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Reviews of Castle at Princeville

Castle at Princeville
5300 Ka Haku Road, Princeville, HI

Reviews

7.8

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 43 out of 122 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 38 out of 122 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 26 out of 122 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 10 out of 122 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 5 out of 122 reviews" "

7.8/10

Cleanliness

7.6/10

Staff & service

7.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The property we stayed at had the quality of a fairly luxurious time share property, but for a fraction of the price. A short drive from Hanalei, and a short walk to a private beach. We had two full rooms, a full kitchen, two bathrooms, and a deck. I was also super pleased with the communication from their main staff member. However, be warned to read the fine print as you do have to pay a fairly costly cleaning fee as part of this rental. I would definitely go there again.
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2018

6/10 Okay

William, Denver Colorado

OK but
1) this is just an inexpensive place to stay while you go somewhere else. Views depend on Unit. This is the wet side of the island so be prepared. 2) Check in can be very problematic. I read of others having a problem so I called a head. " No problem , they said,your code and unit will be posted on the glass of the office." a) Got there, the office is not clearly posted( It is in the pizza restaurant complex but no signs to this effect.) So we drove and walked around a bit to find it. b) No posting in the window for us. No answer to the emergency number. Panicked calls to Travelocity as our children melted down. Finally about an hour later the staff called "Children in the tub screaming I could not get to your call" We finally got our code and our unit and got in. Somebody should be embarrassed. Lackadaisical may be the kindest thing which can be said for them.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice but hot
We found the room pretty nice and the views across Hanalei Bay were wonderful. But the rooms were hot in the afternoon and there was not A/C. The kitchen was fairly well appointed and the furniture was comfy. Access was tough for my mother-in-law who has difficulty walking due to steep grades on the paths and stairs all over the place. We liked it a lot but it was limited to 4stars due to access and the absence of A/C
Stayed 8 nights in Aug 2017

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Nice hotel but no air conditioning
No air conditioning which makes it hot during the day
Stayed 10 nights in Jul 2017

8/10 Good

Markus, Palo Alto, CA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice condos overlooking the Na Pali coast
Many of the condos at perched near the cliff and look out West, toward the Na Pali coast. One can also see part of Hanalei Bay. Those condos have gorgeous sunsets, but they also get hot in the afternoon. Fortunately, the bedrooms stay fairly cool. The grounds are pleasing, there's a pool, and the keys can be picked up on site (although the staff may not always be in the office even during office hours). Our kitchen was well-appointed. The condo included a washer and dryer and beach towels.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2017

2/10 Terrible

John, CA

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Not as advertised
Our issues: (1) The facilities shown in the pictures are not the facilities that were rented to us, (2) there was no pool or other resort-like amenities available to us (despite being prominently advertised), and (3) after paying in full to Expedia, the management company tried to tack on a surprise additional cleaning fee of ~$200. We feel very misled. The condo was fine- clean and in good condition, and we had a nice time (how can you not in Kauai?). But the "VRBO condo" experience we got did not at all match the more resort-like facilities advertised. I would recommend looking elsewhere.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
nice condo with lots of space - it had everything but it was vintage 80's

6/10 Okay

ML, J

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
NOT A HOTEL. It's a condo.
Musty smell, terrible bed, needs new pillows. You need a car if you stay here. Cleanliness was nice, but my condo had an odd set up for sleeping. And by booking through Expedia, I never was contacted by the management, and arrived after dark, got lost, received help from a security guy to find the main office where I prayed I would find keys and directions. The security guy was most helpful. I had to dig for numbers to get a hold of anybody in the management office. If you know this is a condo, know how to get your keys, don't mind being too far away from the beach, and love super soft beds and stinky pillows........this may work for you. I paid too much, and had a cleaning fee of $145 when it was only me for 3 nights. Boo. Too much per night, too.

