I just returned from the St Regis. It was the best of Hawaii's resorts and the only negative aspect was the traffic getting to the Hotel. If someone would fly into Princeville it would remove my only negative about this trip. You can spend 2 hours driving 27 miles if your timing is poor. The Hotel was 70% occupied but never seemed busy. The Jean George restaurant was impressive as usual. They made homemade Ginger ale for my little ones and they still rave about it. Service was impeccable. I will plan on another business trip to Hawaii and fit in a long weekend in at this resort.

It may be one of the best but IMHO it does not deserve the St. Regis brand for the level of service it provided us. So I guess we will have to disagree there. I was there over Christmas and New Years however but I still can not believe that it changed that much in 3 months. And they may have been nice to your little ones but the sheer number of kids at the resort was a major problem. To each his own as they say. The real issue is that in Kauai there is no other luxury choice.

April issue of Hideaway Report is mostly Hawaii: Mauna Kea, Kahala, St. Regis Princeville, Ritz-Carlton Kapalau, Hana-Maui, Kona Village, and Halekulani (online).

PDF is up on the member site.

A note about Kona Village: I booked 8 nights in Oct. We had loved this resort for 3 decades. Our recent visit in Oct, 2009 was so bad that we left 4 days early and bailed to the Mauna Kea, which turned out to be a great decision.(Returned to Mauna Kea 4 months later).
Kona Village is a magnificent property. It has historical significance (eg. petroglyphs), sweeping views, a lovely beach with calm water. The resort is now, nearly a disaster. The hales are run down, service is minimal (at best), reception is bizarre, housekeeping is nearly non-existent and food is only acceptable. Kona Village prides itself on no TV's, no AC and no cellphones or internet access (except for 2 computers in an office). Oh, did I note that as we were paying $900.00 a day there was no beach service; no employees around...EXCEPT, on day 3 I was so disgusted, I walked to the lawn area near the beach, whipped out my Iphone and called Mauna Kea to see if we could get in the next day. While I was on the phone..A BEACHBOY appeared (for the first time). He was there to drop a note at my feet that cellphones were not permitted on the property.
In my dreams, I wish that M. Dell would somehow manage to integrate the 2 properties. (4S and KVR). That would be one fantastic property. I always loved the concept of KVR as a great and very Hawaiian property. If Dell can upgrade the hales and revamp the service to 4S service, this would be one of the premier Polynesian resorts in the world. So much natural beauty at KVR and 4S offers the magnificent golf course. What a great fit!

Very interesting commentary on Kona Village Resort. We really enjoy visiting the property, but have a hard time getting past the no air conditioning. Arguably, they could use a few infrastructure and service upgrades. Ideally they could make these upgrades without losing the sense of place and community that one currently finds at KVR.

FS hualalai estate homes from $3K/nt (a lot cheaper than direct)
4BR http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p225531
6BR http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p247131
(not incl guest fee and housekeeping fee)

I'm a flyertalker and a homeowner here. Nice place for a family vacation on Oahu with a beautiful beach.

We had been shopping for a place to buy for a while and this was the first place we found on Oahu that gave us a luxurious feel similar to what we enjoy at a Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton. Not quite as large as the Wailea Beach Villas on Maui but still pretty nice with 1,200 - 1,800 sq. ft. of space.

360 degree tours of the Villas
Beach Front Villa
Ocean Front Villa
Ocean View Villa

Nice touches like Hypnos mattresses in the Ocean View Villa. FYI: Hypnos is the holder of the Royal Warrant to the British Royal Family and supplier of bedding to the Queen of England. Same four poster bed in the Master Bedroom that is in one of Martha Stewart's homes.

Sub Zero and Wolf appliances in the Kitchen, African Sapelli Wood trim and Travertine floors.

The grounds include a children's sand bottom pool, lagoon pool and lap pool along with three Jacuzzi's. The four lagoons in Ko Olina are pretty amazing too. You might see Tripod, the three legged Turtle swimming in the lagoon at the front of our property. There is a concierge on staff (we pay their salary through our homeowners association dues) and a wonderful gym with men's and women's locker rooms with Sauna and Steam Room in each. The fitness center is top notch. My son the football player works out here and likes the assortment of equipment.

Scenic 360 tours of the Grounds

Drawbacks would be no on-site restaurant and the Beach Bar has limited hours. A five minute walk in either direction along the beach will lead you to beach front dining at either of the two Marriott properties on either side of us or you can stroll over to Roy's on the 18th hole. Also, one exit down (5 minute drive) is a Target, Costco & Safeway for groceries.

Our kids want to eat as soon as they wake up so we cut up fresh pineapple, mango's and papaya while cooking up some Portuguese sausage, eggs and rice for breakfast.

The property just had it's second birthday and some of the guests and "new friends" who have stayed have come back four or five times. A good testimony to the quality of the property and the "Aloha" spirit of the staff.

lanai is offering homebuyers $25K FS gift cards. doesnt compare to the $250K RC hotel credit offered by RC YYZ http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...l#post11469110 and lanai is more expensive, but they are also doing a leaseback program.

Those are indeed great tables, though there is hardly a bad table in the place. Our favorite though is to go upstairs to the Lava Lounge, where you can enjoy spectacular views of the pacific as well as great food and company.

I spent two nights last week at the FS Hualalai in an ocean view room and can report on a few further updates since our last stay.

