1 Hotel Hanalei Bay

We stayed at 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay from March 15–20 and came away pretty disappointed. The biggest issue was how crowded the hotel felt. Really crowded. We ate breakfast at the hotel multiple times, and every time it was the same story. Our reservation didn’t include breakfast, so we were paying out of pocket, and it routinely came out to over $200 for three people once coffee and tip were included. The only option was the buffet, which made it worse. The breakfast area is small, packed, and honestly felt like combat. You’d try to grab one thing and then get out of the way before getting overwhelmed by the crowd. I would have much preferred an à la carte option, but that wasn’t available. Dinner wasn’t much better. If you don’t have reservations made well in advance, your choices are basically terrible times or nothing at all. We found that unless you booked about a week ahead, availability was either gone or limited to something like before 5:00 or after 7:30. Getting in and out of the hotel was also frustrating. Valet is mandatory at $55 a day, and it was so slammed that you had to call 30 minutes before you wanted your car. There were a few real positives. The beach access is excellent, the views are beautiful, and the gym is as good as any hotel gym I’ve used. But for a relatively small two-queen room at a four-figure nightly rate, this just wasn’t worth it for us. Too crowded, too expensive, and too much friction for what should have been a relaxing stay.

Marino is excellent. Punctual, friendly and very kind. Highly recommended.

The 1 hotel spa was amazing and the masseuse Rose was a 10/10

Had an amazing time at 1 Hanalei. Beautiful resort and great service! Used Marino llanos from Ryde Kauai as our driver and he was fantastic. He was extremely knowledgeable, punctual, and fun! Highly recommend Marino for anyone coming to the resort who isn’t renting a car.

I had the best massage ever! Max the massage therapist was excellent! Just the right pressure and very unique techniques at softening my muscle tension and stress. He was also very friendly but respectful of a quiet relaxing atmosphere. Again, I thoroughly enjoyed my massage and recommend Max and the Bamford Spa at 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay.