SMITH AWARDS 2019 Best family hotel runner-up

Kauai, United States

Timbers Kaua'i Ocean Club & Residences

Price per night from$2,095.00

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD2,095.00), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Timbers Kaua'i Ocean Club & Residences Photos

Style

Hawaiian hideout

Setting

Between lanai and sea

Explore

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Where the mountains meet the sea on Kaua’i, Timbers Kaua'i Ocean Club & Residences are dotted around a Pacific-lapped bay. This is where you’ll find the beach club, for days by the ocean that are idle, adventurous or somewhere in-between. It could be a round of golf that lures you away from the sands, perhaps a cycle around the grounds, or a nature trail organised through the resort. Then it’s back to your apartment-style suite with its generous lanai and amazing sea views. Have the resort organise a spa treatment in your suite; then head out for cocktails and dinner at farm-to-table restaurant Hualani’s. Welcome to your Hawaiian home from home.

Smith Extra

Get this when you book through us:

A $100 credit to put towards adventure tours; stay seven nights or more and that gets bumped up to a $200 credit

Facilities

Photos Timbers Kaua'i Ocean Club & Residences facilities

Need to know

Rooms

47 suites.

Check–Out

10am. Earliest check-in, 4pm, but flexible, subject to availability.

Prices

Double rooms from £1726.66 ($2,408), including tax at 14.962 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional resort fee of $46.00 per room per night on check-out.

More details

Rates include buffet breakfast and private airport transfers.

Also

Couples’ spa treatments can be arranged in residence.

At the hotel

Golf, gym, yoga lanai, beach club. In rooms: kitchenette with oven, microwave and dishwasher; washing machine and tumble dryer; barbecue; WiFi throughout; LG LED TV; iPod docks; Comfort Zone toiletries.

Our favourite rooms

It’s compass points and views that make the difference here. Go oceanfront at Kaiholo Residence for prime Pacific panoramas; choose Maliula to be near the kids’ club and family-friendly pool. Ask for a west-facing two-bedroom Maliula apartment for sunsets to savour.

Poolside

An enticing duo of dips awaits: there are uninterrupted Pacific views from the split-level, heated infinity pools near Kaiholo Residence, and the livelier ‘ohana’ (family) pool awaits at Maliula, with its enticing waterfall. Both have Jacuzzis on the side, of course.

Spa

Distinctly Hawaiian in looks and treatments, The Spa at Timbers Kaua'i specialises in massage and facials, and uses Hawaiian plant-based oils to soothe, relax and boost a sense of wellbeing.

Packing tips

Beach-friendly glamour is a remit you’ll want to cover, leaving you perfectly attired for oceanside sunset cocktails.

Also

Two of the Maliula three-bedroom premier villas are suitable for wheelchair users.

Children

All ages are welcome. The set-up for all suites is family friendly, with at least two bedrooms and generous living space. Cots can be added to all suites, and babysitting’s available with 24 hours’ notice from US$35 a night (for a minimum of three hours).

Best for

Over-6s, able to enjoy Keiki Club and all the outdoor adventures Timbers Kaua'i and the surrounding resort have to offer.

Recommended rooms

Any of the suites at Maliula Residence put you in prime position for access to the kid’s club, family-friendly pool and games lawn.

Activities

Bikes and helmets can be borrowed for family cycling around the resort. The Farm at Hokuala runs children’s activities such as painting pebbles or planting papaya. An indoor play room beside the gym is your saving grace should rain stop play. Keiki Club is Timbers Kaua'i’s kid’s club, where camp counsellors tailor indoor and outdoor activities daily to suit the interests and ages of the group. Kalapaki Beach is home to the Timbers Kaua'i Beach Club, which has surfboards, paddleboards, snorkelling equipment and kayaks. 

Swimming pool

The infinity pool and the family pool both have shallow ends. The waterfall pool with a natural volcanic rock design at Maliula, besides a games lawn, is a better option for Smiths junior.

Meals

Hualani’s has a children’s menu and is happy to heat milk or baby food on request. Crayons and colouring books come with the menus for junior diners. Highchairs are provided and there are baby-changing facilities at the restaurant. A fully equipped kitchen, including a fridge and microwave, makes life easier for staying in.  

 

Babysitting

Bookable with 24 hours’ notice, from US$35 an hour (for a minimum of three hours).

No need to pack

There are toys, puzzles, books and arts and crafts available to borrow in resort. A selection of age-appropriate DVDs are yours to watch on your in-suite DVD player.

Also

Guided nature trails, lei-making and ukulele lessons are just some of the activities on offer to put your family in touch with Hawaii’s natural and cultural heritage.

Sustainability efforts

Much of the hotel’s produce is grown on site at the Farm at Hokuala or sourced locally. Light bulbs throughout are energy efficient and the resort uses Seven Generation eco-friendly cleaning products.

Food and Drink

Photos Timbers Kaua'i Ocean Club & Residences food and drink

Top Table

Nab a table bordering the lanai, for uninterrupted views across the pool and out to sea.

Dress Code

Go floaty and understated for Mrs Smith, with the lightest of knits as breeze-countering back-up; opt for linened and casual for Mr Smith.

