My husband and I recently returned from a one week stay in the Ali'i Suite, and we had an amazing experience!

As previous reviews have mentioned, a few things that make this Inn stand out are 1.) the clean, comfortable rooms with private entrances 2.) Lorna's hospitality, and 3.) the great price.

For our first trip to Kauai, we were looking for reasonably-priced accommodations that weren't the impersonal "cookie-cutter" room found in hotel chains. The Banyan Inn offers just that, with more privacy than a typical B&B as the rooms have private entrances. I think the previous summary by DCHane describes our experience as well.

Lorna was a great hostess - she is warm, personable, and gave us helpful information when deciding on what activities to do on our trip. The Ali'i Suite offers an amazing views, especially watching the sunrise from the bed. I was surprised that there was no air conditioning, and even more surprised to find that not only did the suite not need it, I *loved* having the windows open 24/7 to enjoy as much fresh air as possible. We frequently took advantage of the beach towels, and one night took some time to check out the DVD collection (which to my husband's delight was robust and very up-to-date, though I don't suggest staying indoors much when you're in Kauai!) Our suite was very clean and comfortable, and was refreshed daily (including items in the welcome basket). The Ali'i Suite was fitted with new appliances and was equipped for all of your cooking needs (utensils, pots, pans, etc.)

I am very surprised to see two recent negative reviews. As with all travel, how you perceive your experience is going to be based on expectations. We have stayed at five diamond hotels - the Banyan Inn is not one, nor does it pretend to be. If you are looking for luxury, the St. Regis can offer you a suite... for ~ $795/night! Personally, I'm glad we saved our money :)

My wife and I just returned from our second visit to Kaua'i and our second stay at Kauai Banyan Inn (we also posted a review of our first stay). For what it's worth, I'm a bit over 50 and have traveled globally on business (and for pleasure) for many years. I've stayed in every class of accommodation that exists, from the best hotels on four continents to some serious dives.

I attend a conference in Honolulu in January and my wife joins me. Then we spend a few days at another island afterwards. For the past two years we've gone to Kaua'i and stayed with Lorna at KBI.

For us, Lorna and KBI are just perfect. Kaua'i Banyan Inn is an inn, not a B&B (it shows up as a "B&B & Inn" in Tripadvisor). We don't like B&Bs and the lack of privacy, the sometimes artificial graciousness and the chit-chat that come with them. But we also don't want to pay sometimes exorbitant rates for "resort" accommodations, because we don't come to Kaua'i to do things we can do in Hilton Head or almost anywhere else (swim in a pool or golf or shop or eat out). We come to suck in as much of the audacious natural splendor of Kaua'i as we possibly can in the small amount of time we have there. We want a (very) clean, comfortable, good-looking room with privacy, net access and a functioning kitchen in a convenient location at a fair price.

Kauai Banyan Inn gives us all of that, and we'd be repeat guests if it stopped there. But then there's Lorna, the proprietor/innkeeper. She is really a natural hostess -- so thoughtful, so remarkably helpful and just wonderfully laid-back. She knows what her guests want and has covered all the bases -- *great* Kaua'i guide books and maps, snorkel and beach gear/towels, a hose and brush (for cleaning off the Jeep before returning it!), and laundry just to name a few (Lorna is so helpful in so many ways you begin to take it for granted and I can't even remember all of the thoughtful and kind help she offers). After hiking a particularly strenuous trail in Waimea Canyon, my wife got a massage on site. She said it was one of the best she's had. Then I had to do a conference call at 4 am Hawaii time – Lorna let me hang out in the new massage facility she’s building, so I wouldn’t disturb my wife while she slept. Try working that out at a resort – you might get something worked out (or not) but it would take time and would probably cost something. Lorna heard me casually mention the call and she suggested that I use the massage building.)

Lorna is a "retired" professional landscaper, and the grounds are beautiful. We had a distant ocean view from both of the suites we've stayed in -- both years we were able to watch the sun rise over the ocean and spectacular mountains. KBI is neither on the beach nor perched on the side of a mountain, but it is a beautiful place with views of both. And the location is great -- close to the amenities and beaches of Poipu, but also much closer than Poipu to the main island road giving access to Waimea and Koke'e (both must sees and our favorite part of Kaua'i) and the north side. If you stay further west there are fewer amenities and conveniences nearby (though the landscape is gorgeous beyond words). If you stay on the north side you are too far from Waimea and Koke'e. If you stay in Poipu you are surrounded by resorts, condos, etc. Parts of Poipu are beautiful, but it is really developed -- not what we come to Kauai for. It's nice to be NEAR Poipu without being IN Poipu. KBI is situated about 10 miles west of Lihue, a little northwest of Poipu and just a mile or so south of the main island road. It is very private and very quiet.

