Which coast of Kauai?

[NewEnglandLady]

Hello, all!

I need a bit of help. D and I have had a rough year thus far and have decided to turn it all around with a quick trip to Kauai next month. The only issue is that I''m not quite sure on which coast to stay.

I did buy the Kauai Revealed book last night and have thumbed through it, but am still not sure which would be the best fit for us. I think we''ve decided on either Princeville or Po''ipu, but are obviously open to other options. I know that in the winter the Northern side of the island (Princeville) gets more rain, but not so much in the summer. Since we''re going in May, I don''t think the rain will be as much of an issue.

D and I are super outdoorsy people. Love to hike, kayak, bike, etc. We like the beach, but maybe for an hour a day, not for half of the day or more. We aren''t the kind who seek night-life, but love good options for food and we tend to eat pretty late (9 p.m. or later), so we don''t want a super quiet town, either. Also, I would rather camp than stay at a nice resort, so I''d definitely prefer something a bit more rustic over a resort. We sound super picky, haha!

I''d love to hear about anybody''s experiences!

 

[cara]

Your last line has me thinking Poi''pu rather than Princeville on the north coast, as princeville is more developed (or at least was a few years ago) and the south shore has enough good eating options. I''m not sure about actual camping locations though. The island is small enough that you can drive around it for activities on the north shore and then come back in one day. You could also say a few days in one place, then drive to another venue so your days exploring are closer to where you sleep. You might be able to eat late if you stay on east coast time (ha!), but Hawaii did seem to be on a somewhat earlier schedule overall IIRC.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Thanks, Cara!! That''s very helpful! We don''t plan to camp (I''ll probably just find a condo on VRBO), I just don''t necessarily care about spas or lush robes or anything. Your idea to stay a few nights on each coast is a very good one--we might consider that. On the other hand, everything is so close that it might not be worth it. I''m sure we''ll drive all over the island. Again, thanks so much, I think that the south coast would probably be a good fit for us!

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Date: 4/2/2010 11:25:05 AM
Author:NewEnglandLady
Hello, all!


I need a bit of help. D and I have had a rough year thus far and have decided to turn it all around with a quick trip to Kauai next month. The only issue is that I''m not quite sure on which coast to stay.


I did buy the Kauai Revealed book last night and have thumbed through it, but am still not sure which would be the best fit for us. I think we''ve decided on either Princeville or Po''ipu, but are obviously open to other options. I know that in the winter the Northern side of the island (Princeville) gets more rain, but not so much in the summer. Since we''re going in May, I don''t think the rain will be as much of an issue.


D and I are super outdoorsy people. Love to hike, kayak, bike, etc. We like the beach, but maybe for an hour a day, not for half of the day or more. We aren''t the kind who seek night-life, but love good options for food and we tend to eat pretty late (9 p.m. or later), so we don''t want a super quiet town, either. Also, I would rather camp than stay at a nice resort, so I''d definitely prefer something a bit more rustic over a resort. We sound super picky, haha!


I''d love to hear about anybody''s experiences!

Sorry to hear the year''s been rough so far for you, but Kauai should do the trick! Good for you, I love it there!

Your perceptions are pretty accurate; the South (Poipu) is sunnier, flatter, and has the most resorts. The North (Princeville) has the green mountains, waterfalls, and a more exclusive air; the green of the mountains and the waterfalls comes from intermittent showers between sunny patches throughout the day. There is better shopping in the south and more restaurant choices; the options in the Princeville area are more discrete (so yes, there''s a pretty good chance you''ll see a famous actor or two, looking relaxed, because people are CHILL about it there) but lovely.

Based on the bolded part, Princeville/Hanalei seems the closer fit to what you seek. There''s kayaking through the canals and on Hanalei Bay as well as the AMAZING hike to the Kalalau Valley via the rugged Napali Coast off Kee Beach. Snorkeling and sealife viewing galore in the protected waters of the North Shore beaches in May. If you dive, Tunnels is fantastic; many people also camp in this area, as well as some additional camping on the beaches by the lighthouse. There really isn''t a "nightlife" scene (a la ''80s discotheque style

) anywhere on the island; the main options in that regard are hotels which have live music in the bar, or having dinner at one of the local-owned restaurants followed by strolling in town with an ice cream in your hand. As for the rain issue, I always rent a convertible for my stays; as most showers last for a couple of hundred yards or so before the sun comes out again, experience has taught me not to pull over to put the top up unless it''s lasted for more than 30 seconds... you''d be surprised at how rarely the top has to go up while driving! (Okay, well, that said, I would never leave the car parked without the top up. It may be a weird rain for someone from the continent, but it''s rain nonetheless. For instance, when it rains while you''re at Kee Beach-- and it will rain-- you don''t pack up your items and go home, you just walk under the trees for 2-10 minutes, wait for the rain to pass, then go back out to your sand castle or whatever.)

I can offer some specific restaurant suggestions on each side of the island once you''ve narrowed it down, just ask.

HTH!

