The Cliffs at Princeville Reviews & Ratings

Close to all beaches, Princeville and Hanalei. Beautiful ocean view location. Private pool and activity center

Comfortable beds, lots of clean towels, kitchen was well stocked with pots, pans, cooking utensils and dishes. View of ocean from patio and balcony is just magical. Barbegueing in the cliff cabana with Mai Tai's while listening to tunes and watching seafaring boats go by after an active day in the sun is a feeling that cannot be beat!

The apartment was spacious and homey, we loved the fully equipped kitchen and built-in washer and dryer. The complex is huge and just beautiful, overlooking a serene stretch of ocean view with perfect sunset almost every other night. The staff is friendly and very helpful. All and all this place is great place to stay.

The only reason this unit is 4 stars instead of 5 stars is there is no onsite restaurant, in every other way The Cliff's is one of the top rated condo's in Kauai. We have been going to The Cliffs for 15 of the last 16 years and have enjoyed every minute. Our unit C 8305 is the closest possible unit to the ocean and is absolutely ocean front. Some of the other listings say ocean front, but are partially obstructed views because of buildings. The Cliffs is beautifully maintained and you will have no complaints.

The views are simply stunning which is why at the beginning or end of every day you might find yourself drawn by the Adirondack chairs strategically placed along the ocean’s edge allowing you to ponder on the meaning of life, or simply enjoy Mother Nature at her finest.

Stayed here last year over the holidays. Great location and the staff was friendly and helpful.

We stayed at timeshare resorts in Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Arizona, and all the Hawaiian Islands. We stopped searching after our first stay at the Cliff's. It's the perfect getaway from Southern California. We have been owners since 2008. We go every year and absolutely love it! We just wish we had more time off from work to travel here more often.

If you're looking for a fast paced resort with pool side bar service that has a trendy restaurant then you'll want to stay somewhere else. But if you're looking for that tropical environment that is peaceful with fully appointed modern units and nearby world class beaches then you'll want to stay here.

Garden view rooms are next to a small canyon with Avocado, banana, and other edible plants available to guests (you pick). We used to prefer the ocean view but now we like the quiet & foodiness of buildings 1 & 2. Buildings 8 & 9 are about 100 feet back from the cliff edge, with barbeques at either end. Fantastic views of the ocean, & sunrise/sunsets. (North shore, you get to see both!). Definitely take the plant walks available through the activities office, to learn about the medicinal & edible plants on site. There's even a small golf putting green, across from building 2. Solar powered, and adding an edible plants Landscape soon!

We just stayed at this resort over the Holidays (Christmas for North Shore) and absolutely loved it here. The units are very spacious and clean. Units appear to be renovated recently to a more traditional Hawaiian theme. The pool is a fairly new modern free formed rock pool with waterfalls and hot tubs, including a kids pool area. The tropical breezes were very relaxing and made for good sleeping especially when combined with the surf crashing on the cliffs below. Our favorite thing was watching for Whale spouts on our Lanai while having coffee in the morning and then breakfast. We saw three whale breaches and even more spouts! We will definitely come back here for future visits.

We just got back from New Years, 2013. We stayed in building 4 on the third floor with a partial ocean view. The unit was extremely clean and very well stocked with cooking utensils, plates, cups, etc.

We returned to our favorite beach, Ke'e beach at the west end of the road past Hanalei. It is a beautiful beach to walk and then look back at the Napali Cliffs and the ocean. Sunsets are gorgeous. On the way we stopped at Hanalei Gourmet which is an inexpensive restaurant with good food. On the same note, we stopped another day at the Kilauea Bakery/Grill in Kilauea which also has good food and friendly service for a reasonable price.

We have stayed here twice before, once the week after Thanksgiving and once over the New Years holiday. Both times we stayed in building 7 which is near the cliffs. We saw the state bird of Hawaii, the Nene, a breed of geese which live on the cliffs. The resort has a nice pool, tennis courts, BBQ pits, and a picnic area.