6/10 Okay

msteeniewahine, so cal

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
can't complain too much in Kauai
We arrived at the property after 5pm, and this is the only management that is open from only 3pm-4pm. It was indicated, so that was fine. We retrieved the key to our condo from a lock box, which was easy. I booked 2 two Bedroom condos, when we arrived, only one was available. Jaime the Manager from Castle Resort which is co managing Pali Ke Kua (which is the name of the building) was polite, but questioned me several times about which building I reserved, I said Pali Ke Kua, because Expedia, provided pictures of the rooms, kitchen, pool, and layout of the condo. Which is the property I paid for. She also mentioned only one of the 2 bedroom condo reservation was provided by Expedia. I gave her my confirmation number and had her check again. We had 9 in our party, and we all proceeded to the 1st condo, with in 10-15 min Jamie called right away with the second condo. It was actually a very clean and beautiful 1 bedroom and a loft. It was a wonderful 5 night stay until I questioned my bill. "Will I be getting a discount since I paid for a 2 bedroom?" The answer was No. I called Expedia, they couldn't do too much too help but instead gave me $25 credit. I can't complain too much in Kauai.

8/10 Good

cody, denver

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This is a wonderful place to stay with the best view!
The view!!

8/10 Good

Micah V.

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Great place to enjoy
Problem was lack of family friendly activity with little kids and the area, while not run-down, is not lively.

8/10 Good

Eric , Telluride, Co.

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Superb location - Unit needed upgrades
The location can't be beat. Cliffside, walkout units looking down to the ocean, turtles feeding, view of Hanalei Bay and north coast, sunsets, etc. Quiet, birds, paved path to private beach hard to find in this area. Beach, a mix of volcanic black rock and sand, is actually nicer than the St Regis one, which is public. Very good restaurant on site.

10/10 Excellent

Daniel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

4/10 Poor

Holly, Oregon

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Not actually a hotel or called the "Castle"
So, if you're looking for a condo rental with (extremely) spotty wifi, cool breezes and a (mainly) quiet atmosphere, this is a good place for you. This place is not actually called the "Castle," and you will not find this name on any sign. Rather, "Pali Ke Kua" is the name you'll see on the signs. The first building on the right is where the office is, which is also not obvious. Because of the spotty wifi, their computer may not communicate with your credit card company, then they'll suggest your card isn't working (I called my company and there were no declines on my card, but the woman made me feel like a delinquent). The unit itself was comfortable and spacious, and tended to be very quiet other than occasional early morning groundskeeping. There is no air conditioning, which is mostly ok due to strong breezes, though the upstairs was a bit too warm at times. There is also an unpublished $125-150 cleaning fee. There's a private beach with a very steep path to it which can make you feel like you're on a private island. We enjoyed our time in the area, but if we return, we'll stay somewhere else, as the headaches just weren't worth it.

8/10 Good

Stephen S.

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Condo not a hotel
The location and view were spectacular. The condo was nicely equipped. It could use some updating but was certainly more than adequate for our needs and was affordable. There is no signage for the Castle at Princeville which makes it extremely difficult to find. Much driving around. Please be aware this is not a serviced hotel. It is a Condominium with no service.

10/10 Excellent

Mark, El Dorado Hills

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Views of Honalea Bay
What a great place to stay. The view of the lanai was spectacular. We could see all of Honalea Bay and a beautiful sunset every night. I would definitely go back and stay for a longer time. Had a hard time finding the place initially because the name had change from Castle to Hali Kae (I believe that was the name). They had merged the two condo units. Good thing we had the address. Other than that the place was great@!

8/10 Good

littlewing555

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
princeville
Good stay. Could have been cleaner. Patio furniture had layers of dirt and all the cabinetry was sticky. Great staff though.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Looks like heaven. a bit humid
Everything was excellent. I would have called heaven if we had the A/c in the unit. But, still all worth.

4/10 Poor

Jon, Cleveland, Ohio

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Aging condo, minimal features, hidden fees.
Despite its billing, don't be fooled. This was an out-of-date condo, clearly not refreshed since the 90s. Buried in trees without any sort of view, expect to be surrounded by neighbors whose every sound can be heard from your bedroom. The furnishings were uncomfortable and smelled stale. Aside from relatively new TVs, and decent WiFi, the rest of the place just looked old, with stains and smells that have apparently been there for decades. All this wouldn't be bad, for the price we thought we were paying, but we were surprised by a $125 cleaning fee -- making the total cost of our 4 night stay, close to $250 a night. We should have just paid another $50 and stayed in a resort, but we thought we'd save money by having our own kitchen. That didn't pan out, because we didn't really want to do anything but sleep in the condo. We spent as much time away from it as we could. There was access to a private beach, but the facility's pool was apparently off-limits. Speaking of sleep: the king size bed was overly soft, and by the end of our stay was leaning toward the wall at about a 30 degree angle, leaving us sliding toward the head board in our sleep.

