Walking into the St. Regis Princeville Resort located on the north shore of Kauai during a recent visit, I went full-on Hawaiian tourist, snapping photos with not only my camera, but also my phone. We had been invited to visit the St. Regis for one night, but as soon as we walked into that lobby, my husband and I decided to splurge and immediately booked a second day. One of the reasons I was so anxious to visit the iconic hotel is because I’m such a fan of the 2011 movie The Descendants, which was filmed partly in and around the St. Regis.
Checking into our beautifully-appointed guest room, we discovered plantation-style wooden shutters that slid back to offer a breathtaking, open-air view of Hanalei Bay. On that first day at the resort, we took over the hotel’s largest cabana and were joined by my husband’s son, his wife and our two granddaughters, as well their friends, including two young boys, who were all vacationing on the south shore of Kauai.
I was initially concerned our posh surroundings might not translate to “family friendly,” but staff members were nothing but gracious and helpful as we wrangled three rambunctious kids and a baby. The luxurious cabana came with a temperature-controlled wine chiller, wooden ice chest filled with cold drinks and cans of Evian facial spray and a fruit platter the kids demolished in minutes. Dotting the Champagne-coloured sand in front of us were mint-green umbrellas shading beach-goers as they dashed in and out of the azure-coloured ocean.
That evening, after the gang headed out, my husband and I dropped by the hotel’s large ocean-front veranda for the nightly Champagne toast hosted by St. Regis’ bar manager Rodrigo Maza. Brandishing a saber in one hand and a bottle of bubbly in the other, Maza sliced the cork off the bottle of Champagne with one swift move, perfectly timed to coincide with sunset. The nightly ritual is just one example of the attention to detail the St. Regis offers its guests. Later we enjoyed tropical cocktails in the lounge area, while enjoying Hawaiian music performed live -- the players accompanied by a graceful hula dancer.
The St. Regis is located at the edge of Princeville at Hanale on land noted in ancient times as one of the most beautiful places in the Hawaiian Islands. The site of the hotel was originally known as Pu'u Poa or Pu'u Pa'oa-Pu'u meaning (consecutively) mountain and the staff of the fire goddess, Pele, who when searching for a new home would strike her staff into the earth to create a new crater. Directly below the hotel are remnants of an ancient Hawaiian fishpond built in prehistoric time. Known as Kamo'omaika'i, it was one of the few kuapa (ocean wall) style fishponds on Kauai.
It’s that history of the land, its understated elegance and dedication to offering really great service that makes the St. Regis a throwback to a time when hotels were stately and civility an expectation — a grand old dame if there ever was one.
@sthomas10
Sandra Thomas was a guest of the St. Regis Hotel for one night.
