Westin Princeville Ocean Resort vs Marriott Waiohai Beach Club

[pinetree1]

I managed to exchange a 2-bedroom summer Grande Ocean to a 1-bedroom Westin Princeville Ocean Resort for middle May 2023 during Westin's bulk deposits via Interval a few weeks ago.

I know that the North shore is kind of far away.

Should I settle on the exchange and begin to make other reservations around the week or hope for the Marriott Waiohai Beach for the same time period? I made reservations at Hilton Hawaii Villages with Hilton points after the Westin week since our Hilton Vacation Club reservation window has not open yet.

I noticed that Westin maintenance fee is almost $1000 more for a 2-bedroom villa vs Marriott's Why? We are thinking about purchasing 1 week at Kauai Island. We own Hilton Vacation Club for Oahu, Big Island and Maui bookings although Maui is extremely difficult. When we were at Maui Bay Resort this past May, there was only 1 building open for guests. Employees were out of their way to help guests.

Any insights, suggestions and Comparisions between these 2 resorts?

Thanks,

 

[JIMinNC]

I've never been to the Westin, but the north shore tends to be a bit more rainy and a bit more cloudy at times than the south shore at Poipu where Waiohai is located. I don't know a lot about the restaurant options on the north shore either. I know all of our favorite spots are in Poipu or Lihue, but that's where we go since we own at Waiohai and have always stayed in Poipu, even before we started going to Waiohai.

 

[10spro]

We just got back from Marriott KBC for the first time. Only after I booked did I notice how close it is to the airport, which actually was not an issue. We drove over to Popui, very nice area, hit up the food trucks on the way, and stumbled across a farmer's market. Great restaurants nearby. On one of the few mostly dry and sunny days, we drove around the other way to Princeville, checked out the golf course and the Westin. It's beautiful on that side, and maybe a little less crowded, but generally very wet. I was unexpectedly surprised and pleased to be based in Lihue as it was an easy drive to everywhere we wanted to go.

 

[GregT]

I love WPORV and May is a wonderful time to visit — there is definitely rain, but that is north shore reality. You may get 15 minutes of torrential rain followed by clear blue skies.

In a sense, what are your alternatives? I would definitely not cancel a 1BR at WPORV hoping to get space at MAW. I would use the WPORV trade as a base camp to build off the rest of your vacation needs. It is a beautiful property and I have many happy memories there.

Best,

Greg

 

[ragdoll]

Princeville is great in May. We go every year at that time. Not crowded. Weather is nice. As for restaurants, there is only one restaurant at the resort and it's just okay. Same food all day long. No breakfast service, but you can buy food at the local grocery store and eat in your unit. The resort deli opens at 6 am and has Starbucks coffee plus a few breakfast things. Local restaurants have changed since covid. Some are closed on Monday, some are not open for dinner. You will have to do your research. If you have little kids, they will love it. Teenagers, less so because you will have to drive everywhere for activities. However, Princeville is a lovely planned community and our favorite place to visit in Hawaii.

 

[RunCat]

When I was playing disc golf on the east shore, I was told that there is a GREAT course in Princeville. The locals said that there is a fee ($30?) for the round but that it is well worth it. Did not have time to check it out myself. . . . maybe next time.
(Yes, my son-in-law and I brought discs with us. They don't take much space. )

 

[vacation dreaming]

Princevile is beautiful and the resort is very nice. The weather varies, with more rain in the winter. The biggest downside to this property is that it is not right on the beach.

 

[Bill4728]

The beautiful resort is built on a cliff right above the ocean. So from many areas of the resort there are great ocean views. There is a path down to the ocean but very few people use it.

Since you got a 1 bd unit the following doesn't apply to you but the biggest plus of the Westin units are the great studios. I personally wouldn't want to stay in a studio in most MVC resorts. The studio units at the Westin resorts in Hawaii are big with a good kitchen area. Not as good as most timeshare 1 bedroom units, but much better than almost any studio we have ever stayed in.

