# St. Regis Princeville to be sold and rebranded - Impact on Westin Princeville?



## controller1 (Jul 27, 2018)

The St. Regis Princeville is to be sold and rebranded as a "1 Hotel" after a refurbishment.  One must wonder if this will have an impact on The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas since their guests have privileges at St. Regis?

Even though the beaches are public, one could still be made to feel somewhat unwelcome at the 1 Hotel while a guest at a different property.

https://www.bizjournals.com/pacific...wood-capital-to-buy-rebrand-kauai-resort.html


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## rickandcindy23 (Jul 27, 2018)

I cannot imagine a hotel becoming inhospitable.  It wouldn't be good for business.  I have never heard of this hotel brand, 1 Hotel.  That's a strange brand name.


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## canesfan (Jul 27, 2018)

It’s been known to be up for sale for awhile now and truthfully it didn’t look up to St. Regis par when we were there late June. 
I don’t see it as a big loss. We had charging privileges there and got a discount but I found the restaurant a let down. The view was good. But you can get good views elsewhere. The beach is okay but with this latest flooding there was local talk that it was contaminated. We didn’t chance it.


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## ragdoll (Jul 27, 2018)

Interesting. I wonder what Barry Sternlicht will do with the St. Regis Princeville? Maybe he will bring it back to its "former glory" when he was CEO of Starwood Hotels.


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## TravelTime (Jul 27, 2018)

This seems bad for Westin Princeville owners


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## taterhed (Jul 27, 2018)

Really?  I bet that "1" will try to provide better service and better benefits.  The WKORP crowd is not a 'budget' group and could provide some nice revenue for the hotel.....
I hope so at least.


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## duke (Jul 27, 2018)

They could cancel this "benefit" and lower our Maint Fees.
Without use of the Pool not much value.
In fact, I would take the $100 or so dollars and spend the cash on a few drinks in the new bar!


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## controller1 (Jul 27, 2018)

rickandcindy23 said:


> I have never heard of this hotel brand, 1 Hotel.  That's a strange brand name.



It's a new brand.  Currently only three: 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, 1 Hotel Central Park and 1 Hotel South Beach.  Four more (excluding Princeville) on the way: 1 Hotel West Hollywood, 1 Hotel Cabo, 1 Hotel Sanya, China and 1 Hotel Sunnyvale.


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## vacationtime1 (Jul 27, 2018)

duke said:


> They could cancel this "benefit" and lower our Maint Fees.
> *Without use of the Pool not much value.*
> In fact, I would take the $100 or so dollars and spend the cash on a few drinks in the new bar!



We've stayed at the hotel twice and at WPORV several times.  I agree with duke ^^^^^^^

Not a huge loss, and if it's $100/year/unit (x52), money I would prefer to save.


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## bizaro86 (Jul 27, 2018)

One Hotels is a brand owned by Starwood Capital, the same hedge fund that started Starwood Hotels. They bought the hotel and rebranded it as a St Regis as part of their plan to make that a brand. 

Now Starwood is part of the Marriott group, and maybe there's a hole in the market for them to start up a new brand.


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## DavidnRobin (Jul 27, 2018)

The $100 is not just for the shuttle...


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## taterhed (Jul 27, 2018)

I don't see how the 1 Hotel style will fit in with Princeville....  That place is very 'marble palace' (top) than green and lean (1 hotel).  Maybe they can throw money at it and completely redo the place.

Although....I do think they could redo the exterior easily....just send the landscapers home for good. (bottom)


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## taterhed (Jul 27, 2018)

DavidnRobin said:


> The $100 is not just for the shuttle...
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Although.....it would be nice if the shuttle ran to several of the local bars (not sure how many are open now....).  That would be worth $100


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## GregT (Jul 28, 2018)

When we stayed at WPORV, we went over once to the St. Regis.  It was a novelty, but I don't see a real need to return.   I agree with others that it would nice to save the $100 and spend it on booze at the bar.

