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LIHUE, Kauai - Not many resorts can make you feel in the middle of the action one minute and completely secluded and isolated the next.
Blessed with an exotic location and luxurious amenities, Timbers Kauai Ocean Club & Residences offers both without compromise.
Want privacy? Disappear into an amazingly stunning and modern fractional residence or full-ownership townhome. Want to mingle with a vibrant resort community? Head to the bar at Happy Hour that bleeds into a glorious sunset or join a morning yoga class.
I think it's fair to say that everyone dreams of a "home away from home," a place where they can get away from their everyday routine, yet still enjoy the comforts of home. A kitchen. A cozy, familiar bed. A routine that spawns relaxation. A familiarity of place.
This is the dream Timbers sells - whether it's full ownership or deeded, fractional ownership where people can visit a place they love without certain hassles of ownership. When you're visiting Timbers Kauai, you're not worried about why the hot water isn't working or mowing the lawn. You're just here to chill. Everything else is taken care of for you.
My wife and I got a taste of the Timbers lifestyle earlier this year. Lounging in our own private plunge pool overlooking the Ocean Course at Hokuala, I could watch life unfurl: golfers playing the treacherous 15th hole, a cruise ship floating into Ninini Point Bay or planes landing at the Lihue Airport.
The day before, I felt entirely swallowed up by the island's tropical flora and fauna with no sights or sounds of the bustling tourist economy. My wife and I were riding rented bikes through the Farms at Hokuala, where all the fresh fruits and vegetables for our meal that night were being cared for by expert handlers.
Timbers Kauai is a luxurious 450-acre paradise that blesses golfers with Hawaii's most continuous stretch of ocean holes and a backdrop of the Ha‘upu Mountain Range. GolfPass offers multiple golf packages for golfers, including this "Best of Kauai" itinerary.
Staying at Timbers Kauai
My wife and I stayed two nights in a multi-story 2,400-square-foot townhome named Laola Nani 2004. Similar three-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom residences called Lāola Nani 2005 and 2006 are for sale for $6+ million.
Features include dual master suites upstairs that deliver daily sunsets and sunrises. The chef's kitchen comes with Thermador Pro Grand Series appliances, a wine/beverage cooler, custom mosaic tile backsplash and natural stone countertops. The private pool and built-in BBQ on the lanai is the biggest selling point, IMO (see the lead photo above).
Fractional ownership of other units brings prices down significantly. Two fractional opportunities are offered, a 1/12th interest for $525,000 (in a Maliula residence) or a 1/6th interest for $1,125,000 (in a Kaiholo residence). Check out listings of fractional and full ownership opportunities here.
Convenience is king for those living or staying at Timbers Kauai. You're minutes from the airport and within walking distance of Lihue's local shops and restaurants. The resort amenities are all modern and clean. Multiple heated resort pools, spa services, a fitness center, tennis and pickleball courts and a Tykes room for daycare/babysitting younger children are all located near the main clubhouse. Indoor-outdoor dining at Hualani’s is popular, especially on evenings with live music.
Playing the Ocean Course at Hokuala
I've watched the Ocean Course at Hokuala evolve over the years, but the experience remains the same. It's a tough course, showcasing ocean and lighthouse views as good as any in golf.
At times, it feels more like a championship test than a resort course. Even without some of the player friendliness many golfers crave while visiting Hawaii, it ultimately wins them over with an abundance of scenery.
"Even if the golf course was not extremely fun to play, the views make this an extraordinary experience," wrote GolfPass reviewer 'SRG53' after a February round. "Love this place."
The Ocean Course at Hokuala was originally known as Kauai Lagoons, a 36-hole property designed by Jack Nicklaus. It was reduced to 27 holes in 2011 and then shrank again to 18 holes in 2016 as the resort footprint evolved. Normally, all this change would gut a golf course of its personality. Thankfully, many of its best holes remain intact. The most difficult and stunning jungle hole on the front nine - the 219-yard fifth, plus the back tees of no. 6 - sits on leased land, a unique arraignment.
When golfers roll up in a golf cart to the 13th hole, a camera becomes just as important as a club. This par 4 provides a gentle introduction to the ocean behind the green. The 14th tee box slaps golfers in the face with it. Make sure to take an extra club to carry the coastal chasm to reach land on the other side. Even if the wind blows behind you, it will knock balls out of the air without warning. The next two par 4s, the very difficult 473-yard 15th hole and the narrow, target-oriented 331-yard 16th hole, both seem a bit quirky. Once golfers figure out the best way to attack them, they will better appreciate their beauty and strategy. Players who properly execute a 160-yard layup on the 16th hole are more likely to be rewarded with a birdie putt and, at worst, an easy par than a more aggressive golfer.
The lagoons of the par-3 17th and par-4 18th often ruin scorecards at the end of the round, even for talented men's golfers competing in the John A. Burns Intercollegiate every year. Only 24 of 102 players competing in 2025 finished under par. No self-respecting competitive golfer will admit the views were too distracting to play well. For the rest of us, it's an excuse this bogey golfer leans into every time.
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