My husband and I are Wyndham owners, and we booked a week-long stay at Bali Hai Kauai Resort. We arrived late Wednesday evening, and I will say that the check-in process was quick, easy, and the front desk staff was very friendly and welcoming.
Unfortunately, that was where the positive experience ended.
We booked a Presidential Two-Bedroom Suite, expecting a higher standard of accommodations, but the suite was extremely underwhelming. The unit was very outdated, and more concerning, it was not clean. The bathrooms looked as though they hadn't been thoroughly cleaned in days. The blinds, wall décor, and various surfaces throughout the suite were covered in dust. I was so uncomfortable with the condition of the room that I ended up making a trip to Walmart to purchase cleaning supplies so I could clean the bathrooms, floors, and parts of the suite myself.
As a side note, guests should be aware that housekeeping is only provided for stays of nine days or longer. If you need fresh towels or linens, you can request replacements, but that's the extent of the service. Another surprise was that air conditioning comes at an additional charge of $20 per day. For a resort of this caliber, charging extra for something as basic as air conditioning feels unreasonable.
The following morning, my husband returned to the front desk to pick up our welcome packet. While there, he was approached by a concierge and invited to attend what was described as a "30-minute presentation" about Wyndham's new internet features. Having been through these presentations before, we knew that 30 minutes is rarely the reality, so he politely declined. He did ask whether the resort offered discounts on local excursions, only to be told that discounts were only available to guests who attended the presentation. In other words, if we wanted access to any savings, we would need to sit through what would likely be a much longer sales presentation. We chose to pass.
Despite these disappointments, we were determined to enjoy our vacation—and thankfully, Kauai itself did not disappoint. The island is absolutely beautiful. Even with occasional rain showers throughout the week, we had an amazing time exploring, sightseeing, and experiencing everything Kauai has to offer.
The first few days of our stay were peaceful because no one was staying in the unit above us. Once that changed, however, another major issue became apparent: the soundproofing in these buildings is terrible. We could hear virtually every movement from the guests upstairs. It sounded as though people were stomping across the floors, dragging furniture, or rolling bowling balls overhead. I'm honestly not exaggerating. The noise was constant and continued for the remainder of our stay, making it difficult to fully relax.
Overall, this was not the resort experience we expected, especially as Wyndham owners who booked one of the resort's premium accommodations. Between the lack of cleanliness, additional fees, limited housekeeping, sales-presentation pressure, and excessive noise, the stay fell far short of expectations.
There are plenty of other resorts in Kauai that offer better amenities, cleaner accommodations, and a more enjoyable overall experience. I would not recommend Bali Hai Kauai Resort to friends or family, and if we return to Kauai in the future, we will definitely choose a different place to stay. In all honesty, I would be more inclined to rent an Airbnb near the beach than stay at this resort again.