Best,

Greg


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## klpca (Jul 28, 2018)

We went over to the St. Regis a few times and it seemed a bit out of place in Hawaii. It is also the place where I had one of the oddest service experiences in all of my travels. A friend (woman) and I went to see the sunset and watch them saber the champagne bottle at the terrace. We went early, ordered drinks and some food then sat there with empty glasses because our server never returned yet we saw him serving larger parties over and over. So weird but the place was packed and we figured that it wasn't that big of a deal. But then he circled back with our check announcing in a somewhat condescending voice that ours was the smallest tab in the bar. So I broke it to him that it would also be the smallest tip. I'm not usually snarky but to be ignored for an hour (especially because I wanted another drink!) put me over the edge. My friend tells me that it is her favorite memory of that trip, lol.


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## Ken555 (Jul 28, 2018)

I had a nice one night stay at this hotel just prior to it being closed for remodeling to be rebranded as a St Regis. They upgraded me to a junior suite, which was about the size of a 1-bed unit at WPORV with a huge marble bathroom. It was straight out of the 70s (well, maybe early 80s) with a TV which came up out of a credenza with a remote, lots of mirrors, etc.

I've been back a couple times or more when in the area, and while it was nice, and I enjoyed the outdoor restaurant by the pool (especially when it was raining...), I agree this hotel was rather odd. Depending on what they do, I could see it being quite nice. But as it is I see no reason to visit.


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## ragdoll (Jul 28, 2018)

klpca said:


> We went over to the St. Regis a few times and it seemed a bit out of place in Hawaii. It is also the place where I had one of the oddest service experiences in all of my travels. A friend (woman) and I went to see the sunset and watch them saber the champagne bottle at the terrace. We went early, ordered drinks and some food then sat there with empty glasses because our server never returned yet we saw him serving larger parties over and over. So weird but the place was packed and we figured that it wasn't that big of a deal. But then he circled back with our check announcing in a somewhat condescending voice that ours was the smallest tab in the bar. So I broke it to him that it would also be the smallest tip. I'm not usually snarky but to be ignored for an hour (especially because I wanted another drink!) put me over the edge. My friend tells me that it is her favorite memory of that trip, lol.



THAT is one of the funniest stories I've ever heard! The server surely deserved that one.


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## Sea Six (Jul 30, 2018)

We went there to try the world famous $25 Bloody Mary.  Sea asparagus?  Really?


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## zsn (Aug 1, 2018)

klpca said:


> We went over to the St. Regis a few times and it seemed a bit out of place in Hawaii. It is also the place where I had one of the oddest service experiences in all of my travels. A friend (woman) and I went to see the sunset and watch them saber the champagne bottle at the terrace. We went early, ordered drinks and some food then sat there with empty glasses because our server never returned yet we saw him serving larger parties over and over. So weird but the place was packed and we figured that it wasn't that big of a deal. But then he circled back with our check announcing in a somewhat condescending voice that ours was the smallest tab in the bar. So I broke it to him that it would also be the smallest tip. I'm not usually snarky but to be ignored for an hour (especially because I wanted another drink!) put me over the edge. My friend tells me that it is her favorite memory of that trip, lol.



I thought this experience was unique to us, but I guess not. My wife and I were there earlier this year (Feb) and we snagged a prime table to view sunset. No one came to take our drink order while other tables were being served. We finally flagged one of the other waiters serving another table and got a menu. Still no one came by. Finally some dude showed up and said he was on a break, took our order. Then a long while later another server brought our drinks and food. Then yet another person came and took our second drink order. It does seem like they prefer the larger groups. But we also observed that some servers were more attentive than others, and the attentiveness is more a function of the server than the customers - it wasn't like some customers were getting preferential treatment. There were good servers and indifferent servers. The difference was rather stark. At least when the original guy brought the check he wasn't rude. He just seemed totaly out of it.

By contrast, the bartenders at Bar Acuda in Hanalei were fabulous. We didn't have reservations, and sat at the bar. These guys were awesome. Very attentive, very friendly and they were slipping us free "tasting samples" - the excess they had when they were making mixed drinks, and also topping off our glasses. They then invited us to an "after party" at another bar, which was mostly locals. It was awesome, contrasting with the stiff St Regis atmosphere.


