Where should we stay in Kauai?
Posted on September 27, 2006
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At the end of October (right after ACM Multimedia), Krista and I will be taking a much-needed (for both of us) week of vacation.
We’re headed to Kauai.
We still haven’t figured out where we’re staying. Thought I would solicit suggestions. These could range from areas of the island, specific places / rentals…
We’re thinking that we want to stay on the North Shore, and are looking for a “cottage” or “bungalow.” More rustic than polished. Doesn’t need to be “on” the beach.
Let me know your thoughts! Leave a comment, or email me at bradley-at-alum.mit.edu. Thanks for any experience, advice, recommendations you have.
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18 Responses to “Where should we stay in Kauai?”
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You can also post this on Yahoo Answers =P … Unfortunately I’ve never been to Kauai =(.
I don’t know any places on Kauai, but you should look for one with no cell coverage.
Dude, http://travel.yahoo.com/trip?action=search&keywords=kauai
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-475387-lihue_vacations-i
Sadly…y! answers has no answers on this question. Good thinking though!
http://answers.yahoo.com/search/search_result;_ylt=Anf6V4_Oqg6QhnmJj6eEj03py6IX?p=Where+should+we+stay+in+Kauai%3F
Rustic? I’ll give you rustic. Stay on the beach, literally, in the Na Pali coast’s (Warning, pre-Flickr photo) Kalalau beach (my friend did the same thing).
To get there: drive to the end of the road and hike 12(?) miles. Or, rent a kayak and take the water-way!
marc, try this search instead…
http://answers.yahoo.com/search/search_result?p=stay+Kauai
Happy trails Bradley.
Stay down in Hanalei. The tour buses aren’t allowed over the bridge, it keeps the masses out.
We’ve stayed iat the Princeville (very polished), we’ve rented houses, we’ve stayed on my boat in the bay (after 02 and 04 singlehanded transpac race).
I’ll email you the house broker I use.
Thanks all, these are great suggestions. (Thanks as well as those that emailed me.)
I am aware of Y! Answers! This was my first attempt at using my blog in this way, and is as much an experiment as a very sincere call for information.
Hi Bradley!
I am ashamed to say that I have not really used Y! Answers, but I hear that it’s a big hit from your blog and around. I found it interesting that you said:
“This was my first attempt at using my blog in this way, and is as much an experiment as a very sincere call for information.”
I can understand since Y! Answers is very general, there will be some spurious questions on there. However, does that mean the recommendations/answers you get here on your blog will be weighted heavier because of the following:
1. Your blog is not as easy to find as Y! answers (even tho you are an amzing guy =))
2. Thus, can you assume that the people who have come to your blog will be apt to give more genuine recommendations because of that
3. You are building a relationship with your readers on this blog
In the end, I guess I am wondering if putting it on the your blog is more of a way to get *trustworthy recommendations* rather than a “sincere call for information”? (which is not a bad idea
)
Indeed, putting this on my blog was as much as an experiment as a sincere call for information. In addition to Yahoo Answers, there is Y! Travel, Yahoo Search, and many, many other ways to come about the same information (many not involving Yahoo at all
.) So as you surmised, this was largely about the opportunity for me to experiment…
It was very interesting! In addition to the comments here, I received about a dozen personal emails. Thanks to everyone who responded.
My sister keeps returning to the Four Seasons every year, seems like a good sign! Glad to hear that you’re making the time for a much earned vacation.
If you’re looking for a resort-y area, Poipu is where you want to be. That’s where the bulk of the hotels are, is right on the beach and the sunniest weather. It is the most urban part of Kauai, but that’s using the term very loosely. (Poipu’s main shopping area is the size of a large strip mall.)
I prefer the Princeville/Hanalei area - there’s one big hotel (the Princeville) which is very nice. It’s quieter and close to the Kualau trail, a must day hike.
If you’re adventurous, I highly recommend powered hangliding.
Hi Bradley, just got back from Kuaui for our honeymoon, just to support a previous comment, Hanalei would be exactly what it sounds like you’re looking for. We stayed in Princeville on the cliffs above Hanalei which is a polished condo community (great sunset views, but not so rustic) but we spent a lot of time down in Hanalei just down the hill from Princeville. Some reccomendations we fond: Tunnels Beach, along the road to Ke’e Beach had the best snorkeling and swimming of the many beaches we checked out (which we had found this one at the beginning of our trip); dinner at sunset at the Priceville Resort (best sunset view on the island), they have a couple of excelent (but expensive) restaurants, in Hanelei, Polynesia Cafe has awesome food in a really cool outdoor casual atmosphere. Look for the little locally grown fruit stand on the road side when you first enter Hanalei, they have papayas like you’ve never tasted, and fresh chilled coconuts servered with a straw to drink the milk. And on the way the Waimea Canyon, try one of the 60 flavors at Jo Jo’s Shave Ice.
We have stayed twice at the Plantation Outrigger on the South side. Very nice, and quit. Excellent restaurants within walking distance.
I dragged my 75 year-old mother out ziplining in Kauai. We had a great time. I highly recommend booking through a company called AdventureinHawaii.com. I was so impressed by them and their website that I wrote about it in the Web Mystery Shoppers newsletter. Here’s what I said:
Informative Site Succeeds
For their 55th anniversary my parents took the extended family on a Hawaiian cruise. We tried to book several shore excursions through the cruise line (something its site was ill equipped to handle) but when we couldn’t do so, I started exploring other options. I ruled out one site that had good prices because when I checked the local BBB, I saw they had several complaints outstanding. Of the dozens of other sites I checked out, this one got my business: http://www.Adventureinhawaii.com/.
Why them? Because they gave great information. They told you about the various islands, suggested key things to do if you only had limited time, advised how particular tours would link in with the itineraries of specific cruise lines, and discussed the pros and cons of different tour operators’ offerings. When they recommended one particular company, they explained why they had selected that company over its competitors.
In short, they earned my trust. That trust was further enhanced when, within minutes of placing my order online, they phoned to discuss the order and tell me all about the adventures we were booking, and reassure me that parasailing, ziplining and riding 38 miles downhill from the top of a crater to the beach were not scary things to do. (Turned out they were right! I even got my 75 year old mom to do the ziplining — and she loved it!)
Just returned from my honeymoon to Kauai and we stayed at the Grand Hyatt in Poipu. An absolutely beautiful resort. Enjoy.
I hope this is not too late… I am assuming you found a place to stay. So, some recommendations of what to do.
- Go to Hanalei town one day, and plan to eat at the Hanalei Cafe (better yet, get a lunch to go and then go to the local beach)
- Drive to the Kilauea Lighthouse, and stop at the Kilauea Bakery along the way – order the Billie Holiday pizza and talk to the bird there
- Drive the long road up and back on Waimea Canyon – stop at Barefoot Burgers for lunch
- Splurge and spend one day at the AMAZING pool/lagoon at the Hyatt in Poipu
- Go to the beach at Poipu Park one afternoon – cool off and watch the sunset while getting a drink at Brenneke’s Broiler across the street
- If you golf, play Poipu Bay before you play Princeville.
- Go to Joe’s On the Green for breakfast in Poipu (it’s at a golf course, but the food is great and the prices are right)
I am partial to the North Shore of Kauai. The lanscape is the epitome of the Hawaii lanscape as you imagined.
aloha,
Micco