North Shore Lodging

Well, we are returning to Kauai in May for our second visit. Last June we stayed near Kapaa at the Kauai Country Inn and enjoyed this property very much. This trip we will also be spending the first 6 nights at the Inn, but want to stay somewhere on the North Shore for a few nights as well. We have been looking through the VRBO listings as well as researching past posts and still have not been able to pick out a spot yet. We would appreciate any suggestions or past experiences you have for the North Shore. I think we would prefer a cottage or guest house but have not ruled out a condo either. Looking to stay in the 100 to 200 dollar a night price range. We liked the atmosphere of the Kauai Country Inn, rural setting, quite and a nice view of the forest and mountains. Something along these lines would be great, and would enjoy a ocean view as well.

There will only be 2 of us, so it does not need to be huge, but we do enjoy sitting outside in the evenings so a deck or lanai would be great.

We gained so much information from this forum planning our trip last June and I am hoping you guys can help us narrow down our choices for the North.....Thanks for any input...Ed

North Shore Lodging

Hi Ed -- at the lower end of your scale, you are probably looking at a one bedroom condo in Princeville -- Sealodge would be a good option. Cottages with ocean view either on Anini beach, Hanalei or Haena will probably run a bit more. There are a couple onl Anini that are well located for about $1000 - $1200 a week -- but I donn%26#39;t know if they rent by the night. Just depends what is most important to you. Do you want to be able to walk out on the beach? Or is it OK to have a high cliff top view of the ocean (Princeville).

All are nice options.

North Shore Lodging

Last September we spent three nights at Taro Patch Hale and liked it very much. It%26#39;s two miles up the Hanalei valley within the National Wildlife Refuge. There%26#39;s not much up there. The cottages are pretty basic and definitely not for everybody, but it was just the kind of place that we were looking for. Some people would find them way too basic. My mother wouldn%26#39;t like them, my brother would. They%26#39;re rental, not a B%26amp;B. The owner grew up on Kauai and lives on the property. He%26#39;s a pleasant and interesting guy, but the cottages are just a sideline and he isn%26#39;t a doting host.

http://www.hanaleivalley.kauaistyle.com/

The Hanalei River runs through the front yard and it%26#39;s still just a stream up there. We saw a lot of birds and rainbows while hanging out on the lanai. We really felt like we were getting a taste of old Hawaii. We%26#39;ll definitely stay there again.

We stayed in the guest cottage here: http://www.aloharental.kauaistyle.com/ last October and LOVED it. She also has a studio. My husband saw it and said it was nice, but the cottage was much better in his opinion.

Oceaniew from anywhere in the cottage, very nice furnishings, awesome outdoor shower, great grill and kitchenette. We split our stay with another cottage and kept wishing we were back in this cottage the rest of the time. Anini was only a 2 minute drive and we were close to Princeville and the Lighthouse. If you want to know anything else about it just let me know! Have a wonderful trip!

We spent a week at Hale %26#39;O Kuawa in Kilauea last Sept. http://www.vacation.kauaistyle.com/

We going back for 2 weeks this coming September - no ocean view, but it does sit on the edge of the Kilauea River Valley - the views are wonderful. Very private, clean, comfortable and very affordable. The owners, Conrad %26amp; Karen, live upstairs. I can%26#39;t say enough about them - such terrific people. It only takes 5 minutes to drive to Kalihiwai (my favorite beach). I posted a trip report here on the TA forums on Sept 30, 06 with a link to lots of photos

Enjoy your trip

Thanks to all for the Great suggestions.

Subee- I got a response back from the owner of the cottage you suggested, and they are open for some of the dates we need.

I was curious though, is the property fairly secluded and is the view as good as their website shows? Also,does the beach that the cottage is located on have a path up to the property. Is there a/c in the cottage, or is not needed...just a few questions...Thanks for your help....Ed

The property as a whole is secluded due to her great job with landscaping. It is very lush and tropical. Her house is located across the large driveway, but we rarely saw anyone except the couple staying in the studio - just them going to and from their car. There is a house behind her property, but I don%26#39;t think from the way it is situated that any privacy was lost. We felt like we had total privacy.

Yes, the view is better than the website shows. You could see the ocean from the bed, the bathroom, the outdoor shower, the lanai, even the toilet! LOL

No, there is no path, but we drove down the road to %26#39;Anini - about 2 minutes total - and had parking so close that it was really nicer to drive and have all your things in the trunk. We enjoyed the portion past the pavillions the best, just little ';pull-off'; parking and practically fall out onto the beach.

No, there is no A/C, which my husband was worried about, but most places don%26#39;t have A/C. We really didn%26#39;t have a problem because all the windows and sliding door opened with screens and it had a ceiling fan. There was one evening that the breeze didn%26#39;t move much air, but on the whole, even my hot natured hubby was fine.

Let me know if I left anything out!