Kauai --where to stay?

**Jim S** · 05-17-2011, 12:35 AM

Probaby going to Kauai in November. Looking for beach access for SUP, sea life, etc.

I didn't find any threads titles with Kauai. Any advice where to stay or where to avoid would be helpful.

**Crampedon** · 05-17-2011, 12:47 AM

East end, near Hanalei or Princeville. Check craigslist for vacation rentals.

Have fun!

**Ed el Loco** · 05-17-2011, 01:00 AM

Off the main drag, quite and cheep, but if that's what your looking for we loved this place
http://www.rosewoodkauai.com/backpacker_hostel.htm

**Crampedon** · 05-17-2011, 01:20 AM

If you can spend a little more this is a great spot, worth it for the privacy and kitchen!

Hostels fine, if you are broke and 20....

http://www.vrbo.com/11145

**Cono Este** · 05-17-2011, 04:39 AM

The Sheraton in Poipu is real nice. Always sunny down there and some sweet beaches up the coast. Also some condos next store if thats your gig. Forget them name, let me know if you need it.

Princeville resort is nice to, just different weather. Its like the difference between Hana and Wailea weather on Maui.

**Conundrum** · 05-17-2011, 06:15 AM

East or north. There's nothing on the west and the south has more big hotels and people, unless that is what you are looking for.

**link1** · 05-17-2011, 06:28 AM

we did the condo thing down near Poipu beach. Rented a jeep and drove around most of the island. Helicopter tour was also very cool.

**crackboy** · 05-17-2011, 07:11 AM

we stayed at the Raddisson which was slightly north of Lihue

was a good location but i think I would want to try and do a condo thing up a little north if we go back again

**cooks** · 05-17-2011, 07:31 AM

we stayed in the princeville. it was pretty expensive but a great place.

we also spent a couple days near kapaa at a friends house, which i preferred to princeville. i would definitely look into staying on the northern end, we spent some time down on the southern end and I wouldn't want to stay there.

**crackboy** · 05-17-2011, 07:58 AM

yea i would do Kapaa too. though the southern end has the canyon and pancakes at tip-top. though there were some good beaches down that way. i do think we spent the most time on the northern half

**powder11** · 05-17-2011, 08:10 AM

I got a sweet deal at the Kauai Marriot when Squirrel still had the hook ups. Super rad hotel right on the beach in Kalapaki bay with a nice consistant rolling break that was perfect for me learning SUP. Keep in mind that pretty much everywhere on Kauai is no more than a 30 min drive, so rent a car and check it all out.

**Meadow Skipper** · 05-17-2011, 08:18 AM

It's been a while, but I liked the Kapaa/Wailua area - mellower than Poipu/Lihue but not as secluded as Princeville/Hanalei. Good beaches and a good balance of weather. We stayed at Kaha Lani and I remember liking it a lot, but like I said that was some time ago.

**Cono Este** · 05-17-2011, 08:59 AM

There is a heli outfit there that flies bell/Hughes 500's with no doors. "little birds" Ex nam guy, past Popui. Sort of like a white TC.

**benDover** · 05-17-2011, 09:39 AM

just spent 2 weeks there in Jan. We toured the entire island. We stayed in Haena on the north shore. Pricey but so awesome.

North Shore=pricey, laid back, best beaches on the island, rough surf in Nov., best snorkling, secluded
East Shore =pricey, family friendly beaches, lots of shopping and restaurants, mild localism, Rum Distillery
South Shore=pricey, Costco, Mall, Sheraton Resort, Cruise Liners, hidden gem beaches that are secluded
West Shore=less pricey, dry, only brewery on the island, Waimea Canyon, rent a jeep if you plan on spending alot of time over here, strong localism,

Again we toured just about every where besides the north shore in 3 days. Granted we rented a place off VBRO.com on the north shore, but I would visit a couple of beaches on other shores and maybe a few select restaurants elsewhere if I did it all over again.

Oh yeah...beach volleyball at 4:30 pm on wed. and fri. at hanalei bay, if you are into that sort of thing.

**pointemstraight** · 05-17-2011, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by Cono Este

There is a heli outfit there that flies bell/Hughes 500's with no doors. "little birds" Ex nam guy, past Popui. Sort of like a white TC.

I flew with this guy - I specifically wanted to fly without doors so I could shoot, and it ended up being like a privately guided photo sesh. At one point, he brought the heli in close to the bottom of a waterfalls, and pulled it up and away to stir up all the mist with the rotors, making rainbows for one of the shots. Dude was fucking bad-ass. I have a shot of us standing next to the heli somewhere, I'll have to dig it out - numbers 3,5,6, and 8 are all from the air. On number three, he held the chopper like 6 feet off this ridgeline so I could get that. So cool.

http://jacobgibb.com/home.html?lb=6259cf075f2fe93

To answer the OP's question - we stayed in Poipu at the Grand Hyatt. We were honeymooning though, so we splurged. Would love to stay there again, but I doubt I'll ever be able to justify the cost (let alone afford it to begin with, unless I steal Old Larry's loafers and sell them on ebay).

