Oceanfront, Great Lanai Views, Whales in Winter & Dolphins Year-Round, King Bed

Very good experience

The views from the balcony of the unit are great, and the interior is very nice - modern appliances and well kept. It's very spacious, with high ceilings, nice big showers, and big beds.

The location is great too. It's a ways from Lihue (about an hour) and obviously the other Southern cities are further than that, but gives easy access to the rest of Kauai's North Shore and relatively small crowds.

Princeville isn't so much a town as it is a collection of condos, houses, and hotels built up around a golf course. There is a small marketplace nearby with several (good) restaurants, a grocery store, post office, library, and a few other things. Hanalei is the nearest actual 'town', just a 5-10 minute drive down the road.

There is also a hidden beach accessible via a (steep, but paved) trail on the Northwest side of the campus, which is a nice little hike to an uncrowded beach. There are also some barbecue pits down there for cooking.

The only thing to be aware of with this unit is that the neighbors can be noisy. This is of course luck of the draw, but the units aren't very sound proofed and you can sometimes hear your neighbors. For example, we heard a baby crying, someone blowing their nose, and loud talking even from the bedroom with all windows closed. They do post info about quiet hours and being courteous with regards to noise, which helps in this regard.

Another thing to note - this unit is managed by a company, Kauai Vacation Rentals, and they only use VRBO for the listing. As soon as you book, they'll tell you they use their own app for everything, including messaging them, which was a little surprising to us when booking through VRBO.com. Not a big deal, but we had problems contacting them through their app - sent several messages about recent historic rainfall and flooding without a reply (no replies on messages in the VRBO app, or direct email either), and finally had to call them.

You have the option of picking up your unit's keys at your rental car's counter, which is very convenient. They'll ask you to drop the keys off at their office in Lihue when you leave, which is not a big deal as it's right on the way to the airport.

Nice place with all the necessary amenities. Worked great for 2 adult couples.

We were blown away by our stay at the condo. It was large, clean, very well furnished, had everything we needed, and had a great view of the ocean. We spent every early morning and late evening out on the lanai. Walked around the area every morning and loved the grounds and all of the landscaping. We went down the trail to the Hanalei Bay beach, which is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and it was practically deserted, which we loved. And the VIEWS of the mountains and waterfalls were incredible. One day near sunset, we sat on the lanai and watched several whales put on a show for us. They were jumping out of the water (must have been feeding) right in front of us for about 10 minutes. It was amazing! And the restaurant was fantastic too. The other couple who joined us loved it as well. He is a colonel in the Army and had just returned from Iraq and this was just what the doctor ordered. Plenty of R &R so he could de-stress. We would definitely come back here again. Mahalo!

For the money is was just ok. Having to drive to the rental office to drop off the key on your way out was a pain. The temperature in the condo was either too hot or too cold with no way to control it. Oh and they want you to take out your trash before you leave. I am on vacation and house work is not on my to do list. I have no problem with cleaning up after making meal and sorting the garbage for recycling, the usual stuff but don’t tell your guests to do house work and run errands when we are already paying a cleaning fee. The bed was really uncomfortable as well. But the view was nice and we had chairs for the beach and a sun umbrella. However bring your own towels for the beach cuz the towels provided were stained and pretty disgusting. And the carpets throughout the place were damp the whole time and kind of moldy smelling. Had to wash everything and spay down our suit cases when we got home to get rid of the smell of the place . I don’t know just didn’t seem very well kept. I have been to Kauai several times and this place was not worth the money in my opinion. But to each his own.