Haena Kauai too far from everything?
 

Has anyone stayed in Haena and found it too isolated? Or is it like paradise? How far is it from Princeville and Halalei?

Ha`ena is rural residential (mostly vacation rentals) -- houses, one small beachfront condo project, and cottages -- with some open flat areas. What makes it so desirable, is that it's wedged between the ocean and the soaring, green, majestic mountains.

If you like to just do nothing but hang out at the beach or hike the Kalalau Trail, you'll love Ha`ena for it's quiet.

To Princeville -- 15 minutes
To Hanalei -- 10 minutes

I think it is paradise! The beaches are just gorgeous. If you are interested in spending much time on this part of the island, I really recommend staying there, rather than staying elsewhere and driving up to Ha`ena. For example, you can be on Ke`e beach before the "crowds" get there and have this gorgeous beach to yourself. Limahuli Garden is in Ha`ena, well worth a visit to see the beautiful valley and learn about native Hawai`ian plants.

I can't wait to stay in this area next summer! We are waitng patiently to hear whether we are going to get the little beach house in Haena we want. The owners rent it six months out. We have a small house rented in Hanalei right now, but we are hoping to get the Haena house. We spent much of our last trip hanging at Makua Beach and Lumahai and for us it is the perfect place for a "go-beach" vacation. We met a couple on the beach who rent a house in the Haena area every summer and they seemed to love it. This property in Hanalei caught my eye as I was looking for an alternative to the Haena house.
http://www.napaliprop.com/Loke-lani
Good luck with your search.
-Bill

Haena is not convenient for vacationers who want to go sightseeing island-wide. But it is a beautiful, pristine area for beach goers who just want to vegetate.

Depending upon the location of the house there is the possibility of having some surly local neighbors but it is more likely that you will have other vacationers as neighbors.

Hey Bill. Just out of curiosity, what house are you looking at in Haena? We were originally looking in this area for the Kauai porion of our anniversary trip next June, but opted for the Anini Beach House (daystarproperties.com) often mentioned on this forum.

longtail,
Hale Walea is the name of the house in Haena. Plantation Cottage (na pali properties) is the name of the house in Hanalei that we have reserved in case. You will love Anini, it is peaceful and quiet.
-Bill

Let's put it this way. There is one main road (one lane each way for the most part) that almost encirles the entire island. You will be at the very northern end of that road.

If you've been to Kauai before and don't care to see a lot of the island, or would just like to hang around the north shore, it's a fine place.

If you're planning to do a lot of sightseeing, I'd stay somewhere a little more central to the island. JMO.

We have been to Kauai once before, divided our time between the north and shore shores (Princeville and Hyatt). We decided to rent a nice house (or two) this time. Originally, we had reservations for 4 nights at Moloaa Bay Cottage but the owner needs to use it during that time, plus we have another 4 day reservation for a Princeville house (and then a few days at the Hyatt). Now we are looking to stay 7 nights at a house in Haena instead and then 3 nights at the Hyatt so we can more conviently explore different areas of the island. But the north shore area is definately our favorite and the summertime is supposed to be drier on the north shore than it is in winter when we went before. (Even though it rained a lot when we went before, we absolutely thought it was paradise!)
Anyway, the house we are looking at is on a beach 1/4 mile from Tunnels beach. Would anyone know which beach this would probably be?
Thanks! Also, can I assume correctly that there are no places to eat until you get to Hanalei?

Ashley,
If you don't mind me asking, which house are looking at?
Hopefully auntiemaria will answer your question too. The beach between the Hanalei Colony Resort and Makua (Tunnels) is beautiful, but it seemed to me like the conditions were not as good for swimming as they were at Makua. We walked from Makua around the point in the direction of HCR for a mile or so and it was lovely with many homes built along the shore, but as I said the ocean seemed rougher and it was windier along this stretch. But 1/4 mile is only a 5 minute walk away so it would probably be in a great location. Going in the other direction, there are some rentals between the main portion of Tunnels and Haena Beach Park that looked very nice too.
Here are some that I remember seeing:
http://www.kauaivacationrentals.com/...ail=&Stay=

http://www.kauaivacationrentals.com/...ail=&Stay=

-Bill

Bill:

Hale Walea looks really nice. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. We looked at this one, too, but it was not available in June. I hear it's very popular.

Ashley:

Sorry to hear about the Moloa Bay Cottage. That looked like a beautiful place. There are many beautiful places in Haena, though. My two favorites are Paradise Hale and Hale King.

