Please help with Kauai questions
 

I will be on Kauai for 4-6 days. I know that the topic of Princeville vs. Hyatt has come up many times so I will appologize in advance for the repetition.<BR><BR>Since I am having such a difficult time making up my mind, I was thinking about splitting my stay between the two resorts. My question is whether it would be wise to split 4 or 6 days, either 2 days and 2 days, or 3 and 3, between the two resorts? If I go for 5 days, should I spend the extra day at Princeville or Hyatt?<BR><BR>I am also wondering if there are any sites I can go to for photos of the hotel. When I went to the Princeville site, they mainly had pictures of the accommodations and restaurants, but I would like to see what the rest of the resort looks like. I thought it was kind of odd for such an expensive resort to have such a limited web site. <BR><BR>Thank you so much for the input. I will look forward to reading your replies.

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Lisa:<BR>The best way to determine how tosplit up you Kauai stays between north and shouth shores will dependon what type of activities you enjoy/plan to do. If your ideal vacation is finding the Ultimate beach, and basking on the beachfront, away from people, then you should spend more time on the North shore. If you prefer to do some nature siteseeing, not too much hiking, some shopping, sample different restaurants, relax or swim by the pool, enjoy several days of spa treatments, then spend more time at the Hyatt/south shore. <BR>If your a pool person, the Hyatt, a beach person, The north shore.<BR>If your a hiking person,the North shore

also depends on what type of tourist you are. I don't really think the dining or shopping is on a par with Oahu you should know that if you are deciding where to stay because of it. We are big shoppers at home but can rarely find things outside of Liberty House to buy on Kauai. <BR><BR>Splitting up your 6 day trip might be fine if you are the type of person that can switch easily. Some people like to unwind and switching accommodation can interrupt that. I have been to Kauai about 7 times I still have yet to go to Polihole beach. Don't expect to see everything in 6 days and yes for me splitting that time would be fine. <BR><BR>When I first started going to Kauai we stayed in Kapaa for $45 dollars a pop (Kauai Sands). We were either going to Waimea Canyon, Kokee national Park or North Shore Princeville every day we went to either side of the island. Splitting is a good idea. Good to wake up in a place. I say go to Western Shore or South Shore first. The West is scenic the south is near it. The North Shore if you fall in love with as I have will be hard to leave for a south shore stay. Dumb because it is all wonderful but North Shore is a Shangri-La of sorts for some.<BR>

Anthony and Alice<BR><BR>Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. I am definitely not going to Kauai for the shopping. I do like to sample good restaurants but that would not be the ctiteria for making a decision. Spa treatments are nice but not essential. Nice accomodations, beautiful scenery, and a very Hawaiian atmosphere are what is most important to me.

Where is Polihole Beach?<BR><BR>Lisa, how do you decide what to wear each morning?

Curious -It is easy to decide what to wear each morning because I am very familiar with what I have hanging in my closet. The problem is that I am completely UNfamiliar with Kauai. Since I am spending lots of money on this vacation, and only have a limited time to spend there, I don't want to make any unnecessary mistakes. Fortunately, there are many others who have been in the same predicament and who are very happy to help out. Hope this assuages your curiosity, Curios.<BR><BR>Thanks again to all who have helped plan my trip!

You GO, lisa!

So, if your time there is "limited", why would you want to spend half a day packing, checking out, driving, checking in, and unpacking again?

Lisa, I know you are planning on staying at the Princeville Hotel, but have you considered renting a private home? We will be staying at Hale Maluhea (www.kauaivilla.com) in September. It is only $890 for the week and is a 5 minute walk to the hotel, where you can eat, have a drink and enjoy the beach and atmosphere at a fraction of the cost, not to mention lots more room and privacy. My dealings with the owner have been very helpful and pleasant.

Lisa<BR>I think its a good idea to split up your time. There is so much to see on both sides. it makes sense. You will ultimately end up saving driving time. They are both very nice resorts.

Kauai, thanks for your opinion. If I can manage 6 nights on Kauai, I think I am going to split the time.

try:<BR>http://www.pleasantholidays.com/dream/list_hotels.jsp?mainId=HAW&subId=KAU<BR><BR>FWIW, Poipu to Princeville is 30-45 minute drive. I would pick one side and drive a day or two to the other. Personally, I stayed near Poipu State Beach and thought one day was enough to spend in Princeville.

Anybody know how far Polihole is from Poipu?

Hi Lisa- If you are a beach lover/sun bather than Princeville is not for you.<BR>The north side is the rainy/wet side-Princeville and the south side is the sunny/dry side. We were prepared when we went on vacation that kauai was called the garden isle for a reason but we did not expect the monsoons that we had for the 10 days that we were there.<BR>We are beach/pool people and our vacation was ruined.

xxx,<BR>good question! but i'm still trying to figure out where Polihole is!

Curious, Are you trying to make fun of the spelling or do you really not know where Polihale is?

