Westin Princeville Ocean Resort vs Marriott Waiohai Beach Club

[zentraveler]

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.

And there is Brennecke's a short walk away - good food, music some nights, great views.

 

[pchung6]

I would avoid Marriott Waiohai if I have other choices. If beach is important to you, please consider Sheraton Kauai, it doesn't have oceanview just like Waiohai, but Sheraton Kauai is new and upscale vs Marriott Waiohai old and outdated. If you don't care about beaches or don't mind to short drive, you won't disappoint with Westin Princeville. Westin is just better than Marriott. Things have been going downhill for SPG/Vistana resorts since Marriott takeover, but they are still way better than Marriott.

 

[JIMinNC]

And there is Brennecke's a short walk away - good food, music some nights, great views.

That's one we need to try on our next trip in February 2023. Our problem always is, which one do we leave out to try somewhere new? On this next trip, if Roy's Eating House's menu is still as limited as it was in Oct 2021, that may be the one to drop.

 

[JIMinNC]

I would avoid Marriott Waiohai if I have other choices. If beach is important to you, please consider Sheraton Kauai, it doesn't have oceanview just like Waiohai, but Sheraton Kauai is new and upscale vs Marriott Waiohai old and outdated. If you don't care about beaches or don't mind to short drive, you won't disappoint with Westin Princeville. Westin is just better than Marriott. Things have been going downhill for SPG/Vistana resorts since Marriott takeover, but they are still way better than Marriott.

I concur that Westin properties tend to be furnished a notch above Marriott's - although our Westin direct experience is limited - and it's true the Sheraton Poipu is a newer renovation, but I wouldn't call Waiohai "old and outdated". We were there in October and our unit was very nice. I'm not sure though where they are on their normal soft goods/hard goods replacement cycles.

 

[michael49]

I would avoid Marriott Waiohai if I have other choices. If beach is important to you, please consider Sheraton Kauai, it doesn't have oceanview just like Waiohai, but Sheraton Kauai is new and upscale vs Marriott Waiohai old and outdated. If you don't care about beaches or don't mind to short drive, you won't disappoint with Westin Princeville. Westin is just better than Marriott. Things have been going downhill for SPG/Vistana resorts since Marriott takeover, but they are still way better than Marriott.

I completely disagree with you. We own at Waiohai and just spent two weeks there this past February. Nothing looked outdated. When were you last there? As for Westin Princeville, if you like lots more rain than at Poipu and no beach, you will love Princeville.

 

[GraceH]

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.

Ain’t that the truth. We drove back to Princeville on a rainy night after a nice relaxing dinner in Poipu and experienced THAT drive with no lead cars helping to navigate the way. So now if heavy rain is in the forecast, then we are more likely to eat in our condo or head back well before midnight.

 

[pchung6]

I concur that Westin properties tend to be furnished a notch above Marriott's - although our Westin direct experience is limited - and it's true the Sheraton Poipu is a newer renovation, but I wouldn't call Waiohai "old and outdated". We were there in October and our unit was very nice. I'm not sure though where they are on their normal soft goods/hard goods replacement cycles.

My experience with Waiohai was terrible. The toilet bowl was leaking all week, and that water leaking noise bothered me so bad every night. We called for repair 3 times and they couldn't do it. I was so mad and I drove to Home Depot to purchase the seal ring and fixed it in 5 mins by myself. AC was not working and leaking water to the carpet, at least the guy fixed after 2 calls after 3 days. I think the carpet should be gone with this water damage. The pool is so old and disgusting with algae all over the main pool and jacuzzi. I would stay away if I can next time. Sheraton Kauai and Westin Princeville are just way better maintained. It is just the fact.

 

[zentraveler]

Ain’t that the truth. We drove back to Princeville on a rainy night after a nice relaxing dinner in Poipu and experienced THAT drive with no lead cars helping to navigate the way. So now if heavy rain is in the forecast, then we are more likely to eat in our condo or head back well before midnight.

There is nothing in the world that would entice me to drive from Poipu to Princeville for any sort of day/evening trip. Roads and traffic are not built for that these days. If you stay in Princeville/north Kauai it is best to find things to do and places to eat nearby and ditto for Poipu/south. Life and vacations are too short.

 

[pchung6]

I completely disagree with you. We own at Waiohai and just spent two weeks there this past February. Nothing looked outdated. When were you last there? As for Westin Princeville, if you like lots more rain than at Poipu and no beach, you will love Princeville.

I hope Waiohai has been renovated because they really needed. I was there in 2018, room was bad and outdated. Pool was bad, old and algae's were all over the places on the floor, pool wall and deck. View was bad even we were assigned to OV, but it was more like giraffe ocean view. We had good time in Kauai overall. I just want to say Sheraton Kauai and Westin Princeville are better, way better, no comparison.

 

[zentraveler]

That's one we need to try on our next trip in February 2023. Our problem always is, which one do we leave out to try somewhere new? On this next trip, if Roy's Eating House's menu is still as limited as it was in Oct 2021, that may be the one to drop.

What we love about Brenneke's is the quality/effort calculation. Short walk, no need to dress up in any way (even for Hawaii), great food, they take reservations (!) (always nice to have), great food. Really nice for a low key evening.

