Wyndham Shearwater

I stayed here just last week (March, 2008) in a 2 bedroom unit. Unit was 2nd floor with a stunning view of the ocean, cliifs, & lighthouse. The 2 full bathrooms each had a jucuzzi tub! Well equipped kitchen even supplied with some Kona coffee and microwave popcorm. The units are very roomy. Very friendly and helpful staff. The grounds are not large but they are well cared for. Free parking. Nice pool overlooking the ocean. No beach right here, there are wonderful beaches for swimming, snorkeling, and boogie boarding less than a 10 minute drive east or west of the property.

FREE WI FI. You have to ask for a code card at the check in desk. It was very fast and worked well.

There is NO airconditioning. My unit was very comfortable. The trade winds were rather strong high atop the cliff. It was cool enough at night that I shut some of the windows. It will still be humid, however, because there is no airconditioning.

There is a Foodland and a good restaurant in the Princeville Center. Many people miss the center because it is between the east and west entrance to Princeville. If you come out the east (main) entrance to Princeville, turn right. It is on the right side of the road. This is only about 5 minutes from the Shearwater and is very convenient. Foodland has a full liquor store, too.

Except for those who need air conditioning due to physical health, I HIGHLY recommend this resort and am planning on coming back in 2009.

Getting a Shearwater week through an RCI exchange was a dream come true for us. We toured the resort a few years before and loved the units with their full ocean views. We loved Shearwater! There isn’t a bad unit in the place, so we didn’t bother to call and make any special requests, even though we are owners at PAHIO at Bali Hai, the resort down the road.

When we arrived at The Shearwater (named after a bird) at about 1:00 a.m., after picking up our keys at the Ka’Eo Kai office nearby, we were very pleased with our unit assignment. We were in unit 110, a beautiful ocean view from the bedroom, living room and lanai. Each of the two bedrooms is a suite, with its own master bath, complete with separate showers. Both had whirlpool bathtubs, the larger master had a whirlpool tub for two. We had a king bed, while Rick’s mom had two queen-sized beds. She was very pleased with her private area for sleeping and bathing.

Shearwater looked so much better in daylight that first morning after the long trip from the mainland. The kitchen was well-equipped, with every conceivable dish, pot and gadget you might need. The JennAire range was great, though I would hate to clean those grill inserts all the time. We used the grill only once, for steaks. We used the oven for frozen pizzas a few times. The washer/dryer unit was in a closet by the kitchen and was larger capacity than most. This is a necessity when coming back from a long hike in the mud.

We had free wireless internet at Shearwater, a welcome luxury because I had some wedding gift shopping to do on the net, plus I wanted to keep in touch with the world, especially my friends and with our kids. I hope free “Wi-Fi” becomes a staple for all of our exchanges, as normal as having a phone.

We enjoyed watching DVD’s in the living area. We brought several from home and were happy to see the player under the TV, with a nice stereo and speaker system. The breeze from the lower louvered windows and the patio doors, plus the ceiling fans, really kept the unit cool. I was worried that Kauai would be too warm in July, but it was very similar to their winter, with hardly a difference in temperatures. It rained late at night but only sprinkled during the daytime.

The resort offered many activities and we enjoyed participating in them. Most were at Bali Hai. We didn’t use the pool or hot tub during our stay. We had the whirlpool tubs in the unit, which we used daily. The pool area was just beautiful and had an ocean view. There was a stream by the clubhouse, a small pool and a nice hot tub that was refilled every day. The area was landscaped with lots of beautiful flowers and plants that would never grow in Colorado. I am so jealous that houseplants can grow outside in Hawaii.

There were craft classes and activities galore and we had to choose which ones to attend. After all, Kauai has many sights and we needed to leave the resort sometime. My mother-in-law and I both wanted to make leis. We received orchid leis at the welcome breakfast, which was a very nice touch, but the lei class just seemed like an appropriate use of our time on Kauai. The cost was $5.00 and was taught by a local who was very patient with me when my thread kept getting tangled.

Many of the activities at PAHIO were about creating something that you could take with you. My mother-in-law really enjoyed the coconut painting postcard class, the cost was only $10. Her coconut was the best in the class: a dark purple sky with palm trees and crashing whitecap waves. We drove to the Hanalei post office so she could mail it back to herself. What a great souvenir of a wonderful island.

There was an owners’ lunch, with free burgers, hot dogs, chips, salad, beer and soda. It was a big hit and there were great door prizes of cash certificates to PAHIO- preferred restaurants and activities. This will be a new tradition for PAHIO, according to the activity director. We met several owners who shared their experiences with PAHIO and asked questions about our Shearwater unit. Everyone was jealous of our ocean view. One of the Ka’Eo Kai owners had been coming for many years and never exchanged her unit.

All three of us attended the free bingo night, with some nice prizes, but we didn’t win anything, once again. There were mai tais as well, provided by PAHIO, and refilled often by a nice young man who made them way too strong. About 100 owners attended the bingo activity and it was lots of fun. It was great to talk to other PAHIO owners from the varied resorts.

The only thing that Shearwater lacked was floor-sized, artificial plants that you usually see in timeshare units. Pictures were scarce, far fewer than in other places we have stayed on Hawaii and in Florida. The décor is usually very similar in Florida as in Hawaii, but Shearwater was definitely understated. The resort is still the nicest on Kauai, if not all the islands, specifically for the ocean view from every unit and the large whirlpool tub.

PAHIO at the Shearwater is Gold Crown all the way. The resort is everything we remembered. Aside from the lack of greenery and pictures in the unit, we had no complaints at all. The staff and concierge were excellent, no one even asked if we are resale owners until the owners’ update (which is a sales pitch), the activities were many and appealed to a wide variety of interests.

Stayed from 10/14/2004 - 10/28/2004. First time on Kauai. Rained on and off the first week. Rained just about constant the second week!

A couple of misinformation glitches. We were never told that we may have to change units in the middle of our vacation. Fortunately we didn't have to. We were also told via email that we would have an available room from time of 10 am checkout until our flight departed at 9 pm. This is total misinformation. Room is only available for ONE HOUR.

The Shearwater is very beautiful with an ocean view from all units. Very large and spacious. We were in unit 206.

Think we'll stick to Kona on the big island tho, weather is much more desirable.

Shearwater has 2 classes of rooms, with the 5 units on the 3 floor being more desirable. These penthouses units being the more sought after 2 bed/2 bath units with a 15 mile section of a breath taking view of the N.shore beaches and ocean before you. A person should bring there best set of fieldglasses to view this ever changing panorama. These units are aranged so that this overwhelming view is also enjoyed from both the master bedroom and the large covered deck dining area.

If you play golf this is the place as the main fairway runs right by you unit below you.

We have stayed at the Shearwater for 3 years now, and would go back tommrow if it were possable.

All of the island activitys and stores are only 15 min away max. What we always try and do is buy fresh fish at a local market and visit the local farmers market for fresh vegetables and fruits.

Situated at the end of the road (so its quiet), all units are located on a bluff overlooking the ocean and are positioned to offer an ocean view. Units are furnished nicely and have two private suites If you like a tropical, jungle-like environment Princeville is the place to go. Hanalei Bay has a great beach and the trail from the north along the Napali Coast is breath taking. Beautiful golf courses here also. Don't miss the Guava Kai Plantation to the south, the guava juice flows like water here.