I arrived at the 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay on the northern tip of Kauai at about 4 p.m., just in time for pau hana -- what the locals call happy hour.
If there's a resort in Hawaii that's better suited for that late-afternoon time that leads up to sunset, either in location or layout, then I'm happy to visit. The 1 Hotel is so perfectly positioned on the edge of Hanalei Bay that it catches all the rays from the sun as it begins to dip low on the horizon. To the far west is the beginning of the majestic Na Pali coastline, cloaked in green and decorated with misty clouds. In the foreground, surfers roll in and out on the breaks around Hanalei.
The hotel is designed in an unusual way: Guests enter at its top level. Its primary restaurants, spa and concierge are on the first two floors; the rest of the hotel then cascades down until you reach the beach and primary pool area. That means the first impressions come from the top of the cliff, instead of sea level.
Entering the 1 is less about entering a hotel and more about meandering down a wood-planked path, surrounded by indigenous greenery. There's a canopy to protect guests from the occasional cloudburst, but generally speaking the first two floors are open to the air; check-in is done in an alcove of comfortable couches with a view of the sky.
From there, guests can progress straight to Welina Terrace, the hotel's showstopper restaurant, where they're treated to an unparalleled view of the sun and sea. At sunset proper, a conch shell sounds and a woman bearing two lighted candles performs a slow hula.
The view of the 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay from the resort's beach. The resort was repainted and covered with greenery, which helps it blend into the hillside. Photo Credit: Rebecca Tobin
A fresh look
1 Hotels stakes its brand on sustainability, natural elements and wellness. This is the resort's first full year of its operations under the 1 flag. Before the 1 opened its doors last spring, the property was the Princeville Resort, so named for the planned community where it's located. Before that, it was a St. Regis.
But guests who visited the property as a St. Regis may find its current incarnation almost unrecognizable. For example, 1 Hotels painted the entire building a rocklike gray and draped it in greenery. As a result, it blends into the cliff when viewed from the beach.
Then 1 literally took the roof off the top level and focused on bringing in Polynesian vegetation: pili grass, ulu trees, kupukupu ferns, nanea and kukui nut trees. Rooftop gardens are visible from the upper floors.
"The architectural design is all about opening things up, bringing in natural fibers, raw wood," Alexis Eaton, the hotel's director of marketing, public relations and programming, said in an interview last fall. "The intention is to have your gaze draw out to the bay."
Like other luxury resorts of its caliber, the 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay has an entire lineup of activities to keep its guests busy. But being that it's a 1, the activities lean into wellness, with choices running from casual sunrise yoga to new, custom-designed wellness journeys developed under the Within Wellness banner. It's also surrounded by the Princeville Makai Golf Course.
There's also cultural programming, which the resort was working to build out when I was there last summer. The June calendar lists hula classes and lau hala bracelet-making. The calendar also lists daily activities for Seedlings, its kids camp, such as lei making and nature walks.
That program was taken over last fall by the resort's manager of Hawaiian culture; a new cultural advisor, Jade Wai'ale'ale Battad, starts this month.
An area on the fourth floor currently has a display highlighting the work of Limahuli Garden & Preserve, a National Tropical Botanical Garden. The resort launched a weekly Thursday Talk Series in its Neighbors Cafe that spotlights conservation-focused partners, such as the Kauai Bee Team and Friends of Kauai Wildlife Refuges.
I had a room on an upper floor, which accentuated the view. It was the only hotel I stayed in on this trip without a lanai, but the room had windows that slid open to bring the outside in.
Greenery is the focal point around and inside the Kauai resort. Photo Credit: Rebecca Tobin
Eating well, being well
Welina is a must-do for dinner or drinks, whether you're staying on property or just driving your rental Jeep around the area. (The 1 is far enough away from the airport at Lihue that I imagine most guests will rent a car there, but the property also has Audi Q8 electric vehicles available for island exploration.)
The Welina menu runs to Japanese small-plate fusion, and reservations are recommended, especially if you want to request a spot on the terrace -- the better to catch the full sunset views and hula.
Right outside the Welina is a big table where a concierge can help guests plan their day off property. And across the garden is the entrance to the Bamford Wellness spa; on the level below are the gym and wellness studios.
The 1 Kitchen Restaurant offers lunch, dinner and a full buffet breakfast. Adjacent to the 1 Kitchen is the Kai Maika'i bar, right next to the adults-only pool. The man to see at the bar is Johnny Quinn, who teaches the weekly mai tai-building class at 1 Kitchen, makes a crazy-good co*cktail and is in general a fun and memorable personality.
By now you might be wondering: What about the water?
The resort's adults-only infinity pool has floating chairs from which guest can admire the surroundings. Photo Credit: Rebecca Tobin
The 1 has its own beach, with kayaks, standup paddleboards, surfboards and other water toys for rent. The water was a little rough for the paddleboards, so I took a kayak out to the Hanalei River, an easy 10-minute paddle away. Sea turtles were swimming offshore in abundance.
Among luxury resorts in Hawaii, the competition for best swimming pool and beach area is fierce, but the 1 more than holds its own. It has a gigantic primary pool, and though the resort was busy when I stayed there, I found tons of seating, from the traditional chaise chairs to in-pool loungers. Nearby is a beachside restaurant and the Seedlings kids club.
And a shallow pool for the kids is a real winner: It's designed almost like a lazy river, minus the current, with natural rock outcroppings in the center and plenty of shallow areas for keiki to play.
The adults-only infinity pool is incredible; built higher up on the cliff, far away from the main pools but close to the Kai Maika'i bar. Inflatable lounge chairs are available for guests to float on as they contemplate their surroundings.
By late afternoon, the green Kauai cliffs and serene blue sky are reflected like a mirror in its waters.
