Waimea Plantation Cottages

Could not have picked a better place to stay for our honeymoon! Got the Ocean Front cottage, and it was absolutely perfect. Fell asleep to the sound of the waves, woke up to the sound of the birds, and no other noises the entire time! So peaceful and intimate. We preferred this very much so to any of the condos or hotels in the more touristy areas. The interior of the cottage was nothing fancy, but it was spotlessly clean, and very comfortable. Felt very authentic for the locale. The staff was super friendly, too; and it was a short drive into town for breakfast and tasty coffee in the mornings. 10/10.

On average, I would give 4 stars. I came across Waimea Plantation Cottages when I was trying to find a place to stay where my two boys could each have their own bed. This was one of the least expensive options we could find that still had a pool. You are off the tourist path when you stay here which we loved. A lot of the resorts in Kauai could be found on any tropical location. This Waimea Plantation Cottages isn’t your run of the mill resort. If you read their bio, you know the cottages were former housing for sugar plantation workers. The location is walkable to the town of Waimea. Our first day we saw dolphins jumping in the water off Driftwood Beach. No it is not a swimming beach but that was ok for us. One of the draw backs of the location is all the driving you will have to do if you plan on sightseeing. And to top it off gas cost a fortune. The staff that we talked to were all friendly and I have no complaints here. I will have to say the people of Kauai for the most part were all friendly, relaxed, and accommodating despite working with needy tourists. I loved their sense of humor. We rented a three bedroom cottage which was pretty spacious for of four person family. Our garden view, while close to the front of the property, still had a great view of the ocean. I enjoyed sitting on the back porch and watching the wildlife. The inside of the cottage left a lot to be desired. The inside smelled like a really old building (which it is). There was a laughable Glad plug-in in a corner of the main room. The smell got worse in the rooms where we ran the AC units. The smell wasn’t as bad in the main room when we could open the sliding doors. The curtains in the cottages are more like cotton sheers. The floors are painted brown which isn’t surprising considering the age of the building. Not sure the last time the interior was painted. The walls looked dingy and the baseboards looked dirty but didn’t look and better when I wiped some down. I am pretty sure that bathroom off the primary bedroom hasn’t been updated in a VERY long time if at all. The shower had a large rust (?) stain in the shower and the sink was worn down and beat up. The Jack and Jill bathroom my boys shared actually looked like it had been updated sometime in the last 30 years. Both shower had windows with those horrible cotton sheers. When you try to move around in the shower, the curtains would stick to you. The furniture in the main room was not comfortable. We would have to grab pillows of our beds to watch TV in the evenings. Like other reviewers, we had an issue with ants getting into some food. All this being said, the biggest issue was the smell. If they could fix the smell, the cottage would have had at least one more star. I believe we got what we paid for otherwise. Make some basic updates to finishes and maybe a comfortable sofa to sit on and the cottage would be stellar. I would actually like stay at The Waimea Plantation Cottages again, just in a different cottage.

If you are looking for a beautiful, quiet place to relax and enjoy a true Hawaiian experience, this is the place. The cottages are large and fully equipped, grounds lush and beautiful, clean pool, lovely beach with gorgeous sunsets. Location is perfect if you want to spend the day exploring the canyon. We stayed four nights and easily explored the southern half of the island. Was nice to come back to our cottage at end of day to relax. The quaint towns and villages had great shopping and dinning. Grocery stores are near, Yet we could venture to the resort areas or larger towns without feeling too out of the way. A wonderful place to stay as a couple or with children. You will feel like you have your own private piece of heaven.

The cottages are better then what I expected. Giving it 4 stars because they delivered on the expectations that the company set. Was not anticipating a Marriott but they had solid AC, clean sheets and a standard hotel bed. If you are looking to do a lot of activities then expect long drive times because there is traffic to reach most of the tour operators in the morning. Restaurant on site was decent.