This is the comment I got from another website
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 isnt a bad unit in the place, so we didnt 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 KaEo 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 Ricks 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 DVDs 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 didnt 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 KaEo 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 didnt 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.
Have a great vacation with your daugther
