My fiancee and I are going to Kauai for a week. Does anyone have great places to stay for less than $200/ night. The Sheraton looks great and everyone keeps mentioning the Radisson but I hear it is not on a good beach. Condos are fine, as are B and Bs. We just want to be close to a great beach and not swamped with tourists.
ALso we were thinking of flying to Maui, staying two nights just to relax on a tranquil, typical Hawaiian beach and recuperate from jet lag and then head over to Kauai for 5 nights. Is this a bad idea? Any advice?

I personally would spend all of the time on Kauai. It is such a lovely place. And I would choose the North side (Hanalei/Haena). Why don't you do a search for vacation rentals in Kauai? You can find some cool cottages/homes that are cheaper per night than the Sheraton. have more character and are right on or near the beach.

Staying in Maui for two nights and then switching hotels is not worth the trouble. If you have 7 days, do yourself a favor and stay in one place if relaxation is your goal. Additionally, if you rent a condo or house you probably need 7 days to get the weekly rate or they may not rent to you for less than 7 days.

Maui has great beaches but for tranquility, I prefer Kauai. And to really get away from everything, stay on the North Shore. We always rent a duplex in Hanalei. We have rented from:
http://www.kauai-vacation-rentals.com/ before.

When are you going? We had to reserve early for June last year.

check out waimeaplantationcottages.com
when we went to Kauai we stayed at the Hyatt: i really liked it, but it's a big, active resort. the Plantation Cottages may be more of what you're looking for. and i agree with above poster: spend all of your vacation on Kauai. it is a gorgeous, serene and peaceful island. you won't want to leave!!

There's tons of info right here if you do a text search. As you probably know, the big debate for Kauai is north or south & it depends somewhat on time of year.

As to the question of stopping on Maui, I think it depends upon where you're starting from & what time you arrive. We flew from NY & had to stay overnight in Honolulu before continuing to Kauai. Our luggage was lost & we really couldn't settle in until arriving in Kauai. On the return, we stopped for a few days in SF which was divine. So I guess I'm saying if you're coming from the east, the idea of stopping is, IMO, a good one, but I'd think about maybe a day in LA. assuming you're lookign for beach. There are some nice hotels not too far from LAX.

The main thing the Sheraton has going for it is the beach. The Sheraton sits right on the beach, no long walk, very very accessible. Also the beach there is a crescent shaped beach with a lovely sandy bottom, with waves that are not too scarey and are managable. It is a very swimmable beach. I love this beach and find it to be one of the best on the South shore.

Having stayed in many hotels on business and pleasure; I personally would not choose a hotel in Kaui, unless it is the Ritz and even then I'm not sure I would do it. We stayed in a rented cottage in Maui and it was VERY private & romantic. No room service, but we did have washer/dryer and kitchen, separate bedroom, etc. Going to Kauai on April 5 and we are again NOT staying at a hotel/resort even though S.O. is attending meetings daily at the Hyatt. If you want to see tons of people coming and going and spend a ton on money--stay in a hotel. If you want romance and privacy and the feel of authentic Hawaii, rent a cottage or house. A good sight is www.vrbo.com. Good luck

Check out the Hanalei Bay Resort it has hotel rooms, studio's and condo's and other condominiums in the Princeville Resort Area.