Hotel restaurant

Seasonal Hawaiian cuisine is in abundance at Hualani’s, Timbers Kaua'i’s main restaurant. Chef Jefet Tellez and team create their menu with an emphasis on farm-to-table dining (so the menu changes often), using locally caught fish and island-grown produce in dishes such as ono ceviche and taro fries. The relaxed setting has an indoors/outdoors feel, created by tables that come with ocean views, an airy design and adjoining lanai. The Big Kahuna burgers are amazing.

Hotel bar

The bar at Hualani’s serves cocktails with ocean views. You can order food here, too, all day, from a smaller menu starring coconut langostino risotto, crispy plantain guacapoke and the aforementioned burgers. Last drink orders, 10.30pm.

Last orders

Breakfast is served until 10.30am; lunch between 11am and 3pm; dinner from 5.30pm until 9.30pm.

Location

Photos Timbers Kaua'i Ocean Club & Residences location
Address
Timbers Kaua'i Ocean Club & Residences
3770 Ala’oli Way Hokuala
Lihue
96766
United States

Timbers Kaua'i is sheltered in a picturesque southerly bay on Kaua’i, flanked by lighthouses and cosseted by the Haupu mountain range. Yet, in spite of its secluded spot, it’s easy to reach with appealingly short transfers.

Planes

The island’s main airport, Lihue, is under 10 minutes away by car and private airport transfers are free.

Trains

Mountainous terrain means there are trails but no rails.

Automobiles

If you’re after the freedom of your own wheels, parking is available at the resort, from US$30 a day. (There’s valet parking, too.)

Worth getting out of bed for

Hawaii’s garden island is a wild ride of Pacific-lapped beaches backed by soaring peaks. If it’s adventure you’re after, there are plenty of adrenaline-charged sports to please you. More pedestrian pursuits abound in resort, whether it’s golf, pilates or an amble in nature. And in the land of the lanai, total relaxation is practically a requirement.

Yoga, pilates, personal training and guided bike rides are all offered at the resort, at no extra charge. Kalapaki Beach is home to the resort’s beach club, with surfboards, paddleboards, snorkelling equipment and kayaks for hire. Go on a tour of the farm at Hokuala with Farmer Cody and see where your dinner’s freshest ingredients (supplied to Timbers Kaua'i) come from. Or enjoy 18 holes on the Jack Nicklaus-designed Ocean Golf Course.

Intrepid walkers will enjoy east coast panoramas on a four-mile ascent of Sleeping Giant Nounou Trail - a climb that rewards hikers with breathtaking views up top. Back at sea level, Outfitters Kaua'i’s kayak tours take you to the secret beaches and hidden waterfalls landlocked explorers won’t find. Fly like a bird above the canopy with a zipline tour, with different trips tiered by fear threshold and ability.

Kaua’i does a great line in waterfalls, which range from the accessible (Wailua) to the remote (Hanakapiai); a hike to east-side Secret Falls is a popular excursion. The true spectacle of Kaua’i’s cloud-dappled canyons, craters and ridges, replete with waterfalls, is most easily appreciated from the air, with a helicopter tour of the mountainous Na Pali coast in northern Kaua’i through Blue Hawaiian. 

In glorious contrast to the wild surroundings of Timbers Kaua'i, Allerton Garden is a patch of beautifully landscaped botanical history. Book a guided tour: its bamboo plantation, cut-flower garden and eyecatching artworks tucked among the tropical foliage are coo-worthy whether you’re a gardener or not.

Local restaurants

Choose from a rainbow selection of poke (Hawaii’s answer to sashimi) at the Fish Express in Lihue for a super-fresh takeaway lunch to enjoy beside the sea. Just around the headland on Kalapaki Beach, Duke’s is a pine-clad palace to surf and turf, where the emphasis is on freshly caught home-cooked food and the dress code is barefoot. For something a little more formal, Jo2 in Kapaa is French chef Jean-Marie Josselin’s latest homage to Hawaiian cuisine, with a veg-led menu laced with Japanese touches. In the modest, monochrome dining room, linger over dishes such as avocado tempura squash blossom and bamboo steamed moi.

Local bars

A lively, eccentric neighbourhood pub, Nawiliwili Tavern is a truly local experience, in Lihue: go for the tequila cocktails – stay for the pizza.

Reviews

Photos Timbers Kaua'i Ocean Club & Residences reviews

Anonymous review

By Mr & Mrs Smith

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this idyllic island hotel in Hawaii and unpacked their coconut oil and ukuleles, a full account of their beach stay will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Timber Kaua'i Ocean Club & Residences in Hawaii. 

‘It’s all too hectic,’ said nobody ever, after a few days at Timbers Kaua'i. Yes, the resort’s 18-hole golf course, inviting infinity pools and miles of trails through mango groves and along breathtaking coastline suggest a life of activity, but there is just as much to help you unwind, be it a relaxing massage at Timbers Kaua'i Spa, a day lazing on the sand at Kalapaki Beach, or an early-morning session at the yoga lanai. Arrival sets the tone: private airport transfers bring you to the grand, ocean-facing porte cochère, where you’re met with warm smiles and cool cocktails. Contemporary apartment-style suites make family living a breeze. But don’t let the domesticity fool you – the delights of Timbers Kaua'i go well beyond the everyday. Intersperse downtime with a guided cycle ride, a laid-back lunch in the bar at Hualani’s and a restorative facial at the hotel spa. Staying here is truly a masterclass in relaxation.    

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