St. Regis (North Shore Kauai, HI)

Location

The St. Regis is located in Princeville, which is on the north shore of Kauai, just before Hanalei (approx 1 hr drive from the airport). If you have never been to Kauai’s north shore before, it is BEAUTIFUL. In all of my recent trips to the island, I go straight to the north shore and never look back. The photos below show the view from the lobby of the hotel.

This lounge is the location of the evening champagne toast. Trust me when I say that the sunset cocktail view from this lounge is out of this world.

Service

Service is impeccable. All you need to do is show up at the beach and staff are ready to set up your umbrella, lounges and towels. The next thing you know you will be relaxing in comfort, gazing out at the beautiful view and enjoying creamy tropical drinks.

Room

Every room features a picture window of the stunning Kauai landscape. Rooms are classified as mountain or ocean depending on whether the framed view below captures more mountain or ocean. I honestly think you can’t go wrong with either. My strategy has always been to book a mountain view (cheaper) and then hope that my Starwood Gold status gets me upgraded to ocean.

The luxury bathroom features a large tub and double vanity. An interesting feature of the bathroom, there is a window that looks into the bedroom. I think the point is that you can glimpse a view of the mountains? Its a bit odd but you can flip a switch to cloud the window and re-establish your privacy if needed. My one complaint would be that they should provide bath crystals. With a tub this nice, I want something to soak in. The loofas are a nice touch though.

The room set up is quite typical with sitting area and king bed. Honestly, you will not spend much time in the room.

My favorite use of the room is lounging on the window seat enjoying my morning espresso, made on the in-room illy machine, while watching the sunrise over the mountains.

Amenities

It can be tempting to never leave the hotel grounds. Whether you are a pool person or beach person, there are plenty of lounges and umbrellas waiting for you to enjoy!

Each seat offers stunning views.

If you are feeling a bit more adventurous, you can depart from the hotel’s beach straight into the ocean and partake in a variety of water sports. My husband and I enjoyed our kayak rental; from the hotel property it is a short kayak ride to the Hanalei river which winds inland through gorgeous scenery. It was on this ride that I felt transported into the set of Jurassic Park!

If water sports are not your thing, there is a traditional work out room. Clearly the hotel designers saved the vistas for the guest rooms and lobby, don’t expect to experience much island charm in this exercise room aside from a small bowl of fruit and chilled towels.

Another fun activity is to rent bike cruisers. The hotel is located in Princeville which is essentially a giant oceanside golf community. Cruisers would be the perfect form of transport to spend a day exploring the area.

Value

Given the location and level of service, the hotel price is along the lines of what I would expect. You won’t get major deals here but you can rest assured that you will be well taken care of and feel like you are getting the chance to experience a truly special landscape.

What is your favorite romantic hotel?