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## klpca (Aug 1, 2018)

zsn said:


> I thought this experience was unique to us, but I guess not. My wife and I were there earlier this year (Feb) and we snagged a prime table to view sunset. No one came to take our drink order while other tables were being served. We finally flagged one of the other waiters serving another table and got a menu. Still no one came by. Finally some dude showed up and said he was on a break, took our order. Then a long while later another server brought our drinks and food. Then yet another person came and took our second drink order. It does seem like they prefer the larger groups. But we also observed that some servers were more attentive than others, and the attentiveness is more a function of the server than the customers - it wasn't like some customers were getting preferential treatment. There were good servers and indifferent servers. The difference was rather stark. At least when the original guy brought the check he wasn't rude. He just seemed totaly out of it.
> 
> By contrast, the bartenders at Bar Acuda in Hanalei were fabulous. We didn't have reservations, and sat at the bar. These guys were awesome. Very attentive, very friendly and they were slipping us free "tasting samples" - the excess they had when they were making mixed drinks, and also topping off our glasses. They then invited us to an "after party" at another bar, which was mostly locals. It was awesome, contrasting with the stiff St Regis atmosphere.


Interesting that you had the same experience! We at least had a good story to tell later. I had honestly forgotten about it but my friend mentioned it to me awhile ago. One of those funny memories that you make when you travel.  

My husband and I will be back to Princeville next year (Hanalei Bay Resort this time). We'll have to check out Bar Acuda. That sounds a little more like our style. Which is high on fun and low on style.


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## zsn (Aug 2, 2018)

I think the place we finally ended up was Tahiti Nui. This place is packed early, hard to get a table for dinner (around 7-9) - generally tourists. The fun times however are later. They had this awesome cover band and it's where all the locals ended up. It definitely qualifies on the "high on fun, low on style" metric. We only found it the night before we were leaving.......too bad we didn't discover it earlier in our trip. We might have spent a few more evenings hanging out with the locals!


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## sjlola (Aug 2, 2018)

We have stayed at the St Regis Princeville several times over the last 15 years. I may have been disappointed by this news a few years ago, but no more. It's a 3-star hotel with a 5-star view (you can see a review I wrote 6 years ago on Flyertalk's SPG forum detailing some of the worst issues and I was not alone in my assessment). Starwood Capital can renovate all they want, but ultimately will face the same problem as Starwood: you can't run a true luxury hotel on an island so hamstrung with a staffing problem. They could never consistently get good staff at that hotel. Management was much better under the former manager, Kelly Hoen, but suffered when she was transferred to the Royal Hawaiian. We found only the butler staff and the pool staff to be consistently good. Our 25th Anniversary dinner at Kauai Grill was so abysmally bad, I was in tears after the entree. Concierge staff is lukewarm at best. When we last stayed at WPORV last October, we had an amazing Makana (Bali Hai) view from our unit and a really nice open ocean view from the quiet pool. We never once took the shuttle to the hotel. Happy to say goodbye to StR and continue to enjoy WPORV. I don't anticipate loss of beach privileges to be a big deal for owners. I'd love it if they ran the shuttle to Princeville Center, Ching Young Center and the Hanalei Bay Resort (Happy Talk Lounge) instead.


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## taterhed (Aug 2, 2018)

Sounds like a campaign should be started soon......."Let the WPORV safety shuttle roll!"  Market and a few comfort stops in-between.

They have shuttles at other resorts.....


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## controller1 (Oct 26, 2018)

The date of departure has been set as November 16, 2018.  Future reservations, including award reservations, will be honored after that date.

I have to agree with Loyalty Lobby that we should anticipate an extended closure sometime to allow for a major remodeling of the property.  

https://loyaltylobby.com/2018/10/26...riott-system-on-november-15-2018/?omhide=true


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## Sea Six (Oct 26, 2018)

I whine about the $25 bloody Mary's, but it was interesting to enter a hotel lobby on the 7th floor, then ride an elevator down to the 4th floor, then change elevators to get to ground level and the beach.  Never been to a resort on a cliff like this place before.  To say it was interesting is an understatement.  Sad to see it go, if we don't get access anymore.  By the way, I saw the menu - no way I want to spend those prices!