 

[zentraveler]

pinetree1 you would be well served to visit them both. I really love the north shore of Hawaii, and also Poipu. They are just quite different. You can read about it, but you really need to experience both of them to know which (or both) you like and want to put your time and exchange energy into. (Plenty of places to eat in both places; you would not go hungry in either.)

 

[Ddaley]

I own at Waiohai and stayed at Westin Princeville several times and seriously considered a purchase. There are pros and cons to both. Princeville is quiet, out of the way with incredible vistas- the lighthouse is great for whale watching, you can horseback ride and the Princeville beaches are very quiet compared to Poipu. Prices for everything are much higher in Princeville vs. Poipu or Lihue. Driving between Princeville and Lihue on a daily basis is no fun and driving to the resort at night after a long flight can be a nail biter for sure, especially in hard rain. In my view the Westin is more upscale in the resort furnishings and feel.

Waiohai is located right on Poipu beach. I get a sense of wonder walking the beach as there have always been turtles or munk seals on the beach just a short 5 or 10 minute walk from the villa. Poipu is close to just about everything. I love the beach and the ocean and value the opportunity to snorkel daily just outside my unit so Waiohai wins hands down. I also have kids so Waiohai is the better resort for kids.

So in the end they are both great resorts.

 

[pinetree1]

Thanks for everyone's insights. We will visit both resorts fore sure.

DW & teenage daughter are foodies, so we need some nice restaurants, not necessarily expensive ones.

 

[JIMinNC]

DW & teenage daughter are foodies, so we need some nice restaurants, not necessarily expensive ones.

Our favorites restaurants in Poipu near Waiohai are:

The Beach House - one of our top places in all of Hawaii
Keokis Paradise
Merriman's
Roy's Eating House (although when we were there last October the menu was limited and a little disappointing. (may have been an after-effect of restaurant Covid capacity limits)

In Lihue, we like Duke's at the Sonesta/Marriott KBC.

In May you should also do Capt Andy's Star Napali Sunset Dinner Cruise. It leaves from down in Port Allen near Poipu and cruises up the west side by Barking Sands to the Napili Coast. They have two versions of the same basic itinerary, but if you want the best food (think Filet Mignon and shrimp versus Sirloin) do the slightly more expense "Star" Napali Sunset Dinner Cruise. In May the north coast surf should be lower and the cruise will stand a better chance of going to Napili instead of an alternate site. If the surf is too high, Napili is off limits, as happens often in the winter.

 

[Al Savage]

+1 for Cap't Andy's cruise. In good weather, it's stunning. We have great family pictures from ~2015 on our first cruise.

Unfortunately, last time we went (2018), the weather was a touch rougher, and I was seasick the whole ride and couldn't possibly eat. But the views were still stunning. Highly recommended.

Duke's @ KBC is quite nice, and when we stay at KBC we eat there at least twice.

 

[chalee94]

Not sure if you only care about the resorts but I'll throw in 2 cents:

I stayed at Marriott KBC in May 2019. Booked a couple of nights on the north shore (not the Westin) to do the Na Pali Catamaran boat tour from Hanalei in the early morning. I'm sure Captain Andy has much better food but the views were much much much better from the north shore to Na Pali than the tours from the south. I also loved the snorkeling on that tour with Na Pali Catamaran. If you only do one boat tour and prefer great views to great food, the north shore is where it's at.

With that said, I also liked using KBC in Lihue as a more central home base near Lydgate Beach and Kapaa in the east and Poipu (more great snorkeling but watch out for the rocks) in the south and Waimea Canyon in the southwest. And I agree with the previous poster who suggested that a resort near the airport does make the 1st day a bit easier.

Hanalei's roads were still dealing with weather damage when I was there but hopefully, things are getting back to normal. I didn't plan a lot around the north side due to the access questions but the drive up was very beautiful.

