ekscrunchy

Two of us are playing with the idea of visiting Hawaii in 2013. I'm thinking of late spring...April or May..would this be a good time, weather wise, to visit Kauai and perhaps one other island?

I've been to the islands once before, many years ago, when I was invited on an American Hawaii cruise stopping at several ports.

We would prefer to have one or two bases from which we can explore the immediate environs. Perhaps spend a week in each spot, and maybe a few days in a hotel someplace else? Do not need to see everything! Main purpose is to relax, eat very well both at home and out, and to swim. Added plus would be nearby farmer's markets or other sources for local products...I am very interested in food, as anyone who has read my (all too lengthy!) trip reports on other boards will already know!

We are both avid swimmers and so the one non-negotiable is a pool long enough (minimum 40 feet in straight length; no irregular shapes) for serious laps. If anyone knows of a rental with this extra, please post it here. While we would prefer a private house, I am not adverse to a great condo rental,or unit within a hotel complex as long as it has a kitchen and a pool suited for our needs. Would prefer oceanfront, of course, although the rental below is not on the water. Would also like to be within an easy drive of a beach with flat water; is that even possible in Hawaii?

Budget is flexible; we are two persons but could rent a slightly larger house if the pool is great.



I've only begun to look and did find this rental that looks promising and quite reasonable. Any and all comments about it are much appreciated. Note that it does not have a/c; would this be an issue in spring?


http://www.vrbo.com/239363

A million thanks!

jcb

I believe May may have better weather than April. However,sometimes the trade winds die down in May. A/c is a personal decision. A house needs to have good cross ventilation for the air to get through. This house does not appear to be close to the water (less trade winds) so I would personally ask how the the house is situated to cool. It looks lovely though.

Also, the community of Sunset in Princeville use to have a community pool (not sure of the size), so maybe take a look at those houses.

jcb

Fyi - did you see this review on Flipkey regarding privacy of pool? It may not matter to you.


http://www.flipkey.com/princeville-c...5/#pdp-reviews

jamie99

I agree, May is a better month on the North Shore of Kauai, that is a gorgeous house. Kauai is my favorite island, hope you have a wonderful trip. Pretty sure there are farmer's markets almost every day (maybe not on Sunday). Several folks on another forum recommended the market in Anahola as there is a guy there that sells wild boar but think only on Saturday (not sure about Friday). Anahola is a fairly short drive from Princeville and there is another farmers market in Hanalei, 5-10 minute drive north. Be sure and learn the etiquette for driving the one lane bridges north of Princeville.

Samsaf

The house gorgeous. One thing that would concern me is that there are any recent reviews listed; I'd be sure to check on this.

ekscrunchy

Thanks ever so much for those comments....I will ask those questions..about the ventilation, and
why no recent reviews....

The swimming is so important to us and it is rare that I find a house with a pool like this one.

Are there any beaches on the island that offer flat (no waves) water in springtime?

Is it conceivable to have just one base on the island, and branch out from there to do sightseeing?

sf7307

eks, Kauai is not very big, so yes, you can stay put and branch out from there to do sightseeing. If you stay near Hanalei, it will take about an hour to reach Poipu, and another hour to reach Kokee State Park and the Waimea Canyon lookout. You'd likely only make this trip once.

Marginal

Anini Beach would be the flatest I can think of

ekscrunchy

Thanks every so much!

I'm not sure I would want to drive 2 hours each way to sightsee, though..maybe stay a few nights on the south shore, too?

The amount of rentals is overwhelming, but there seem to be almost none with that kind of pool...and even most of the condos seem to have those irregular shaped "resort" pools that are so pretty but not so good for swimmers..

I ordered a guide book so I can educate myself before frustrating everyone with endless questions!

Right now need to decide if we should stay on the one island, or maybe include one more and if so, which one? We should always have to tackle such tough decisions, right!?

sf7307

How long of a trip. Generally speaking, most people recommend staying on one island if you have up to a week, 2 islands if you have 10 days, 3 if you have 14+. But of course, that's just a rough rule.

I personally wouldn't move to the south shore just to be closer to sightseeing, because I think the sightseeing is only a day's worth west of Poipu, and there's no sightseeing in Poipu itself, just more beach (and believe me, you'll have plenty of beaches, gorgeous ones, on the north shore).

Marginal

Ditto. Not worth moving to south shore to do some sightseeing.

ekscrunchy

Ok! One base on Kauai. We could spend two weeks there, and then maybe have a week on another island. I have to see if there are direct flights to Kauai from NYC...

If not, and I have to go through Oahu, should we think about spending a week there, or do you all prefer another island?

We do not care about nightlife or any kind of extreme sports, if that helps. Want to eat great food (cook in house/condo, or eat in interesting restaurants; visit farmer's markets) swim in pools and calm sea, and see beautiful scenery. I guess most of the usual stuff. Will rent a car on each island.