10/10 Excellent

Jane, Melbourne, Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing place to stay, awesome views
We really enjoyed our time at princeville and the views were amazing of the ocean. So close to the beach.

6/10 Okay

isabella, San Jose

Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
View 5 stars, everything else 1 star (Unit 115)
We stayed at Unit 115 at Castle at Princeville (aka Pali Ke Kua, PKK), a one bedroom unit for four nights. The views were spectacular, we had dinner on the lanai enjoying the awesome view. That totally deserve 5 stars, everything else, 1 star at most. These condos were not solidly built, when the people upstairs flushed their toilet, i heard a waterfall. The kitchen had a coffee machine, toaster and blender, but all the pans were scratched up, so we didn't cook. They had an open house in the unit next door, so we decided to take a look and the real estate agent said that the owner made 50k gross last year...i bet i know where that came from...the cleaning fees. Expedia stated that there was a $150 cleaning fee, so i thought that meant there would be someone to take out the garbage everyday or something like that, but no, the cleaning fee is for them to clean up the place after you are gone to get ready for the next person. And we had to take out our own garbage when we left the condo, or we would be charged an extra $50! It is next to impossible to find the rental office to pick up our key, this isn't a hotel or anything like that you have to go to a lock box to pick up your key. When you get to Pali Ke Kua (don't look for Castle at Princeville), look for a building on the right hand side that does not look like living space. When you book thru Expedia, you cannot choose your unit, be warned! There are so many choices in Princeville, will not stay here again

8/10 Good

Mary, castro valley, calif

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
The view made it all worthwhile!!
I was prepared to have a little trouble finding the condo; but didn't expect it to be as difficult as it was. Arriving on a Monday at 3:00 p.m., during the check in time hours, after finally finding the office; it was closed, and the phone number that we had on our reservations did not get us anywhere. We finally got a hold of someone who gave us clearer instructions we found the condo and the lock box with keys and being fustrated with our ordeal we opened the door and the sweeping view of the sea, palm trees and the kauai mountains, made it all worthwhile. What a view!! As I had expected from others reviews, the furnishing were dated, but comfortable. We had a wonderful time sitting outside on the small patio enjoying a glass of wine and taking in the breathtaking views! It was amazing! We were visited every day by a nene geese family, who made it even more special. We will difinitely go back and look forward to staying in #117 again! This time it will be much easier to find!!

8/10 Good

Myron, Brookeville MD

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice condo, beautiful views
We had a 2-bedroom unit with a lovely mountain view from the back patio. If we walked a few hundred yards to the ocean side of the property, there was a gorgeous view of the Halalei bay from the cliffs. There is no AC, so it can get a little warm in the afternoon, but there were ceiling fans. The pool and hot tub were clean and inviting. There was no on-site staff to handle minor issues in the condo (like a toaster that didn't work), but we made a phone call to the rental office and they brought us a new toaster the next day.

8/10 Good

Tony, Honolulu, HI

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Very nice condo on North Shore Kauai
Very nice condo. Checked in on Sunday and no one was around to help me. Had to ask several people and I happened to find a drop box and instructions on window beside it. Had no idea of what to do for several hours before I got lucky and by chance found what I was suppose to do. Once I obtained the key to the condo, all was good. My only complaint is the poor communication for checking in on Sunday. If someone would have notified me of the checkin process for weekends, that would have been nice. I didn't even know where to go to check in or find the drop box for keys. As far as I knew, there was no go to person for any stay issues.

6/10 Okay

Bill

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
A condo with kitchen, utensils and dishes, laundry machines. No view but good location for walking around, can walk to beach. Shops a short drive away.

10/10 Excellent

Jake, Santa Clara, Ca, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Incredible Views - Extremely Helpful Staff
This was my first trip to Kauai and it was a wonderful experience. I had an ocean view condo and the view from my lanai was incredible! The condo was clean and basic, but very comfortable. The staff was great! I had a bit of trouble logging on to the wifi the first day, (totally my fault), and Jaimie from the main office went out of her way to trouble-shoot the problem and tell me how to correct it, (again, it was something I was doing wrong, not the equipment). I highly recommend Pali Ke Kua (Castle At Princeville) and will stay there again next time I travel to Kauai!