It is called Hale Aloha Kauai, I guess where Sylvester Stalone used to live. It was built in 2001 with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, with a view of the mountains from the shower. It has a lanai with ocean views and another lanai on the opposite side with mountain views. Can anyone tell me which beach this would be and if any camping is allowed in the area? Thanks!
http://www.kauai-beachrental.com/

http://www.aninialoha.com/halealohakauai/ Here is another website that has info on the house. Anyone have any knowledge about this house or the area?

I remember walking past this house this summer on the beach in front of it. The beach is nice in front, but as I mentioned in an earlier post the water conditions were rougher and a little windier than Tunnels which is right around the point from this house. The beach in this area is beautiful!
If my memory serves me right the house is just to the left off this aerial photo. The area to the far right is the main part of Tunnels.

http://www.kauaivacationrentals.com/...ale_aerial.jpg

I did a bunch of research on homes before this last trip in prepping for next year and I ended up recognizing a lot of them as we walked along the beach.
-Bill

I think we all fell in love with the same houses through Kauai Vacation Rentals, I remember Hale Walea! And as I recall, many of those really awesome beach front places were already booked when I was checking about four months out (we went in June).

love
roxy

Ahh! I just responded to you on my other post about Kauai rentals. Hale Aloha is actually the house that I was supposed to be staying at, but it was double booked. We ended up finding out about it a month and a half after we had sent in deposit -- and after we had already started plannig our trip around the week that we thought we had a contract for.

We just booked another rental on the south side of the island, the Mokihana House, I believe. Luckily we were still able to find something for our week, since we had already gotten our (non-refundable) plane tickets.

Not sure if it was a one-time incident, but just wanted to pass along the info. If you have any other questions, just let me know!

Ashley24:
The "close to Tunnels" house is on the property formerly owned by Sly Stallone -- but he never lived in that particular house (sold off all his land and houses in 1999/2000).

The house is on a spur road, close to the YMCA campground (Camp Nau`e). The beach there is popular with surfers; usually not very safe for swimming due to undertows (no lifeguards).

This area has a few full-time residents, but most of the houses are vacation rentals.

For dining, there's a new place next to the condos in Ha`ena (named "Tunnels", I think) for lunch & dinner. We haven't been there yet, so I can only tell you what I've heard -- nice views, nice bar, but the menu/service still need some work. Hanalei is just minutes away, with quite a few dining options.

iamg:
Of the 2 houses you've posted up, I'd take that first one in a heartbeat. The other one is okay, but rather spare with regard to furnishings/amenities.

LayingBlames,
I am glad you found another rental. I posted in response to your other post but I'll ask here too. Which rental agent did you go through that botched up your reservation?

Bill, I have two children (7,10) who would not want to actually swim but probably catch little fish and just beach comb, make sand castles, etc. In the summertime would the beach in front of this house be ok for these activities? Would Tunnels be ok in the summer for children to snorkel? IF Tunnels is just a quick walk, I could just enjoy this house for the view/beach and then do a short walk to Tunnels for swimming/snorkeling or would you suggest finding another house on Tunnels directly?

AunieMaria, Should I be concerned about the YMCA camp? Is it an overnight camp? Is camping allowed on this beach (I know I sound like a broken record on this one, but I have heard about houses with campers close by being loud, peeing in front of their house, etc.)?
Would you recommend a house right on Tunnels instead of this beach (Does this beach have a name...Kepuhi, perhaps?)

AuntieMaria, If you had to rent a vacation home, which area would you choose...Haena, Anini Beach, Hanalei, or other??? Based on nice beach, scenic,etc.

Longtail, Have you stayed at Paradise Hale or Hale King?

Thanks so much everyone!

Bill,
Based on your aerial photo, the house would be on Kepuhi Beach, which is east of Tunnels Beach.
AunieMaria, If you believe the house is near the YMCA, isn't that located on Haena Beach park which is west of Tunnels?
I am looking at the map on pg. 48 of The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook.

Of course, when I talk to the rental company on Tuesday, I can ask them. Hopefully they will know for sure.