 

[10spro]

When I was playing disc golf on the east shore, I was told that there is a GREAT course in Princeville. The locals said that there is a fee ($30?) for the round but that it is well worth it. Did not have time to check it out myself. . . . maybe next time.

We played disc golf at Lydgate a couple times. It's a beautiful park. We did drive up to Princeville to check out the course there, never intended to pay $30, but did bring home a couple new stamped discs. That course looked to be in really good shape if you are so inclined.

 

[klpca]

Between the two, we absolutely love Princeville but having said that, it is a long way from everything. We love the Waiohai location. The beach is really nice and you are much closer to things like Waimea Canyon and the marinas on the west side (i.e. Captain Andy's which is as good as advertised although it can be really bad for folks who get seasick). If you can get Waiohai (which isn't easy) and if this is your first trip to Kauai, I would personally go for it. But ymmv. I would do a search of the sightings board to see how availability has been historically. I no longer own a Marriott so my availability is very low (lol).

If you do wind up keeping the Westin, I have a couple of off the wall suggestions for some good food. I imagine that you will get a lot of typical restaurant suggestions so I won't duplicate them. Kilaeaua Market has a deli/takeout counter inside and we stopped there for a couple of lunches and it was great. I needed a good, fresh salad and the ones that I had were delicious. https://www.kilaueamarket.com/menus The other place that we enjoyed was Nourish Hanalei. https://www.nourishhanalei.com/menu I was skeptical so we didn't eat here until the day before we left but it will be on the rotation when we return. It's essentially a food truck with very limited parking, limited seating (bring chairs or a blanket just in case) and stellar views of the Hanalei Valley. It's definitely "health food" but we had no complaints about the food. I had the Kauai Thai salad and it was delicious. Afterwards we hiked down the road past the gate (pedestrian access is ok) and walked around the old Club Med property.

In the Poipu area we do like the Beach House but it's a bit fancy for me. We also had (surprisingly) and couple of decent meals at Brenneke's. Not sure why I was surprised - maybe because it seemed touristy but we really enjoyed the views.

 

[Tahiya]

We have exchanged into both the Westin Princeville (2x) and Marriott's Waiohai Beach resort (1x). We have never been to Kauai in May, but have spent a week at each end of the island about six times now in March. View is very important to us, and at the Waiohai we had a unit that looked at the parking lot and some tall bushes. Both times we exchanged into the Westin Princeville we had a lovely view of mountains. I don't know how important view is to you, but this was our experience, and I would return to the Westin, but not to Waiohai. Because view is so important, we typically stay at Lawai Beach Resort, where we own, and at Hanalei Bay Resort.

 

[slip]

We have exchanged into both the Westin Princeville (2x) and Marriott's Waiohai Beach resort (1x). We have never been to Kauai in May, but have spent a week at each end of the island about six times now in March. View is very important to us, and at the Waiohai we had a unit that looked at the parking lot and some tall bushes. Both times we exchanged into the Westin Princeville we had a lovely view of mountains. I don't know how important view is to you, but this was our experience, and I would return to the Westin, but not to Waiohai. Because view is so important, we typically stay at Lawai Beach Resort, where we own, and at Hanalei Bay Resort.

We always expect the worst views on exchanges. That way we either get what we expected or are happily surprised.

 

[Red elephant]

Sunrise at Westin Princeville is magnificent . I was in a 1 bedroom which was really nice with Oceanside views. Watching the ocean early morning with the sun rising is the best. IMHO no bad views at the Westin Princeville. But then I book with staroptions.

 

[Steve A]

We really didn’t care for Waiohai. The ocean in front of the resort is filled with coral. I cut my feet up the first day. There is a public park next to the resort with easier entrance into the water and, what was then, a foul rest room. We also found a limited number of restaurants. It was a while ago so it could have changed.

