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Question Regarding THE WESTIN PRINCEVILLE and getting around Kauai

Z

zjhasan1976

Guest
Joined
Oct 3, 2017
Messages
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Hello all:
,
We booked for mid October for The Westin Princeville and am totally excited as first time in Kauai. I was looking at booking the car rentals now and got an absolute sticker shock - $1000 to $1,400 per week! There are cheaper options but those are non-refundable. I may rent a car for a few days to see parts of the island. So my questions are:

1. The best way for a family of 5 to get to/from the airport and the resort?
2. Are there enough restaurants and stores around the resort area that are walking distance to suffice for a week?
3. Are services like Uber/Lyft and Ube Eats/Skip the Dishes available and reasonably priced?
4. Are there beaches around the resort area that can be reasonably walked to?
5. Is the Sheraton located in a better location if we don't want to rent a car?
 
1. The best way for a family of 5 to get to/from the airport and the resort? A rental car.

2. Are there enough restaurants and stores around the resort area that are walking distance to suffice for a week? It's limited. Google Princeville restaurants.

3. Are services like Uber/Lyft and Ube Eats/Skip the Dishes available and reasonably priced? Limited.

4. Are there beaches around the resort area that can be reasonably walked to? No - the Westin is up on a cliff.

5. Is the Sheraton located in a better location if we don't want to rent a car? Yes - right on the beach, but you still will wish you had a car, because Kauai is rural, and you will miss so much if you can't drive.
 
Regarding Uber/Lyft: on Kauai, it's very limited, and if/when it's available, it's only a regular car, maximum 3 passengers. I have never seen UberXL/LyftXL seating 5 passengers being available in Uber or Lyft apps in Kauai. We used local buses to get around and a minivan taxi to/from airport.
 
DeniseM said:
1. The best way for a family of 5 to get to/from the airport and the resort? A rental car.

2. Are there enough restaurants and stores around the resort area that are walking distance to suffice for a week? It's limited. Google Princeville restaurants.

3. Are services like Uber/Lyft and Ube Eats/Skip the Dishes available and reasonably priced? Limited.

4. Are there beaches around the resort area that can be reasonably walked to? No - the Westin is up on a cliff.

5. Is the Sheraton located in a better location if we don't want to rent a car? Yes - right on the beach, but you still will wish you had a car, because Kauai is rural, and you will miss so much if you can't drive.
Click to expand...


Thanks for responding. It seems like car rental is a necessary evil based on your responses.

Are there airport shuttles to and from the Westin? If so, any ideas how much?

Are there car rental locations in Princeville or is the airport the only option?
 
echino said:
Regarding Uber/Lyft: on Kauai, it's very limited, and if/when it's available, it's only a regular car, maximum 3 passengers. I have never seen UberXL/LyftXL seating 5 passengers being available in Uber or Lyft apps in Kauai. We used local buses to get around and a minivan taxi to/from airport.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Do you recall the cost of the taxi?
 
The Sheraton Kauai Resort is in a great location. It's right on a nice beach, has multiple restaurants on property, and the Poipu Shopping Center is a short walk away. Rental car prices should go down by October (unless another virus variant starts spreading). You'll really want a car. Book a large one, full size, SUV, or minivan that you can cancel, and keep checking. If you can use a corporate discount, you'll be amazed at how low the prices are. We got a small SUV for 3 weeks for $800. Try https://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com/ They usually have the best rates you can find, and they're easy to cancel and rebook.
 
I agree with everyone who says rent a car. Yes, rental prices right now are horrible. But, make your reservation (do NOT do prepaid) and then keep checking. If you register your rental with AutoSlash they will continue to check for you and then notify you when/if they find a cheaper rate. I know some people say they find the best rates with discounthawaii, but personally I've never found them to be the cheapest. We start with Costco, book with them, then register it with AutoSlash.

Since we are using a timeshare when we come to Hawaii it doesn't hurt quite so much to pay more for the car rental.
 
Rent a car.
 
We've done the Maui resorts many times without a rental car but I don't think it's quite as 'easy' on Kauai.
 
You really need a car in Kauai.

