April: should we split stay between north and south?

Hello,

Very excited about my first trip to Kauai, coming up in April. We%26#39;re sure we want to stay in the north and expect to like it the best - we love nature and lush greenery. On the other hand, it seems the Waimea Canyon is a can%26#39;t miss attraction - we tend to be a bit lazy and slow to get going on vacation so the thought of driving there from Princeville and back in a day is daunting. As well, the thought of packing and moving mid-stay is a bit of a drag. But with nine days on Kauai perhaps it would be the best of both worlds to split our stay between two places?

I know this is a matter of personal opinion - but not having been there before I would love to hear yours.

Thanks!

Shannon

April: should we split stay between north and south?

Maggie,

9 days will go like light speed, if you are out exploring the island.

One year we split up our normal Poipu condo, with about 4 days or so up on the north shore.

We travel light, just two of us, so the logistics were not a problem.

Everything went very smoothly, and we were able to have our south and west side ( kokee and waimea canyon ) and other adventures without driving up north.

Most of our visits, we would just drive up to the north shore from poipu, when we knew it was clear and beautiful, no rain. Have fun, and head back late afternoon.

So, when we stayed up at the Hanalei Bay Villas near Princeville, we just did our north shore snorkeling, hiking, kayaking, etc., without having to drive back to poipu.

Poipu however, was PERFECT, for heading up to Kokee, going on activiteis of various types,ATV riding, hiking the canyon, south, and the east side trails, flying helos. and ultra lights, So, it worked out, but we had 10 days total, to two weeks each visit. Only split it up once. No worries.

Denny

April: should we split stay between north and south?

On our three trips to Kauai, we%26#39;ve always split our time between North %26amp; South shore. Just so much easier doing everything on the south and then driving and doing everything on the north, but that%26#39;s our personal preference. I like having the chance to stay in two great condos and packing up isn%26#39;t a huge deal, not like we have to return a rental car, catch a flight and then pick up another rental car. :)

Add our vote to the Thumbs up list. Doesn%26#39;t get much publicity, but you might want to check-out the funky little town of Waimea...a very different world than the Poipu scene.

I don%26#39;t think it would be a problem driving to the Canyon from the North - it%26#39;s not a huge island and doesn%26#39;t really take all that long. We stayed in Poipu and the drive up to Ke%26#39;e beach really wasn%26#39;t that bad at all. I think splitting the time would be a decent idea, but you%26#39;ll be fine either way.

Hi Shannon- Just one more opinion. Given your time on Kauai, you might want to consider staying on the east shore -- easy to go to both sides of the island and there are a lot of restaurants and shopping right there. Everyone has their preferences, but for 9 days, I would like to just plant myself and stay -- not waste day packing, unacking, etc.

There are a number of nice pjlaces to stay on the east shore, and even though, it is more populous, I don%26#39;t think you will really notice it. There are no beaches like Waikiki where you have to step over bodies to find a patch for yourself.

Aloha Shannon! Our last trip to Kauai was exactly nine nights. Not only did we break our trip up between north and south, but we also split it between ';luxury'; and ';comfort.';

We stayed two nights at the nicest room we could afford at the Grand Hyatt and then we moved for the remaining seven nights to a funky little cottage just off the beach in Hanalei. It worked out perfectly for us. Have a great trip!

I%26#39;m with Kimo; stay on the east shore. You%26#39;ll be just about equidistant to Princeville and Poipu or to Ke%26#39;e and Waimea.

Hi- We just got back from Kauai last Friday night and we did exactly what you are suggesting. It couldn%26#39;t have been more perfect. We arrived...stayed at that Grand Hyatt in a really price-y room...Laid out, relaxed, got acclamated to the time change...the area...the relaxing fog that the hawaiian air puts you in. We just spent the first four days being spoiled and pampered at this beautiful resort. Once a day, we would leave and go do something %26#39;touristy%26#39;...(helicopter ride, drive to the canyon, etc) Other than that, you could find us on our %26#39;regular%26#39; chairs by the pool or swimming down the hyatt%26#39;s river to the pool bar for %26#39;coconut willy%26#39;s%26#39; (so good...not on the menu, but SO good) And one day we did the massage thing at Anara. THEN, we packed up our bags and came back to reality...we are not wealthy. It was a very deserving splurge, but no-way could we afford it for the whole trip. SO, (coincidentally) right as a huge convention was coming into the Hyatt (which I wanted no part of that crowd) we moved out to the completely differnent North Shore. We stayed at a one room studio type condo, and completely (now relaxed and ready to go) explored the rest of the island. We basically got up, showered and left for the day. I probably didn%26#39;t even need the condo to be as nice as it was with as little time as we spent there. Hanalei became our favorite town, and each day brought a different beach to explore. It was great.

Think about it...you fly ALL day long...Plan and stress for weeks to prepare for this trip...why not get there and relax in the lap of luxury? THEN...after you wind down a bit...go out and DO. And if you are out...why pay the money for beautiful surroundings??

(although really most of the accomodations would qualify as beautiful surroundings...even if inexpensive)

PS...while at the Hyatt, my husband and I drove to Kaloa and stocked up on some fresh fruit and muffins. We downed that with our in-room coffee as a %26#39;brunch%26#39; to tide us over until dinnerevery day. Occasionaly, we%26#39;d stop and have a drink and share an appetizer for lunch, but I am sure that this helped save at least a bit of money. Food can be alot more expensive on the island.

We were on Kauai for six nights last September and did split it up. We spent the first three nights at a B%26amp;B outside Hanalei, then the last three at a B%26amp;B in Kalaheo. It worked out great for us. We wanted to minimize driving time. We did all of our north shore activities from our Hanalei base, then all of the south and west activities from the Kalaheo base.

The Hanalei B%26amp;B was a lot more basic than the one in Kalaheo and we were glad that we went from lesser to greater comfort than the reverse. We do love the north shore, so it was a little difficult to get ourselves to uproot after only a few days, but once we were moving, it was fine. They turned out to be two very distinct vacation experiences.