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This review is for the delightful Westin Princeville Kauai Hawaii. Located on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai.
It’s a secluded resort, nestled on a cliff. Overlooking the ocean. The resort has apartments for guests, rather than hotel rooms. There’s also loads of activities. Swimming pools, hot tubs, water slide, lawn games, table tennis, cornhole and more.
I was a bit worried before I stayed, as it’s not a beach front property. It’s a 10 minute walk to the beach (Read my review of the Westin Maui for an example of a beach front resort). But I had a fabulous time at the Westin Princeville. This resort is all about the seclusion. This is why it’s more expensive than resorts in Maui and O’ahu.
Kauai is the smallest of Hawaii’s four main islands and is part of the United States. Kauai has a more relaxed and clam vibe than the other islands.
The Westin Princeville is a Westin Vacation Club Resort. Which is part of Marriott Timeshare. A two bed apartment cost $1,545 per night during my stay (worth the money in my view). But there’s ways to stay here for cheaper.
You can book up a preview package. It costs $1,895 for 5 nights. You need to email me, and give me your name, email address, city you live in and telephone number. You’ll have to sit through a one hour timeshare presentation.
I’m an owner with Marriott Timeshare, so I used my annual allocation of points to book the room. It’s a great deal for me, as this resort is expensive if you book with cash.
I stayed in a terrific two bed apartment with my family. We had a panoramic sea view.
We really enjoyed our 9 days at the resort. We loved Kauai too. It’s probably my favourite Hawaiian Island.
This review is an in depth guide, with well over 100 photos. Each photo can be clicked to open out the full slideshow.
Book your stay on the Westin Website here.
I want to a say a quick word about the Tripadvisor reviews. The Westin is rated 4.2* and there’s some negative reviews. Once I read the reviews, I remembered why I don’t use Tripadvisor any more.
One negative reviewer complained that they had the flu and couldn’t attend the Timeshare Presentation. So they didn’t get the $300 gift for going to the presentation. Another person complained that nobody offered to take their bags to the room (oh the horror!).
Basically it was people that had a gripe with the resort wanted to vent. Ultimately, I found the resort of be beautiful, with great facilities and a great location. Which is why I’m very positive in this review.
The Westin Princeville is part of Westin Vacation Club. Westin Vacation Club is part of Marriott Vacation Club. Which is Marriott’s Timeshare brand.
I’m an owner with Marriott Timeshare. So I used my annual allocation of points, to book this apartment. The cash rate for a two bed apartment was $1,545 per night when I stayed. So $13,905 for the 9 days. This was a great value stay for me. I could not have afforded the cash rate.
FYI: It was $1,545 for a refundable room. A non-refundable room was $1,236 per night. It’s not cheap, but you’re paying for the seclusion. Kauai is a beautiful place, and so is this resort.
You can book your stay on the Westin Website.
$1,545 might seem like a lot of money for one night’s stay (and it is!). But it’s not bad for Kauai.
The Sheraton Kauai website is here. The hotel is far more basic than the Westin.
A base level guest room costs $824/night at the Sheraton. This guest room is 524 square foot, without sea view and no facilities like kitchen or washing machine. In comparison, a two bed apartment at the Westin is better value in my view. The apartment can accommodate 8 people, the Westin is much nicer and apartments have far more facilities.
A cheaper option to stay at the property is with a discounted preview package. You can pay $1,895 for 5 nights. You also get 30,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points. You will need to sit through a timeshare presentation. Marriott will try to sell you a timeshare here! But there’s no obligation to buy anything. You can’t take advantage of this offer, if you’ve previously booked a package, in the last 12 months.
Frankly, if you’re eligible, this offer is a no brainer. Email me and give me your name, email address, city you live in and your phone number.
If you book a preview package, Marriott will bring the hard sell. And try to get you to buy a Timeshare.
Should you buy a timeshare? Only buy a timeshare if it’s right for you. It’s not right for everyone. I’ve had so many benefits as an owner with Marriott Timeshare. I’ve stayed at places I could never afford (like Marriott Crystal Shores and the Marriott Maui). I also have lifetime Marriott Platinum Status.
One unwritten benefit I get, is being able to accrue hundreds of thousands of Bonvoy Points per year through. Through owner’s updates, encore presentations and other promotions. An owner’s update is where you sit through a 1 hour presentation with a sales rep, and they try to sell you more Timeshare. You’ll typically get 50,000 Bonvoy Points for taking the meeting.
