Kauai in July-Poipu and (Kapaa or Princeville)
 

Hello,

We are a family of 4 (2 kids ages 10 and 12) and will be going to Kauai. 5 nights will be at the Hyatt in Poipu with points and I am trying to decide on if we should split the time and stay up North or Central or pay for the additional 2 nights (close to 400).

We land after a long day around 8 pm and I was thinking we could either stay in Kapaa or Princeville. I found the Marriott in Kapaa and found availability at Hanalei Bay resort for my dates.

Day 1-we will probably wake up very early so Drive to Hanalei and hike NaPali Coast; Tunnels beach; see town-do you think this will be too much for 1 day?
Day 2-Wailia Falls and area, Helicopter Ride (this night we will drive down to Poipu)
Day 3-relax
Day 4-Zipline/kayak/hike tour
Day 5-relax
Day 6-relax
Day 7-flight back

Please provide any comments. Since the 5 nights at the Hyatt are paid for, I don’t want to spend time going north. Alternatively, I could explore more on Day 2 (Kee beach, etc…) and do the helicopter ride while we are in Poipu. Looks like most of the companies are down that way anyway.

Thanks.

I am tinkering around with my ideas for Kauai(July 2012). I too have thought about splitting my time, but can't make my mind up. I have about decided to just stay at the Hyatt.

I am debating on Interisland Helicopter or Jack Harter. Jack's flight can be done with the doors off. I am also considering birdinparadise.com

We have done a zipline before and are going to do it again in Kauai. They are really fun. Your kids will love it.

We'll also do some hiking in Waimea Canyon. Probably do Captain Andy's Napali coast tour/snorkle.

Our day 1 looks identical to yours. I thought day 1 would be good to drive north, because we will probably wake up at 5:00AM due to time difference. We plan to stay at Hyatt. No points flor lodging, but we have points for our free airfare. I hope to get to Queen's Bath on day 1 as well.

Hopefully, you will get some responses to this post as it is similar to my trip.

thanks. I keep reading more and more. There are so many beautiful things to see but I want to make sure I have a lot of downtime to just relax. The Holoholo boat tour also looked great.

Used Jack Harter helicopter and Holoholo. LOVED both. The catamaran was much better than I expected.

Not sure I want to be on that big of a boat. Haven't made up my mind on that either.

thoughts on staying in kapaa or hanalei the first 2 nights?

I'd pick Hanalei over Kapaa, and suggest you program some "relax" time on the beautiful north shore beaches. Which means you'd also want to move the helicopter to a south shore activity.

Are you planning to do any snorkeling? I will never forget the sounds of joyful laughter coming from my daughters snorkel tube the first time she tried it. And she was then about your kids' age.

thanks. we arrive at 8 pm so by the time we get our bags and rental car, it will probably be close to 9:30. This is why I was thinking of staying closer to the airport as I know we will all be tired. Kapaa seems central but Hanalei area looks gorgeous. Is it easy to travel at night?

Definitely can move the helicopter ride to make use of time up north. Thanks.

Most of the helicopters take off out of Lihue airport (by the way the main Marriott is in Lihue, unless you are talking about the Courtyard by Marriott). Interisland used to go out of Port Allen down on the west coast. Jack Harter has a very good reputation, just have not been with him yet.

Another option to consider if the heli is getting to pricey, is Wings over Kauai, a fixed wing airplane, has very good reviews and the cost is a lot less.

Have a great trip!

Have been up to Hanalei Bay Resort, just never stayed there. Common wisdom I have heard is to rent from an owner, not the hotel rooms. The Happy Talk Lounge is closed now but is in the process of getting permits and hopefully will be back open in May.

<<<Most of the helicopters take off out of Lihue airport (by the way the main Marriott is in Lihue, unless you are talking about the Courtyard by Marriott).>>>

I'm not sure why this was mentioned, but since it was, just to clarify, there's also a Marriott in Poipu -- Waiohai (timeshare resort, right next to Koa Kea and Kiahuna).

I looked into the Courtyard Marriott in Kapaa and got decent rates. Looks like it is undergoing some renovation though. Funny you mentioned Wings over Kauai as I e-mailed them earlier. Do you think the experience is different small plane vs helicopter? Prices are definitely better. Thanks.

Helicopter is definately different than a small plane. Both are pretty cool ways of doing sightseeing.

Ok-so do you think we should stay in Kapaa for 2 nights? First day, wake up early and go to Princeville and 2nd day, Wailua area/helicopter and then we go to Poipu?

Have not stayed at the Courtyard but it seems to get mostly decent reviews (I own a timeshare at the Marriott in Lihue) and you will be centrally located, easy driving distance to both north and south shores and near lots of restaurants, etc. Just be aware that almost none of the east shore beaches are swimmable with the exception of Lydgate.

sf7307 - I mentioned that Marriott was in Lihue as the main, original Marriott hotel is located there (they also have timeshare units) and OP kept referring to Kapaa, which is why I asked if they meant the Courtyard Marriott. Yes I am aware that Marriott also has a property in Poipu, have actually toured it - however it is a timeshare property with only a VERY small fraction of the units rented out as hotel rooms. It is supposed to be difficult to book or trade into and if I was trying, would probably see if an owner at Redweek or TUG2 was wanting to rent their week.

Plan on doing Wings this fall, check reviews on TripAdvisor but a few folks over there whose opinions I trust (and a few whom I have met in person) say it is an excellent operation and the owner is very safety conscious.

Have a great trip!

Thanks I ended up booking the Courtyard in Kapaa for 2 nights. Will go to Hanalei/Queens Bath on Day 1, and then booked Helicopter with Safari on Day 2.

My husband and I went to Kauai for 10 days. We spent the first 6 in Princeville at the Westin and the remaining down at the Hyatt in Poipu.

Princeville is beautiful- exactly as you would picture Hawaii. It is less commercial than the southern part of the island and we enjoyed it better. I would definitely split your time, if you can swing it. This will also give you better home bases for exploring the rest of the island.

thank you. 2 nights central/north and then 5 at the hyatt.