Thanks to everyone for your helpful replies!<BR><BR>Joe -thanks for the web address.<BR><BR>Lorraine, when did you visit Princeville? Also, was it dry in Poipu when you were experiencing monsoons in Princeville?

We stay in Hanalei for the small town atmosphere. The North side of the island gets the most rain so we determine what we are going to do that day by the weather - sunny, stay on North side, raining - head for Poipou. <BR><BR>For directions to Polihale, check out the "Best Beaches in Kauai" thread.

Ronda I stay in Hanalei every year want to tell me where you stay? Is this a rental would you recommend?

To Lisa- People rented cars to drive to the sunny side of the island (Hyatt) when it was raining on the north side.<BR>We tried to do this but by the time we got our act together-cars for either rented for the day or for longer. I don't want to discourage you from staying at Princeville b/c it really is beautiful and not to be missed. My family when we go away we want to lay by the pool/beach for 8 hours and swim and relax so that's why we were disappointed. Everything is beautiful about the resort and we loved it except for the weather.<BR>

Also important to remember that time of the year is very important. I ususally go to North Shore of Kauai in July and August and do not have weather problems. Last year we did have an unusual number of overcast days. I don't think you want to be on any outer island without a car.<BR><BR>We (just to give you another approach to how you spend your time) get bored hanging out a one beach the entire day. Although I think we did do this for 1-2 days out of 14. What we found fun was to snorkle for a few hours, hike for a few hours either through something organized like the free hikes at N.S lighthouse/bird sanctuary or a hike we found in our guidebooks. Would also put in boat tours, horseback riding, canoeing museum and garden tours. <BR><BR>Next, finish the day with a sunset swim somewhere, dinner out if we were still up to it! We kept our Sunday best in the trunk and switched in public bathrooms if we were on the other side of the island. SO funny to see kids get out of muddy cloths and into restaurant gear in one of those state park bathrooms. Hey were were two hours from home on the West Coast of Kauai. Such great memories of riding home under that amazing blanket of stars on the west and south coast.<BR><BR>Easy to pack up your days without door acitivies for us it was fun to do several things in one day. Having a car at your finger tips was helpful. Another note while many identify the islands with strong sun we welcomed overcast days they made hiking breezy and cool and we were able to go farther with the kids. When we moved the next week to the windwards side of Oahu we had straight sunny days, were badly burned and found ourselves staying at least one day indoors to beat the heat.

Keep in mind that the Princeville resort does not have balconies--a must for me. Used to be a Ritz a long time ago. I split vacations all the time--I am very curious and want to experience it all!

Wow! Thanks you for your opinions, advice, and comments. A special thanks to Sarah for your very detailed answer.<BR><BR>I think I will split my vacation. I am trying to decide if I want 4 days Poipu and 2 days Princeville, 3 and 2, or 3 and 3. Princeville does sound beautiful, but I don't want to risk spending all of my time there with the iffy weather.<BR><BR>One of the reasons I might do 4 days Hyatt and 2 days Princeville is that I have 2 for 1 certificates from American Airlines. For every night I pay for, I get a night free. Since this becomes a 50% discount, I want to take advantage of it. If I do 3 days and 3 days, I'll only get 2 days free instead of 3.<BR><BR>If there are any specific tours or sights that you feel are not to be misses, it would be wonderful if you would share them.<BR><BR>Thanks again everybody!

Get the kauai ultimate guide it is brief light reading will fill you in on what to see on island. The authors most tours and services so you are not going on list styles that you might find in more commercial guide books. I think it is worth it to read the entire book and plan your trip accordingly.

We went to Kauai for our Honeymoon last May and stayed In Poipu at the Sheraton. It was nice but once we saw the Hyatt I was upset we didn't stay there! It is beautiful- on our last night we had dinner there at their restaurant called Tidepools- you dine in your own thatched hut on the water It was excellent- food and service was great! I also highly recommend an Italian Restaurant in Lihue (near the Marriott) called Cafe Portofino. It was the Best Italian We have ever had and it is very romantic outside on the deck. All I have heard about Princeville is that is it very nice but, again, on the very rainy north side of the island. One more thing..if you want to do a tour on water then Kauai Sea Tours is the way to go. We had to get up at 5:30 A.M. (the catamaran leaves at 6:15!!) but it was definitely worth it! YOu cruise up to the Na Pali coast and there were dolphins and sea turtles right next to the boat! Also, you can get off and take a motorized raft to shore with the group and you can also snorkel. It's a great day- we got back to the Harbor at about 2:00- Very Fun- they serve lunch- BEER and WINE and the people running it are SO friendly (the captain even let me "drive" the catamaran for a while!) Have FUN!!

Karen, thanks for the tip on The Ultimate Guidebook. I recently bought it and am looking forward to reading it.<BR><BR>Lani, I am definitely looking into Kauai Sea Tours. It sounds like just what I had in mind. Just wish it left a little later though. Is there a specific reason it leaves so early, like better sea life viewing? And, thank you for the restaurant suggestions. I was planning to eat at Tidepools since I had heard it is very romantic. I am glad that you agree.