 

[GraceH]

We’ve always enjoyed our stays at WPORV and find the resort and surrounding area charming, peaceful, and relaxing—it was even better back when we had access to St. Regis’ beach and amenities. We were just there last summer and all the units are freshly remodeled.

There is only one restaurant onsite beside the marketplace (which offers fresh baked pizzas, limited food/drink offerings, delicious giant guava/banana mac nut muffins, and a refrigerated case of fresh meats to throw on the grill). Though there are better food options offsite, we’ve made a tradition of doing their restaurant’s prix fixe tasting menu with wine pairings for dinner once each trip which makes for a nice relaxing evening.

Aside from our Costco haul on the way in from the airport, we get most of our groceries from nearby Foodland in Princeville, but we also like to head further north to Hanalei to eat too, For dinner, Hanalei Dolphin is a favorite for us and AMA asian fusion, For a quick Lunch, Chicken-in-a-barrel BBQ (chain) followed by Jojo’s Shaved Ice next door or Roselani’s ice cream at Pink’s Creamery across the road. Further south, Kilauea Fish Market has great food (outdoor patio seating only) coupled with Kauai Juice is a great lunch choice, and the best coffee can be found across the road from the Fish Market at Kai Bar Coffee Roasters.

Activity-wise, Tunnels beach is beautiful for ocean fun/snorkeling, though parking could be a nightmare so go early. We love doing the hike up/down the mountain at the Limahuli garden and preserve (part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden chain of gardens) though reservations are required due to limited parking.

We will be staying at Waiohai for the first time next month, and I’m already looking forward to its proximity to NTBG’s Allerton and McBryde Gardens, Waimea Canyon, and farmer’s market woth live music Wednesday nights at The Shops at Kakui’ula,

 

[sun starved Gayle]

We always expect the worst views on exchanges. That way we either get what we expected or are happily surprised.

Slip, I absolutely love your attitude!

 

[JIMinNC]

We really didn’t care for Waiohai…We also found a limited number of restaurants. It was a while ago so it could have changed.

It has changed. At least three nice upscale places in the Shops at Kukuiula, plus Keoki’s and the Beach House elsewhere in Poipu. All within a 5-10 minute drive of Waiohai.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I am partial to Princeville, but we live in a mild climate. The wind at Shearwater (across the golf course from Princeville) was crazy every day we were there, which happened to be later May-early June. @klpca can attest to the wind. It was actually comical with my hair blowing in my face constantly during our visit. We sat inside mostly.

Rick was so disappointed in the Marriott Beach Villas in Lihue, but he did like Waiohai. Maybe it was the full kitchen, or the location near Keoki's, or because his stepmom loved it so much.

 

[vacationtime1]

We have exchanged into both the Westin Princeville (2x) and Marriott's Waiohai Beach resort (1x). We have never been to Kauai in May, but have spent a week at each end of the island about six times now in March. View is very important to us, and at the Waiohai we had a unit that looked at the parking lot and some tall bushes. Both times we exchanged into the Westin Princeville we had a lovely view of mountains. I don't know how important view is to you, but this was our experience, and I would return to the Westin, but not to Waiohai. Because view is so important, we typically stay at Lawai Beach Resort, where we own, and at Hanalei Bay Resort.

+1

The Waiohai has some Really Bad Views. Yes, parking lots and bushes, especially for exchangers. We owned OV at Waiohai for a decade, stayed a half dozen times as owners, and even as owners got a true OV unit -- one where you see >20 degrees of ocean -- only once. We were there on a preview once before we bought and were assigned one of the parking lot view units in the back Hale 4; that's not why we travel to Hawaii (it is why we bought OV rather than IV, but that didn't work either).

We have stayed at Westin Princeville five times, always as II or StarOption exchangers. Although there are few water views at Princevile, our units generally had better views than the OV units we were assigned at Waiohai.

That said, both resorts are beautifully landscaped, upscale, and well appointed. The weather in May should be good in either location. Apart from the view risk, both resorts are delightful.