I started this trip to Hawaii with basically no Bonvoy Points. I’m ending it with 150,000 Bonvoy Points. Which is crazy! I had one encore presentation, one owners update, I was given 5,000 points for my birthday, I get a bonus for being a Marriott Platinum and there’s also a Global Marriott Promo right now.
I have a complete guide to the Marriott Timeshare Program. It’s a must read if you’re interested in purchasing a Timeshare with Marriott. I also suggest to read my review of the Ritz Carlton Vail. A stunning resort in Vail, Colorado. Rooms start at $2,000 per night. But I stayed here as a member of Marriott Timeshare.
Below is a guide to Marriott Timeshare from my Youtube account.
In theory, you can use Marriott Bonvoy Points to book the Westin. But you’re very unlikely to find availability. I couldn’t find any rooms available via Marriott Bonvoy Points, when I checked.
The Westin Princeville Kauai Hawaii is located on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. The smallest of Hawaii’s four major islands. With a population of just 73,000.
There aren’t many hotels in Kauai. Only 53 on the island, according to US Travel News.
The town of Princeville is on Kauai’s north shore. A 45 minute drive from Lihue airport. Princeville has a grocery store and some small shops.
In terms of attractions, the north shore has lots of great places to visit. Including the Anini beach, where you can see the turtles. And Hanalei Bay, where Jurassic Park was shot.
Kauai is more relaxed than the other Hawaiian Islands. More about seclusion. And less commercial. Slightly off the beaten track.
When I visited Hawaii, I used an eSim for mobile data. I paid $3.99 for a 7 day plan, with 1GB of data. The eSim provider has a 4.7* Trustpilot rating from over 17,500 reviews.
Buy your eSim plan here.
Kauai is more laid back than the other Hawaiian islands. But there’s still so much to do. With turtles, coffee plantations, waterfalls, helicopter tours, whale watching and so much more.
Below are some of my favourite things to do when you visit.
Hawaii is one of the best value places to book a helicopter flight. With mountains, volcanos and waterfalls in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It’s still expensive – it’s a helicopter ride after all! But it’s cheaper than other locations and the views are better.
Book a 1 hour helicopter ride here for $369. The best value and highest rated helicopter tour in Kauai. A perfect 5* from over 800 reviews. Only 4 people are in the Helicopter. You’ll see the whole island. Including Jurassic Falls, Waimea Canyon, Na Pali Coast and Waialeale.
For comparison, a 30 minute Helicopter Ride over Manhattan can be booked here – for $429. More expensive and half the time.
Book a 70 minute plane flight here – for $155. This is a great alternative to a helicopter. Tour is rated 4.9* from over 900 reviews. You’ll see the whole island.
$155 is legitimately a great price. You’ll be hard pressed to book a flight cheaper than that, anywhere in the world. And your other flight won’t have these great views! For context, The Conrad Maldives charges $700 for a 17 minute seaplane ride to the resort. My review of the Conrad Maldives is here.
Below is a video of that seaplane flight on my Youtube channel.
This was amazing! Book a 3 hour zipline tour here - for $169. Rated 5* from over 7,000 reviews. You’ll fly through the native forest on the longest zipline in Kauai. And have arial views of Waita Reservoir. Snacks are included in the price.
Book a chocolate farm tasting tour here - for $145. The tour is rated 4.9* from over 600 reviews. The tour lasts for 3 hours. It includes in depth chocolate tasting. You can also taste the tropical fruits as you explore the farm, including the rare cacao fruit. Cacao fruit tasted like a lychee when I tried it!
The Westin Princeville Kauai Hawaii is a luxury resort, nestled on Kauai’s north shore. Overlooking the sea.
It’s not a beachfront resort. Rather, the resort is on a cliff. 200 feet above the beach. To get to the beach, you need to walk for 10 minutes. Along a path. The beach itself is unkept and rough.
The resort is a Westin Vacation Club. This means that the resort has apartments, rather than hotel rooms. Also, there are loads of activities to keep you occupied. Table Tennis, Pool, Putting Green etc.
The resort has a relaxed vibe. The restaurant shuts at 9pm. Each building only has three floors. Then resort has 128 apartments. Although the apartments can be locked off to create multiple units.
The Westin Princeville is different to the mega resorts in places like Maui and Big Island. Compare my review of the Marriott Maui Ocean Club. An awesome mega resort in Maui. Right on the beach, with 15 floors per building.
The Westin Princeville has loads of facilities to keep you occupied:
The lawn and the landscape of the resort are immaculate and beautiful. There’s amazing views of the ocean, from the resort. Not surprising, given the elevated location of the resort.
They also have an artificial waterfall, which looked pretty cool.
