Has anyone booked Hanalei Bay Resort through Priceline? The reviews of this resort are so mixed, I'm really worried that they'll put us in the worst rooms if we book through Priceline. Once we get to the hotel, any thoughts on what rooms we should request in case we can get an upgrade? Thanks!

Personally, I would not want to stay in an HBR hotel room. Basically the single room (called a "lock off") is locked off from the rest of a condo unit that contains living room/kitchen/laundry/bath. So, when you rent a "hotel room" at HBR you are only getting the bedroom of an otherwise spacious unit.

Great views, beautiful grounds.

Sorry, dont know how Priceline works on Kauai. I have done Priceline at least 10 times on Oahu, only once did I get what I consider a premium type room. The rest were rather shabby rooms, poorly located on an otherwise excellent hotel property.

I believe we experienced what Vivi is talking about in our first compact Guava Hotel Room. The room was on the small side but had good A/C and the "kitchenette" was no more than a microwave and coffee maker, but the view was incredible. We switched over to a (Bamboo?) 1BR condo with double lanai and were very impressed, except no A/C.
Here is link with a map of HBR and virtual tours of a couple rooms are available-have not stayed in these rooms:http://www.hanalei-bay-resort.com/im...resortmap1.jpg
Also, check out the powerpoint slideshow on this site, it is exactly what we saw during our stay at HBR.

Check out summitpacific.com

Yeah I would not book that hotel through Priceline. Having said that I found HBR to be very good about upgrades when they are not full.

Most hotels imo are only great for a few days regardless of the unit you are in. I have walked through the showcase units at HBR. I am not crazy about the type of people that stay there. Not outragious just a bit tacky AT TIMES. I am sure that can be said about condo rentals everywhere.

Stand alone condos in neighborhood communities are more suited to my tastes. There is far more privacy and you don't have to be concerned about the neighbors. That has been my experience anyway.

I also stayed in a studio unit at HBR. I found the room comfortable, clean with dated furnishings. When I looked into alternatives on the grounds I did not see anthing much nicer than the first floor corner unit I had. I wanted to see what they had, the options looked bleak. Better views but older furniture, noisy airconditioners.

Fine for a few days but again a private house for the price is a better alternative. There are also lovely private condos at the Pua Poa.

Sarah -

I don't understand your statement,

"I have walked through the showcase units at HBR. I am not crazy about the type of people that stay there. Not outragious just a bit tacky AT TIMES. I am sure that can be said about condo rentals everywhere."

Are you saying that individuals who decide to reside in a hotel are a classier group of people? We have stayed at both and always find a mix of individuals. You may want to rethink or restate your thoughts on this subject.