The units were clean and comfortable. My wife likes staying there because it is comfortable and homey. The kitchen was very convenient for breakfast and meals. The resort has walking areas. The crews work very hard to keep the grounds as clean as the interiors. The temperatures were very moderate when we stayed there in December - lows of 68, highs of 84.

For the most part, the staff is very helpful. One staff member directed us to the Limahuli Botanical Gardens about 10 minutes west of Hanalei. We saw irrigation terraces that were build 700 years ago to grow taro. Many native plants are preserved there. You can enjoy a pleasant and peaceful walk through the gardens.

The lighthouse is a wonderful place to visit and hang out. Make sure that you make it there. The views, the pounding surf, and the birds never grow old. We also found an organic restaurent called The Garden Cafe which is near the turnoff for the Kilauea lighthouse.

We booked our next trip over spring break 2014. We look forward to returning to Princeville and to the resort.

We have been coming here for several years. It is in the best location of the island - north! You have access to the best beaches, and most private. Every time we go anywhere south, we always come back up north to hang out. The facility is great. (It has 2 tennis courts). The units with the ocean views are fabulous! Great sunrise and sunsets. However, I do not like staying on the bottom floor because you can't keep your unit open when you leave. The staff is very attentive. Most all of the units have been remodeled and are clean. A/C - we've been here all times of the year - with the breeze you just don't need it. Bugs - haven't seen any except a gecko.

Do yourself a favor - stay ANYWHERE else! My husband and I just returned from staying here a week (8/13 to 8/20 '11), and we hated it.

First up . . . entirely too many critter incidents. Then dirty and so DIM! Lastly, NO air conditioning.

The morning after we arrived, I got up and started to walk into the kitchen. There in the middle of the floor was a GIGANTIC spider, the size of the palm of my hand. It was the biggest spider I've ever seen in real life, and we live in Arizona where there are tarantulas and scorpions, OK?! Picked up the circa 1970 5-lb square office desk phone to call the front desk about pest control . . . no dialtone. Plugged into a jack? Yes. Just didn't work. No other phone in the entire joint. Before I had a chance to walk over to the reception bldg to complain, and after I woke up my poor jet-lagged husband to squash it with one of their coffee table magazines, I discovered under the sink a huge can of industrial strength bug killer with directions that said after spraying it around an area, you should "ventilate the area for several hours" before re-occupying the space. Uh-huh. OK, so obviously the killer bugs are a recognized problem, and the "cure" has already been provided. Probably wouldn't do any good to complain about it. Next day, one smaller spider dead already on the kitchen floor. Another day, my husband suddenly grabbed my arm and yanked on me because behind my back a roach was quickly scooting across the kitchen floor in my direction. He ran under the fridge, so he got to live to disgust and frighten new occupants, I guess, this week.

We didn't realize until we'd gotten our timeshare exchange confirmation certificate that this place had no air conditioning. No air, in Hawaii, in August, is ridiculous. At the place we stayed on the big island last year, we were at least given the option to pay EXTRA to turn on the air. Here - no option. We were told by someone that it's a little cooler up in the northern Princeville area, so maybe it wouldn't be a problem. But it was - 80's and 90's while we were there, and were very uncomfortable. There was a ceiling fan in the living room and bedroom, but it didn't help much; they weren't very fast.

We arrived about 7pm, it was already getting dark, so we didn't realize how dim it would be inside our unit during the day. There were only 2 ceiling lights, in the kitchen and a dim one in the dining area. Otherwise, there were lamps in the other rooms - not enough of them, and with very weak bulbs. One of the lamps could only be turned on and off by plugging and unplugging it. I personally needs lots of light and bright and sunshine to feel my best, so I found the lighting issue made this even more of a depressing place to stay.

Could go on - kitchen counter wasn't cleaned when we got there, old old furniture and bathroom fixtures, etc., but I think I've said enough.

If you decide to stay here anyway, all I can say is I hope you love cats because the resort is home to an extended family of strays. If you're on the ground floor (we were) one or more of them will definitely and daily grace your patio with their presence, meowing and begging for food. DON'T feed them! Unless you love cats ALOT!

