re where to stay in Kaua'i: This map shows the main areas where you will find hotels and rental houses http://www.hawaiirevealed.com/free-t.../kauai-resorts
Because of the topography, you can't drive all the way around the island, or through the center. So to get from Ha'ena to Koke'e you have drive clockwise along the coast. The area between Ha'ena and Koke'e is Na Pali (the cliffs) where there is a famous hiking trail. A lot of people choose to stay in the Kapa'a area so they are about halfway between the two ends of the road. Personally I love the north shore and i would look for a rental house in Ha'ena or Hanalei. Summer is a great time to be on the North shore. There are several restaurants and stores in Hanalei and it has a surfer vibe. There are lots of condos in Princeville and many people love to stay there (my personal opinion is that it feels like suburbia)

With one week, i would stay north the whole time, maybe taking a day to drive around the island to Koke'e and the Kalalau overlook http://www.hawaiiweb.com/kauai/kalalau-lookout.html The rest of the time I would enjoy Ke'e beach, Tunnels beach, Limahuli Gardens, Hanalei, maybe hike part of the Na Pali trail...and mainly just enjoy whichever beach was closest to my lodgings.

With ten or more days on Kaua'i, i would spend a week on the north shore then relocate to the Po'ipu/Kalaheo area. There are lots of condos in Po'ipu.

Having just returned from 10 nights in a beachfront rental in Hanalei, I would seriously consider this as your Kauai location. Walk to eats. Walk to beach. It is the complete package for a family beach vacation. After years of renting in Hanalei, this was our first time being right on the beach and I think we have been spoiled forever.

Wekewody, where'd you stay?

I agree with both of the above posters (except the advice to talk to a travel agent) - in summer, stay on the north shore, near Hanalei - "surfer vibe" is a great description. There are many on here who like Princeville - I am another who doesn't like it at all. It's a "development" - golf courses, private homes, hotels, condo complexes, all of which is "above" the ocean - if views are your primary criterion, it might work for you - we prefer to be at sea level :-)

I'd prefer not to post a link, but it is the guest cottage of one of the big estates on Weke Road that I found on vrbo.com. The big house is occupied by the owner, so we didn't have other renters to contend with which is always a concern of mine in Hanalei where the lots can be pretty close together and there is a high concentration of vacation rentals. The owner was wonderful.

I've read enough now about Princeville that I'm crossing it off my list. :) Trying to stay away from hotel zones if at all possible, and I love at sea level if I can get it!

I usually use homeaway.com for our vacations, and have more trouble with vrbo sorting through things. Wekewody, would the place you stayed sleep 6? Any hints for searching that would help me find it?

Hi Cindy, the place we stayed is good for two people. Looking for places on vrbo in Hanalei can be annoying.

I can personally recommend Na Pali Properties for vacation rentals in Hanalei. We have used them twice. While I have not used them, Kauai Vacation Rentals has a great reputation on the island and they handle lots of places in Hanalei.

If I could afford it and had a family I would consider the following places. I've walked by them a million times. I like the location of the second one better. We were right next door to it.

http://www.kauaivacationrentals.com/...7&Avail=&Stay=

http://www.kauaivacationrentals.com/...7&Avail=&Stay=

Across Weke, prices go way down. We stayed behind this one in a small cottage and would rent it if we needed the space. We kept running into the family that was staying there on this recent trip at the beach, at the farmer's markets and at a couple of restaurants and they said they liked it. It used to have a view of the bay until a HUGE house was built on the oceanfront lot in front of it.

http://www.oceanfrontrealty.com/vren...Dudly&Cat=home

Week, if I rented that second one, I'd never leave!

Oh wow!! Looking at those makes me think we should leave the kids at home and go just the two of us and get something amazing; we sure could afford something nicer for just two people! :) Family memories and togetherness for this once in a lifetime trip might have to win out while we still have all four kids at home, and I'll save the unbelievable views for empty nest days. And make my husband promise to take me back. I want house #2 you showed! :) Thanks, wekewoody!

Hi Cindy, that sounds like a fanastic family vacation you have coming up. I'd love to spend a month in Hawaii! I come from a family of 4 girls too...and I love family vacations especially with my sisters!

I'd do at least 2 islands...and although I love them all, I'd do Oahu and Big Island, and here's why:

Oahu is a great intro to Hawaiian culture and it has fantastic resources and historical sites. Pearl Harbor and The Polynesian Cultural Center, are among them. Also great scenic views and hikes up Diamond Head and Koko Head crater. Also, Oahu seems to offer many more discounted activities because there are more vendors in general. The vast array of restaurants and shopping is great and no one will be bored! Oftentimes, there are discounts via groupon.com and livingsocial.com and they are almost always for Honolulu, for such things as kayak rentals, spa treatments, surfing lessions, snorkeling excursions, etc. There will be something for everyone on Oahu. Granted it still has the "city" feel, but there are still beautiful beaches and the North Shore of Oahu is lovely and has a nice small town vibe. I have rented condos via vrbo.com too and have had no issues with them. I usually stay around Waikiki, but there are vacation homes all around the island, but I think that the windward (east) side like Kailua is a bit pricier for rentals in general.

