I am in the early early stages of planning a trip to Kauai. Thinking of going either the first 2 weeks of March or the first 2 weeks of April 2007.

I already have a copy of the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook.

But, I need some help/advice on where to stay.
Has anyone stayed at, or know anything about the following places:

1. Kalalea Kauai Guest Retreat
www.kalaleakauai.com

2. Kauai Palms Inn
www.kauaipalmsinn.com

3. Kauai Country Inn (orchid suire or yellow ginger suite)
www.kauaicountryinn.com

4. www.vrbo.com/74265

5. Woodrose Cottage
www.rosewoodkauai.com/woodrose.htm

6. Hale Maalea Cottage
www.alternative-hawaii.com/halemaalea/

7. Kauai Banyan Inn
www.kauaibanyan.com

The more I keep looking, the more overwhelmed I get. Also, will I need airconditioning? (Coming from Alaska, anything over 70 degrees is a heat wave !!)

Any recommendations/advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks a bunch
Gilbert

PS March or April ?? Thanks.

hi gilbert,
I have considered a few, but never stayed at any,
of those places. The Country Inn looks awesome. At first I thought it was a bed abd breakfast, but the kitchens make it more appealing to me! If you end up staying there, let us know here how they were!
We last stayed at the lae nani complex that you have a rosewoodkaui link to. It was a great place. Small, nicely run low rise condos with a heiau onsite on a small shoreline prominence. The Wailua area is rich with local history sites. A valley for royalty. Restaurant Kintaro is a great place to eat in wailua/kapaa area. I'll get the link to the lae nani place we stayed at, if you'd like. It was very homey and laid back and spacious feeling, despite the bigger hotels around the area.

That place in Lawaii looks so nice! I kind of have a thing about staying in a new house in that area. It is really a nature preserve and delicate watershed area, so it makes me want to hear more about it's history, because man otherwise those look like a real nice place to stay. That area is seriously tropical.

I haven't stayed there but that Country Inn looks very nice. It fits the whole atmosphere of why I like Kauai so much. You can just relax and melt away into the greenery.

The other highlight is that it's very centrally located. You can get to Poipu or Princeville is about 35-40 minutes.

I'd go in April. Depending on what you want to do and where you want to go, some things may not exist in March. We went to a couple beaches last April that locals told us don't exist during the winter months due to the pounding surf.

Anyone else ??

Sorry haven't stayed anywhere you mentioned... not sure how much space you need but this condo (and view) were perfect for our honeymoon last year. www.kauaisealodgecondos.com

~150 days until

Ditto sea_wahine on the Wailua/Kapaa area. Especially if you don't have that much time on the island...but 2 weeks is plenny o' time.

Central location (save you travel times to Nor/South and West shores.), good restaurants, grocery stores and some inexpensive hotels.

Gilbert:

Of the vacation rentals you've listed, only Hale Ma`alea Cottage is within walking distance of a beach -- plus, it's the only one with air conditioning (which you mention may be important to you).

Anahola is wonderful -- on the NE side of our island, off the beaten path but just minutes from the highway to get you north or south for touring.

And for the best chance of good weather and calmer surf conditions, aim for April. Have a _wonderful_ visit! 8-)

I had a most relaxing week on Kauai staying on the VERY quiet southwest side near the Waimea Canyon road turnoff, at the Waimea Plantation Cottages. It was one of my favorite places I have ever stayed. It's a collection of restored sugar plantation cottages all clustered in a coconut grove at the beach. So cute, with hardwood floors, wicker furniture, ceiling fans, a nice little kitchen and a Weber grill out back. Mangoes and limes were there for the picking. At night it was so dark and wonderfully quiet, and because there were no lights you have a great view of the starry skies. I will warn those who like to sleep in that we heard roosters and church bells by about 7am. For me, it just added to the charm. I also recently noticed this place included in a newspaper article of the most romantic places to stay in Hawaii.

We are going back to Hawaii this year and I almost chose Kauai again just to stay in those cottages, but decided to go to a different island this time.

http://www.waimeaplantationcottages.com/

My wife and I stayed at one of the cliff cottages in Lihue one time, thinking that the central location would make it easier to go north or south on any given day. It turned out that it was harder because no matter which way we headed, we ran into either Kapaa or ("southside") Lihue traffic--or both. Now we either stay in the north so that we can monitor the weather immediately and head south if necessary, or split our stay between the north and the south, which cuts down on road travel--and traffic tie-ups--considerably. The half-day we lose in making the move from one area to the other is more than compensated by the time we save by avoiding the Kapaa and Lihue traffic snarls.

Aloha Gilbert,

My wife and I have been visiting Kauai for the past several years and we highly recommend accomodations on the North SHore..check out their website; great locations and views
www.800.hawaii.com
U can mention Fodor's board and will get greatg service

Paul