In short: nice hotel, but no Four Seasons. Located on the island of Kaua'i, the Princeville Resort is a Starwood Luxury Collection Hotel. As a Category 5 hotel, we spent 16,000 points (peak season) to stay there last year. We enjoyed the opulence of the place and the beautiful public spaces, especially the lobby that was all decked out for Christmas. Nonetheless, we were disappointed with our room and some service issues. Overall, those managed not to dampen our enjoyment of the island.

At check-in, we were assigned a room on the first floor but asked if they could put us somewhere with a better view (or any view at all, for that matter). We had heard also that first-floor rooms were older and not as well maintained. Our room on the tenth floor was beautiful and had a spectacular view of Hanelei Bay. We were lucky to have good weather; typical Hawaiian two-minute rain drizzles and then some rain at night.

Service was adequate and polite, but not what one should come to expect for a hotel of this prestige (or price). The people who run the Four Seasons of the world at similar rates have a lot to teach the staff at the Princeville. But if you're in Princeville, this hotel is the only luxury hotel in the market. One example is that we quickly noted the clock in our room was not working. I mentioned it to a staff person at the desk the next morning (we slept in anyway!) and he said it would be taken care of. By day two, still nothing. The next day I spoke to a supervisor who took care of the issue within two hours. But the new clock didn't work either! By day three, I had given up on the hassle. In the restaurant for breakfast, it took over an hour to get menu items for three people. Similarly, on the beach, service seemed slow with only one person working. When she did come around she gave us water and sliced pineapple which was a welcome refreshment. The front desk manager was kind enough to refund me some of my points when I checked out after I mentioned some of these issues. When it comes down to it, I'd rather they keep the points and give me good service.

Another downside to the property is that once or twice we were at a loss at what to do at night. Everything except the bar closes early and there weren't many activities or board games for guests to use. Some friends told us about an on-site movie theater, but it had been converted into some kind of office. When you stay at the Princeville, be sure to rent a car so you can move easily around the island.

Despite our long wait for breakfast, we enjoyed many a magical sunset from the restaurant. After a particularly tasty multi-course meal one evening, our waiter offered to "hold over" our desserts until we could digest what we'd eaten already! We came back a couple hours later to finish them off. There are a few good restaurants on the highway that takes you to the Princeville: the Pacific Cafe and a Japanese place called Kintaro come to mind. We also ate a place called Hanalei Gourmet about five minutes from the resort. Fresh fish and large portions with fun staff.

Overall, we were impressed by the Princeville's location and ambience which minimized the lack of service in some areas. We'll probably go back if we ever get the chance!

Review by reder1.

Posted at December 28, 2005 10:33 PM