Ashley,
I think Makua (Tunnels) would be a great place for you and your kids to snorkel if your kids are comfortable being in ocean water and are swimmers. I have only been there in the summer and it was very swimmable, but there were gentle waves. This last summer there was a fairly strong west moving current that you needed to be aware of when you were out there snorkeling. We saw many families with children out there playing and enjoying the water, however for REALLY calm water, Anini is best. The beach in front of the house would be great for your kids to hang, beachcomb, and play, but not swim. I think the YMCA camp is to the east of Tunnels, around the 8 mile marker on the map on page 48 in your book. The main part of Tunnels is only about a 5 minute walk to the east from Haena Beach Park.
-Bill

Ashley24:

The YMCA camp is for private gatherings -- with cottages, a cookhouse, shower/toilet facilities for up to about 80 people. It's used by the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, church groups, school groups and -- in the summer -- often used for family reunions, and local wedding receptions/weekend parties. Camping is only allowed _within_ the fenced campground.

Camp Naue is located between the old Charo's Restaurant, and Makua Beach.

For kids, Anini is the safest -- protected by the large reef, so there are no waves, lots of sand, lots of little fishies which will swim around the kids who are wading. While our grandkids enjoy the sand and warm water, the adults enjoy snorkeling and kayaking -- so there's something for everybody (and rarely any crowds). Great surf fishing there, too.

Ashley:

It looks like you have a lot of great choices in Haena. Unfortunately, I do not have any first hand experience with these places, but have spoken with the rental agents (kauai-vacation.com, kauai-vacation-com, napaliprop.com and aninialoha.com) and have gotten a lot of great feedback on Paradise Hale and Hale King (Billie Jean King's place). I also recall looking at Paradise Aloha Kauai. It looks like a beautiful place and I'd rent it in a heartbeat, but it was over our price range - I think I recall it was about $3000 per week (rent only).The rental agent should be able to give you more specifics about the properties. Would love to know which one you choose.

Ashley,
You may have already looked at this one:
http://www.napaliprop.com/halemakua
Good luck!
-Bill

I have looked at several houses (on the web) on Anini before looking into Haena.
Anini Beach House was a possibility but the owner wasn't too thrilled with us having children and upped the security deposit so I decided to look elsewhere.

I looked at Kai Malie but a rental agency told me that a large estate is being built right in that area and the construction noise would be a problem.

A less fancy house but closer to the water (20 ft) is Kai Hulali but I was told it's for sale.

I wish there were some fodorites out there who have rented on Anini and could give some glowing reports. The camping seems to be an issue and I haven't a clue which houses are near that area and which are not.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Does anyone have any first hand knowledge of Nakea House? It is 1750 a week and on Anini Beach.

Ashley24:

My visiting family spent a week at Kai Malie (`Anini) just this past June, and loved it. The house is before you get to Anini park area, and is set well back from the road -- with large grassy area and croquet/badminton sets, too.

The ground floor of the house is parking only; the upper floor has a full wrap-around lanai and gates at the top of the stairs to keep kids from tumbling down. Part of the lanai is covered, complete with hammock and large dining table and chairs.

The house is set up perfectly for a large gathering -- kitchen (with small table), living area and dining room table in the center -- with 2 bedrooms/one bath on each side of that "commmon" area. Loft upstairs is the media room, with second cable TV plus VCR, small sofa, comfy chairs, and books/table games.

The house is across the street from the beach, with a path to the beach just a few yards away (easy walk, even for toddlers). No facilities at the beach; no lifeguards either -- but none is really needed.

Yes, there is a house being built across the street -- but it's daytime/weekday noise only (and now that they're doing the interior, it should be even quieter).

Re: Nakea House -- it's further down the road, past the park, past the polo fields, closer to the river...and closer to the road.

Hope you're going to book something soon, before all your top choices have been reserved by others... 8-)

Ashley:

I booked directly through the owner. She went on vacation after I had talked to her, and after she had sent out the contract. It turned out that she had received two deposits while she was gone, the other check the day before my check, and her son, who she left in charge of her bookings never noticed the duplicate booking. So, at any rate, we didn't learn about the double booking for a month and a half!

You may have better luck going through an agency. I would certainly advise it after my experience!

auntiemaria,
When you say that the house is being built across the road, you don't mean in front of Kai Malie (as in blocking the ocean view)? Does it appear that the house would be finished before next June?

The house will always have partial ocean view...and the new house will definitely be completed by the end of this year.

Last night I finally booked our rental house...went with Hale Aloha Kauai. I used Na Pali Properties rental company. Do they have a good reputation? I am excited!
Thanks for all your help! (Mahalo)
Ann

Ann,
Glad to hear it worked out! Thanks for letting us know.
-Bill