The Westin had a really nice decoration. Everything was really well done. Without being uber luxury or blingy. The Westin Princeville in Kauai, Hawaii is a bit understated. There’s no huge lobby.
The Westin Princeville doesn’t have its own golf course on-site. But it does offer discounts and easy access to the nearby Princeville Makai Golf Club.
The resort does offer spa services.
The business centre is located next to the lobby. It’s basically a couple of computers with a printer. Useful if you need to print out some documents, like a boarding pass.
I stayed in a two bed apartment. Number 6,220 of building 6. The apartment was spectacular, with uninterrupted ocean front view.
The Westin Princeville in Kauai, Hawaii has three types of apartments:
The two bed apartments are just a studio and a one bed apartment, next to each other. With the door unlocked.
The two bed apartments are 1,300 square feet in size. A really good size for my four person family. I’m told that the apartment has a capacity of eight.
My apartment had the following facilities:
The main kitchen was really good. It had a fridge, oven, electric hobs, microwave, toaster, blender, cutlery and all other utensils you have in your kitchen at home.
The living room had a dining table, and an L shaped sofa. To watch TV on.
There were two bathrooms. Each bathroom had a separate bath and shower. In fact, the bath tubs were actually whirlpool jacuzzis. My kids insisted on using the whirlpool tub every day!
When it comes to the apartment, the star of the show was the sea view. Both bedrooms and the living room had an uninterrupted ocean front view. It was spectacular.
The above slideshow contains over 40 photos of the apartment. So it's worth taking a look.
The Westin Princeville Kauai Hawaii has four swimming pools and three hot tubs.
The main building contains the lobby, the gym, restaurant and market place. Behind the building is the main pool, and a towel hut with lawn games.
Here, you’ll find table tennis, connect 4, pool table and a putting green.
I played table tennis a few times with my wife and my daughter.
I wanted to play pool, but nobody in my family can play! So I didn’t get to play.
Sadly, there was no tennis court at the Westin Princeville in Kauai, Hawaii.
The Lawn Games were loads of fun. These games are unique at Westin Vacation Club Resorts. Hotels normally don’t have as many activities. Read my review of the spectacular Westin Hapuna in Big Island Hawaii. The resort is amazing, and the sea view was out of this world. However, they don’t offer lawn games. On the plus side, I booked the resort for 50,000 Bonvoy Points.
I used the putting green once. It wasn’t the best – there’s no windmill hole. And my family got bored after five minutes! But it’s better than nothing.
The fitness centre is next to the lobby. It’s pretty small, but I was able to get a decent workout there. I used it three times during my 9 day stay.
For resistance, they had dumbbells and a cable machine. There’s also some cardio machines (cross trainers, exercise bike, treadmills).
They also have a sauna and a steam room in the fitness centre. I used both of these facilities, but it felt a little awkward. The fitness centre is not normally a place I would walk around in my swim shorts. I never saw anyone else use the sauna/steam room.
One floor down from the lobby is the market place. It was pretty small. They had a small coffee shop, serving Starbucks. Well, they had a coffee machine with a Starbucks label. God know if the coffee tastes like Starbucks!
They also sold necessities like milk and alcohol - for an astronomical price (obviously).
I used the market place a couple of times. Just to get coffee for my wife.
There’s only one restaurant in the Westin Princeville Kauai Hawaii. The Nanea restaurant. It also closes at 9pm. This is pretty early and keeps with the theme of the resort. A laid back place to enjoy some seclusion.
They offer local Hawaiian cuisine and international dishes.
I got takeout from there a couple of times. I ordered French fries and pasta. Both were decent.
The Westin Princeville is not directly on the beach. You need to do a 10 minute trek, down the hill, to get to Wyllie’s Beach. It’s a small beach, that’s unkept. There’s not a lot to do down there. It was virtually empty, when I visited.
There’s signs that tell you not to swim there.
People pay $1,545 to stay at the Westin Princeville. This isn’t the sort of beach to spend much time in. Good for a nature walk, but not much more.
The Westin Princeville Kauai Hawaii is amazing. There’s loads of activities to do at the resort. The swimming pools are nice. The views of the ocean are amazing.
If you’re looking for a secluded experience in Kauai, then this is it.
However, it you’re looking for a mega resort on the beach, then this isn’t it. However, Kauai isn’t the best place for that to be honest. It’s more relaxed in the garden island!
I’ve reviewed the Waikoloa Ocean Club in Big Island, Hawaii. A Marriott Vacation club Resort, with three swimming pools and four hot tubs. The resort backs on to the beach.