There is a shuttle between the Westin Princeville and the beach (or at least there used to be.) But to get anywhere else you really need a car. And it will cost a lot to take a taxi or Lyft between the airport and the resort — paying for that round trip might be half the cost of a rental car for the week.
 
The shuttle used to go to the Hotel beach, and I don't think that relationship exists anymore.
 
DeniseM said:
The shuttle used to go to the Hotel beach, and I don't think that relationship exists anymore.
Click to expand...
In sept 2021 we were walking around the old St Regis grounds near Hanalei bay resort and ran into a bunch of guys in suits with clipboards. They told us the 250 million dollar remodel of the old st Regis will be done in the spring 2022 and will be rebranded as 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay—no affiliation with the Westin.
 
make a reservation and then keep checking for a better price. I usually get the best deal from Costco Travel. My minivan has dropped from $1300 to $1000. My 2nd car has dropped by about $250. I keep checking right up until I leave. You might check out Turo. My friend just used them on Maui and said it was great. The reviews are mostly good experiences. Their kids had used them on another trip as well. It is not a bad walk at all from the Westin Princeville to the Princeville Center. There are some options there.
 
zjhasan1976 said:
Hello all:
,
We booked for mid October for The Westin Princeville and am totally excited as first time in Kauai. I was looking at booking the car rentals now and got an absolute sticker shock - $1000 to $1,400 per week! There are cheaper options but those are non-refundable. I may rent a car for a few days to see parts of the island. So my questions are:

4. Are there beaches around the resort area that can be reasonably walked to?
5. Is the Sheraton located in a better location if we don't want to rent a car?
Click to expand...

As far as a beach near the Westin, it is on a cliff, but there is a path on the East side of the resort near the parking area that goes down to a nice beach. It is not a resort beach but a park - a little rugged and isolated. But pretty. Is the walk "reasonable"? maybe depending on your fitness level. It is a hike down the cliff (and up on the way back). Not sure of the elevation change, but at least couple of hundred feet (maybe 500?). It is doable walk though. I would walk there (down and up) every morning when we we there last year. Really enjoyed it. Great way to start a day.

The Sheraton at Poipu has much nicer beaches within a reasonable way of the resort.
 
zjhasan1976 said:
Hello all:
,
We booked for mid October for The Westin Princeville and am totally excited as first time in Kauai. I was looking at booking the car rentals now and got an absolute sticker shock - $1000 to $1,400 per week! There are cheaper options but those are non-refundable. I may rent a car for a few days to see parts of the island. So my questions are:

1. The best way for a family of 5 to get to/from the airport and the resort?
2. Are there enough restaurants and stores around the resort area that are walking distance to suffice for a week?
3. Are services like Uber/Lyft and Ube Eats/Skip the Dishes available and reasonably priced?
4. Are there beaches around the resort area that can be reasonably walked to?
5. Is the Sheraton located in a better location if we don't want to rent a car?
Click to expand...
I don't know your dates or what size vehicle you're looking for, but by using dates in mid-October and checking both Costco and Discount Hawaii I'm seeing lower rates. Still not great, but under $1000 for a week.
 
er57 said:
As far as a beach near the Westin, it is on a cliff, but there is a path on the East side of the resort near the parking area that goes down to a nice beach. It is not a resort beach but a park - a little rugged and isolated. But pretty. Is the walk "reasonable"? maybe depending on your fitness level. It is a hike down the cliff (and up on the way back). Not sure of the elevation change, but at least couple of hundred feet (maybe 500?). It is doable walk though. I would walk there (down and up) every morning when we we there last year. Really enjoyed it. Great way to start a day.

The Sheraton at Poipu has much nicer beaches within a reasonable way of the resort.
Click to expand...

I have done this path a couple of times, and it's steep and really rough to walk back up. The beach is only so-so. It's definitely a cliff path, and the beach doesn't justify the effort and possible danger of falling. YMMV
 
Luanne said:
We wouldn't do Maui without a car either.
Click to expand...
It really depends on how often you have been, what you want to see and what your lifestyle is. Obviously you can't get to Hana and up Haleakala on public transport but Kihei, Kapalua, Kula and Kahului are all doable as long as you don't mind moving at a Hawaiian pace. The Westin shuttles (or your own legs if able) will get you to Whaler's and Lahaina (for Safeway) and if you shop modestly then Times Market is walkable. However, I wouldn't recommend trying to haul a 'typical' Costco load on Maui Bus. Due to the early (8ish) curtailment of the shuttles last summer we did have to resort to Uber to get back from the Feast at Lele in Lahaina and we did one of those Airbnb's for car (can't remember what it's called) for a one day rental off a local to do the blow hole and volcano.
 
