1 Hotel Hanalei Bay — Hotel in Kauai

Think we paid almost $13,000 total to stay here for 7 nights, and this doesn’t include the $200-300 per night we spent on each dinner and other $100 on breakfasts and lunches per day.

If you’re like us and expecting a certain quality of service reflected at this price point, you’re not going to get it. To be more specific:

—the housekeeping service did not once refill the snacks we ate, didn’t replenish used cups, and left used cups in the room for subsequent days. I started leaving notes for them to do this and that, etc, and that seemed to solve the problem. However, this should not be something that needs to be pointed out. —one of our pillows stunk like dingy wet mop. They replaced it when I asked for another, but come on. — when we first arrived, we were offered a room upgrade for our stay at a discounted price, which we accepted. And then when the guy checking us in went to process it, he realized that the upgrade wasn’t available for our entire stay. It was odd to not preface this, as it felt like he offered something and then had to take it back. The check in process also felt unorganized- constantly having to check this and that on their iPad and with their manager.

THE FOOD: — Welina Terrace was consistent and sushi was good. Has the best views while dining. Seating is pretty crowded, but we liked it and ate there twice. It may take a while to get your server to come by and take your order, but after they do, the food comes quick, prob bc of the limited menu. I recommend trying the mochi sesame dessert, as it was surprisingly good. —1 Kitchen: also pretty good, though nothing to write home about. The local catch was our favorite dish. — Breakfast buffet was very average (had it once and didn’t want it again). I didn’t try the a la carte menu. —We ended up getting breakfast at Neighbors cafe for most of our days here, due to convenience. The burritos and smoothies are pre-made and they just pop it into the oven and mix the smoothies (this is what I was told), so it’s as good as you’d expect given that. You’re paying as if it’s ultra fresh and made to order, though. — pool side food was as you’d expect, will hit the spot if you’re hungry.

Other aspects: — valet staff really hustles, and they did a good job each day; the longest we waited for our car was 10 minutes. — the fitness center was probably one of the most impressive things about the hotel. It was huge and had everything you could want or need. — plenty of fresh water all around the property to keep you hydrated. —plenty of pool and beach side loungers. They did seem dirty and unkempt though. I got the ick using them a few times. —the beach outside of the resort is beautiful, though there are rocks snd coral scattered all around almost as soon as you enter the water. I ended up going to a different nearby beach each day, where it was more enjoyable to wade/swim. The hotel’s beach is good for snorkeling though. — the hotel offers plenty of water activities, which was probably one my favorite aspects. We kayaked up the nearby river, which was great.

Overall, while it’s not anyone we met in particular’s fault, but it felt like the hotel has a staffing and cultural issue. The expectation is such that the guests will pay for the location, and “this is the best we can do.” Unfortunately, this hotel feels like a mega resort with an all inclusive vibe, except it’s not all inclusive. It seems to be too big for its own good. There’s nothing intimate, luxurious or 5* about it. I found myself in a hurry to leave the hotel for long as possible each day, and I never felt like I was missing out while not there.

I understand this post may come off as entitled, and I do admit to being fortunate enough to have stayed at some incredible accommodations. However, if you are like me, you will likely feel similar, especially if you come with some expectations. This was our first time visiting Kauai, which has ultimately been special and amazing, bc it’s just an incredibly beautiful island, and this may be just what the...

Summary: Even though I am leaving a 4 star review, if you are planning a trip to Kauai you should stay at the 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay. It is stunning and has an unparalleled view of the famed Napali coast. The only reason that I am not leaving a 5 star review is because, as many others have mentioned, the service is not commensurate with the price point.

Detailed review:

The Good: The Setting - this is the most beautiful hotel that I have ever stayed at. It has spanning views of the Napali coast. I sat out on the hotel's terrace for hours each morning and watched rain storms come and go over the mountains and saw literal dozens of rainbows. The photos on instagram do not do the views justice! It is simply perfect.

The Rooms - the rooms are beautiful and spacious. They are also exceptionally clean. Given how uncrowded the large common areas are, I would opt for the cheapest room possible as we spent little time in the room itself.

The Amenities - from an uncrowded beach, to snorkel gear rentals, to an infinity pool overlooking the Napali coast, there is really no reason to leave the hotel while in Kauai. In fact, we found our experiences heading to popular tourist destinations like the Hanalei Pier to be unnecessary because the hotel has better views than anywhere else can offer.

The Concierge Service - Holly helped us plan the trip and she was exceptional. She ordered flowers for my mother to celebrate her birthday that were stunning and arranged dinner reservations and a reservation at Go Ha'ena for us. This was all very additive.

The Bonfire - while it is a very pricey add-on, it was 100% worth it. We made s'mores while looking at the stars on what felt like our own private beach. Doug was also delightful and shared excellent tips for the week.

