1 Hotel Hanalei Bay

We have been to the Princeville Hotel around 25 times or so since the early 1990’s. Now that 1Hotels has taken over the hotel, they demolished the stately lobby, removed most of the retail stores & busy sundry shop – and replaced it with a wood/steel parking canopy and an open-air entry walkway that is okay but not elegant. Walking into the hotel lobby, the terrace seating area has been completely redone, replacing the elegant deep finished woods with modern cheaper finishes. The entire terrace seating area previously had the “Bali Hai” view from “South Pacific”, but now the view has been diminished by placing the bar in the center of the room instead of its previous position on the side, resulting in less seating with a view. Walking through the hotel, they placed sand on the sides of some of the hallways to try to evoke an image of the beach indoors. Unfortunately, every day, guests and their children kick the sand into the hallway tiled areas, making a mess for the hotel staff. {Picture #1). Also, many hotel hallways are maintained at temperatures substantially below 72°F, probably 60°F or possibly even lower, defeating the 1Hotel LEED goals. We heard several guests complain about the temperature. The bottom floor rooms used to have shallow decks that faced the “Bali Hai” view, but they added ramshackle bamboo/wood extensions that result in giving the rooms a tunnel aperture that limits the room view. (Picture #2) The new showers still have view windows, however, the smaller shower with no door allows the water to spray over an area covering about 4’ around the shower entry, and provides no privacy for the showerer. The new showers use an integral blind in the view window for privacy on that side, which is harder to operate and maintain than the previous design which opaqued with a simple wall switch. The shower floors have slick tile on the floor with no abrasive assistance to prevent slippage. The beds have been moved to the room center facing the window, instead of facing the opposite wall, so there is only room for a narrow path on one side. People with mobility issues may have trouble with the narrow paths. There is a counter height desk in the room with a standard height chair, making it unusable. (Picture #3) The new room furniture is okay but relatively inexpensive. The room lighting is terribly dim, probably to meet LEED standards, although LEED can still be satisfied with bright LED lights. My wife found it frustrating to apply her makeup, and when we questioned the hotel about the lighting, we were told all rooms were similar. The lighting was tolerable during the day with the curtains open, but at night, it was problematic. There are some mattresses set out by the pool. (Picture #4) The mattresses are a poor choice for a pool where it rains nearly every day. They are wet and cold, so the water soaks into your swimsuit, and they cannot be inclined. The picture shows people propping themselves up. (Picture

Positives: rooms have incredible views. Listening to the waves every morning and nught is incredible. Gym is a benchmark. Best gym in a hotel by far. Negatives: rooms are small. Food is shameful for a 5 star hotel. Not many choices in Princeville, so you might get stuck eating here. Quality of burger is similar to something akin to a cafeteria at your local city zoo. We had several issues with the service. The personnel is very nice and helpful, but unreliable. There is not a front desk. Makes it very difficult to find someone to get help or simply ask a question. Simple tasks that should take a couple minutes, end up taking over 15-20. Good luck if you have a boat tour and need to leave very early. Hotel is far away from rest of the island. Takes near an hour to get anywhere. Rains a lot in this part as well. Hotel is small, run out of things to do quickly. In summary: spend your money elsewhere. In comparison to other 5 stars we’ve stayed at, this one has a long way to go.

Lou from the 1 hotel was incredible!! Amazing service, super hospitable… 5 star experience at the spa!! Lou outdid himself.

I think the hotel is overrated for the price. It does have a nice semi secluded beach that’s protected from big waves. The staff at the valet is super friendly. The Hawaiian ladies at the reception are really nice, the other one is not so nice. We wanted to eat at Wailea terrace but their hot food side was broken so they weren’t serving much for dinner so we had to go elsewhere. I went to the spa for a massage, overall it feels like a basic spa with the Bamford amenities.

My husband and I drove out to 1 Hotel from Lihue to have lunch at one of the restaurants. However, when we arrived the guard at the hotel entrance wouldn’t let us through without a reservation. The hotel website didn’t mention that a reservation was necessary. I immediately contacted the restaurant hoping we could get a same day reservation, but I was told that they weren’t taking any reservations. However, the restaurant had walk ups available the next day, which was not helpful since I wasn’t driving back there the next day. If the hotel doesn’t allow walk ups for lunch and/or dinner then they should specify so on their website. I won’t bother trying to visit this hotel, or ever stay there after this experience. They obviously have an elitist attitude and are not accommodating to non guests.

Gorgeous hotel, situated on the bay. Excellent staff, cordial and very helpful. Delicious food, breakfast buffet was delicious and the Shaved ice stand was AMAZING! Location on Hanalei Bay, did not need to leave resort. Highly recommend this hotel with all its amenities,

Best hotel in Kauai. I’ve stayed at a few of the 1 Hotels before and this one is the most beautiful. Lovely aloha staff, amazing views, comfortable rooms. Couldn’t ask for more. They had an amazing snapper on the dinner menu while I was there, had it get that multiple times during my stay. Will be back!

My wife I have been to this property several times when it was the St. Regis and were excited to see the renovations since it became 1- Hotel. We decided to bring our 2 children and celebrate my son’s 11th birthday. This place had a special place in our hearts as it was the first trip my wife and I took when we were dating all those years ago! 1-hotel and especially the hotel GM, Mathieu, did not disappoint. The room was amazing and more than we could have asked for. The staff was friendly and inviting and the food delicious. The breakfast is a must because waking up to that view each morning is the only way to start your day. The property offers a great family pool that the kids loved, but also a separate “adults only”pool, if you need an escape! The gym was top notch and the resort has plenty of activities for everyone’s liking. The personal touch from the staff and hotel manager knowing this was a special week for us is really what made this a memorable trip. They even gave my son a birthday gift which was unexpected but the smile it brought to his face was something we will never forget. I highly recommend a visit here for a family or couples. This resort offers the best regardless of what you are looking for and the staff will ensure it’s an unforgettable visit. Thank you, 1- Hotel Hanalei. We will be back for sure.

This hotel is beautiful. The rooms are beautiful. The beach and pool are beautiful. The gym is the best I have ever seen at any hotel anywhere, and I travel a ton! I read quite a few reviews that complained about service issues. We had absolutely zero problems. In fact, we found the service to be excellent, friendly, responsive, and helpful. Breakfast was excellent. Poolside bar and food were also excellent. Our only wish is that there were more choices for dinner. Overall, we highly recommend this as both a destination and a wonderful place to stay.