I did manage to check out an old guidebook at the library just now; will read through that until the newer one that I ordered comes in..hopefully I can ask some more intelligent questions after reading!

martym

I just did a quick search of vrbo -- so if you're considering going to the island of Hawaii--here are three listing I found that appear to have the type of pool you are looking for.

http://www.vrbo.com/44011
http://www.vrbo.com/243074
http://www.vrbo.com/93958

Samsaf

If you are going to stay 2 weeks on Kauai, I do think it would be a good idea to spend one week on the north shore and one week on the south shore. Then you could spend the first week really exploring the north shore, the restaurants, etc. the next week could be spent exploring the south shore.

bon_voyage

Of my three trips to Hawaii, two of which were long ago to Waikiki and Maui, my favorite was our 10-day trip to the Big Island in August of 2008. Some of what you're seeking that the BI offers:

Farmers' markets: I missed the big one in Hilo but found the markets in the smaller towns to be quite good. http://www.bigisland-bigisland.com/B...s-Markets.html

Other food products: loved touring the coffee plantations and, in fact, we still order our coffee from Holualoa; The vanilla farm was on my radar but we didn't make it there.

Here's the link to my brief trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...big-island.cfm

Note: the Big Island Grill in Kona was the best of a lackluster litter

ChiSue

If you have three weeks in Hawaii you could stay on two or three islands. We have stayed two to four weeks on each of the four major islands for over 30 years -- escaping Chicagoland winters.

Kauai feels very SMALL, because so much of it is inaccessible by road -- the pali. It and Big Island are the most laid-back, yet each has some fine hotels. You will not find a wide choice of easily-accessed restaurants on Kauai -- or on Big Island of Hawaii, which is very BIG and will require staying in two locations if you want to enjoy the sun (Kohala area in the NW) and to explore Volcano National Park (SE).

You can fly nonstop to Honolulu on a 767 or 330 widebody aircraft from JFK, Newark or Dulles. Each winter we fly Chicago-Honolulu and hop to Maui without leaving airport security. We avoid 757's and west coast connections, which are especially unpleasant on the redeye returns.

Most first-time visitors with at least ten nights in Hawaii stay Oahu + Maui or Kauai. They stay south on Oahu to tour historic places in Honolulu and drive east and north shores. You might like the cottages at Turtle Bay or a house in Kailua. Few first-timers choose Big Island because it is not the 'typically tropical' island most people picture when they think of Hawaii. It does have perhaps the best hotel in Hawaii: Four Seasons Hualalai. Mauna Lani is also lovely.

Maui has something for everyone -- and a wide choice of lodgings, restaurants and easy-access beaches for swimming and snorkeling. I prefer the two 'ends' of the island: Kapalua and Wailea.

The listing for the house at Princeville looks lovely, but...it has no A/C; can be beastly hot when the Trades die. It doesn't seem to have any view. I didn't notice if the pool is heated.

Most visitors to Hawaii come to enjoy the beaches and the ocean; pools are secondary and usually chosen for lounging only. (Ah, I'm suddenly thinking of the swim club in Kihei, South Maui!))

jcb

Here is one. I have no personal experience with it.

http://www.kauaivacationrentals.com/...9&Avail=&Stay=

ekscrunchy

Such great info here! I'll just ask one question and return with more:

Do you think I need a heated pool in May?

Are water temps in the ocean generally warm enough to swim in May? (I think so, but just checking..we do like warm water. I know that the pool thing is unusual, but it's been a dream of mine, so...also hope to do a lot of sea swimming in calm water)


I've spent the last two hours or so reading about the islands. From what I read so far, the big Island and Kauai appeal to me most, I think. I'm getting very excited but there is no much to read, and learn!

Marty thank you for those links..the first one looks amazing and that pool looks pretty big..


Also found this one on Big Island Kohala Coast, which includes access to pools at two nearby hotels; what do you think?

http://www.vrbo.com/208482



Maybe stay in one rental on Kauai, one rental on big Island, and then near Volcano Park for a night or two?




Thanks so much to all who responded with such good info and patience!

Marginal

Electricity is so expensive in Hawaii that very very few pools are heated. I doubt you will find a heated pool anywhere.

I would want to check on the size of that Kumulani Pool in the Mauna Kea rental you have noted. The fact that it has lane lines makes me think it might be promising as a lap pool. It will be the communal complex pool, so there might be another person or two, but it won't be busy.

However, neither the Mauna Kea or Hapuna Beach Prince hotel pools you will have access to will be very satisfactory for lap swimming.

ekscrunchy

Marginal, thanks again. I asked about the pool heat because ChiSue mentioned it above.

I have a query out about that Kumulani pool; you are right about the two hotel pools being too small for real swimming. I was told that the Hapuna Beach pool is 42 feet long and the Mauna Kea only 20 feet in length.


There is a pool in the photos of Hapuna Beach that looks long enough, but perhaps that is not the one available with this rental. See photo here: http://www.princeresortshawaii.com/r...big-island.php

This is all a bit confusing and I am grateful for all the help here.