For a completely different vibe and a multitude of adventure, head to the Big Island. I just returned from a family trip here and we stayed in Waikoloa Beach Resort at a condo called Hali'i Kai. It was wonderful and you can rent up to 3 bedrooms from homeaway or vrbo. The resort complex is comprised of several large hotel chains and condos and tied together with an upscale shopping area. The Big Island has lots to offer too, but is definitely more rustic and remote. Hikes are sometimes unmarked, and you may not see lights for miles at night. Usuallly there is a lot of driving involved to get from one place to another but the scenery changes from black volcanic rock, to rainforest over a short distance so it's very interesting. Some activities include: Volcanoes national park, macadamenia nut farms, coffee farms, black sand beaches, waterfalls, cattle ranches, Mauna Kea observatory, and snorkeling over by Captain cook monument. There are also some beautiful beaches here, like Hapuna State Beach park. Also a lot of the produce is grown on the Big Island so there is a wide array of fresh fruit and vegetables which. If you drive to the East side of the island, you can visit the Hilo's farmer's market. We also saw many giant turtles on Punalu'u black sand beach, and visited the southernmost tip of the united states. A lot of stuff to do here, and for free too!

I hope this helps give you a better idea of the islands. I do love Maui and Kauai too - but I feel Maui is a little pricier and Kauai is smaller but it's great if you just want to do a lot of relaxing. I think your family will have an amazing time no matter which island(s) you choose!

I am also visiting the Islands and have a question about the Hawaiian Air inter island flights.
First: it was recommended that HoosierCindy sign up to get notices of airfare sales for the inter Islands. How does one do this?
Second: Is there a $25. per checked bag fee for these flights?

Also I will note that in my search for condos, in the reviews it was stated that quite a few of the condo owners have a closet with many beach supplies: beach mats, snorkel equipment, beach toys for children, beach towels supplied etc.
So read the reviews also when searching. Dragging all that "beach" stuff from home or buying or renting when you get to the island can be a pain.

If you wanted a month on the Big Island, you could find things to keep you busy the entire time!
We love the Waikoloa Beach REsort area; this summer we had a 2 bd/2bt condo at the Fairway Villas that was perfect (it was $100/night plus a cleaning fee). Love A-Bay (swimming and snorkeling), there's a shopping center nearby, and the beaches of Mauna Kea and Hapuna were close (and easy access to the main highway to visit the whole island was great).
I don't have the website right now, but it was through VRBO, and I think I've listed the link here before. Their calendar was full for winter, last time I looked, but I don't know about past that.

@nannibray - I can respond about the interisland flights. I've taken a few on Hawaiian Airlines and I just went to their website to signup for their Hawaiian Miles account and I get emails notifying me of deals. If you don't want to join Hawaiian Miles, I think you can just sign up for their newsletter. The same goes for other smaller carriers, like Mokulele, Island Air, or Go! Airlines. I have not flown on these before but their prices seem very competitive.
And yes, on the inter-island flights we did have to pay for checked baggage. If I'm not mistaken it was 17 USD from Honolulu to Kona per bag. Hope this helps!

Thank you tifa2276 -
#17 per bag is not as bad at $25.---but they are only short flights and one usually takes more than 1 of them.
Will sign up for Hawaiian Miles.

Oh boy. I just decide on one thing and then I read a glowing review and it changes my mind! I think I've decided I just need to be independently wealthy so we can vacation ALL the time and do it all. Now... just to figure out how to do that...

So right now, leaning towards Oahu, Kauai, and the Big Island. I've ruled out Princeville (would rather not have the suburbia feel of condos and golf courses), and I'm looking at vrbo and homeaway for house rentals, but I'm not sure what other towns to look in. I've heard good things about Hanalei but if I can't find an affordable one for our dates there, what other areas would be nice? We will be there in July. Thanks!!

If you are interested in Hawaii, our family has really enjoyed Sea Village there, just south of Kona. Very nicely managed place, gorgeous views, inexpensive pricing. Go to VRBO to find them.

Hi Cindy,

What is your price range for the rental in Hanalei?
I wouldn't dismiss Princeville out of hand. It is a resort development in one of the most beautiful settings in the world. For me the beauty of the area has always trumped that fact that there are condos and golf courses, hotels and homes. We recently had dinner at The Tavern at the golf club there and the views of the ocean and the mountains from the restaurant are fabulous...and the food was great.

You could look for places in Haena, past Hanalei also on the north shore. This area is more remote and more rural. There are lots of rentals in the area between the Hanalei Colony Resort and Makua (Tunnels) beach. We prefer not to stay in this area as access to restaurants and shops is very limited. Most people that stay up this way cook for themselves or have personal chefs prepare meals for them. Homes off the beach in this area start at around $1500 a week, but prices have risen over the years as they have in Hanalei. Keep looking!

I would like to find one week with great ocean views on one of the islands, and then the other 3 weeks we don't mind driving or walking to see water. Would love to stay under $1200/week for most weeks, $2400 for our top week with views where we will stay in more, rather than being out and about. We will always need either a kitchen or at least a fridge and microwave as we will need to eat most of our meals in (or picnic) and only eat out every other night or so.

Also- we have actually never stayed in a condo, only hotels for short stays or homes for week long vacations, so please open my eyes and share the positives of condos in HI!

The positives of a condo anywhere - having a kitchen, even if just make breakfast, snacks and for drinks, and having a living area to gather in. Even when it's just my husband and me, we like to have a living room or at least a sitting area. In your case, it gives you a place you can all hang out together, watch a movie, read a book, eat a meal, etc.

Oh, and often, a condo will have a washer and drier right in the unit. It's a pain to do laundry on vacation if you have to go "outside", but if it's right in the unit, it's no big deal.