Well, I'm back from Hawaii (it's cold and rainy here today) and had a great time at Banyan Harbor. I posted my full review in the Resort Database, but thought I'd share it here too since it seems to contradict dude-luv and DianeH's experience.
I have owned 2 weeks here for about 3 years but always used them for trading. This was our first time at Banyan Harbor and on Kauai. While this was my owned week, I didn't stay in my assigned unit (76) as we had another family with us and we wanted two units together. I had traded another week in so I could have two condos for the same week for this trip. When I called the property a week in advance, the office told me they would try to assign a 2nd unit close to mine. When I checked in, they had moved me to 120 and assigned 119 for the traded week so we were next door to each other. This was great of them to do for me although I wouldn't expect it every time. Also, units 119 and 120 have much nicer views than 76 does. One thing to mention is there are a lot of stairs at Banyan Harbor. If you don't do well with stairs, call the office well in advance of your stay and request a ground level unit.
The buildings themselves are either 3 or 4 story buildings. Actually, they're all 3 story buildings but some have parking stalls underneath them so they look like a 4 story building. The first floor of each building has the (slightly) larger 2br/2ba units that are all on one floor. The 2nd floor has the 2br/1½ units which are two-story units. The ½ bath and kitchen/living room (with sleeper/sofa) is downstairs and the 2 bedrooms and full bathroom (with laundry) are upstairs. All units have balconies downstairs and some have balconies upstairs also. All newer appliances and a well-stocked kitchen. The ice trays were even full when we checked in. The furnishing in both units were similar and all looked recent. Flat screen TVs on the wall of the living room and one bedroom. Speaking of bedrooms, I was very comfortable in our bed although my sister said hers was too firm and the other family that traveled with us said the same thing.
The wifi sucks! There are rumors they will soon be upgrading it, but for now it is very slow and you have to keep logging in about every 20 minutes. It was very frustrating trying to get any work done. I know we're supposed to be on vacation, but some of us still have to do some work.
The outside of the units were in good shape. The buildings are a bit older but have been well maintained. The paint looked fresh and the grounds were clean. They are just finishing a solar project because electricity is so expensive in Hawaii. All of the buildings now have solar panels on the roofs which is a nice touch for us owners. It's nice to see our maintenance fees being put to good use.
The front desk staff were always very pleasant and helpful. Kiki is the in-house concierge. She is probably Banyan Harbor's best asset. She is so knowledgeable about the island and was able to get us some great discounts on touristy activities. She is also VERY funny, but be careful getting too familiar with her or she'll get familiar with you. OK, that didn't come out right. You know how you have that one friend that you joke around with all the time and they joke around back? That's Kiki. Just be forewarned. We love Kiki and hope she sticks around for many years to come! If you are going to do stuff around the island (luaus, air tours, zip-lining, boat excursions, etc), be sure to book them through Kiki. You'll save money and she'll make a little money too (from the venue, not from you). When you sit down with her, be sure to take a notepad and pen. Write down everything she tells you. It made our trip so much more enjoyable because we had the inside scoop on where to go, where to eat and what to do.
I have read all of the reviews for Banyan Harbor and a lot of them aren't so great. All I can say is that our trip was fantastic. No, it's not a Hilton or Hyatt. Yes, it is mixed residential and timeshares (actually about 80% full-time residents). No, it's not brand new with lots of fancy stuff you find at the newer, bigger timeshares. But it's a great location for a great value. Before you put too much weight into the not-so-good reviews, look at the dates they were written. I guess the place has changed dramatically in the past few years because I have almost nothing bad to say about Banyan Harbor.
