First Time Kauai Vacation
 

Hello Everyone, I need some input on a upcoming vacation to Kauai.

My husband and I have always wanted to go, and now we are making it happen! His mother and brother used to live there and loved it, but it has been many years so they weren't able to offer a lot of advice - other than telling us to go!

We have 2 children. When we go one will be almost 6 and the other 1 1/2 yrs. I know for sure my daughter is a good traveler, but its hard to tell what my son will be like, and this makes me nervous. I've always been able to brag about how my little girl never whines, etc, on flights, but I'm starting to think I won't have this kind of luck this time around... please give me tips and ease my worry!

My husband gets the whole week around Christmas off work, and in addition to that we were going to add another week with his vacation time, but what I'm reading here is making me think this is a poor time to go. I liked the Christmas in Kauai idea since we'd have the most time to spend there, and my daughter wouldn't have to miss school, but I hear it rains a lot then and its swamped with tourists. Would October be a better time to go? We would only be able to spend 10 days instead or 14+ if we go then.

Finally, we know we want to rent a condo, since we feel that will be more economical and easier with kids. Somewhere quiet, no view necessary, but in an easy drive to a beach and close to town for picking up food. Is there a place more suited to families? Once I've narrowed it down I plan on using VRBO for a place.

I'll be back with more specific questions like places to eat and hiking trails for kids, etc once I can figure out when and where to stay!

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer me!

I'd go with the Poipu area..
If you decide on a hotel, we just stayed at the Grand Hyatt Resort which was stunning and they have a salt water lagoon that the kids and adults loved.

Thank you ksucat, I will be looking at the Poipu area. The Grand Hyatt Resort does look nice, but I think we are pretty set on the Condo idea.

I'd also stay in a condo with kids that age for several reasons - the availability of a kitchen, and room to spread out being the primary reasons. I think you would LOVE Kiahuna Plantation. Check out the traveler's pictures on trip advisor - they're pretty accurate as to how the place is laid out. It's a really laid-back place, two-story buildings, spread out, so some are on the beach, others are more toward the road, gorgeous grounds. The only downsides are 1) no A/C, and 2) the pool is at the tennis center on the other side of the road.

Thank you sf7307! Do you think AC is necessary in October or December? I hadn't really thought about it.

Also do you want to weigh in on whether I should go for October or December?

Mom, I personally always like A/C (although ironically, I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and don't have it -- it's not common here). I suppose that with windows open and a fans on, you might not need it in December. (I keep my windows open all year round here....obviously, I like it to be cool for sleeping)

As for October or December -- I've never been in either of those months. Been to Maui in September, and to Oahu in January (that's as close as we've gotten to October and December). The weather we had in Maui in September was the best we've ever had anywhere anytime in the islands, but that could be anecdotal. The weather in Oahu in January was warm, but windy. Hopefully others with more specific knowledge will chime in about that.

Thanks again sf7307. I don't have AC here (WA, near Seattle), and I've never lived anywhere humid, so I wasn't sure how necessary it is there.

The AC issue has to do with your personal reaction to warmth and humidity. If you are a person who feels happy and comfortable in those conditions, you won't need AC in the winter in Kauai. If you are a person who prefers cool refreshing air and is sometimes uncomfortable in warm humid climates (especially when sleeping), then you may be happier in Kauai with AC.
If you decide you don't need AC, I would also recommend the Kiahuna Plantation. Besides being a beautiful resort, it is within walking distance of the best calm water beach for children.
For condos with AC, go to suite-paradise.com. Call the 800 number and ask them which condos they have available with AC. Only a small percentage on Kauai have it.

I think at 1 1/2 your youngest can fly free, but I recommend you get him his own seat if you can. 5 hours is a long time on the lap.

I think you are more likely to need air conditioning in October.

Christmas in Hawaii is the most expensive time of year, but 14 days over 10 wins in my book any time.

Kauai is wonderful. Poipu Kapili and Pu'u Poa are both really nice roomy properties at opposite ends of the island. I've seen both on VRBO.

Friends have a place in Kiahuna Plantation and LOVE it!
Great place in a super location..totally agree with sf.
I like A/C though we probably use it for sleeping but still love the windows open and the ocean breeze and surf pounding.
Great area for the kids.
Aloha

I'm no expert on Kauai, since I've yet to make it there, but I love Hawaii. I think two weeks at Christmas sounds ideal. It's not like an entire island can be "swamped with tourists".

re: air conditioning question, for me it has more to do with noise control, because I stay in Waikiki most often. I like to be able to close up the hotel room at night and put it on low for the quiet. If you are getting a house that has good ventilations & overhead fans & out in the countryside somewhere, I think you could skip the AC.

October is low season in Hawaii, so you will get better rates on airfares, car rentals, and accomodations.

With an 18 month-old and a 6 year-old, a condo would be a better choice than a hotel.

So happy to see so many more replies when I got up this morning! Thank you all.

I don't think AC is really important, but I do like a fan for the white noise and air circulation, maybe the condo will at least have that?

Well, hopefully we will get a good deal around Christmas time, but if all the searching shows me its too hard, we'll move it to October.

Yes, the tip about getting the toddler his own seat is a good one. It is another $400 though... sigh...

Definitely going with the Condo idea hands down - is there a link for the Kiahuna Plantation? When I GOOGLED it, several sites came up, so I'm not sure which one it is. With so many recommendations it sounds like the place to stay.

Your confusion about Kiahuna is absolutely typical -- because there is more than one company (Castle and Outrigger, I think) that manages rentals. And you can also find direct rentals on VRBO and probably Craigslist, and just by googling. They each have different units for rent. You'd need to figure out where in the resort the unit is located, whether it's upstairs or downstairs, whether it has lawn frontage or not, etc. before you decide.

I'd recommend getting the book "The Ultimate Kauai" from Wizard Pubs because they have so much good info of the kind you are looking for. I know that some pepople don't like that series of books on the Hawaiian Islands, but I think they are great. they tend to have the real skinny on beaches, lots of aerial photos of accommodations so you can see how close to the beach they are, etc.

As for the A/C, if there is no through-ventilation in your condo except the door, you may find the air gets very hot, especially if you are facing the sunset side, even with the ceiling fans. I life in the SF area and I need A/C, especially if I am cooking dinner!! I use A/C and ceiling fans and portable fans in the condo we went on the Big Island.

My wife and I have been to Kauai both in mid-November and during the holiday season. The prices for rentals are a bit higher during the holidays and the island seems a bit more crowded. But I agree that 14 days over 10 days should trump all the other considerations.

The six times (and 110+ days) that we've been on island in December, we have used a/c one day for one hour. Heck, most of the time it's chilly enough for a blanket in the evening.

Thank you sf7307, charnees, and Cidbob. I am going through just about every travel book on Kauai they have at the library, and plan on hitting up Barnes & Noble soon.

We have decided on November based on ticket prices, a deal we got on a rental cottage, and that it's working nicely with my husband's work schedule.

I am going to plan out a good itinerary soon and will post it with more questions as we get closer to trip!

Here is the Wizard Pub website for Kauai: http://www.wizardpub.com/Kauai/kauaerials.html

We used it a lot to research places to stay. You might want to consider renting a cottage.

Enjoy your trip!

Just re-read and see you are renting a cottage!

Be sure to leave plenty of room on your itinerary for doing nothing. There's nothing quite like doing nothing on vacation on Kauai.