Beauty surrounding us from every direction...The cost of living in Princeville Kauai is off the charts...

The area of Princeville was named in honor of an 1860 visit by Prince Albert Kamehameha, son of King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma. It was then a plantation owned by Robert Crichton Wyllie. He named another part of the plantation Emmaville, but that name never stuck. Originally the land was planted with coffee which was not suited to the wet lowlands. Later sugar cane was planted with some success. Wyllie's nephew inherited the land but committed suicide in 1866. In 1867 it was purchased by Elisha Hunt Allen to later become a cattle ranch. It was sold for development in 1968 and became a golf course and resort called Princeville at Hanalei.

We've never seen anything like it. Every direction one turns, the views are unique and breathtaking. Kauai is truly a paradise. Princeville is exquisite.

Across the Prince Golf Club to the ocean (while driving with no possibility of stopping with the amount of traffic in this area).

Would we consider living here? No. The cost of living is too high, especially here in Princeville where high end living and a degree of upscale opulence is the order of the day. That doesn't fit our lifestyle. Plus, who's thinking of settling down? Not us.

Statue at the entrance to Princeville.

Yesterday, while on a much needed walk in the area, we visited a real estate open house. With no agent on the premises we had free reign to walk about taking photos. When the agent returned after showing the grounds to prospective buyers, we explained that we are just "lookie loos" not interested in buying.

There are ponds and statues at the entrance to Princeville.

View of tiers landscaping to the pond.

Not only is the cost of the unit high at $1,206,900 but, the taxes at $8000 a year and association dues at $11,400 year ($950/mo.) are as well. The property was unfurnished although many in the area are sold completely furnished as vacation homes. Plus, it appeared that particular property appeared to need some updating and renovation. (There was no active MLS listing available at this time).

View to beautiful beach below the cliffs. How we'd get down to that beach appears to require cliff climbing. There are many nearby easy access beaches to visit.

Building style at the Princeville Shopping Center.

As we researched, we did find many much less expensive properties, not oceanfront as the property we'd seen, that were priced in the $360,000 range for those choosing the Princeville location in a more modest range.

For photos of our condo in Princeville, please click here.

The living area in the "open house" we'd wandered into yesterday while on a walk.

We always get a kick out of checking on the local real estate, not due to possible future interest but, instead as a result of curiosity for an area in which we're living at any given time, especially for extended periods. Familiarity with the area only adds to the level of enjoyment during extended stays.

The dining area in the house for sale in the neighborhood.

Back on the walking path again, with views in every direction, we didn't know which way to turn. With many days and walks ahead of us, we have much to anticipate. On many occasions we had to move out of the way for bikers and others walking along the designated walking path.

The kitchen had an unusual design.

After walking on the edge of dangerous roads throughout the road, it was a pleasant change to be walking along path for the sole use of walkers, joggers and bikers. Many times, we stopped along the way for photos of the sea and the beaches below the steep cliffs.

Full view of the bathroom was blocked by the stackable washer and dryer. The condo had two bathrooms.

Later in the day, we headed to the Princeville Shopping Center located in an another elite area. The shops were upscale versions of those we seen in many tourist locations; pricey beautiful merchandise, often impractical and hardly suitable for our way of life.

The small second bedroom in the house for sale.

However, the Foodland grocery store, crammed with locals and tourists on a Saturday afternoon, was exactly what we needed to fill in the items we hadn't been able to purchase at Costco in smaller sizes.

The master bedroom with claw foot tub in the en suite bath.

After spending yet another $226 we were out the door with only four of our cloth bags filled. So far, since arriving here, we've spent almost $1500 on groceries and household supplies.

The master bath had no shower.

Yesterday, we'd mentioned that we'd have a special post for today. As it turns out, we'll need to do a little more research and hopefully a video if the opportunity presents itself today. Please check back tomorrow.

It was cloudy yesterday. In the future we'll have plenty of sunny day photos to share. We took this shot on a walk across the street from our condo.

For those of you who enjoy football in the US, have a great day watching it on TV. Tom is currently situated in his new comfy chair, eye peeled on the TV waiting for the games to begin. Have at it, Mister!
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Photo from one year ago today, January 18, 2014:

We were visiting the Elephant Sanctuary in Hazyview, South Africa, we had an opportunity to interact with the elephants. It was an educational and enjoyable experience for both of us. For more photos and details, please click here.