When I logged in to write this review I was surprised to read two negative reviews posted recently. I've traveled enough to know that how you perceive a place depends in part on what you expected. If you want a very nice, clean, beautifully appointed room with a working kitchen and an (extremely) comfortable bed, with a genuinely nice and conscientious hostess, and a beautiful view (at least from the two suites we've stayed in), and a lot of amenities that you won't know you want or need until you see them there, KBI is just right. The two suites we stayed in (Ulu and Nani Loa) had gorgeous views. If you expect and want a posh resort on a beach, or a homey B&B where all the guests congregate over breakfast or drinks, or to be perched right over the beach, KBI may not be what you're looking for. But it’s a great find for us, and we love the expansive view of the Lawai Valley from the suites we’ve stayed in. (We would stay at KBI even if one of the rooms with the view wasn’t available – in truth, we spent only about five or ten minutes each morning watching the sunrise. The rest of the time we were out exploring the island. (If view is particularly important to you, consider the big suite upstairs – it has a lot of windows and a really impressive “big” view of the valley, mountains and ocean.)

I can't reconcile my personal experiences at KBI (two of them) with the two negative reviews below, both of which were posted just before my visit. Our suites both years were very clean and extremely comfortable and plenty cool at night. There's no air conditioning but we didn't need it - we didn't even run the ceiling fan some nights. The microwave and stove worked great. Though Lorna doesn't advertise it, KBI is "green", all solar water heat, and we had PLENTY of hot water. And of course Lorna went above and beyond on a dozen minor things that made our visits just a little better. If you don't like something just speak up and Lorna will fix it fast. (When we were there we met two other couples that were return guests - the small amount of talk we had with them surrounded how much we appreciate KBI and Lorna).

Lorna's hospitality is truly genuine. There's nothing affected or artificial about it -- it's just the way she is. If anyone had a bad experience at KBI I have to believe it was a case of expecting a B&B or a resort instead of an inn, or because they didn’t give Lorna a chance to address their concerns. The descriptions on the KBI site and the comments and pictures posted by other guests are accurate, and Lorna is very up front about what KBI is and isn't. If you have questions I suggest calling or emailing -- if KBI isn't right for you she'll probably recommend five places that would be. But the overwhelming number of effusive reviews of KBI is probably a good indicator of the experience you are likely to have -- almost 99% very happy, and most of those, effusively so.

By the way, if you notice I mostly write reviews that are very positive or very negative, it's because I don't have the energy to comment on the mediocre. And most of my reviews are positive. That probably reflects my obsessive nature, which drives me to research my plans way past the point most people would bother. So I do have a rather high success rate, and most of the failures are only modestly disappointing, so I don’t bother to review them. (Ironically, as my wife will tell me when she reads this, SHE found Kauai Banyan Inn based on location by scrolling around, zoomed in on Google Earth.)

This was our second time to Kauai Banyan Inn, and definitely not the last. If you want to feel the true spirit of "aloha", and don't like impersonal hotel rooms, this is the perfect destination. Last year we stayed in the Ulu Suite, which has gorgeous views of mountains and the sunrise, beautiful hardwood floors, and a bright, airy feeling. This year we stayed in the Nani Loa room. It was clean, cozy, and included a nice lanai with a view of the sunrise. The kitchen and bathroom were spotless. The entire property is well maintained and beautifully landscaped, with mountains rising north and east of the inn. All rooms have their own entrance, with the doors facing into a courtyard. We love this approach because it gives us the option of either mingling with other guests or remaining secluded.

The location is ideal. You can be at the beach within 10 minutes (Lorna the innkeeper supplies beach towels, mats, chairs, snorkeling equipment, coolers), go to Waimea Canyon (about 30 minutes' drive), or go to the North Shore (yes, this takes a bit longer to get to, but it's worth it). We spent most of our days hiking in the canyon or at Kokee State Park, and watching the whales breaching and spouting close to shore. In the evening we had some terrific meals in nearby restaurants that Lorna had recommended.

Speaking of Lorna, she is an absolute gem -- friendly, kind, easily accessible, knowledgeable about the island, and incredibly generous. We were met with big hugs and were able to get into our room immediately, even though it was long before check-in time - just one example of many gestures of kindness from Lorna. Thanks to this woman, my faith in humanity is again restored.

Celine and myself really enjoyed our stay in the cottage.
We enjoyed the fact that we were tucked away from the rest of the B&B and loved the cute little cottage. We pretty much kept to ourselves as we really were looking to chill out at night. The B&B's location is convenient when you have a car and want to explore the island in the day. A couple minutes from the charming Koloa town, 10 minutes from Poipu's beaches, surf and sunsets, and half an hour from the Waimea Canyon turn off.