Club Wyndham Bali Hai Villas — Hotel in Kauai

This is a quite modern looking resort that (as of our visit) had one or two buildings under renovation. The design and layout of the buildings is such that a LOT of buildings are in very close proximity to each other. Walking from one end of this resort to the other does not take much time at all but there are some disadvantages to having buildings so closely packed to each other. One such disadvantage is with parking. We did not experience significant issues with parking during our stay (in what I believe to be a slow time) but I would see significant parking issues if staying at this resort during a busier time.

The one significantly negative item we experienced during this stay was a charge for electricity….I kid you not. This resort wants $20/day for electricity despite the fact they have solar panels stuck on the top of just about every building in the complex. If ever there was a junk amenity fee this is it and if future travels bring us back to this area, for this reason alone I would likely stay elsewhere. Will they charge for water next??

So when we heard about this charge, we thought the breeze would be sufficient to cool our unit. However, given the design of this resort and the fact this property is located in something of a depression (low spot), there is not enough breeze to cool rooms on the interior of the resort (which is where our room was located). Also given the lights were left on in our room prior to our arrival, our unit was exceptionally hot. All of this is to say if an upper level room in the middle of this resort cannot be cooled by the usual Hawaiian breezes, you can bet the lower units will be hot as well. A/C becomes a necessity but to be charged for the electricity is nothing more than a money grab. You can avoid being charged for electricity if you are willing to sit through a sales presentation.

Enough of the bad - there are a LOT of good things going on here. The two pool areas are in excellent shape and quite enjoyable. There are BBQ pits, hot tubs, plenty of chairs and loungers near each pool area. The rock walls provide a nice cosmetic touch and there is a LOT of vegetation within the resort grounds.

The fact this resort is in Princeville (north shore) means you are away from what little traditional shopping and retail exists on the island (near Lihue). We really enjoyed this ‘being away’ aspect of this resort and over the course of our stay Kauai, we came to find the prices in Princeville were pretty close to what we found on the rest of the island (with the exception of grocery prices in Costco of course)….

Staying in Princeville means you are near one end of the main roads that circle Kauai. DO NOT STAY IN PRINCEVILLE IF THE MAJORITY OF YOUR ACTIVITIES WILL BE ON THE SOUTH OR WEST SHORES unless you like long, slow drives! Princeville as an area to relax is ideal. The views of the mountains here are quite beautiful - even when the rain/fog cover the mountain tops.

Our room was in good working order with a couple of oddities worth mentioning. The first is the master bathroom is NOT attached to the master bedroom - but the guest bedroom and bath are attached to each other. This makes sense given the room is designed to hold six (two on the sleeper sofa) but not having the master bedroom and bath connected is just weird. The other oddity is the master bathroom is NOT cooled (even when the A/C is on) but rather depends on opening a luver type window to let the steam out. Concurrently, the one advantage this creates is it allows the sound of running water from the big pool fountain to provide a soothing backdrop to your shower. As the week played out, we got used to dealing with this so it really is just an oddity…

The kitchen and bathroom furnishings in this unit were more than ample. The washer and dryer are smaller units. Beds were comfortable although the mattresses had some indentations in them suggesting they were getting close to (if not beyond) the end of their useful life. Showers were very generous space wise. Everything was in good...

We have stayed here before. I would have ranked them higher the last time had I reviewed them at that time.

The amenities are nice. Two large swimming pools (including kiddie pools and hot tubs), gas grills, and fire pits to start. There's a clubhouse where you can get games/puzzles and they have activities such as foozeball, table tennis, and some sort of snooker game that I am not familiar with. There are bicycles available (not sure if this is an extra charge as we did not use them).

The units are stocked with basic cooking supplies as well as extras of the things one would need in order to be comfortable at home.