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## TravelTime (Oct 26, 2018)

The lack of beach chairs to use could be a negative but that’s the only impact on WPOVR. We stayed at WPOVR in the past and St Regis treated WPOVR guests as second class citizens. So it might not be a big loss. Anyone can use the hotel if they pay for the services. There might be a day pass fee to use the pool and beach.


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## duke (Oct 29, 2018)

*Here’s what Marriott is emailing guests that have reservations:*

As a valued Starwood Preferred Guest member, we are writing you to inform you of a change in the status of The St. Regis Princeville Resort. As of November 16, 2018, the property will no longer be part of Marriott International or the St. Regis brand and will no longer participate in the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) program. The hotel will now be called the Princeville Resort.

We see you are currently holding a reservation We are pleased to advise you that the hotel will honor your reservation room rate and/or for a Preferred (free) Night Award as confirmed. However, since the hotel will not be affiliated with the Marriott or SPG system, you will not earn Reward Points for any eligible charges incurred. You will also not receive any of your Starwood Preferred Guest membership amenities or benefits.

*Here’s an excerpt from The Garden Island (access their piece here) what might become of this resort:*

When word of the imminent sale first became public in late July, the speculated purchase price was $225 million. Starwood Capital has been developing an ultra-exclusive new brand called “1 Hotels.” It has been on an acquisition spree, with four new locations announced this year, and properties in West Hollywood, Calif.; Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Sunnyvale, Calif.; and Sanya, China, reportedly in development.

Starwood Capital is reportedly planning to convert the St. Regis, which has lost some of its luxury lustre in recent years, into an even higher-end and more-exclusive resort catering to the extremely wealthy.


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## Kildahl (Dec 1, 2018)

I talked to the WPORV concierge yesterday about an upcoming stay. When asked about privileges at the St. Regis Hotel ( now the Princeville Hotel?) I learned that  they are continuing with 2 exceptions: no more 10% discount and pay as you go-no more charging to your WPORV unit. 
Some bad news for our stay was that the highway west of Hanalei remains closed to all except locals.


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## ragdoll (Dec 2, 2018)

Kildahl said:


> I talked to the WPORV concierge yesterday about an upcoming stay. When asked about privileges at the St. Regis Hotel ( now the Princeville Hotel?) I learned that  they are continuing with 2 exceptions: no more 10% discount and pay as you go-no more charging to your WPORV unit.



Does this mean that the St. Regis is still open? If so, for how long? We always liked going there for the beach and bar.


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## controller1 (Dec 2, 2018)

ragdoll said:


> Does this mean that the St. Regis is still open? If so, for how long? We always liked going there for the beach and bar.



The property formerly known as The St. Regis Princeville is still open and is now called The Princeville Hotel. The new owner has not announced when they will begin renovations and whether the property will remain open during renovations. Once renovations are complete, the property will be known as "1 Hotel".


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## klpca (Dec 2, 2018)

controller1 said:


> The property formerly known as The St. Regis Princeville is still open and is now called The Princeville Hotel. The new owner has not announced when they will begin renovations and whether the property will remain open during renovations. Once renovations are complete, the property will be known as "1 Hotel".


Clever name.


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## Bill4728 (Jan 24, 2019)

We always enjoyed sitting on  a beach chair in the sand enjoying the great view of the bay.   We'll miss it.


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## ragdoll (Jan 24, 2019)

Bill4728 said:


> We always enjoyed sitting on  a beach chair in the sand enjoying the great view of the bay.   We'll miss it.


I don't think they can prevent people from coming to the beach. They will have to provide some access because, I think Hawaii law does not allow private beaches. Now, whether or not we can get free beach chairs there is another matter. But we can always bring our own. Imagine all the beach goers walking through the lobby with chairs and other stuff!