Ocean front condo which has been newly remodeled. Has fully equipped kitchen, and washer/dryer. Over 20 acres includes new pool, tennis courts, childrens play area, basketball, and world class golf nearby. Beautiful beaches, waterfalls, and rivers within a short driving distance. Magnificent sunsets while sitting on the lawn over looking the cliffs. Incredible snorkling at base of the cliffs early in the morning. A difficult path to manuever for the faint of heart but the results are worth it. See Pods of turtles swimming within the caves of the cliffs. After trading into the Cliffs for my first vist two years ago I ended up buying a one bedroom unit. Then this past August I purchased a second unit, a 2bedroom loft. Just can't get enough of the Island of Kauai. In fact, heading back again for 2 weeks in Aug 2011.

Fantastic location with gorgeous views of Bali hai and the ocean. Princeville is exclusive with a great gold course. Units are spacious and 1 bedroom unit has 2 full baths and 2 couples can stay at one time. Only negative - no beachfront access but one can go to Hanalei Bay Resort for that. Would stay there again in a heartbeat.

I have stayed at The Cliffs Club five times now - twice as an exchange, twice as a rental and I have liked it so much I bought a week and stayed most recently as an owner. I used to prefer the Pahio resorts (now Wyndham) but find I now like The Cliffs better than all of them except the Shearwater.

The resort sits at the top of a cliff on the North Shore, which is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, and has great views. None of the resorts on the north shore are on a beach; all are up on the bluffs and only a few of them are ocean front/view. The Cliffs is one of those few that enjoy a great view. Three of the buildings are ocean front, three are ocean view and three are garden view. The resort just completed a lovely new pool, and has been in the process of redoing all the units. They're doing two or three buildings a year and soon they will all be updated. I've stayed most frequently in one of the buildings still waiting to be updated (building five), however all the units were very comfortable and in good condition. I've found it in better condition than many of the resorts on the north shore (I have happily stayed at nearly all of them), and now with the new pool and hot tubs it is really very nice. I also like that the pool is open until 10pm. Several of the other resorts close their pools early, some even at sunset!

As stated in other reviews, the resort does not have A/C. Very few resorts on the north shore do. It is nice to stay on the 2nd or 3rd floor where you can leave your doors and windows open all the time. However, in my most recent stay I was assigned a 1st floor unit. I was a bit worried about not being able to keep the doors open all night, but was happy to find the ground floor unit pleasantly cool. I expect there are some weeks during the year when it would get a bit hot.

My only complaint is the charge for internet access, which some other resorts offer free.

Just returned from the Cliffs as part of a Shell vacations Explorer Package. We spent part of the time here, and another week at the Kauai Coast Beachboy in Kapa'a, also a Shell resort. The Beachboy was far superior in many ways, especially the comfort of the king size bed, although the Cliffs was still fine and was convenient to the North Shore sights.

The units do not have A/C and the washer/dryer is apartment size, so if you have a family, the laundry is small. You absolutely cannot be on the ground level either because in order to stay cool, you need to leave both sliding doors open to cross-ventilate the unit. This definitely would impact your private life if older children were sleeping in the nearby living room/guest area. Also, there is no beach at this resort so you do need a car to fully enjoy the area. Kauai is paradise.... my favorite of the Hawaiian Islands. Most of the beaches on the north shore require a hike down a cliff (hence, the name? duh) to get to them. I recommend Anini Beach, which is a short drive away, easy to swim and snorkel and has plenty of parking. There are many secluded beaches on Kauai and they are the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. I swam in waterfalls and snorkeled with turtles on Kauai. It is breath-taking. You really need to get out and explore this island!!!!!

While overall I liked this resort, I would not return unless I had no other options because of the lack of A/C, bed comfort level, and also the lack of a beach. There also was no fitness center at this resort. I also found it tacky that they charge for the wi-fi connection, but I paid the $35 for the week. The staff was fine and the unit was well-appointed with all that we needed. One thing I will say is that the rugs inside the unit needed to be cleaned. The soles of my feet were black from just walking inside this unit.

