by Scott Laird
Last updated: 9:00 AM ET, Sat October 28, 2017
I've stayed at the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas twice now and it feels like home.
Perhaps that's the deliberate design of a vacation ownership property (that also sells rooms to individual travelers like a hotel would): A home-like feel that keeps owners coming back to the same comforts year after year.
Returning individual guests can enjoy the same feeling of homecoming with the convenience of familiarity. You already know where the grills are, which building location and room orientation you might prefer and exactly which of your favorite island treats are available at The Princeville Market, the resort's in-house general store.
Perhaps with this in mind, changes at vacation ownership properties are carefully considered and quite frankly rare. It would be disappointing to return to the same resort a year later to find your favorite poke nachos missing from the pupus menu at Wailele Bar (thankfully still there) or that a restaurant concept had undergone significant changes-the five-course journey tasting is still there, great and recommended.
It seems memory making is the design purpose for the place, and it performs the function well. Families and other groups will appreciate spacious villa-style accommodations with full kitchens and laundry facilities en-suite. For those who wish for adult time, the Na Pali plunge pool and whirlpool is cliffside-Na Pali means "the cliffs"-away from the action of the main pools. It's also a great vantage point for watching serene sunrises over the Kilauea Lighthouse.
The Na Pali pools and adjacent barbecue grill also served as mise en scène for the powerfully memorable golden hours I've spent here-smelling what all the families are cooking, eavesdropping on domestic conversations as parents and children alike chatter animatedly about their day and grill masters swap tips and tricks.
(The consensus among the grillers during my visits have primarily focused on the good quality of meats available at Princeville market.)
As I watch, I wonder if guests are aware that beachside grilling with the family is a distinctly Hawaiian leisure pursuit, long observed by both visitors and locals alike.
Speaking of Hawaiian pursuits, the Waipa Foundation hosts combined food tours and dinners on the second and fourth Mondays of the month in partnership with the resort, who provides the culinary team to cook the dinner with the fresh catch and produce grown on the land discovered during the tour.
Called He 'Aina Ola, the tour and dinner offer guests a glimpse into Kaua'I's history and culture, both pre-contact and modern as well as the foundation's mission of cultural stewardship over the ahupua'a (traditional land division) they fought to save from development and dedicate to traditional agricultural practices.
Good to Know
Groceries from Princeville Market can be stocked in villas pre-arrival or with advance notice during a stay, so guests can go straight to the pool instead of straight to the store. The property is not located directly on a beach, but a shuttle to the neighboring St. Regis Princeville makes beach-going effortless.
Fractional ownership sales are in progress, so you may be invited to a sales seminar, but the prospecting pitches are low-pressure compared with other destinations.
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