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## blondietink (Jan 24, 2019)

There is already public access to that beach a bit further down the road.


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## DavidnRobin (Jan 24, 2019)

High times at the St Regis/Princeville beach - going to miss access via elevator.


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## ragdoll (Jan 24, 2019)

blondietink said:


> There is already public access to that beach a bit further down the road.


I'm not aware of this. Where is it?


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## Bill4728 (Jan 24, 2019)

> There is already public access to that beach a bit further down the road.





ragdoll said:


> I'm not aware of this. Where is it?


there is a large set of stairs just to the left of the main entrance.  The exit to the right of the pool area where the paddle boards are rented.


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## Kildahl (Jan 24, 2019)

Fortunately, our experiences at the St. Regis, now known as the Princeville Resort [princevilleresorthawaii.com], have been positive. My guess is that Vistana-WPORV will attempt to maintain a relationship with the hotel in the future. As David noted earlier, we would miss the elevator ride to and from the beach (Pu' u Poa) {although the 632 steps to the beach would be good for me} and the comfortable beach loungers.
My guess is that even if there is no formal arrangement between the facilities, the Westin shuttle will continue to run guests down to the walkway going to Pu u' Poa beach on some periodic basis. Eventually, I see a shuttle (County or private) stopping at all the major establishments which would stop at the Westin and the hotel.


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## ragdoll (Jan 25, 2019)

632 steps? Seriously? I think I'll pass.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jan 25, 2019)

ragdoll said:


> I'm not aware of this. Where is it?





Bill4728 said:


> there is a large set of stairs just to the left of the main entrance.  The exit to the right of the pool area where the paddle boards are rented.



You can also access the beach via the public access parking lot at Hanalei Bay resort.  Park in the public parking that is to the left as you enter the resort.  Then go alongside the building and take the path past the pools and tennis courts.


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## Bill4728 (Jan 25, 2019)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> You can also access the beach via the public access parking lot at Hanalei Bay resort.  Park in the public parking that is to the left as you enter the resort.  Then go alongside the building and take the path past the pools and tennis courts.


Wow

That looks like the way to go

Thanks


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## Kildahl (Jan 25, 2019)

The walk from Happy Talk?
 Before the April flood you could usually walk over from Black Pot Beach, negotiating the delta of the Hanalei River. I was over there last week and the water was too deep to safely cross.


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## duke (Jan 25, 2019)

Each WPORV owner is charged an annual fee for the St Regis Princeville hotel access included in the maint. fee.
When will we see the reduction?


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## controller1 (Jan 25, 2019)

duke said:


> Each WPORV owner is charged an annual fee for the St Regis Princeville hotel access included in the maint. fee.
> When will we see the reduction?



So how much is that fee for access?


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## beachlynn (Jan 25, 2019)

In Oct. we were staying at Pali Ke Kua just down the road from the St Regis. We would walk to the resort and walk down the steps with our chairs on our back. That was easy. When we went home we used the elevators and walked out the lobby. Nobody gave us a look. There are guests that are walking through the lobby who are coming back from other beach adventures. We bought drinks and used the restrooms and felt very conmfortable.
I think to use the lounge chairs you would need the towels from the St. Regis or the Westin. The view from that beach is 2nd to none. Last time we stayed at the Westin we were able to charge our drinks to the Westin. I hope Starwood, or should I say Bonvoy, maintains a relationship with the new management.


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## Kildahl (Jan 25, 2019)

beachlynn said:


> In Oct. we were staying at Pali Ke Kua just down the road from the St Regis. We would walk to the resort and walk down the steps with our chairs on our back. That was easy. When we went home we used the elevators and walked out the lobby. Nobody gave us a look. There are guests that are walking through the lobby who are coming back from other beach adventures. We bought drinks and used the restrooms and felt very conmfortable.
> I think to use the lounge chairs you would need the towels from the St. Regis or the Westin. The view from that beach is 2nd to none. Last time we stayed at the Westin we were able to charge our drinks to the Westin. I hope Starwood, or should I say Bonvoy, maintains a relationship with the new management.



