Hawaii By Star Light: The St. Regis Princeville Kauai
This story appears in the December 16, 2013 issue of Forbes Life.
By Everett Potter
They didn’t teach the First Law of Celebrity Magnetism in school: that a critical mass of famous people showing up at one place creates an irresistible force that attracts pretty much all the other famous people to it. Of course, the setting of celebrity haven St. Regis Princeville Kauai may have something to do with it, too, including the hypnotic sweeping views of Hanalei Bay and the rippled, jungle-clad volcanic mountains that form the Napali Coast. It’s no wonder that this bay, celebrated as the inspiration for the song “Puff the Magic Dragon,” has drawn surfers and stoners for years, not to mention the Hollywood location scouts who used it for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park and South Pacific, where it stood in for the mythical Bali Hai.
The 251-room St. Regis has simply made paradise more convenient for pleasure seekers such as Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Olivia Munn, Kelly Clarkson and Alicia Keys. They come for the St. Regis’ signature butler service, the Asian-influenced fare at chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s casual Kauai Grill and that killer view, visible from every guest room. You might bump into Avril Lavigne poolside (a venue angled to maximize the view) or spot Matt Damon on the hotel’s beach, where you can explore the bay in a replica outrigger canoe handmade and paddled by local legend Trevor Cabell. He can take you out to watch some of the world’s top surfers catching the break and then anchor for snorkeling among sea turtles.
George Clooney took up residence at the hotel when he filmed The Descendants, and numerous scenes were shot in the lobby and Presidential Suite and along the beachfront. Other A-listers have come and liked what they’ve seen so much that they bought homes nearby, including Julia Roberts, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Stiller. When they aren’t in flip-flops at Tiki Iniki, a newly opened bar in Hana owned by local Todd Rundgren and his wife, Michele, you might catch them in the midst of the daily routine–a traditional Lomi Lomi treatment at the hotel’s Halele’a Spa, followed by a mai tai and sunset over Hanalei Bay from the hotel’s deck. It’s a spectacle so intoxicating that it’s a wonder the St. Regis hasn’t tried to brand it. –Everett Potter
http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeslifestyle/2013/11/26/hawaii-by-star-light-the-st-regis-princeville-kauai/
