jeff1737

Has anyone stayed at the Outrigger Kiahuna Plantation in Poipu? My brother is doing the research on this July trip and I want to be sure we're not going to end up in the dregs. He has two small children and we have a 15 year old. How long a drive is it to the north end of the island from Poipu? The middle of the island seems to me to be the logical choice, because there would be short drives north as well as south. However, I understand that it is more of a locals area and doesn't have the nicer condo properties. I have checked for past postings on the Kiahuna and one I read said to be careful about booking to far from water. Which unit is closer to the water? Since that is probably already booked, which is the next best option?

AlanM

Try the site below...it will let you know where every hotel/condo is located.I recently stayed at the Whalers Cove.It was most probably one of the nicest condos I've ever stayed in on any of the islands.

http://wizardpub.com/kauai/kauresort.html

pdxgirl

Kiahuna Plantation is a very nice complex on one of the nicest beaches on Kauai. The grounds are beautiful, there is a decent restaurant on site and it's across the street from a shopping area and several more restaurants. One of the nicest locations on the south shore, IMHO.

iamq

I'm going to stay out of a poipu - east shore -north shore debate, but I can tell you that Kiahuna is a nice place. Gorgeous grounds and a fabulous beachfront. Some of the back units are a moderate walk to the beach. I think the construction at the Marriott next door is winding down, so the units that were near the construction should be less noisy now. I have read here that you can save a lot of money by renting at Kiahuna direct from the owners. Do a google search for Kiahuna by owner and you will come up with several sites. I love Kauai.

kikahead

We just got back from Kiahuna Plantation this past January and it wsa great! We were in building 33 and were 30 seconds from the beach. Grounds were very nice and the staff were fantastic. We rented directly from an owner (found at vrbo.com).

kikahead

Oops! Since you specifically mentioned me in another post I should probably be more helpful.

At wizarpub.com you can see an arial view of Kiahuna Plantation which would help you select the building.

We used vrbo.com and paid about $300 a night for our unit (January--high season??)

Things we loved:
-There is a beach stand at the front of the complex which has towels, chairs, and sand toys for children. We loved not having to lug wet sandy towels back and forth everyday. In addition there are showers on the beach.
-The grounds are beautiful! Manicured lawns and a beautiful orchid garden were fantastic! The front lawns have LOTS of space for chairs if you just want to sit and watch the ocean without physically touching the sand.
-There were gas grills which we took full advantage of! From our unit it was a minute walk so we grilled steaks one night and hot dogs another.
-The unit we stayed in (2 bed/2 bath) was two levels which was fantastic. The bedrooms and bathrooms were downstairs so that was the quiet area while we used the upstairs for card games, etc. TONS of space!
-Two lanais! We ate breakfast out on the top lanai every morning and watched the ocean.
-The beach the complex is on was a great beach! Enough waves to have fun in but still calm enough that we saw lots of little ones with their parents wading in the water. (There is coral and rocks on the bottom--WEAR REEF SHOES).

Things that we loved less:
-The restaurant on site looked . We never tried it because the menu didn't appeal to us (Roy's and a slew of other restaurants are right across the street in a little shopping center).
-The pool (I know, who needs it in Hawaii) is across the street and pretty wimpy. Again, towels are offered here and there is an area for small kids and a slide area for bigger kids. Tennis courts are here. Lunch at the restaurant here was great--good hamburgers and sandwhiches. So-so hummus.
-The frogs in the lagoon!!!!!! They are evil but part of nature. What can you do?

I hope this helps...if you have any questions let me know!

Suzie

Jeff, Like Alan I also stayed at Whalers Cove but during my research I found that Kiahuna Plantation was a pretty nice place. There are lots of units available via www.vrbo.com where you can see exactly what you'd get. Lots of good dining near Kiahuna and the beach is very nice too.

Chuckster

We also LOVED Kauai. We ended up staying in Kapaa in the center of the island. Close to the airport and a great drive both north and south. We found a condo at Outrigger Lae Nani. It really worked well for us. It doesn't have all the amenities of resorts, but our 15 year old loved it. There is snorkeling off the beach and a bit of surfing close by. Our 2 year old loved it because of the lava pool (sheltered from the waves.) Great tidal pools too.
The website is http://www.creativeleisure.com/hawai...kauai/laenani/
Although if you Google Lae Nani Kauai, you'll find others.
Good luck. Don't know if you can go too wrong on Kauai!