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Travel Report
Hilton Hits Hawaii Kauai Welcomes First Garden Inn ©Hilton InnInn Waikiki Beach © HiltonGarden Garden Kauai Wailua Bay
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Hilton Garden Inn Kauai
ilton made history last summer when it introduced its first Garden Inn hotel to Hawaii on gorgeous Kauai, which incidentally is known as “The Garden Isle”. The location on the island also has historic significance as it crests the protected scared grounds in Wailua Bay where the river meets the sea. You can still see remnants of the ancient shrines built there like the Hikina a ka la (‘Rising of the Sun’) named as such because the stone structure lit up at sunrise. And indeed, sunrises over the sea there are still spectacular. The hotel faces local favorite Lydgate Beach Park, one of the area's only lifeguarded, swimmable beaches, ideal for families as it’s surrounded by two large manmade breakwaters creating calm surf you can swim in while still enjoying the wild crashing of the waves around it. It’s also a great snorkeling spot. I had the privilege of attending the opening ceremony – a gala affair where it seemed the entire island had turned out to celebrate its inception with blessings and cultural festivities in their grand ballroom. We also really enjoyed the cocktails and fare at their new dining spot The
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Garden Grille and Bar®. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Additional amenities include complimentary Wi-Fi, a 24-hour business center, a state-of-the-art fitness center and 7,460 square feet of flexible meeting space. Accommodations consist of 217 rooms – some are suites and some are cute little standalone two-room cottages right beside Lyngate Park. There are two pools and an alfresco whirlpool overlooking the sea, and the location is also steps from the bike path, which follows the sea to the lovely Coconut Cove stretch of boutique shops and bohemian cafés in Lihue. (Bike rentals available.) For business, pleasure or destination weddings, it’s a fabulous new base for exploring Kauai and partaking in pleasurable pastimes like hiking, zip-lining and sea kayaking. And not to be missed is the awesome adventure of a helicopter tour over the Napali coast. We flew with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, and it was among the highlights of my year’s travels. Surreal! Visit: hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com and www. bluehawaiian.com . SUSAN CAMPBELL @suectravel