular Wailua Falls, meanwhile, might look a little bit familiar to anybody who watched TV in the late seventies and early eighties, as it was featured in the opening montage of Fantasy Island. The Sheraton Kauai features plenty of great natural vistas of its own, including the beautiful Point Lookout, which is a perfect spot for taking in the Pacific sunset, along with a beverage and snack at the Point Restaurant and Lounge. Visit Starpicks today for the latest list of last-minute destinations.