Michele

I am planning a honeymoon trip to Kauai in August and would love to hear from anyone who has traveled there recently. We will be there for ten days and wonder if we're better off staying on the North Shore for the whole ten days (we're booked at Hanalei Bay Resort) or staying part of the time at Hyatt on the south shore. I've heard great things about both hotels but have heard that the North Shore beaches are better than those on teh south at that time of the year. Is the Hyatt (or the south shore) worth spending a few days at?

Also, if anyone's been to the Hanalei property recently, I'd be interested to know what their standard rooms are like. I dont' think we can afford the suite.

Thanks for the help,
Michele

Alysa

I would definately recommed staying in the Poipu area for a few nights. The Hyatt is beautiful and the beach in front of it was awesome. The Island is small and 10 days is a long time in one place. The SW side is worth seeing.

annemarie

I would definitely split your time between the north and south shore if you can afford it. There have been varying viewpoints on the quality of upkeep and rooms at the Hanalei Bay, so you better really check that out...are you sure you want to spend 1o days on 1 island...Kauai is gorgeous, but I don't know about 10 days!!

Lani

Michele,

Unless you really like the quiet life, I'd visit another island also, maybe Oahu or Maui for at least 3-4 days. But if you are physically active in the water a lot of the day, hike, etc., then maybe 10 days is not too long on Kauai. It is a fabulous place, but I like to juice it up a little bit with one of the other islands. Be sure to eat at Cafe Coco in Kapaa one night!

The majority of people have said that Hanalei Bay Resort is great, but there is that few that have had some complaints. I would spend time on both shores if I stayed on Kauai the whole ten days! Have a great trip.

moran

We were in Kauai about a year ago.
The island is small enough that you could simply drive to whatever part of the island you would want to go to. This would save you the hassle of packing and un-packing all of your stuff. I would really recommend purchasing "The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook", (it has an aerial photo of Kauai on the cover). We found this to be most helpful.
We think that 10 days on Kauai may be long. I would suggest splitting your time with another island. A few days on Mauii (we enjoyed this a lot) or Oahu (crowded and bustling), may suit you much better than a change of hotels on Kauai.

KAL

MICHELLE, CONGRATS..YOU'RE GOING TO BE HONEYMOONING ON THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAND IN THE CHAIN ! WE SPEND 3 WEEKS OVER NEW YEAR'S SO 10 DAYS IS NOT TOO LONG TO STAY THERE. WE WERE DISAPPOINTED IN THE SOUTH SHORE (POIPU) AS MOST OF THE BEACHES WERE SMALL AND HAD LAVA ROCK AROUND THEM....BUT IT IS THE "SUNNY SIDE" OF THE ISLAND...WE USUALLY STAY IN KAPAA WHICH IS IN "THE MIDDLE"...30 MINS FROM HANALEI/30 TO POIPU AND ABOUT 45 MINS TO THE WEST END AND POLIHALE. KAPAA ALSO HAS SOME GOOD RESTAURANTS WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF THE HOTELS/CONDOS...CAFE COCO IS INTERESTING BUT MEMA'S, KINTARO'S, HONG KONG CAFE,MARGARITA'S, BULL SHED, PACIFIC CAFE, EGGBERTS' AND NOE'S ARE ALL GOOD TOO...THE HYATT IS GORGEOUS BUT A LOT OF TOURIST W/ CHILDREN STAY THERE. DITTO PRINCEVILLE AREA. GOOD LUCK AND IF YOUR NEW SPOUSE GOLFS, THERE ARE SOME GOOD GOLF PACKAGES AVAILABLE AT SOME FANTASTIC COURSES. ...MUCHO MAHALOS AND GOOD LUCK.

Barbara

Michelle,

We have been to Kauai twice--once in 1988 and once for 9 days in June, '99. It is a beautiful place and 10 days is not too long if you like the outdoors. The first time we went we stayed in Kapaa and did day trips to all parts of the island (pretty easy to do), but Kapaa is really busy now. I wouldn't stay there again.

