Koloa Landing, Kauai (Marriott Autograph Collection): Bottom Line Review

My wife and I have spent a fair amount of time traipsing throughout the Hawaiian Islands over the past 20+ years, as the vast majority of her family lives there. These days, if we’re not camping, we primarily use Wyndham points for Vacasa vacation rentals on most islands, unless we’re staying with family. However, during a trip at the end of 2024, we had a couple of days to fill in on Kauai, and two Marriott 85K certificates were staring us in the face. As a result, we decided to try Koloa Landing, an Autograph Collection property that Greg had previously spent some time at in 2019.

Koloa Landing Bottom Line Review

First off, there’s very little to NOT like about this property. All the rooms are condo-style suites and are in excellent shape. They have well-equipped kitchens, washers and dryers in the units, and parking is included in the resort fee, something that’s unusual for Hawai’i Marriott properties. The grounds are beautiful and well-kept; the multi-level pool that you’ll repeatedly hear was once voted “best in US” is large and has plenty of space to keep the kids occupied. However, I probably wouldn’t return.

The property isn’t oceanfront, and there’s a strip of residential housing and a road between the back end and the water…not to mention that the nearest sandy beach is a half-mile away. There are available Vacasa vacation rentals right around the corner for around half the cash price (or less) of Koloa Landing, some of which are on the water and closer to the beaches. You can book several of them through Wyndham for 30K points/night, even in high season. For families that will spend most of their time in the pools, I could see Koloa Landing being a pleasant, roomy option. Otherwise, I think there are better choices given the price. One thumb up, one thumb down

• Price: ~168,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for a two-night stay, but we used two Marriott 85K free night certificates instead. The cash price was ~$820/night.
• Value: When we were there, the value was good at over ~1 cents per point (we value the average redemption of Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.76 cents each).
• Location: Located in the Poipu-Koloa resort area in Southern Kauai. It’s towards the west end of the resort strip, so relatively quiet (not that much in Kauai could be described as “noisy”). It’s within easy reach of the various restaurants and shops in Poipu and Koloa. The resort is NOT oceanfront; there are some houses and a road between it and the waterside black rock (although there is a direct path). The closest sandy beach is about a half-mile walk (~10-15 minutes).
• Room: We booked a standard room, applied Nightly Upgrade Awards, and were confirmed into the 1400 sqft, top-floor 2-bedroom Coastline View Villa. The room was a very nice, condo-style unit that was in excellent condition. There were individual lanais off of each of the bedrooms, two bathrooms, a spacious, water-view living room, and a well-equipped kitchen. It also had an in-room washer and dryer, which we appreciated.
• Parking: Self and valet parking is included in the resort fee, although it can be a decent walk to some of the units from where you park.
• Resort/Destination Fee: $40+tax/night.
• Internet: Good throughout most of the property. It completely tanked in the fitness area for some reason.
• Service: Service was adequate if unexceptional, more or less like what you might find at a typical vacation club property.
• Turndown service: None.
• Dining:
  • Holoholo Grill: Unusual for a property of this size, there’s only one bar/restaurant, located towards the lower end of the pool area. The breakfasts were fine, if unexceptional, and the daily food and beverage credits effectively made it similar in cost to an off-property breakfast. There are some decent happy hour drink specials, although we never tried them out. Open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner from 7 am-9 pm, with drinks served until 10 pm some nights.

• Spa: There’s a full spa on the lobby level, open daily 9 am – 5 pm with the usual menu of treatments.
• Fitness Room: The fitness area is well-equipped and located next to the spa on the lobby level. It has enough equipment to do full cardio and resistance workouts.
• Marriott Titanium Benefits: 
  • Room Upgrade: We booked a standard room, applied Marriott Nightly Upgrade Awards for a confirmed upgrade into a 2-bedroom Coastline View Villa.
  • Free Breakfast: $30 per room elite breakfast credit good at the Holoholo Grill. That was enough to cover about 1/2 of the cost, once drinks and tip were included.
  • Club Lounge: None.
  • Late Checkout: Upon asking, we were given a 1 pm checkout.
  • Welcome Amenity: Three boxes of local candy, a tote bag, four bottles of water, and a bottle of sparkling wine. I believe that much of this is given to all guests as part of the resort fee.
• Would I stay again?  Probably not. Given the price, I’d prefer the Grand Hyatt Kauai or one of the many vacation rentals in the area.

Pros

• All rooms are condo-style suites
• Parking is included in the resort fee, unlike many Hawai’i Marriotts, where you have to pay for both
• Rooms are in excellent condition, and the property is well-maintained
• In-room washers and dryers
• Well-equipped fitness area
• Marvelous mult-tiered pool area
• Grounds are lovely

Cons

• Around double the cash or points (with Vacasa) price of many area vacation rentals
• Not oceanfront, nearest sandy beach is around a half-mile away
• Food and beverage credit offered per room, and only covered around 1/2 of breakfast for two

Image Gallery

Koloa Landing 2-bedroom Suite

Welcome Amenity

Koloa Landing Pool and Grounds

Fitness Area

Holoholo Grill Restaurant

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