BadgerJayhawk

We are travelling to Hawaii for the first time at the beginning of May. We are going to be in Maui for about 6 days, & Kauai for 3. We are hoping to find a condo on each island. What is the best area/city to stay in on Kauai? There's so much out there & we just want to make sure we are looking in the right area. Thank you for your help!!

sf7307

Well, what are your "requiremeents"? When we go to Kauai, we prefer to stay in the Poipu Beach area (south part of the island), on the beach -- last couple of times, it was Marriott Waiohai/Kiahuna Plantation. Many people on here adore the north part of the island, but I think many of the accommodations are not right on the beach in the north, so it wouldn't suit us. So, what are you looking for (and what is your budget)?

Ronda

We like to stay in Hanalei on the Northshore because of the laid back, small town atmosphere, however, if you are only going to be on Kauai for 3 nights, Poipu is more centrally located. If you want to see Wiamea Canyon, it is to the Northwest. You could do that one day. Want to see the North shore, head North and east the next. The weather is usually not as wet in Poipu as the Northshore so for your short stay it would be a better bet for good weather. Additionally, Poipu is closer to the airport.

Travelmomma

We have stayed on south and north. Most of the activities are in the South. We like the Princeville which is the northshore. Nice golf course, tamed place, but it was a long trip for us to go to south just for our luau event. We chose this good luau from a plantation, so by the time it finished we were so sleepy to drive home and careful with the drive it is so dark and the town sleeps after 7 pm there ( i think!) it was a tough drive for us! YOu can inquire on staying at the Westin's princeville, if you have time to attend a timeshare presentation this is such a beautiful place and got it for such a good deal 2 years ago $750 for 5-7 niights I believe. It was worth it for that presentation. We enjoyed the relaxing time Kuai.

sf7307

I point out, just because it's important to ME (it may not be important to YOU) that even the Westin Princeville is not on the beach.

BadgerJayhawk

We would like to be on the beach. Ideally we would have a place to sit outside for breakfast in the morning & drinks in the evening & be able to enjoy the view. We are pretty laid back & are planning on this being the most 'relaxing' part of our trip so don't need to be near any night life (doesn't sound like there is a lot in the area anyway...) Our budget is a bit flexible but we woudl like to try to stay in the $200-$250/night range, if possible. Not knowing much about the area I don't know how realistic this is. Thanks for the advice!

Sarah

I think the rule of thumb for Kauai is Poipu if its any time apart from June to August. Very well may find sun on the North Shore in May but you may not. Not a far and certainly a beautiful ride to Poipu on a rainy day just want to be up for that. I would book those nights at Hyatt. Its a gorgeous location and a nice hotel to wind down in. I imagine there could be deals in this economy call them, go online.

louistraveler5

My husband & I went to Kauai May 5-12, 2007. We stayed 4 nights in Princeville, which is the North Shore, at the Sealodge Condos. We stayed in the D7 unit. The Sealodge is situated on a bluff so you are looking out at the ocean. It was absolutely beautiful and we loved the North Shore! It did not rain on the North Shore during our trip at the beginning of May. We felt "secluded" on the North Shore, in a good way, as opposed to the "busier" South Shore.

Here are a few websites for the Sealodge:
http://www.summitpacificinc.com/sealodge.html
http://www.hestara.com/index.html
http://www.kauai-vacations-ahh.com/k...odge-kauai.htm

After staying on the North Shore, we then moved to the South Shore for 3 nights. We stayed in Poipu at the Kuhio Shores in unit 213. Not ON the beach but right on the ocean!
Here is the website: http://www.kuhio-shores.com/
http://www.kuhio-shores.com/KS213.html

Also here is a link to a map of Kauai so you can get an idea of the North/South Shore and other areas of interest.
http://www.summitpacificinc.com/kauai_map.html

Another tip: If you haven't already, I recommend buying these books: http://www.amazon.com/Maui-Revealed-...9012143&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Kauai...d_bxgy_b_img_b
The Ultimate Kauai book is the one I have and it is an absolute must! It has everything you could possibly want to know about the island. One of my favorite insider information in the book was the directions on how to get to Secret Beach. This beach is unbelievably beautiful and can be seen from the Kilauea Lighthouse. It is a 15 minute hike to get to the beach and my husband & I wouldn't have known about if it weren't for this book! That is just one tip and there is so much information in these books!

I absolutely love Kauai and my husband & I are going back this September! We are already counting the days! If you ever get back to Kauai for a longer stay, check out this condo:
http://www.hestara.com/c8.htm This is where we are staying this September. This Sealodge condo is very popular and books up really quickly!

I check this board very frequently so if you have any other questions just reply back on this post and I will get back to you. I love helping people with information about Kauai!

jengym

We just got back from our trip to Kauai. We spent two weeks at Kiahuna Plantation on Poipu Beach, and LOVED it. Right now the weather is a little dodgy...raining at some point every day, and since the North Shore is normally wetter than the South Shore, it's not a terribly great place to be staying at the moment if sun is what you're after. That said, we were lucky enough to catch one day of sun up there, which was great for snorkelling at tunnels, and visiting Queens Bath (VERY COOL). If you do go up there, Tropical Taco is an awesome place to grab lunch. Overall though, we liked the south shore best for beach front accomodation, affordability, and weather.

Have a great trip!

sf7307

Two weeks at Kiahuna - I am so envious!!