 

[Mara]

kauai is so small you can drive to the other side of the island in about 45 minutes if there is not much traffic, so i wouldn''t necessarily cut your stay in half unless you really don''t like driving. we stayed in waimea which is the outer western point, the driest part of the island (and the most authentic and ''local'' in our opinion!) and we drove to princeville 1-2x in 7 days and to poipu almost every night for dinners (poipu was about 15 min from us). we loved driving the island so we didn''t mind.

we''re not that outdoorsy so i can''t help on that but we did go in may and it does still rain a fair amt in the princeville and hanalei areas. poipu not so much. but poipu for us was the ''fakest'' part of kauai...all the big resorts and hotels are there and it''s very much developed in my opinion. princeville and hanalei still had more of the old spirit feeling of kauai but it was definitely very moist and lots of mosquitos--totally not my thing. the dry part, waimea where we were, was more like california so we felt right at home and hardly any bugs hehee.

we LOVE the island and you''ll most likely enjoy your trip regardless of which area you stay in!! enjoy.

 

[cara]

Hmm, seems like other people have the opposite impression as me! Funny. I guess we enjoyed the outdoor options when we visited on north shore, but it seemed like it had all these big development things that we drove right by! And it seemed the hiking and stuff was a little more crowded. The beaches were not too heavily populated though, anywhere.

We stayed at a big hotel in Po'ipu but didn't do a lot of big hotel things and had plenty of natury-fun on all sides of the island. We also stayed at a little B&B on the east side, and that was very nice as well. I don't think the east feels as touristy, but it does have that beautiful river. That's mainly why I recommend staying in two places - it felt a little nicer to not have to drive as far to come home after visiting the North Shore even though it was very doable when we were staying in the South.

 

[sctsbride09]

From what you described, I would say the north shore would be best. DH and I stayed last December in Princeville, and it was wonderful! Even though it was the rainy season, the rain usually tends to come and go within 5-10 minutes. The locals there all told us they could tell the tourists because they would start to pack up at the beaches when it begins to rain. The nice thing about Kauai is that its so small, that you can see all of it while staying in one place. We liked Princeville/ north shore area because to us, its what a tropical island should look like, lush, green, gorgeous! The south and west shore are just kind of meh IMO. That part of the island is more dry and not as much greenery, so I guess it just depends on what kind of scenery you like. Also, we found the Poipu/ south shore area to be very crowded, while the North shore was very quiet. If you go through your Kauai Revealed book, which is great btw, it will tell you all the rivers/ kayak locations. Oh, and I know you didnt mention needing a car rental, but just in case my Dh and I used Aloha Rents.com to secure our rental car, and it was far cheaper than any one else I tried. Ok now about food.. The island of Kauai isnt exactly known for its "fine" dining, but they have plenty of really great cheap local eats. In Hanalei (north shore) we loved the sushi rolls at the Hanalei Dolphin (the fish market, not the restaurant which we found to be overpriced.), they make the rolls daily with the fish they have caught that am, yum! In Hanalei also was the village bakery, its a hole in the wall but AWESOME. In princeville, there is a burger place inside of a chevron ( I know, but they are awesome!) that uses Princeville beef for their burgers, or if you are craving mexican, Fillipes in the princeville center was pretty good. In lihue there is a Dukes that is at the Marriot right on the beach, great spot to just look at the beach, people watch and have a cocktail. On the south shore, there is a roys, the beach house (make reservations NOW if you want to eat there), and brenekkes was ok for a quick casual bite, they have a deli also. They also have a costco on island (in lihue) or a safeway in Kapaa, or a foodland in Princeville (make sure you get a makai club for foodland discount) Also, be aware that alot of the restaurant have early closings or days midweek that will be closed, so call ahead. Oh dear, I didnt mean to write a novel.. Have a great time, you will LOVE it!!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

This is all very, very helpful, thank you, all! I''m happy driving around the island--we went to Maui and the Big Island a couple of years ago and loved driving around both of them. I have no doubt we''ll see all of Kauai and I''m glad everything was so close. We''ve been meaning to go for at least a year, but other trips took priority and we didn''t want to push this one back anymore. I have a feeling we''re going to end up on the North side of the island.

 

[lovinsparkles]

Ooh, I''m jealous. We had such a great time in Kauai, I would love to go back! Just wanted to chime in to add that even if you don''t stay at one of the big resorts, it is definitely worth checking them out (maybe having dinner there) because the grounds/gardens are amazing -- specifically, I''m thinking of the Grand Hyatt in the south and to a slightly lesser extent the Marriott on the east coast.

Also, we got some amazing hotel deals on Hotwire (even though it doesn''t tell you the name when you book, the island is small enough that you can usually guess...e.g. I believe the only 4.5 star hotel in Poipu is the gorgeous Grand Hyatt). We also did an amazing horseback ride to a waterfall in Princeville (Princeville Stables, IIRC) if you wind up staying in the north.

Hope that helps and have a great trip!

 

[VegasAngel]

We stayed in Kapaa. As Mara said the island is so small you can can get around pretty quick. Enjoy it is a beautiful, peaceful place.