Just returned Saturday from 10 nights: 5 at Kaanapali Villas on Maui & 5 at Poipu Kai on Kauai. First time to Hawaii. Stayed in #512 at MKV, and the condo was great! Ate in a lot, so didn't get tired of restaurants! Fish tacos at Maui Tacos a must!! Nice meal on the beach at Castaway Cafe at MKV. Lahaina shopping was fun. Tremendous sunsets over Lanai every night. Took the Maui Downhill bike ride after watching the sunrise from Mt. Haleakala. Fabulous!!! It doesn't seem like a 38 mile downhill ride--really easy. Highly recommended!! Great snorkeling at Makena. Follow directions in Revealed. Go past the public parking to snorkle!! Road to Hana was cool. Went the whole way. Nothing much in Hana, but the drive past Hana well worth the time. Cheap souvineers at Long's Drugs in the Cannery Mall. The next 5 nights at Poipu Beach (Kauai) were different. Quite a bit of rain. Must be why it's called the "Garden Island"! Warm rain broke out quite often. Poipu Kai # 803 in Manualoha building wasn't bad, although I thought there was a lot of mold in all of the tile grout! However, I can see why. A lot of moisture, higher humidity. Our kayak/hiking trip got cancelled twice due to high rainfall and slippery trails. Went to Wiamea Canyon, and it was neat. Did Drums of the Pacific luau. It was okay. Nothing special. Great snorkeling at Poipu Beach State Park! Bought an underwater camera from Snorkel Bob's in Koloa, then found the same camera at WalMart in Lihue for half the price!!! Got some great pictures though. We probably won't go back to Kauai, but it was okay! A bad day in Hawaii is still Hawaii!!! All in all, the best vacation we have taken. Likely to start planning a return trip to Maui & another Island real soon!! Thanks again fodorites for your help. answers and advice. Aloha!!

tommyd: Sorry you had so much rain on Kauai. When we were there in Sept, it didn't rain once during the daylight hours except in the mountains which provided beautiful rainbows. It is an awesome island - my favorite for beauty.

It was beautiful-just wet!! There were pretty awesome thunderstorms too. Lots of lightning. A local I talked to said they hadn't had both thunder & lightning in the same storm for over 20 years!!! We photograraphed many a gorgeous rainbow!!

tommyd,

We were on Kauai from 10/23 - 20/28 and we didn't expect it to rain like that! The first day there was rain all day. We drove around north side of the island and saw some of the beaches. But one night we were at the Poipu shopping center picking up some IPA to go and the power went out. They wouldn't let us buy the beer even though we offered them plenty of cash#39;( We didn't have power all night. From talking to other people the next day we found out that most of Poipu must have lost power. All in all it was a good vacation. But I don't think we will return to Kauai.

Why anyone would go to an island with all that rain is beyond me!

tommyd
Small world, we were in #806 last week
Weather was upside down due to "Kona winds" etc, not seen that before. Won't stop us going back (again).

Wish I could find floorplan info on some of these rentals.....

Sorry you had so much rain on your trip, sometimes October can be nasty! October '99 was just ridiculously wet, it was like living in a swamp. Kauai gets a whalloping thunder/lightening storm about once a year. About 2 years ago a huge storm stalled over our house in upper Wailua and we had blinding lightning and crashing thunder (plus a power outage, of course) for about 6 hours straight!

Vivi,
We are spending 6 nights in Kaui form March 8th throught the 13th. I was under the impression that is the rainy month. Is that true. We are staying at the Hyatt. I was told that it rains less there than in other parts of Kaui. HOpe to hear from you soon.

PSPERCY--you were real close to us!! Same building?? We were in bottom right corner unit of the building.

tommyd, yes, same building, we were in a 2/2 on second & third level. Pretty nice place I thought.

Marshall- yes, you are more likely to have sunny skies in MArch by staying at the fabulous Hyatt. You will love it.

We were in Kauai from Oct 23 to the 30th. We loved relaxation and island beauty. Staying at the Sheraton and every morning enjoyed the breakfast buffet right near the ocean. It was wonderful. The North Shore area was breath taking. Favorite restaurant was Tidepools at the Hyatt. Also enjoyed the Beachouse, Shells, Roys and a few others. Loved finding the great beaches along the way when checking out the island during overcast days. The beach at Pohile (sp?) was fabulous. We will return to Kauai. I would love to see some whales.

Under the right accomodations, the rain can be a welcome benefit. Especially when you are on vacation to unwind. The frequent breaks in the weather allow for activity. The times during rain allow for chi chi's on the lanai and soft music from Brother IZ. Enjoy all that is Hawaii