8/10 Good

PatrickMc

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Nice place with a few drawbacks.
Our room was clean, cozy, and had a great view. Contrary to expectations, we did have wi-fi too, which I was quite pleased with. The grounds and buildings were well kept, though we didn't appreciate that the maintenance was going on while we were staying in them, leading to a lot of banging noises around 9am. The staff is kind and helpful when they're around ... but they're not around as much as could be hoped. Limited hours, and sometimes hard to find even within those hours. The beach is a bit of a walk to reach, and the only walkable restaurants are the super expensive ones in the resorts. But the supermarket is a quick drive away.

10/10 Excellent

Tegan H.

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Amazing Getaway
We were blown away with our place. two stories and all the amenities you could ever dream of. It was quiet, relaxing and just... perfect. The kitchen was stocked with utilities and working washer and dryer. We loved sitting on the patio and hanging out with the birds while we ate or read. You are close to Hanelei, Queens Bath and the St. Regis (get the pineapple mojito!) We would most certainly recommend staying here. It is worth every penny.

8/10 Good

Dean, Kaneohe, HI, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place to stay. Love having a full kitchen.
Checking in without there being a front desk is a but complicated. Instructions on where to find the main office of the complex and the check in process after hours would be helpful. There was no A/C, but if you are busy and out all day doing stuff, it cools down plenty at night.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Princeville
The unit was dated..could use some updating. The upstairs bedroom was VERY HOT.. We did not use it at all. Checking into the room was a little confusing.. There was a note that gave us clues on how to open a locker that would lead us to our room???? It is because we arrived at the hotel at 3:45 pm (which apparently is after hours)... Anyhow, overall we were satisfied with the unit.

6/10 Okay

Kip, AZ

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Nice place but needs updating
The seting is exceptional with stunning views of Hanalae Bay and and the Napali Coast. The size and configuration of the unit was fiune but the interior was very dated. This may be more of an issue with that unit and not the property. It looked like there were a number of niceloy furnished units. The Castle staff person in the office was great.

8/10 Good

mer, santa cruz, Ca

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
good location, sunsets.
This is a 2-bedroom, 2-bath condo. Plenty of room. No hotel amenities. It's very dated and sparse but has everything you need for two couples or a family. Would be nice if they provided beach towels.

8/10 Good

bd, Napa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Panoramic view of paradise from couch or lanai
The view was spectacular and it was great to have a full kitchen. The location was excellent for walking to the beach or the St Regis for meals - the brunch there is killer. The only improvement I could recommend is a later of foam on the bed. I like a firm mattress, but a topper would have improved it 100%.

8/10 Good

kstravel, Kansas City, KS, USA

Great Ocean view!!
We were upgraded to an ocean view which was amazing! The unit we were in needed updating. They had some water damage in the past and didn't repair it well. The property is beautiful and the area and grounds are very nice. I would stay there again.

6/10 Okay

Brenda & Joel, White Lake, MI

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
"Great resort for Whale watching"
Jan 11, 2013 thru Jan 23, 2013, the oceanfront unit we stayed in had a prefect view of the ocean, which we totally enjoyed. The unit is in need of a major upgrade the furniture is the original stuff right out of the 70’s. Although, this was our second visit for thirteen days and we stayed at the same Condo because of the prefect view. The kitchen had everything we needed which is always a plus when visiting Hawaii, for eating in. Finally, this resort provides what you are looking for if you are there to enjoy the island and not exhaust your rainy day fund.

10/10 Excellent

Hynie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Beautiful setting comfortable condo
Very difficult to find check in per directions but with assistance of nearby restaurant guy that was resolved. The condo was just like being at home with a beautiful view of Hanalei Bay and the ocean from not only the lanai but the front room as well. Very quiet with many birds to watch on the lawns. Nearby Princeville Center offered good food, shopping and wonderful Macadamia Nut lattes!

6/10 Okay

Sandra Kay S

Liked: Staff & service
First trip to Kauai
The room was nice but the hotel was difficult to find. We arrived late at night and could not find the hotel. First of all there was no sign that said "Castle at Princeville" there were just different groups of condos. So, that was confusing. We called the number to the office but it was closed; however, there was an after hours number which I called and the woman that answered was very nice and directed us where we needed to go. The room was nice and clean and opened up to a big open area where the kids could play. The only thing we didn't like is that there are no signs and it was very difficult to find especially at night!

