grupie

and if you didn't flip the magic switch, then I'm sure there's nothing like taking a shower with Bali Hai looking in.
All kidding aside. This sounds great, we'll be going in August, I have a jr. suite booked. What else can you share with us to make the occasion (honeymoon) more memorable?
Mohalo Dan and enjoy.

LIH Prem

I vaguely recall reading that the hotel got a new GM a few months ago.

Yup .. it was on www.princeville.com

-David

dhammer53

grupie,

Make sure you e mail the GM at the Princeville. They need to know about your honeymoon. It may help with an additional upgrade.


Dan

LHR Tim

Oh to get my PremEx status back and head over there again.

I stayed a few years ago and it was wonderful. Glad to hear it's still keeping up the standards.

When I get stressed at work, the picture of the infinity pool as a windows backgroud keeps me going

Do they still do jazz in the lounge in the evenings?

grupie, make sure you do the hike up Na Pali coast. That was the one thing we missed out on and sort of regret (though, hey, something to do next time).

grupie

Thanks Dan and Tim. We are going to be in Maui 5 days (Hyatt )and Kauai 5 days. I'm basically using The Ultimate Guidebooks to plan the activities. Any tips? The books are so detailed and they do tell you which places/vendors are great/lousy that they seem to be a great guide.
I should probably be posting in the Hawaii forum in FT Travel, but I found you guys here. My only regret is that I don't play golf, because the Princeville course looks magnificant. Maybe my wife and I will take a lesson. Look out Tiger.

Family flyer

You did indeed receive the royal treatment, but to compare apples to apples, I was wondering how the Princeville compares to other Luxury Collection properties in Hawaii (The Orchid, The Lodge, etc.).

Is Princeville's service simply better than other Sheratons, or does it rival/exceed SPG's other top properties?

spellbound2

Family flyer, we've stayed at Princeville, The Orchid, Kapalua Bay, and the Royal Hawaiian, and the Princeville is by far the best in overall experience. The service, the views, the food, and we really liked the on-site movie theater :-) Do they still have that? We plan on heading back over there next year and can't wait to go! Great place for a honeymoon, grupie!

dhammer53

The movie theatre is under renovation.

As for our activities, we didn't do anything except relax,go to the spa, and drive around touring.

Sushi at Kintaro's about 30 minutes south of the hotel, on the left. Just awesome.
Also, the Postcard Cafe for breakfast in Hanelei (sp). Make a right on the main road out of the Princeville. About 5 minutes on the left.

Jazz and sunset in the Library lounge is great.
Dan

[This message has been edited by dhammer53 (edited 07-25-2002).]

grupie

thanks spellbound2. we are going to be at the hyatt maui for 4 nights then princeville for 5. We thought about Kapalua Bay in Maui (rack up those SPG points) but other posters on this board, plus other info I read about seemed to point us toward the hyatt. (stuff like KB too far from the action, rainy, etc.) I'm sure both hotels are gorgeous, but I was getting a better rate at the hyatt. This is one expensive group of islands.

ajnaro

I am at the Princeville right now. I did not have dhammer53’s good luck, even though I am platinum and have been for several years. I did get the same junior suite as he describes, but only after a bit of negotiation with a manager – nothing unpleasant, but not ingratiating either. I got the post cards too, but no champagne, chocolates or anything else. I did ask about a platinum amenity via telephone, but the person who answered said “we don’t give any amenities to platinum guests, just to returning guests”. So much for consistency! Maybe I’ll try again tomorrow morning.

dingo

Ugh! The inconsistencies that drive us all wild. I was honestly about to start booking a trip to Princeville. I'd visited the island three years ago, stayed at the Marriott on the other side of the island and drove over. Nice resort. But if I will just have my hopes dashed, I'll stick to Maui or somewhere else.

Any other recent experiences w/ the property?

ckinsey

Dingo - I love Starwoods as much as anyone but on this island, the Hyatt is the way to go. Island architecture and amazing grounds. Give it a try.

grupie

ajnaro,
I'm curious to know how your request turned out. Tudo bem? tem coisas para brasileros no princeville? O qual praia e melhor rio ou princeville? obrigado.

ajnaro

Further to the discussion above, this morning I spoke to two front desk clerks at the Princeville Hotel, and both were adamant in stating that the hotel does not offer any sort of Platinum amenity. The post cards I reported receiving earlier were because I was a returning guest, according to the clerks. One clerk told me that she was aware that other Starwood hotels do offer a Platinum amenity, but that Luxury Collection hotels are free to offer, or not offer, such an amenity as they see fit. Princeville Hotel does not see fit. By the way, the two Lanai hotels also offer no Platinum amenities, while the Kapula Bay hotel offers many; in fact, a different one each day. According to the front desk staff members of the Princeville, the hotel does, however, occasionally offer upgrades to Platinum SPG members, but the ‘best available accommodation’ policy does not necessarily apply. I did not ask to speak to a manager about all this, because I was in a rush to get somewhere. It seems to me that SPG members expecting treatment according to Starwood rules at the Princeville property might be disappointed. On the other hand, they might have the good luck that dhammer53 had. Who knows?

To grupie: one of the concierges at the Princeville is from Porto Alegre and hasn’t completely forgotten her Portuguese. As for beaches, forget Hawaii! The beaches in Brazil, anywhere from Rio to the Nordeste, are far better! Hawaii has a different atmosphere and a different way of life, but there is no contest: Brazil is better for beaches. The Princeville beach, in particular, is full of coral, making it great for snorkeling, but lousy for swimming.

LIH Prem

I've always gotten an ammenity there .. last time it was a beautiful appointment book/notecard set. I've also always been upgraded there.

Kelly Hoen, the new GM at the Princeville Hotel was the GM at Kapalua Baym since 1999, so it's odd that there's a problem there all of a sudden.

Somebody might want to call Ms. Hoen.

-David


[This message has been edited by LIH Prem (edited 07-28-2002).]