Last summer we stayed half the time on the south side (Waimea Plantation Resort), and half at the Princeville. Both were lovely. We actually loved the Waimea Plantation Resort cottages (in spite of the black sand beach) and would heartily recommend them EXCEPT there was a local driving up and down the property's beach in that area exposing himself (and masturbating) to women and girls that the management knew about, but chose not to warn us about. Unfortunately, I got "flashed" around lunchtime our first full day there, and ended up spending time making police reports and trading calls with investigating officers the next few days. They still hadn't caught the guy when we left. It kind of ruined the tranquility of the place for us, and I was really pissed that the management didn't warn people staying there--especially since some guests had young children whom they let roam the beautiful grounds somewhat unattended. So,the Hyatt might be better-if only for security reasons!

The Northern side of Kauai is great, and there are some lovely beaches, horseback riding, and good snorkeling. But don't discount the southwest side. Waimea Canyon, Kokee State Park are fantastic and well worth spending a whole day or more if you like to hike. It is very different than the other parts of the island. You also don't want to miss Barking Sands Beach (Polihali State Park), which, at sunset, may be the most beautiful place on earth---and practically deserted. Finally, you will probably want to do a boat (zodiac raft or catamaran) trip along the Napali Coast while you are there, and nearly all,(if not all) of the trips now leave from the South side of the island due to recent legislation.

Have a great time. I wish I could go back again this summer--but looks like we'll be stuck in steamy SE Asia.--B

Debi

Michelle-
We are going back to Kauai for our third visit in July- it is absolutely gorgeous there! I really don't think 10 days is too long- there is much to do.
Be sure to have a sunset dinner on the lanai at the restaurant at Hanalei Bay- one of the most romantic sunset views on the island.
I would echo other people's advice and stay a few days down in the Poipu area- it really is nice. Another favorite restaurant there is The Beach House.
We went to Honolulu for two days on the end of our first trip. While I think there are some wonderful things to see there, I was so disappointed after Kauai- so if you decide to do Oahu, think about doing it before you get to Kauai, instead of after.
Have a ball!
Debi

Karen

We honeymooned in Hawaii last July; 6 days in Kauai and 4 on the Big Island. 10 days is not too much for Kauai, especially after a wedding. Kauai is very quiet; perfect for honeymooners who want to be left to themselves. We stayed at the Hyatt and spent the first 2 days just sitting around. The island is small enough to drive around, and one day we drove to the northern side, stopping wherever we wanted. We loved the Hyatt - it was large, the staff was unbelievable, and there was a lot of variety in terms of food, pools (saltwater and chlorine, plus beach but the waves were too rough), flowers, and surrounding beauty. I highly recommend Tidepools Restaurant on the resort,and a seafood restaurant right up the street from the Hyatt whose name escapes me. I was not a fan of The Beach House, which I thought was overrated. We took a helicopter tour, drove to Waimea Canyon, shopped at Kapaa, and visited Spouting Horn. I think you'll have a ball. As much as we loved the Big Island, the travel to another island was like a wasted day. We spent the morning packing, returning the rental car, flying, picking up another rental car, then unpacking. Final tip: let the waitstaff at restaurants know (and everyone else for that matter) that you're honeymooners. Free dessert, drinks or appetizers were usually offered. I asked for a photo to be taken at practically every meal, prompting the waitstaff to ask if we were honeymooners (how did they guess? Doesn't everyone want every meal on vacation recorded?). It never failed that they would then offer something for free to the honeymooners. E-mail me if you have any specific questions.
Karen

Karen

My husband remembered the restaurant up the street from the Hyatt which we loved - not crowded and great food - House of Seafood. Hope you have a chance to enjoy it.

Elaine

Kauai was wonderful, however I would discourage you from staying at Hanalei Bay. My family had a trip booked there last August and it was disasterous there. Service was awful (people were friendly - but that did not make up for it) understaffing meant waits for everything, property not maintained - power outages, pool, etc. and management change meant nobody knew who was responsible for anything.

Noah

Enjoyed reading the trip reports.

Barbara, I am shocked to hear your story. Sorry that you had a such a bad experience. Maybe someone will post an update about whether they caught that guy.