10/10 Excellent

Newelfun, Maryland, US

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Excellent value for the money. Beautiful setting and vistas.
The condo is well positioned to view the mountains. Beaches were easily accessible. The lanai was shaded and sufficiently large for us to take all of our home meals. The setting in the golf course is exquisite. Ample opportunity for walking. A small shopping center and restaurants are near by. More stores and restaurants are in Hanalei, four miles away. A car is a requirement. Make sure that you arrive in daylight. The gates close at 9:00 pm.Knowing what I know now, I would have spent the bulk of my three week Hawaii vacation vacation here.

8/10 Good

john, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Comfortable condo
This was actually not a hotel, but a 2br/2ba condo located in a residential community in Princeville. It has its own kitchen, as well as a washer and dryer. For the price, we felt that this was a really great place to stay. We were there in the winter time, so the lack of AC was absolutely not an issue. The location is great (there's even a private access path leading down to a cool little beach). Would absolutely recommend this place.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
Good location.
Great location although difficult to find due to the name on the facility and the name of the rental organizaiton. The place shows wear and can use a good cleaning but is comfortable and has good promise.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Room comfort
Great View!
We had a very pleasant stay at Pali Ke Kua. This is private apartments (we understand) and thus not a hotel per say. I suppose each place is different but the overall standard was good even though some things in our place was a bit old. We had a stunning view from our place and that was probably the best in combination with being in the center of all activities in and around Princeville. Even though our rating might not show it we can recommend this for a small family or a couple who wants to have abit of self service.

8/10 Good

Debbie, San Jose

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good place for families
The location was good, right in Princeville. The place was clean and had a garden/mountain view. The pool and hot tub were very nice (remodeled March 2012).

8/10 Good

Robert

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
close to our final destination
Beautiful view and sunset. Nice cooling trade winds through the rooms. A lot of dust covering furniture and counter tops. Otherwise clean and nice linens.

10/10 Excellent

Bo and Jan, Houston, TX, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Room with a view
Accommodations were a 4 but the view was a 5+. The sunsets from the patio were superb. Unit was not fancy but comfortable, bed very comfortable. The night breezes cooled the unit, but be aware there is no A/C for the hot afternoons. Great base for excursions within easy reach. We would go back there in a heartbeat!
The Castle ocean view
Sunset from the patio
View of Hanalei from the front lawn

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
beautiful view
rusty shower curtain. very helpful and knowledgeable staff. beautiful view of the mountains and sunset over the water every day. downstairs gets a bit too much noise from upstairs. private beach and snorkeling area. will seek to stay here in the future in an upstairs room.

8/10 Good

Suzanne, Benicia, CA

Liked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Comfortable condo in a great setting
The condo was fine but nothing special, but the view was spectacular. It was perfectly comfortable, though a little old. The light in the bathroom didn't come on sometimes. But both the bed and the trundle bed were quite comfortable. And again, the ocean view from the room and the Princeville setting were absolutely fantastic.

8/10 Good

Walla Walla Wanderers

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Beautiful location
Read below on how to find this lovely place. Once there, the check-in process was easy, the lady at the counter was very nice and informative, and we got a nice condo with partial ocean and mountain views. The condo property has its own private (steep) trail to a small but gorgeous beach looking out to the sunset and the Hanalei-"Bali Hai" coastline; and with no crowds. And it is close to all the north-shore must-see places.

4/10 Poor

David

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Worst hotel experience in kauai
I had high expectations given the online pictures, price and location. This hotel was a big let down. The condo has not seen a remodel since the early 90's (or a complete cleaning for that matter). We purchased an ocean front room but only recieved a partial ocean view. The room was very hot and did not have ac or adequate ventilation. We actually had to pull the mattress from the bedroom and lay it on the ground near the patio door get decent air flow. There was no room service during out stay, but at least staff at the front desk were friendly.

10/10 Excellent

ChrBr

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Loved it!
We absolutely loved our condo! Very roomy and clean, and a beautiful view. No airconditioning, but we opened all the windows and it was very comfortable. We had a nice kitchen that had everything we needed. The only thing missing was a hot tub.

10/10 Excellent

Mark &Tisha, Gilbert, AZ

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Paradise Found
This condo was located in Paradise! We loved all the greenery in Princeville, the gorgeous landscaping at our condo, the short distance (steep walk) to Hideaways Beach, and the cliffs were breathtaking. You do need a car to get around, but with a car you can get to several beautiful beaches nearby, many nice restaurants and shopping quickly. We hated to leave, but we'll be back! Aloha.