North shore Kauai
 

Need advice about lodging on the north shore or Kauai. 'HAve been reading other postings and appreciate all the info, but I have a few specific questions:

Has anyone heard of the Sandpiper condos in the Kiluea area? Any insight about staying in this area?

I posted this with another's questions, but does anyone have knowledge of the following B & B's? B & B Hanalei; Aloha Sunrise; Hale Aha?

I am also considering Hanalei Bay Resort & Suites, and may yet contact a condo rental agency.

Part of the issue is that we are staying over the New Year's holiday for 4 nights i.e. anyplace that demands a week's rental is probably out.

Price is not that big a deal, but we're not ready for the presidential suite at the Princeville Resort, and the rooms for mere mortals seem to be sold out.

Again, we'll consider a range of options.

Following this we will spend a few days in the Poipu region. We basically decided that rather than drive all over, we'd rather have 4-5 days on the south side, and 4-5 days on the north side. So: we'd probably prefer not to stay on the Coconut or east coast.

As it turns out, we can cash in airline points for a stay at the Hyatt when we are in Poipu. While some have said there are drawbacks at this place (mostly the scale of everything,) for free it looks great!

In advance, thank you for all your help.

Aloha from the north shore of Kaua`i!

Sandpiper condos are in residential area of Princeville, positioned on the main road in/out of the area (condos on the road can be quite noisy). No ocean view.

Hale Aha is no longer in business. There are many condo residents who "lock out" one room as a vacation rental studio. Some legal; most not. 8-)

Hanalei Bay Resort is part-hotel, part-timeshares (individually owned). Top of the bluff with gorgeous views of Hanalei Bay, the mountains and Makana (the mythical "Bali Hai"). Nice pool, tennis courts, restaurant, bar (with nightly local entertainment) and beach access). Large complex.

New Year's needs to be booked NOW.

I cannot think of one single drawback to staying free at the Kauai Hyatt! It is a fabulous resort. It should be warm and sunny there in December, you will love it.

I love Hanalei Bay Resort for its gorgeous view of Hanalei Bay. The rooms vary--some are just plain hotel rooms, some are fully equipped condos. It can be kinda hit or miss on the quality of the accommodations. The grounds are lovely, and the view is phenomenal.

There are some places in Kilauea which would be nice spots to stay, there are also some places in Kilauea that are pretty dumpy. Do your research on this. If you are looking for a local-type experience then you may like Kilauea, if you are looking for a resort-like experience then this is not the place. The few places I would want to stay in Kilauea would be over near Secret Beach.

Had a great honeymoon:X experience at Hanalei Bay Resort in 2002 and thought it was a good value $) and generally agree with the comments above.:S-

Thanks so much for the prompt replies and valuable insights. You are sweethearts to help!!

Yes, we also looked at some very nice properties near Secret Beach (I LOVE the internet!!,) but they wanted a week's booking. 'Perhaps another time, but some business obligations coming and going kind of lock us in for available dates.

We stayed here for 10 days in Oct. 2003 and LOVED every minute of it. Great location on the north shore and a real value!
http://www.kauaivilla.com/

I can second that recommendation for kauaivilla.com. We were there two years ago and it had everything we wanted and more.

Have also stayed a week at he Hanalei Bay Resort. It is not a large resort like the Hyatt. We stayed in a mountain view room which was just as great of a view as the ocean view and a little bit less. Our room was a studio condo with a kitchenette. Could have used a little updating but was still nice. Beautiful pool and great hot tub. Short walk down to the beach which they share with Princeville Resort.

we stayed here: secretbeachkauai.com LOVED IT. MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN THE PICTURES

We were there in July and stayed at The Cliffs in Princeville. We rented a condo, you can contact Doug Johnson, his website is www.djhome.net. Very nice place, very convenient. Also met some people up the road from the Cliffs they have a house they rent that overlooks Bali Hai. I think the website was www.balihai.com and it is Hale Bali Hai rental.

We just visited in August and stayed at the Pali Ke Kua condos in Princeville - owned by Marc Resorts - it was wonderful - terrific snorkeling beach! We had a two bedroom condo. We stayed for 5 days and loved it there. I'd go back.

Many thanks to all. You;ve given me more than a number of good suggestions fo rthis visit, and hopefully more to come!

We stayed four nights in Princeville at the Pu'u Poa condos last July. Great view, and a great beach directly below the condo. We got ours through vrbo.com.

The Kauai Hyatt is a wonderful place! Drawbacks?? You've got to be kidding! And, chances are that in January, you will have more consistently sunny weather there than you will on N. Shore . The Hyatt is worth the several hunderd dollar per night rate (IMHO) let alone worth it for FREE!! The beauty of their gardens, their setting...fantastic.. It's great that not only will you experience two different regions, but two different sorts of Kauai accomodations.

HBR is in a stunning location. I've stayed there several twice, but there was a big difference in the rooms each time. I've heard that you are better off renting from an owner (VRBO, etc) as opposed to booking directly through the hotel (which is what I did).

Also, are you travelin with young children? that could affect your choice of condos on the within the Princeville ara, as some have only a very short distance between the back door and the cliff's edge! i would not have wanted to stay there with my runaround grandchildren!