beachgirl86

Hi everyone!
Right now my husband and I have a condo on the North Shore of Kauai reserved for 5 nights, and are staying at the Hyatt for a few nights after. We are spending 5 nights on Oahu before going to Kauai. This is our 2nd trip to Hawaii, our first to Kauai.

I am thinking of changing our condo reservation since we need AC, and all around we may just want to stay in a nicer atmosphere. I have been looking at the Princeville, and it is SO expensive! The absolute cheapest I can find is about $450 for an Ocean View. (No cheaper category rooms are available.) This seems crazy expensive...we are staying at the Hyatt for $340/night including breakfast. (Which is still the most we've ever spent on a hotel!)

I guess my question is if people think the Princeville is worth its prices. I know the setting is fabulous, but how are the rooms/beach/pool/food? I don't mind paying for quality, but we will be out and about some seeing the sights. (Na Pali coast, North Shore beaches, etc....) Any thoughts? Any ideas on where to look for cheaper rates? Thanks

vegaslover73

have you tried Hotwire? I believe the Princeville is the only 5* on Kauai.

gyppielou

Have you signed up for Starwood Preferred guest rates?

kakalena

The Princeville Resort is not worth it. Views are nice from the bluff and the beach is good (as are many Kauai beaches) but the pool and amenities pale in comparison to the Hyatt or Marriott Resort. Princeville is golf. Are you golfers? If not, stay elsewhere and drive up to the North Shore from the Hyatt to look around. Will take you an hour or a little longer depending on traffic. I can't imagine why the hotel would be a 5 if the Hyatt isn't. I don't think it is maintained as well.

beachgirl86

Princeville is not available on Hotwire during my dates, and yes, I also signed up for SPG rates. That $450 per night quote is with the SPG 35% off discount for the Ocean View!

No, we don't golf. We mainly wanted to stay on the North Shore for a few nights to enjoy the sights, scenery, and beaches before heading down to the Hyatt for a few more nights. How long of a drive is the North Shore from the Marriott Resort in Lihue?

Thanks for all your helpful responses -- anyone else?

iceeu2

beachgirl, I cannot imagine paying $450/night to lay my head.

From the Princeville to Lihue is probably 45 minutes, sans traffic.

Have you thought about staying in the Wailua/Kapaa area. That would be about a 30 minute drive from the north shore. There's lots of nice hotels in that area. We are staying at the new Courtyard for 2 nights for $111. Now, that's not ocean view, but for the difference of $300 or so bucks per night, I can walk outside and take a peak at the ocean!

Look at the hotels aerials on wizardpub.com...Also, a website that always intrigues me is summitpacific.com...One day I'm going to rent a condo from one of these people.

When will you be on Oahu and Kauai? We blow this pop stand in a short 8 more days. Loooking for some s

crazy4Hawaii

Some of the Hanalei Bay Resort condos. have A/C. I know that place gets mixed reviews but some of the condos. I looked at online look dreamy!

beachgirl86

Most condos that have AC are sold out for our dates. I am wondering now if we should just splurge and stay at the Hyatt the whole time, and drive to the North Shore when we want to. Hyatt is about $100 cheaper per night than the Princeville.

Any other thoughts on Princeville?

alohanut

I would strongly urge you to stay on the North Shore as you had planned. Whether the Princeville is worth it or not -- that really depends on what you feel comfortable paying. I have stayed there, and had a wonderful time. That said, I also have rented condos right next door in the Pu'u Poa complex. These a are big, mostly well furnished units with spectacular views. I feel that it's the best of both worlds: you can walk over to the hotel for a drink or dinner anytime, but you have the other benefits of being in a condo.

I'm very biased towards the North Shore. I really feel that the area around the Hyatt, while lovely, is very much like parts of Hawaii that you may have seen, while the North is truly spectacular. For your first time in Kauai you owe it to yourselves not to miss it.

travelinwifey

Yes, it's worth it. The views are the best part of the hotel. Rooms very nice. Some people complain that the rooms are worn, but that was not true in our case. We switched rooms once during our say when a room with a lanai became availible and both in good condition. Your room will most likely not have a lanai (there are very few in the resort) but call the hotel ahead of time and request one. Staff is very accomodating to try to get you into a lanai room.

Food wise, everything was very good. As you may suspect dining is extremely expensive, you may want to check pleasantholidays.com or hawaiian airlines hotel packages to see if you can get a better rate that perhaps includes breakfast. There are a few dining choices around the resort, such as the much mentioned Zelo's.

The pool is large, nice and warm. We don't swim in hotel pools that often but enjoyed Priceville's pool almost every day.

Momof5

Hi

I hope you stay at the Princeville. It is a lovely hotel and the views are spectacular. We do not gold either and we loved it. We even had a sunset dinner on the beach which was awesome!

Everyday my hubby would open our windows (2 rooms we bright our kids) and sit and read. The breeze, the clouds forming over the mountains ahhhhh makes me want to go back. ANd the location is second to none.

I found the poeple to be very courteous and friendly. If you read the blue bible you will see this location is close to many of the great snorkeling locations. And Hanalei is heaven on earth.

I would not want to drive everyday to thsi local, this got very old with us quickly. Traffic is low on the island.

Maholo!

Momof5

Sorry for the spelling errors I forgot to check my writing before posting. By the way the pool is okey but the bay is wonderful to swim in. They even hae sea turtles out there to find.