My husband and I are planning a trip to Kauai at the end of January (2009). We would prefer a condo (the less crowded the better), on a swimmable beach. We plan on doing more hiking etc. than laying around or nightlife. We plan on renting a car, so driving to destinations is not a problem. Would like a location somewhat near restaurants, a little shopping, etc. Any suggestions?

I would suggest Kiahuna Plantation in Poipu. They are mostly one bedroom units. Many are oceanview, some are beachfront and many are gardenview. If it looks like your sort of place, try to rent directly from the owner, the prices will be lower. vrbo.com is a good place to look for units by owner.

This might work for you as well:
http://www.kiahunaowners.net/

We stayed at the Outrigger Waipouli Beach Resort in Kapaa (eastern shore). The condos are absolutely beautiful! The nicest I've ever stayed at. There are 1 and 2 bedroom set ups. It is located across the street from Safeway and restaurants.

You can either book at the Outrigger website or directly with owners.

Is the beach at the Waipouli Outrigger swimmable? I didn't think it was.

I'm not sure as I hung out at the pool area with the kids. (Mine won't go in the ocean.)

Lydgate Park is very close to Waipouli and has good snorkeling. The beach in Poipu also has good snorkeling, a nice park and facilities.

Perhaps with the exception of Lydgate Park, East Shore beaches are not swimmable. Quite dangerous, in fact.

At the end of January, South Shore would be your best bet. In addition to Kiahuna Plantation, there is also Poipu Kai Resort and Nihi Kai Villas, both of which are very good and inexpensive condo choices across the road from Poipu Beach Park with a swimmable beach, a life guard, and excellent snorkeling.

I would suggest that you surf onto Suite Paradise website (local rental company, just google the name) and take a look/compare/price all of the above properties.

Anna Roz

We've used Suite Paradise to dent condos and we love them! Rented a condo at Whalers Cove but it's not a beach but we snorkled there alot.

One of the nicest things about Kiahuna Plantation is that the grounds are gorgeous. Just walking from your condo to the beach is lovely (lowers my blood pressure just thinking about it).

The bad things about Kiahuna, although I don't think it will matter to you at all, is that the pool is across the street (away from the beach) at the tennis club.

Kiahuna is directly across the street from a little shopping center with some decent restaurants (not fantastic, but good).

The primary reason I suggested Kiahuna is that it one of the few condos on the entire island that is actually ON a swimmable beach, which is what the OP mentioned. If it were me, and I wanted a condo, I'd stay where Suzie mentions, Whaler's Cove. No beach, but the oceanfront location cannot be beat and the units are very nice.

Thank you for all of the great info! We are going to try for Kiahuna Plantation as our first choice.
Does anyone have a favorite restaurant or hike that is a must-do?