 

[GraceH]

There is nothing in the world that would entice me to drive from Poipu to Princeville for any sort of day/evening trip. Roads and traffic are not built for that these days. If you stay in Princeville/north Kauai it is best to find things to do and places to eat nearby and ditto for Poipu/south. Life and vacations are too short.

True that life and vacations are too short for that kind of stress; however, we stay at WPORV almost exclusively as owners so we don’t mind the trek down south now and then to enjoy some of our favorite spots (e.g. McBryde/Allerton gardens, Waimea Canyon, Kilohana Plantation for Koloa rum tastings, the Kauai Culinary Market, etc) and make a full itinerary of activities for the day, but we know better now to adjust our schedule accordingly when the weather moves in.

 

[JIMinNC]

My experience with Waiohai was terrible. The toilet bowl was leaking all week, and that water leaking noise bothered me so bad every night. We called for repair 3 times and they couldn't do it. I was so mad and I drove to Home Depot to purchase the seal ring and fixed it in 5 mins by myself. AC was not working and leaking water to the carpet, at least the guy fixed after 2 calls after 3 days. I think the carpet should be gone with this water damage. The pool is so old and disgusting with algae all over the main pool and jacuzzi. I would stay away if I can next time. Sheraton Kauai and Westin Princeville are just way better maintained. It is just the fact.

I hope Waiohai has been renovated because they really needed. I was there in 2018, room was bad and outdated. Pool was bad, old and algae's were all over the places on the floor, pool wall and deck. View was bad even we were assigned to OV, but it was more like giraffe ocean view. We had good time in Kauai overall. I just want to say Sheraton Kauai and Westin Princeville are better, way better, no comparison.

Sorry you had a bad experience at Waiohai. The Waiohai pool was completely renovated in 2020. We stayed there in 2019 and 2021 and the condition and upkeep of our villa was excellent, and we are pretty picky. We actually were assigned the exact same villa both times.

The many mediocre-to-poor Ocean Views at Waiohai is a known issue. Since you are a Vistana owner, I assume you were on an II exchange? Multi-week owners tend to get the limited number of best OV units in Hale 1 and 8, and even single-week OV owners sometimes get the less attractive ocean views. That's why we purchased an Island View unit when we bought our resale unit in 2018. We saved about half of the cost of Ocean View. The views over the courtyard/lagoon are much easier to get and the view is really nice and peaceful.

My understanding is the timeshare units at the Sheraton Poipu are all across Hoonani Road from the hotel portion and are all Garden/Island View, not Ocean View. Is that not correct?

 

[pchung6]

My understanding is the timeshare units at the Sheraton Poipu are all across Hoonani Road from the hotel portion and are all Garden/Island View, not Ocean View. Is that not correct?

Yes, all the units at Sheraton Kauai Poipu are Garden/Island view with few on the side of the building can view ocean. It is no worst than most of the OV at Waiohai, except OF units. I would say the views for both are comparable. But the interior Sheraton is new and modern. The pool and lobby are new. I usually walk cross the road to the hotel side and enjoy the ocean front infinity pool during the day, and use the timeshare pool in the evening. It is short walk to the beach, shorter than from the room I was assigned at Waiohai in the back next to parking lot to the main pool. You can use all the amenities at hotel side too. For me, I enjoy it.

 

[Red elephant]

Yes, all the units at Sheraton Kauai Poipu are Garden/Island view with few on the side of the building can view ocean. It is no worst than most of the OV at Waiohai, except OF units. I would say the views for both are comparable. But the interior Sheraton is new and modern. The pool and lobby are new. I usually walk cross the road to the hotel side and enjoy the ocean front infinity pool during the day, and use the timeshare pool in the evening. It is short walk to the beach, shorter than from the room I was assigned at Waiohai in the back next to parking lot to the main pool. You can use all the amenities at hotel side too. For me, I enjoy it.

I concur with the Sheraton Kauai Poipu best location even though it’s not on the ocean . The hotel across the street is right there ocean front. In the evening it’s awesome to sit down with a drink right in-front of the ocean and watch the sun set.
To me Kauai requires staying in both the North and South Shore. If coming from Maui then North Shore. It’s majestic!

 

[Steve A]

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.

But what about the coral? This isn’t an issue at KBC, which is on a bay.

 

[JIMinNC]

But what about the coral? This isn’t an issue at KBC, which is on a bay.

Can't address the coral, as I don't really go in the water all that much in Hawaii except for snorkel cruises. The beach surf out there is generally too strong for my tastes, so when we spend time at the resort, we usually just hang out on the sand or in the lawn chairs in front of Hale 1. Having said that, coral is a problem on a lot of Hawaii beaches - as it was when we went to French Polynesia in 2019 - so I own a pair of reef shoes that if I were to go into the water in Hawaii, I would always wear them. In French Polynesia, at least where we went, there was no surf to speak of as most of the beaches are on lagoons, but there is still a lot of coral. Makes for great snorkeling but bad walking barefoot.

We've never stayed at KBC since we like the Poipu area the best. That's where all of the restaurants we like are, and dining out is one of our favorite activities, so that's our Kauai home.

 

[PamMo]

Got to admit, I really don't care where I stay, I can bliss out anywhere in Kauai! Having to decide between the North Shore vs the South Shore (or the two Marriotts in Lihue) is like asking me who my favorite child is!!!