**crackboy** · 05-17-2011, 10:01 AM

yea i don't think you can go wrong with wher eyou stay, we drove all over the island depending on what we were thinking of doing.like mentioned unless you get caught behind slow people on teh one lane bridges, you can go end to end in like 30 minutes of beautiful driving

**Cono Este** · 05-17-2011, 12:28 PM

Here is his link.

http://www.interislandhelicopters.com/

**The Suit** · 05-17-2011, 01:20 PM

Stayed at the Kiahuna Plantation on my honeymoon, 23 years ago. Paradise, if I remember correctly.

**El Chupacabra** · 05-17-2011, 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by The Suit

Stayed at the Kiahuna Plantation on my honeymoon, 23 years ago. Paradise, if I remember correctly.

We're going to be staying there ^^^ for 3 nights next month, and the Castle at Princeville for 2 nights:
http://www.castleresorts.com/Home/ac...at-princeville

Reasonable prices, pretty good reviews from Tripadvisor etc., on both places. I have never been anywhere in Hawaii, so I guess we'll find out in a month or so... I booked both places through Expedia.

**Yonder_River** · 05-17-2011, 01:52 PM

We stayed at Pono Kai in Kapa'a. We rented someone's private condo there through vrbo. It was much cheaper than going through Expedia and there place was stocked - boogie boards, scuba, etc. It was a very nice unit, pm me if you are interested in specifics.

Good central location minutes from the airport and equally accessible to north and south shores.

As mentioned, highly recommend doors off heli's. Worth the money!

**Jim S** · 05-17-2011, 02:42 PM

Great replies. Sounds like North Shore is for us; we'd prefer to rend a small house or condo than stay in a hotel.

**54-46** · 05-17-2011, 03:06 PM

Just 2 of you? How long are you going? Are you going to be IN the water a lot, or just hanging at the beach? Generally, I prefer Hanalei/Haena/Anini Beach areas on North Shore - stayed in houses, hotel, and condos and can help you if you want to PM.

If you're going for 10-14 days, you might split up time between North and South/East. If you don't have to drive 45 mins each way to hit where you're going, you'll be more relaxed. You don't want to feel like you drove 1.5 hours every day...

Surf can get big in November and it can rain a lot that time of year. That's one reason to split time between North/South...

I haven't stayed here in a while, but HBR is a condo/hotel with nice views in Princeville: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...ai_Hawaii.html N.B. - the Happy Talk Lounge can be a good place for drinks - if they got their license back...

**Jim S** · 05-17-2011, 08:29 PM

Originally Posted by 54-46

Just 2 of you? How long are you going? Are you going to be IN the water a lot, or just hanging at the beach? Generally, I prefer Hanalei/Haena/Anini Beach areas on North Shore - stayed in houses, hotel, and condos and can help you if you want to PM.

If you're going for 10-14 days, you might split up time between North and South/East. If you don't have to drive 45 mins each way to hit where you're going, you'll be more relaxed. You don't want to feel like you drove 1.5 hours every day...

Surf can get big in November and it can rain a lot that time of year. That's one reason to split time between North/South...

I haven't stayed here in a while, but HBR is a condo/hotel with nice views in Princeville: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...ai_Hawaii.html N.B. - the Happy Talk Lounge can be a good place for drinks - if they got their license back...

I like in the water--body surfing, snorkel, SUP if i can. Hanging on the beach boring; my g/f loves to hike and photograph.

Going to stay for 7 days; 9 days total including flying.

Don't mind driving because last year we drove all over The Big Island often 3-4 hours per day so this should be milder...I hope.

**Pegleg** · 05-18-2011, 08:32 PM

Get permits for the Kalalau Trail, and spent 5-7 days hiking and camping there. Cheapest AND most spectacular lodging on the island.

We did that for our honeymoon, and the remainder of our stay seemed kind of boring comparatively. For the second week we stayed in locals' guest apartments (through VRBO) for around $90/night, which were all very nice and had the added benefit of a built-in local consultant.

FYI, if you're into good food, don't expect to find much - all of the "nice" restaurants we tried were overpriced and pretty meh. Better to stick to buying fabulous tropical fruit at the farmers' markets and poke at the supermarkets. Oh, and the shave ice from the guy in front of the supermarket in Kapa'a - can't remember what it's called, but everyone knows he's the best around. Finally, the Smith's Tropical Paradise luau is predictably cheesy (it feels like a cruise boat) but the kalua pig there is one of the best things to eat on the island.