Overall I give it 3.5 stars for its North Shore location, and the size of the one bedroom -two bath unit itself.

My wife and I were at the Cliffs in December, 2007 and hoping to return this year. I've been to the Cliffs 5 times since the mid 1980s and have always been happy with our visit. I have stayed in the 1br, 2br and loft units and have found them all extremely spacious, well laid out, clean and comfortable. We are looking forward to the newly renovated Administration Building and the pool area that is expected to be fully rebuilt by spring 2009. The area is quiet and peaceful, a short walk from the spectacular cliffside view. You can spend your entire vacation on the North Shore and never get tired of it. If you are looking for a retreat from the stress of daily life, you will never want to leave this beautiful Island. Some have said that prices are higher on the North Shore, but we've found that the Foodland market is very reasonable. Make sure you sign up for the Makai Card that will give you many discounts. We didn't find the prices much higher than prices we pay at home in Alberta, Canada. Make sure you visit Hanalei and spend a morning walking around town. Surf lessons in Hanalei Bay are great fun and not too intimidating. Snorkeling is fantastic almost anywhere. Evenings at the Tahiti Nui are always fun, with local musicians adding Hawaiian flavour to the tropical nights. Did I mention that we love it here?

We traded into a 1 bedroom, 2 bath unit. It was spacious and newly remodeled with new appliances, flooring, paint and furniture. The staff was knowledgeable and helpful. While not on the beach, the view and sunsets from the cliff were marvelous. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here.

This is a great resort to go to. I really like staying in building 5 in that it is right next to the pool and sport court. The adult spa is nice and hot under the palm trees and moonlit night is great.

The rooms have a really comfortable couch so much so I considered getting one for my house great for watching movies or TV. It has a nice kitchen and dining, washer and dryer and two full baths. You can get a key to use the in room safe for a small per day fee.

I really like being able to cook our own meals with a grocery store 5 min away makes that easy.

We would go into kapaa to get our starbucks each day 1/2 hr away, and go shopping at the coconut plaza and stop by our favorite sandal and flip-flop store "Soul Mates" the best, we usually get a few pairs each year we go.

The expectation should be of the cliffs club is, it’s a condo, and looks as such, but the furniture is nicely appointed and is not the light weight wicker you find in most rooms in Hawaii.

The kitchen is nice in that it has windows to look out while cooking the dining room table is a glass top with cushioned chairs. There are two TVs one in the master and one in the living room. there are two balconies, we always stay in a one bedroom that sleeps 4.

The cliffs club is going through pool update and is going to be looking liked a lava stone lagoon style deal is what we found out the last time we went. we have gone three times now, the sport court was a new add on and was not there the first two times.

the pool is a basic pool but it does the trick at night when it is lit up and go for a dip to cool off from being the super hot adult spa. the pool also has a spa connected to it.

We really like to head to the spa after being at the beach all day and after a ride home in a jeep convertable because it warms you up.

you can bring your steaks down to the pool area and barb-q them while you are in the spa, then go back to your room and eat your dinner its perfect.

The staff we see them when we check in and when we check out.

Rent a jeep wrangler there is more of a driving adventure on Kauai and you can go scout out things better in a jeep and you will have the top down most of the time.

Must have been nice at one time, but is not up to date. Not as clean as it could be and the staff is pretty aloof. We wouldn't recommend it.

We just stayed here in January. Unit was OK. Big unit with nice Master, living space and loft for some privacy. Dated and worn furniture. Grounds nice, but only one pool which is in poor shape. Playground and sports court was nicer than pool. Odd?

Staff seemed to care less that we were there. On- site activity people were lousy!

Not really close to much. It felt like they were more interested in owners than guests. Won't stay here again or recommend to friends.

Great location. Beautifully appointed. Management is attuned to providing the best accomodations.