Because this is not a hotel, there is no cleaning service, but that's okay and it is clear that it is the case. The issue that we had might seem silly, but it was frustrating. When we were here before (we stay for a week at a time), we had an upstairs unit that was tucked away in a somewhat secluded area of the property. This time we are in the building right next to the clubhouse, on the lower level, easily visible to staff who are frequently around, taking care to make things look good. When we were here in January 2024, when we had trash or recycling, we bagged it up and put it outside of our door and it disappeared in what seemed almost no time. This time (October 2025), we did the same and it sat for more than a day so I went to the front desk to inquire about it. They had it picked up promptly and said to call the next time we have trash to be picked up. I shared about the decline in service and she acknowledged it, stating that there are fewer staff than before and that not everyone is conscientious. That made sense and I was satisfied with the exchange. The next day, we had trash again so I called the front desk and received a lecture about trash being the responsibility of the guests and was told where to take it (good information if we choose to stay here again as we will likely return in another 18 months or so). I once again shared my frustration, this time at the inconsistency within one stay, and the woman said that they would have someone pick it up for us. I completely understand if we were time share guests that owned our property and were here more regularly than we are, but as occasional visitors, paying over $500 per night, I think that the lecture was unnecessary and could have been avoided if this information had been shared at check-in or was part of the literature provided about the property.

A few more odds and ends. Soap/shampoo/body lotion is included. There are deep tubs with jets. We haven't tried it this time as last time (again in a different unit) it did not work. The dishwashers are ready for replacement. They don't work well so you end up having to wash items by hand, despite having rinsed them before loading it. There's a small washer/dryer that does the job. The televisions have the ability to cast to them so you can use streaming services or the cable options that are available. This was a nice change from our first stay but unfortunately it didn't work. Maintenance came within a reasonable amount of time and rebooted the system which resolved the problem. He also noted that the batteries in the remote were weak so he returned with batteries for it without being asked.

All in all, it's been a good stay but I am not sure if we will return or try another local property. Our daughter (and grandchildren) live here so we try to visit with some regularity. I was really excited about returning to this property because it is familiar and it's a great landing space for the family. I guess once we try the tub we will...

TLDR: No AC so very stuffy, no beach access, rainy weather. Great pool, lots of beaches within driving distance.

We didn’t do our research before booking. There is no beach access, but it has a lovely pool! You have to drive quite a ways to get to a beach (for a 3.5 year old). We also didn’t realize there is no AC before booking although the communications assured us the units were “breezy” with plenty of airflow. When we arrived at 5ish the unit was incredibly hot and stuffy. We opened all the doors we could find, turned in all fans and that helped slightly.

The master bedroom was okay heat-wise because the door opened up to the balcony. The second bedroom was nearly unbearable heat-wise, and you couldn’t leave the sliding door open at night if you wanted security as it was right by the front door with easy access. Those who stayed in that room were very uncomfortable at night and didn’t sleep well even with a fan.

We booked this resort because of the kitchen knowing we would want the ability to cook some of our meals with a 3.5 year old who is always eating. They had all of the kitchen amenities you need which was great. It would have been nice to have the basics stocked (salt and pepper, oil) but we understood covid also limits some of those options.

The washer and dryer are VERY small. Like 2 beach towels per load. We had to run the dryer three times per load to get things dry. But it was really nice to have them!

The unit was well-worn but clean so no issues there. The balcony was lovely and breezy although there was a lot of bird poop on the railing and occasionally on furniture. There was a cockroach in the bathroom the first day. When we inquired they offered to spray but we didn’t want to with a 3.5 year old. We had one more cockroach a couple days later in the kitchen. If you didn’t know Kauai has teeny tiny “ants” that appear if you are not very tidy. The TV’s were really hard to use even with the instructions provided.

The pool is great. Pretty, with a small waterfall, a shallow area for little kids and a hot tub. There is a restroom and covered grill area there as well. The clubhouse has books, DVD’s and games upon request. You can also snag beach chairs, umbrellas and toys if you get there right at 7am. It would be nice if there were more available as those things make the beach days much more comfortable.

Guest services were friendly and helpful. Checkin was a bit longer due to covid but was efficient. They allowed you to text for questions and needs which was really nice. And we texted for checkout so didn’t have to go to the lobby early in the morning.

Chickens and rooster roam EVERYWHERE on this island. They will crow all day long starting at sunrise near the unit and you will hear them if the doors are open. It didn’t bother us except early morning.

Last but not least—apparently the North shore is the rainy shore. Beautiful beaches and hikes available but we got lots of rain. It passes fairly quickly most of the time but doesn’t allow for everything to dry out in between. The South shore is the sunny side...