tamhil

I am thinking of planning a surprise trip for my husband for our 10th wedding anniversary in early December. We would only be able to go for probably 5 days/4 nights and would be on a limited budget. I have been reading about the trips to Kauai and wonder how much the condos normally run per night? I am looking mostly to just get away from it all and RELAX away from the kids/work/etc. My husband loves the outdoors, so I think Kauai sounds like a good place to visit. Any suggestions on where to start? We have not traveled at all, so I am an extreme novice.

Thank You!
Tammy

wtggirl

Hi Tammy,
Kauai is beautiful. However, if you are located anywhere further than the extreme west coast, it is too quick of a trip. I think United offers direct service from L.A, otherwise you may have to connect through HNL, which takes more time. There are many condos and B&Bs in Kauai. If you are on a budget, I would recommend a B&B, even some offer kitchens! A couple to mention in the Poipu area are Hideaway Cove Villas, Kauai Cove, Surf Song, and Marjorie's Kauai Inn. All have websites...check google.

pdxgirl

A good source for condo rentals in Hawaii is www.vrbo.com. You will find a wide range of prices there. If you want to be oceanfront, you will probably pay at least $150 per night. Try Kuhio Shores for ocean front condos at a reasonable price. The complex does not have a pool, but it is oceanfront and every unit has a lanai with an amazing view. There is a small beach next door as well as the Beach House restaurant, which is one of the best on the island.

Since you are going December, I would recommend you stay on the south side of the island, in the Poipu area. The North gets more rain in the winter months. Gloria's Vacation rentals also rents condos at several different complexes in Poipu. www.gloriasvacationrentals.com


Good luck with your planning - Kauai is beautiful.

carbogilligan

Both American and United fly direct to Lihue, Kauai with one flight each way per day. Do not connect thru Honolulu for such a short trip. There are more direct flights to Maui each day out of three LA airports, LAX, Burbank and Orange County. This could be another option for you. The Maui Kai condos north of Kaanapali is a great place to relax and very reasonable. Check out their website at www.mauikai.com. You can check availability directly on their website.
Good luck!

bonniebroad

tamhil, I agree with wtggirl that, unless you're on the extreme West coast, that four nights on Kauai wouldn't be too relaxing, considering how much travel would be involved. That said, Kauai is a wonderful place to go, and there are B&B's, plus the lower-priced lodging on the East coast that will not break your bank! I have heard good things about Marjorie's Kauai Inn; not on the beach, but a real nice place to stay, I hear, for the money. Good luck with your planning!

freeny

If your husband loves the outdoors, he will love Kauai. It's beautiful! If your willing to stay in a hotel rather than a condo, the Kauai Sands is on the East Coast and is a very good price (under $100/night) for a clean, basic room with no frills and is on the ocean. You can eat as cheap or expensive as your budget will allow. There are sub shops, fast food, or gourmet restaurants. Kauai is a slow-paced, relaxing island with the best scenery in the world.

tamhil

Thank You all for your responses! Hadn't thought about the condo route and they are actually pretty reasonable and have the kitchen so we can cook to save money on meals. We do live on the West Coast (Central California) so LAX is only about a 3 hr drive for us. What is the best and cheapest way to obtain a good flight?

Tammy

pdxgirl

Hawaiian Air is running some good specials right now for travel in early December. Go to their website. Also check Travelocity or Orbitz to get a good list of available flights and to compare prices. Try United's website since they fly nonstop to Lihue.

rjw_lgb_ca

I checked on travelocity for nonstops between LAX and LIH (Lihue is Kauai's airport)-- United and American both offer nonstops for $614 per person. One flight a day. If you can deal with changing planes in Honolulu, there are fares as low as $439 per person.

ggrtist

tamhil, we've also found the best rates from Southern California through Hawaiian Air's website. On the recent trip, we flew RT, LAX to HNL for just under $300 per person. We then used 5,000 NWA frequent flier miles per person to book our RT interisland flights on Hawaiian Air from honolulu to Kauai. There are so many interisland flights each day that you could probably book it so that you only have an hour waiting time in HNL. I think the current specials are running for travel till mid-december.

Also, just a note, you can easily accumulate a quick 5,000 miles by switching your long distance phones service or something like that. Just check the web promotions.

ggrtist

oh...also, having just had a 1st visit to Kauai, I would suggest trying to push it at least 1 more night, 6 days & 5nights was a nice trip, we had time to see a lot of sites, but still had lots of relaxing beach time. Even so, bf wanted to postphone our return flts couple days but change fees are pretty high.