I guess we're hoping to find someone who has first hand knowledge of Kauaii, Hawaii. We are planning our first trip ever to Hawaii. We're both around 50 and love to hike (not overly rugged) and we love scenic beauty most of all in our vacations, ie Montana, Maine, Skyline Drvie, Columbia River Gorge etc...
We don't particulary like the big resorts, and kind of like the intimacey of a B&B if they had a pool,beautiful grounds,not too small etc. but we're open to any helpfull suggestion for a budget of not more than 150-250 per night. (B&B or hotel)
A lot of places say they don't have AC, do you need it?
Does anyone know how long it would take to drive from the north side near Kilauea to Waimea Canyon?
After 51 straight weeks with 5 teenagers (blended family) we need some R&R before our hair turns white and falls out. We plan to go late July early August. Thanks so much for anyone who can help us out.
Steve and Laura

Kauai in July or August need air conditioning, especially if you are on the west/south side (Poipu side).

For my money, the Princeville- Hanalei area is by far the most spectacular area of Kauai. I much prefered Hanalei itself to Princeville, as the Princeville area is very golf course-condo-ish, and Hanalei has a very laid-back vibe. However, there are spectacular vistas from some places in Princeville. I can recommend this place as a unique place to stay in an excellent location. www.hanaleisurfboardhouse.com

I find the Poipu area also very condo-ish.

You should get a guidebook and start looking at the posts on www.tripadvisor.com

My husband & I stayed in the Princeville area last July. I agree with Marginal that this area (and Hanalei) are truly beautiful. I'd stay on the North Shore for sure!

We rented a condo at Pali Ke Kua and had the most amazing views I've ever seen in my life! Our condo did not have a/c, and I was worried about that before we arrived--we live in the South and the a/c goes on in April sometimes down here! We made it fine without it.

I noticed that the condo got quite warm during the middle of the day, especially since our condo's main window faced West--but we had the MOST amazing sunsets I've ever seen in my life (can you tell I loved my Kauai trip!?!). We would close the curtains and that helped some. All the condos had these little louvered windows that really do help let a lot of air in, and it wasn't as humid there like it is in the South. At night, we actually had to close up some of the windows b/c we thought it got a bit too cool.

I know a lot of people say that you'll be out of your condo or room most of the day, so the a/c doesn't matter. We were actually in our condo during the warmest part of the day b/c we never quite adjusted to Hawaii time. We'd wake up really early every day and needed a little nap by mid-day. Our rental car had a/c, so it was nice to blast that sometimes when we were out and got hot. Still, I can honestly say that we did make it fine for our 4 days without it. The winds that blow around the island help out a lot.

We've both said if we were going back around the same time of year and staying longer, we might at least try to find a condo with a/c. I have read some others stories of it being pretty hot later in the month of July and into August. We were there at the beginning of July.

I hope you have a wonderful trip--it's such a wonderful, beautiful, amazing place!

I would definitely recommend getting a/c. Also, the best guide book for Kauai is The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook by Doughty. It will answer every possible question you have about Kauai and ones that you need to know but would never think to ask. It is available at any major bookstore or online.

And if you use the Ultimate Guide I'd say triple the safety warnings and you should be ok.

We always have stayed at Islander on the Beach in Kapaa/Wailua. A/C in every room. Better to have it and not need than need it and not have it.

Nice central location and just a few mins away from a nice hike up The Sleeping Giant.
Also some nice hikes up The Sand Bar's barstools at night.
Walking distance to a lot of good, inexpensive grub on the island.

About 30 mins to P'ville, 30 to Poipu and 45 to and hour to Kekaha or Waimea Canyon.

How about Big Island, any suggestions about that - where to stay, what to do. I recently heard that the air quality has been bad there due to volcanic activity. Does anyone know anything about that?

My wife and I took our first trip to Hawaii in Nov. 2006 and Kauai was our favorite island. One of the first things that I did was take a Jack Harter helicopter tour of the island ( my wife doesn't like helicopters so I went solo ). It was a little expensive but worth every penny. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It was the best money that I've ever spent on any of our vacations.
I agree with Montereybob about the Doughty book. The " The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook - Kauai Revealed" by Andrew Doughty & Harriett Friedman is a must buy. The authors seem very down to earth. They go out and experience everything as tourists without anyone knowing they're being reviewed. It's very well written and has a lot of very useful and inciteful information. One thing I especially liked about it was that it had a lot of nice maps in it so there was no need to fumble through a big road map. We relied heavily on our copy and it didn't let us down. Read the reviews of the helicopter tours page 134.
We tried twice during our stay to go to Waimea Canyon. Each time we ended up turning back due to heavy fog towards the top even though it was sunny by the coast. The weather there seemed a little harder to predict. I hope this information is useful to you. Have fun!

Plan on heading to Waimea first thing in the day & your chances of clear skies improve immensely. The same with helitours over kauai - go late AM rather than in PM.

We took Kal's advice & stayed at IBR & were not disappointed!

I wouldn't make reservations without A/C - but that's just me.

"It will answer every possible question you have about Kauai and ones that you need to know but would never think to ask."

Putting that much faith in one guide book is...well..misguided.

In your price range and with your wish list I would look at the the hotels in Kapa'a, like the Islander. On the north shore, Hanalei Bay Resort units are condos and they have air conditioning. Many have lovely views of Hanalei Bay. Check vrbo.com for units HBR at lower prices than the hotel management charges.

BTW...we have stayed in Hanalei three times in the summer months and most rentals there don't have a/c. What is important is exposure to the tradewinds and finding a place with some shade and or covered areas. We have stayed in places that stayed comfortable during the day as they situated right to avoid the sun and catch the breezes.