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EnglishmanAbroad said:
It really depends on how often you have been, what you want to see and what your lifestyle is. Obviously you can't get to Hana and up Haleakala on public transport but Kihei, Kapalua, Kula and Kahului are all doable as long as you don't mind moving at a Hawaiian pace. The Westin shuttles (or your own legs if able) will get you to Whaler's and Lahaina (for Safeway) and if you shop modestly then Times Market is walkable. However, I wouldn't recommend trying to haul a 'typical' Costco load on Maui Bus. Due to the early (8ish) curtailment of the shuttles last summer we did have to resort to Uber to get back from a the Feast at Lele in Lahaina and we did one of those Airbnb's for car (can't remember what it's called) for a one day rental off a local to do the blow hole and volcano.
Click to expand...
We own a timeshare in Kihei since 1986 so we've been many times. Our lifestyle is, we want to go where we want to go, when we want to go. The beach we like isn't walkable. We do cook in some meals so we like to be able to go the the grocery store. There are a couple of restaurants that we could walk to, but we don't want to be limited to just those few. We like to get out and "explore" the island, do a few trips up to Lahaina and such. Maybe because I was raised in California, which is a huge car culture, I can't imagine being on Maui without one.
 
Luanne said:
We own a timeshare in Kihei since 1986 so we've been many times. Our lifestyle is, we want to go where we want to go, when we want to go. The beach we like isn't walkable. We do cook in some meals so we like to be able to go the the grocery store. There are a couple of restaurants that we could walk to, but we don't want to be limited to just those few. We like to get out and "explore" the island, do a few trips up to Lahaina and such. Maybe because I was raised in California, which is a huge car culture, I can't imagine being on Maui without one.
Click to expand...
Yes, it certainly isn't for everyone and takes a fair amount of planning but just putting it out there as an option, especially if the $200-$250/day prices for a compact rental car that we were seeing last summer have persisted. In addition, at that time getting to restaurants wasn't the concern, actually getting a reservation/table in them was the problem.
 
YOU HAVE TO RENT A CAR. There is no other reliable way to get around. Things are scattered all over Kaua'i.

We are flying out of Lihue today, finishing a 3 week stay. We have visited Kaua'i many times. We spent 1 week in Kapa'a and 2 weeks at the Point at Poipu. It is only 45 or 50 miles from the Northern Point you can travel to the most Southern Point you can travel. This trip will take several hours. There is only 1 two lane road for most of this trip. Only small portions have Speed Limit of 50 MPH. Much of it is 25 to 35 MPH.

We tell folks if you are staying in Princeville and you want to see Waimea Canyon. Plan on most of a day.

We had a mid sized SUV for about $1,600 for the 3 weeks.

Find a Book online or in a Book Store called Kauai Revealed. Spend hours reviewing it. When we travel to Kaua'i we spend part of the time up North and part of the time towards the Southern end.

In our view the 3 best beaches up North are Ke'e Beach, Hanalei Beach, and Anini Beach
 
zjhasan1976 said:
Hello all:
,
We booked for mid October for The Westin Princeville and am totally excited as first time in Kauai. I was looking at booking the car rentals now and got an absolute sticker shock - $1000 to $1,400 per week! There are cheaper options but those are non-refundable. I may rent a car for a few days to see parts of the island. So my questions are:

1. The best way for a family of 5 to get to/from the airport and the resort?
2. Are there enough restaurants and stores around the resort area that are walking distance to suffice for a week?
3. Are services like Uber/Lyft and Ube Eats/Skip the Dishes available and reasonably priced?
4. Are there beaches around the resort area that can be reasonably walked to?
5. Is the Sheraton located in a better location if we don't want to rent a car?
Click to expand...
Thats one place a car is pretty much mandatory.
 
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