I'm torn on this one. I did not have a *bad* stay, but I can't say my expectations were met, and working with Vacasa after the stay has been frustrating. Sadly, on balance I probably wouldn't recommend booking this property. A bit more of a breakdown:
Pros:
- This is located within the Hanalei Bay Resort. As Princeville stays go, this is a great location. The bay view from most of the property and the grounds are stunning, and the access to a currently private beach (construction on the neighboring One Hanalei Bay, which will share access come fall) is DIVINE. Pristine, clear water, and almost no one there at any time that I went, including sunset (which happens right over the bay). The pool and hot tub are great.
- The lanai is quite large, and the view is very nice. Note that the lanais are staggered though and this one is inset, so you necessarily see into neighbor's lanais.
- The bed is SUPER comfy.
- The room is spacious, and the bathroom is huge, and you're provided lots of fluffy towels and beach chairs.
- Price was pretty affordable for Princeville when I booked.
- The host provided a bunch of yummy Hawaiian snacks.
Cons:
- The room is a bit dated and sparse. Hopefully you're not spending too much time there, so not the biggest deal, but does make the high prices (even if on the lower side for the area) harder to stomach. There's also mirrors wall to wall, which have the desired effect of making the space feel larger, but could be good or bad depending on what you're looking for...
- Hanalei Bay Resort is still very much recovering from the last couple years. The only food available on premises is a sort of sports bar that's only open Happy Hour onward. There's nowhere to get any food (or even coffee) earlier in the day without driving outside of Princeville. (There's a coffee machine in the room but it's...not great.)
- I am pretty sure I left a jacket in the room, which I didn't notice until I was unpacking at my stay on a different part of the island. I reached out to Vacasa to see if they were able to look. I reached out on Friday night, saying that I was still on the island and would love to come by and pick it up. When I received a response Saturday afternoon, they told me there was a $25 fee that I'd need to pay before they would check, and asked me to confirm my shipping address so they could mail it back (also at my expense - not cheap from HI). When I responded back later that afternoon, I again reiterated that I was still on the island and would prefer to pick it up, since it was my only jacket on the trip and I was hoping to have it for the flight back to the colder northeast. I received a response back Sunday morning again asking for my mailing address, without acknowledgement or explanation as to why I could not just pick it up .
- Because this is a privately owned unit, the Resort cannot go into the rooms, so even calling the Resort was no use. I finally called Vacasa, and reiterated that I'd like to pick up the jacket, but that if they were not able to check before I flew out, that I'd have to reconsider paying the lost and found fee, as I'm not sure the combined fee and shipping would be worth it. They told me they could probably get someone there later that day, but not before I left.
Flash forward to now, two weeks after my departure. Not only was Vacasa unable to get someone to look for the jacket and return it to me in person when I was a 15 minute drive away, but I ultimately did pay the lost and found fee a few days later, and I still have no confirmation if they looked for, or found my jacket. Is this all a bit of silly ado for a jacket? Sure. But after already being underwhelmed by the whole experience other than the private beach, this frustrating lack of basic hospitality has been the nail in the coffin. Maybe it's just a lost and found issue, but based on this experience, I can't imagine Vacasa being particularly responsive or helpful with other requests or issues during a stay either (which thankfully did not arise for me).
Was it a terrible stay? No. Hard to be terrible in such a beautiful place. But there are other options, and if I went back, I'd take those.