Hi,

My husband and I are planning 5 nights on Kauai in March and I am trying to figure out what area we should stay in. Are there any places where we can stay (in a b&b or rent a condo/house - doesn't matter) and be able to walk to a town to enjoy dinner and other evening activities? It seems like a lot of condos are in big resort type areas. While I'm sure some of these places have on site restaurants, we'd prefer to be able to enjoy local places.

Thanks a lot for any advice you can provide.

check out this website--http://www.aloha.net/~seek/other-houses.html You can walk into Hanalei from them.

We stayed in the Princeville area. I did extensive research, before we went in Sept. We were so glad to be on the North side. We loved Hanalei, and were there almost everyday. I think it would be wonderful, if you could find a place there, although it's only a 5 min. drive from Princeville. The beaches on the North Shore are also the best. Have a great trip Mahalo

Hanalei is your place.
Favorite places to eat there are:

Postcards
Polynesia Cafe
Village Snack Shop
Wake Up Cafe
Hanalei Gourmet
BarAcuda

Reputable rental agents:

NaPali Properties
Bali Hai Realty
Anini Aloha
Kauai Vacation Rentals

Kapa'a would also be worth looking into. Lots of condo rentals and many restuarants within walking distance.

Spent the week before Christmas on Kauai with my husband. we were very happy with this vacation rental in Hanalei.
http://www.poi.net/~kevdev/
1/2 block to beach, and a block and half to town.
the owner is upstairs and very accommodating and really has thought out her vacation rental unit. she is very professional about her rental.
we did most of our own cooking but there are plenty of places to eat within walking distances and if you like fresh fish a fabulous fish market, The Dolphin. if you don't want to cook it yourself they have a restaurant next door.
Being the north shore of Kauai i will warn you that it can rain a lot, but when the sun does shine it's the most beautiful place around.

Thanks for the replies everyone. We are more of the hiking/kayaking type, rather than the beachy type. Would you all still recommend the North Shore? Isn't that an awfully long drive to hikes in Waimea Canyon? I guess I should have included those details in my original. I appreciate the replies.

Thanks!

It is about a two hour drive to Waimea Canyon from Hanalei. Waimea Canyon is not the only place to hike on the island. I don't mind driving that distance. It's a small price to pay for staying in the best location on the island.

Closer to Hanalei is the Kalalau trail with the spur trail up to the waterfall.

Not sure you would consider this a hike, but on my last trip I walked along the beach from Hanalei Colony Resort to Ke'e Beach and back. It was a spectacular walk with amazing views and great places to stop along the way for a rest and a swim. Walking in the sand for 5 or 6 miles is a great workout!

If you want to stay closer to Waimea Canyon, you might want to look at the Poipu area. From Kiahuna Plantation, you can walk to a nice shopping area across the main road. This shopping area includes a Roy's, a couple of other restaurants and some nice smaller shops. The closest real town is Koloa, only a 7- 10 minute car drive. Koloa also has cute shops, a nice grocery store and a great fish market. Besides Kiahuna, there are other lodging options nearby, but Kiahuna has good access to Roy's, which is a favorite place for us to have a nice dinner.

We visit Kauai yearly and love the beauty of Kauai's north shore, the amenities of the east shore (the new bike/pedestrian path along the shore is great!) but we always base ourselves in the sunny south and explore the island's canyons, beaches etc. from there. Weather has been much more consistent and we've rented the same 2 bd/2ba comfortable townhouse in Poipu since '98. (It's a VRBO.com listing 16120) It's in a quiet tropical garden setting, not oceanview, but more reasonable than Kiahuna and we enjoy walking the Poipu greenbelt walkways to Brenneke's, Hyatt etc.

Re: the Kalalau Trail on Kauai's north shore, here's a video and an article that give a sense of the challenges involved in hiking it....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pivn2aoZlXc

http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2...ews/news03.txt