girardin

My husband and I are planning to go to Kauai in October 07. We are in our 40's and would prefer a place not surrounded by kids. We are in the beginning stages of trying to figure out where to stay - Poipu or Lihue. We like to walk the beach and restaurants and be able to walk to other resorts which may have nightly entertainment. We would prefer a condo. We plan to do some hiking, kayaking, snorkeling.

Our first step is deciding where to stay? Any help in this step would be appreciated.

Jack

There is a very good search engine that is part of this board. Simply put in the word Kauai and you will get hundreds of posts providing all kind of information.

You will also find that there are basically two groups when it comes to Kauai. There are those who believe the north end of the island, Princeville, is the only place to stay. Others will equally insist that Poipu is the only place to stay.

If you do decide to go for a condo in Poipu, you might want to check out Kiahuna Plantation.

kblonkowski

Well, I won't insist that the north shore is the only place to stay, but we did stay there for our honeymoon and we loved it. We stayed at the Sealodge, and it was quiet, with a great view, and it's such a small island that we were able to see pretty much everything! There are some beaches on the north shore, but you can't walk right onto it from the condos, and you can't really swim at them, but it's great for scenery and we were often the only people at the ones that we found. We also went in May, which I'm sure makes a big difference. www.hestera.com is the website we found the condo at. The exterior is not the prettiest, but the inside was nice. The unit we rented from is no longer on that site, but all of them look pretty nice.

jamaltay

Jack........actually, there are three groups. The third says stay along the coconut coast as it is more centralized.
8-)

iamq

The north shore of Kaua'i is not just Princeville. There are many communities on the north shore where you will find numerous vacation rental opportunities. Kilauea, Anini, Hanalei, Wainiha and Haena are a few. The Hanalei Colony is a group of condos in Haena, past Hanalei.

From your desrciption of what you want, it sounds like Poipu might fit the bill, however Kapa'a would also work, as would a rental in Hanalei, however there are no resorts to walk to there, only restaurants, bars, and one of the world's ugliest beaches.

What's your budget?

-Bill

deladeb

My husband and I (early 40's)just returned from 4 nights in Kauai. We loved the oceanfront room we had in Kapa'a at Resortquest Islander on the Beach.(Entertainment card rate of $148)
We had lunch at the Hyatt in Poipu and their pools were in an awesome setting.

alliegator

We stayed in Sheraton Poipu because it was on the dry side. We loved it but we found zilch for affordable restaurants. Next time I would rent a condo instead of staying in a hotel.

Nevertheless, the drive from the south to the north was only like 45minutes. Nothing at all. We did it quit a few times and drove to Lihue for dinner once or twice, which was like 25 minutes. I really don't think you can go wrong anywhere on Kauai. It is my favorite island.

ellenbw

That is a good time of year for the North Shore, is there a reason that you aren't considering that? I usually stay in the south, Poipu area because I go in the winter, but in October, I'd look at the Princeville area. Since it's October, most of the kids are back in school except the tiny ones so that shouldn't be an issue most anywhere you stay. Kauai does not have a lot of nightlife going on, but in Poipu there is the Hyatt and the Sheraton that will have some evening entertainment. I am more familiar with the condos in the south so I'll just give you some ideas for those: Whalers Cove is a lovely condo development, but pricey. It is close to the Sheraton, but you probably wouldn't walk there at night. There is also Poipu Kapili and Kiahuna Plantation condos that are walking distance to the Sheraton. The Hyatt is a very short drive from all of those condos.

Littletex

My husband and I are also going to Kauai for the first time in October 06. I first started my search for hotels/condos in Kauai by buying several guidebooks (Frommer's and the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook also called the Blue Bible since it is so informative). This helped me determine which areas sounded best for what we were looking for. The books also include extensive reviews of the various hotels, condos, and B&B's on all sides of the island.

Some websites to check out are Grantham Resorts, Regency Pacific, Poipu Connection and Garden Island Rentals.

We ultimately decided to stay in the north for half of the trip at a condo in Princeville. We will then move to Waimea and stay at the Plantation Cottages and explore the western and southern sides of the island. With the price of gasoline so high here, I can just imagine what it is in Hawaii, and I don't want to spend all my time and money driving.

We can't wait to get there!

amaclise

If I'm not mistaken Lihue is where the airport is and it is also the capital, so it is not as much of a vacation spot.

I stayed in Poipu and liked it (despite the Sheraton hotel being under construction ). Based on your post, I think you would like the Princeville area a little bit more (but you would be happy in Poipu too and it is a more centrally located.)

iceeu2

Yes, but the Kauai Marriott is in Lihue also. Lihue is great for heading north or south for the day or just staying smack dab in the middle.

We are going to try a few days in Poipu our next time out, fwiw.

i'2

auntiemaria

Kaua`i gasoline prices - 7/8/06

Just filled the truck tank at Chevron in Kapa`a -- $3.55 per gallon (same price at Shell in Kilauea).

Princeville Chevron is at $3.69 today.

girardin

Thank you all for your advice. I was a a barbeque this weekend and someone told me they stayed at the Poipu Kai condo complex through Suite Paradise. Has anyone stayed at this condo complex or had any dealings with Suite Paradise?