No charge privileges for Westin guests at the Princeville Resort at this time.
Yes, the ever changing views from that resort are second to none. The beach, with its view of Puff and Makana in the background,  is idyllic.


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## Kildahl (Jan 25, 2019)

controller1 said:


> So how much is that fee for access?



Duke mentions $100 in his  earlier post (#7)  in this thread.


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## ragdoll (Jan 25, 2019)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> You can also access the beach via the public access parking lot at Hanalei Bay resort.  Park in the public parking that is to the left as you enter the resort.  Then go alongside the building and take the path past the pools and tennis courts.


We used to stay at HBR and used their path to the beach. As I recall there is a locked gate at the bottom of the path--locked to other beach-goers but not to HBR guests. Is this the route you are suggesting? Or is there another access path?


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jan 25, 2019)

ragdoll said:


> We used to stay at HBR and used their path to the beach. As I recall there is a locked gate at the bottom of the path--locked to other beach-goers but not to HBR guests. Is this the route you are suggesting? Or is there another access path?


It's the paved path that goes from the resort down to the beack, passing among the tennis courts.  There's never been a gate when we've been there, as recently as last August.


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## wilma (Aug 28, 2019)

Do you still have access to the St Regis/now Princeville Resort chairs when staying at WPORV?


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## PamMo (Aug 28, 2019)

We just got back from Kauai. The shuttle still runs between WPORV and the Princeville Resort and we could still use the beach chairs. The only change is you can't charge food and drinks to your room anymore. You must use cash or a credit card.


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## Sea Six (Aug 28, 2019)

I wonder if the new hotel still offers the famous bloody Mary, which was a St Regis invention.


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## rickandcindy23 (Aug 28, 2019)

Some friends of ours are staying at The Princeville Resort.  I had no idea what they were talking about, and now I know it's the former St. Regis.  They got a good deal on three hotel rooms for five nights.  I didn't see any good deals when I looked, but maybe they did.  They are firefighters w/ wives, friends of Rick's.  When they were talking about their trip to Kauai, my ears perks up a bit.  

I told them we are staying at Shearwater next June for two weeks and described the view.  They were unimpressed.  "No beach?"  Nope.  I guess they wouldn't be impressed with Westin Princeville either.


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## blondietink (Aug 29, 2019)

That's the one thing we didn't like about Princeville ... no beach even though going over to the St. Regis was nice.  Plus it rained every.  single.   day.  from about 9 am to 5 pm.  in April a couple of years ago.  It rains where we live, so we were unimpressed.  Drove every day to the south shore.


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## DavidnRobin (Aug 29, 2019)

rickandcindy23 said:


> Some friends of ours are staying at The Princeville Resort.  I had no idea what they were talking about, and now I know it's the former St. Regis.  They got a good deal on three hotel rooms for five nights.  I didn't see any good deals when I looked, but maybe they did.  They are firefighters w/ wives, friends of Rick's.  When they were talking about their trip to Kauai, my ears perks up a bit.
> 
> I told them we are staying at Shearwater next June for two weeks and described the view.  They were unimpressed.  "No beach?"  Nope.  I guess they wouldn't be impressed with Westin Princeville either.



Good luck trying to find a place “on the beach” in North Kauai- at least one that is affordable.


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## rickandcindy23 (Aug 29, 2019)

DavidnRobin said:


> Good luck trying to find a place “on the beach” in North Kauai- at least one that is affordable.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yes, but that is not an issue for me.  I didn't get their lack of enthusiasm for Shearwater.  Maybe these three couples do not have the money restrictions we have always had.  They seemed pretty young, but my youngest is 39 this year, so maybe that's why they seemed young.  When we were their ages (and the ages of our kids), we could never have afforded a hotel room at that hotel.  And the ocean view rooms look expensive.  Shearwater has ocean view in every unit, but some are better than others.  It's uniquely situated on the cliff with beautiful views.  

I love Shearwater and Westin.  I would stay in either/or resort on any trip over anything south.  I love both and don't mind driving a bit to the beach.  It's not far to some beautiful places.


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