The Welcoming - I have never been welcomed into a hotel in such a fashion. It was incredibly warm and the lei was a very nice touch. I wish the remainder of the service channeled this energy.

The food and ambiance at Welina Terrace - if you like sushi, it is definitely worth eating at Welina Terrace. While they do not have options for the non-sushi eater, it boasts some of the best nigiri I have ever had. I tried 3/4 rolls that they offer and would recommend skipping the rolls.

The music at Welina Terrace - they have brought in incredibly talented groups to perform and their performances were highly additive every evening.

Breakfast buffet at 1 Kitchen - I separate out breakfast from dinner at 1 Kitchen. In the mornings, 1 Kitchen offers a $44/person buffet. The food was fairly solid and the offerings were diverse enough for all palates. We also had very good service at breakfast although I did not catch the servers name.

The Bad Beach and Restaurant Service - I do first want to acknowledge that some individuals were exceptional including Sara at the bar , another gentleman working at the outdoor bar, and Shae at Welina Terrace. With that in mind, most of our other experiences fell short of what would be expected at this price point. For example, 1) beach cabana - we reserved a beach cabana which is fairly costly. When we got down to the cabana the beach staff seemed unsure of what came with it and were not particularly helpful. When I brought this up with the front desk, an individual from the LA task force immediately comp'd the cabana which was much appreciated. 2) dinner - the hostesses seem overwhelmed. Additionally, one evening at Welina Terrace (ate there twice), we had numerous items not come out even though they ended up on the bill. The server did not really check back during our meal and so this did not come to her attention until it was time to pay.

Dinner at 1 Kitchen - 1 Kitchen is beautiful; however, the food is mediocre at best and priced as though it should be exceptional. The menu also seems to lack a theme. I spoke to other guests at the hotel who all seemed to agree.

In short, most beautiful hotel in the world, the service will assuredly get there. I plan to return as...

This vacation was a significant investment for us, so I feel the need to leave a review of my experience for others, though from what I've seen my review will be pretty consistent with some of the others on Google. I will not stay again. While the location is remarkable, the service was so below expectations, I cannot imagine a scenario where I would invest this kind of money in a vacation again to risk such disappointment.

The location of the hotel is incredible and the beach amazing. Sea turtles are easily found snorkeling off of the shore and the territory around the hotel very satisfying, though again, there are cheaper options if you are wanting to use the beach, but not wanting to pay the price tag.

You should be aware that this hotel is not just in service to those staying there, but to those staying anywhere on the northern shore. This was part of what I would suggest is the primary issue with my stay. If you stay here, it will be at a premium to other nearby alternatives, but those other nearby alternatives will be served in direct competition to you as a guest, as they seemed to be using the spa, the beach, the restaurant and other resources at an equal level of service to you. This means that restaurant reservations, equipment rentals, spa services and all others are not prioritized for you who are paying a high premium to stay at the resort, so you will likely have a large degree of difficulty using the utilities of the hotel that you are specifically paying for.

The staff appear overwhelmed. Housekeeping was a notable exception to this and their attention to detail was remarkable as was their commitment to service. It was by far the best service I received while staying at the hotel. All other staff are apologetic, but go very far from going the extra mile in every aspect of what this could possibly mean. Despite reaching out both by email and by phone multiple times by both channels so that we could book activities for the trip in advance, all outreach was ignored. We missed park reservations and other opportunities as a direct result, which at this price point, is inexcusable. We were only able to speak to the concierge team after arriving onsite (and after having paid in full in advance). This detail alone is worth a one star review for the overpriced experience, but the location is so remarkable (as was Roggerio's response, the Director of Operations) that I'm leaving two as the aggregate versus one. My vacation was a direct miss as a result of this lack of follow through and as someone who works long hours with very little break throughout the year to get away and do what I like, this was unforgivable.

Everything at the hotel includes an additional upcharge and I was strongly discouraged from booking offsite activities while speaking to the Concierge, in favor of their own activities, for which you are always charged more. In addition to the cost of the hotel itself, expect to add an additional 1/3 cost to your trip at this location. The rate is very far from your final cost.

The staff, who are catering to far more than just the guest, are incredibly dismissive of guest's needs, in a way that is unlike any other experience of hotels at this caliber that I've stayed at. They were clearly frustrated with not only being unable to deliver on basic promises of accommodation (like dinner reservations as an example) that I was constantly disappointed with my interactions.

There were no alternatives, no recourse, until upon receiving an automated survey which went to the VP of Operations that I expressed my dissatisfaction, that Roggerio, the Director of Ops responded. While he responded as well as he could, including a free massage at the spa (they had made a mistake that was furthered by an unnecessarily angry staff member who insisted the error was mine until the manager confirmed it was not), but ultimately this felt just all too avoidable and the result of poor resort design as much as it was...