All of the four crescents will now have bar/food/pool service. They have built a wonderful new small station with tables, chairs, and umbrellas at the Kings Pond. The staff there are dedicated to making everyone comfortable as well as answering questions about the wildlife of the pond.

The Palm Grove similarly has a new small bar station with staff dedicated to this area. They are very discrete and have successfully preserved the private secluded feeling of this crescent.

Near the Sea Shell pool they have built a water sports desk and a smoothie/ice-cream stand. This is a great addition!

I also attended my first ukulele lesson in the cultural center (free lesson). I can highly recommend attending these classes if you are interested in learning about the beautiful Hawaiian culture.

Hualalai continues to exceed my expectations as one of the worlds top beach resort destinations.

We also spent 4 nights at the Halekulani and had a very pleasant stay. This hotel reminds me of a mixture of a Ritz Carlton and a Four Seasons.

The positives:

They have a very strong concierge, often 3 clef's d'or working hard.
Their cultural program is exceptional, allowing those with Halekulani keys to gain free admission to the Palace, the Academy of Arts, and the Contemp. Art Museum (as well as others).
Every evening house keeping delivers a small lovely token gift.
Breakfast service at Orchids is exceptional.
Even the partial ocean view delivers what would be full ocean view at lesser hotels.
There is a strong effort to recognize guests by their names.
The spa services are top quality.
The internet throughout the hotel and in the rooms is complimentary.

Room for improvement:
There is no hot tub by the pool, sauna and/or steam room at the spa, or free weights in the gym.
They don't deliver periodic treats at the pool (and the attendants have plenty of time to do this).
Instead of a breakfast credit you need to present a breakfast voucher to the desk as you checkin either for the buffet or a la carte (I prefer the credit approach).
Their gift shop is straight out of the movie Cocoon (70's glamour) and they have a private store next to it which is not of the quality reflected throughout the rest of the hotel.
It would be nice if they had a hotel car for short distances.
The toiletries are substandard nondescript hotel branded.

Within the next 18 months they are going to embark on a massive room renovation. If they improve the spa, gym, and the rooms this might be a Four Seasons level quality hotel.

I also should add that the location of this hotel for access to Waikiki is exceptional. Across the street is all the best shopping along with the best restaurants, Roys, Nobu, and Alan Wong's is a short drive.

To compare I had breakfast at the Kahala and there wasn't even one concierge at 10:00 a.m. in the morning when I got there and only one harried concierge at 11:30 when I left. The rooms at the Kahala are currently larger and better decorated than the Halekulani but only by a small margin. The Halekulani renovation should reverse this comparison. The service at breakfast was not nearly as good as at the Halekulani but I did see that the Kahala serves Marriage Freres tea and makes their own jams. The dolphin experience at the Kahala, though I'm sure it attracts guests, doesn't seem large enough for the animals and would bother me if I stayed there. The beach at the Kahala is much better for lounging by the water but you can't walk to any good restaurants or shopping. If I need to be in Honolulu the Halekulani is by far my first choice.

Quick comparison of these two Honolulu hotels to the Westin Moana Surfrider: this hotel actually has the best spa facility in Honolulu. Shocking, I know. Its ocean front, with separate ladies and gentlemen facilities, saunas, hot tubs, steam rooms, excellent lounging chairs, and soothing quiet treatment rooms. This isn't a luxury hotel but they do have a luxury spa.

The Honolulu Coffee Shop has the best service and serves the best coffee I found. The Honolulu Chocolate company, in the Sheraton Waikiki mall has good chocolates though Neimans carries La Maison du Chocolate.

Aloha!

http://www.hualalairesort.com/upload...nal-ACBC82.pdf

Within the next year management is considering moving the Lava lounge from the second floor to the first floor, on the part of Pahuia which jets out towards the water. I have mixed feelings about this move. It will no longer be as quiet or secluded as it was but it will also be wheelchair/differently abled accessible (which it currently is not). From talking with the waitresses, the Lava Lounge was originally on the first floor but was moved to the second about 5 years ago. I'd be curious to hear from travelers who have experienced the lounge in both locations as to which they prefer.

Mrs. Trojan wants to go back to Hawaii with our 1 year old in May. We're trying to stay on a budget (relatively speaking in this forum). Trying to be <$600 per night.

Hualalai, sadly, appears out of the question. Lowest advertised rates are $800+ for partial ocean view rooms. Interestingly, the golf-ocean and pool-view rooms are not coming up as bookable. These categories used to be advertised in the $600 range per night. Any thoughts?

RC Kapalua has one of the best values with AMEX FHR 4th night free promo. Using that, a club room is only $539 with the promo. Non-club ocean view rooms are around $400.

St Regis PV is also an excellent deal for points redemptions. 16,000 points per night on promo or 8,000 points + $150 per night for a regular (non view) room. Upgrading to a decent room would be the challenge here, as I am a lowly SPG gold. Typically only SPG plats get good upgrades.

FS Manele Bay is also running 4th night free, but not sure if the resort is kid-friendly. This price works out to be $521 for Ocean Terrace rooms.

Other thoughts for a "bang for the buck" luxury property in Hawaii? I suppose I should clarify that we do NOT want to stay on Oahu.

contact hualalai directly, and/or consider rental (from owner) there?

rental from owner is down to $2K for pool villas, so condos must be down too, not sure what

as obscure2k brought up villa at MKB, there is also mauna lani, and RC has condos
there are also villas on lanai, although it seems FS doesnt offer management services there