Vacation in Kauai late April

Going to take the wife to Kauai for our 10 yr anniversary next April for 1 week. I have a couple questions for you locals:

- Trying to decide between Princeville and Po'ipu. I know my wife prefers warmer/sunnier weather, so that leads me to think Po'ipu. However, I would prefer the lush Princeville area.

- Is the surf going calm enough to enjoy snorkeling at the South or North shores during late April, early May?

- Where to stay? Maybe Hyatt or Sheraton. Trying to stay affordable but at the same time would like to get a nice room with an ocean view. Is that possible?

- Been looking at Costco/Expedia/Travelocity type websites and looking for a Hotel/Airfare/Car Rental combo. Is this the way to go?

- As far as renting a car, would really like to rent a Jeep so we can take the top off, and maybe travel on some easy offroad trails to get to some killer waterfalls. Any recommendations on easy trails with great payoffs? Is this frowned upon by locals (I don't want to disrespect anybody or the land)?


I am sure I will have more questions.

Thanks.

 

bump

 

Ill get back later tonight...

 

I have some time here and there, so I'm just gonna add as I have time and will edit this post.. Feel free to visit back here and there to see if I added in anything..

** This by no means is a tell-all.. Kaua'i Tacoma owners can definitely give you better advice, but seeing how no one has responded yet, I'll show you some Aloha and do what I can from memories. This is also not my trying to step on Kauai-guys toes on many of the secret spots to go to. Always be humble where ever you go and respect the land**

** The biggest possible gripe from locals about others is that they do things that they are not supposed to do and get hurt in the process. Obey the signs. If its says don't go, don't go. Locals grew up in many small swimming holes and know where to dive and where not to dive, then a mainlander dives in, gets hurt, sues, then it ruins the spot for everyone. Another example is the sad story about a tourist who "wanted to feel the power of a blowhole".. He sat on the opening and it sucked him, and did him in. Locals would NEVER do that. Don't be that guy**

-Kauai is a beautiful and very laid-back island.. possibly the most laid-back and "slower" than any of the other islands, (not counting Molokai). This is not a bad thing at all, just don't be in a rush and have the fast-driving mentality of a lot of the mainland when you are over there. Be ready for things to close down earlier than you are used to. Just enjoy life and your 10-year anniversary..

LODGING:

-Our place to stay would be closer to the airport.. There is a hotel right on Kauai Beach Dr. that we have stayed at a bunch of times.. Not sure which hotel it is now as they have changed a couple times. We like staying here because it is fairly centrally located.. Unless huge improvements have been made, get ready for TRAFFIC... and again, don't be in the mainland driving mentality. This hotel is nice and you can easily get to Princeville, Hanalei, and Ke'e Beach on one side, and Poipu, Waimea Canyon, and Polihale beach on the other side.

ACTIVITIES:

-Some things to do:
-Kayak the Wailua River and small hike to the waterfall. If they are still around, the company meets up at the shell gas station right in town and shuttle from there.
-Take a little longer hike to Hanakapiai Waterfall (use caution).
-If you are a serious hiker, you can hike and camp at Kalalau (rated a high 9 out of 10 - again HUGE CAUTION), but this is a serious but beautiful hike. (We did it 5 years ago with some friends)
-There is even a dinner cruise, or probably a tour that they will go out on the Napali coast. We haven't done the cruise, but we saw Napali coast while first-hand.
-Queens pools in the Kaanapali area.. This is a huge tourist attraction but beautiful. Just don't go where signs says not to go and respect the former pools of royalty.
-Lydgate park is cool for snorkeling, as well as Ke'e beach (not sure what the surf is like at Ke'e in April)
-There is a waterhole that we have been to a couple of times. The first time we went there it was more of a local hangout. The second time we went, companies were taking tours there.. Someone got hurt and they wanted to close it down. Sorry, I'n gonna plead the 5th and not tell you exactly where it is as this is a sore spot for many locals (even me - and I don't even live Kaua'i).
- If you dive, there is a dive shop in the Poipu area that we have used a couple times. If they still have it (and you are an experienced diver) they ever have a drift dive.
- Get a jeep, a bottle of red, and go down with your wife to Polihale beach to watch the sunset. (don't go wild on the sand). Last thing, you get stuck and no one is there to get you out..lol.. (* I am not saying to drink and drive, you are your own man)

TRAVEL

-You are kinda on your own here. You just gotta see who has what. Personally, we usually use Costco for our rental cars, Kayak for our airfare, and Kayak again for our hotel. Because locals get a little better hotel rates/discounts, when we island-hop, we call the hotel directly.

 

Hey just saw this post and thought I could give my input. I am from Kauai but not living there due to the military. I did just come back from a nice 3 weeks stay though As for a location to stay it really depends on where on the island you'd be going. Staying in Princeville though nice does make it a pain at times to go to the westside of the island. Even though it is an island traffic going towards Lihue can be brutal during peak times. Raycie did a good job giving you stuff to do and I know the location he is talking about. Please don't go there if you find out the name. It's gotten to the point where there was a plea to remove that from books of "things to do". Off the top of my head I can't think of may waterfalls you can literally drive to but Kokee is a place you could use a jeep to see some nice veiws from the mountains. Poipu has come along with more places to eat, they have built up a new shopping center. Besides going to many tourist filled beaches Polihale on the westside is a really nice place to relax. I'm about to leave work so I'll end this now. feel free to ask more questions and I'll check the thread. I'll pop back in and answer, may even pop back in to show some teaser pics from my trip lol

 

Thanks for the input guys. Will definitely not go to the waterhole you guys are referring to. I am all about respect of the area I am visiting. Same goes with our hiking, and any driving in the jeep we will do.

As far as renting a Jeep, where would you recommend to rent the Jeep? Do they have a location at the airport for convenience? Do the big companies like Alamo/Enterprise have Jeeps to rent?

 

Honestly don't know about the rental situation cause I've never rented a car. I'm sure someone at the airport does rent jeeps just for the fact that is one of the more prevalant rental vehicles. Best thing you could do would be call. I'll text my buddy when I can cause I think he still works at Hertz and see if they do.

 

Yea.. All the regular places have them.

If you have Costco, check them out online.

 

Got back from Kauai last week. We had a blast celebrating our 10 yr anniversary.

The highlights were definately the doorless helicopter ride, and hiking the Kalalau Trail to Hanakapiai Falls.


A couple pics from the trip...

Our balcony


Lava rocks outside balcony



Helicopter (Hughes 500)


Na Pali Coast from the heli



My favorite pic from the trip (Hanakapiai Falls)

 

Yea.. That nice.. We didn't go up to the actual falls cause it is a distance "in" from the main trail and we needed to get to Kalalau. The sign with all the notches of the "deaths" is cool, but very sobering at the same time.

Glad you had some great memories in our fair state.. Happy 10th..