SUGGESTIONS NEEDED: Kauai in January (Kapaa, Waimea: condos, hotel, home)

[psychofan]

We are coming out to Kauai for 3 days and 2 nights from Maui to conclude our first ever Hawaiian trip from Washington DC in January. We are in our early to late twenties. Which coast would be the most preferable for that time of year? Ideally, we would really like to stay at a Bed and Breakfast rather than a hotel, any suggestions? On Kauai, we will most definitely take a helicopter tour (again, any suggestions?), in addition to visiting the state parks for nature and waterfalls.

Thanks everyone, and we can't wait to visit beautiful Kauai!

[whynot?]

I live on Maui, but generally, I'd say the Poipu area (south) is the sunnier coast, and Princeville/Hanalei (north) is less dependably so. The Kapaa area (just north of the airport at Lihue) is kind of a 50s-style beach town area. (Or so it seems.) These are huge generalizations, but if you're there for only a few days, you may want to choose where you stay by what you're planning to do. (It takes a good while to drive from one end of the island to the other.)

January is prime surfing time on the north coast, and Hanalei is a gem of a little town if you care to see that. (Book very early on the north shore -- seasonal surfers fill it up quickly.) The north coast is also home to the mountains known as "Bali Hai" that were used as a backdrop in the 50s movie "South Pacific." On the other hand, the south coast offers calmer waters, the Spouting Horn blowhole and access to Waimea Canyon. The Na Pali coast is amazing, but the winter weather makes access difficult. There are great coastal hikes, though. Watch the weather carefully as you plan your helicopter tour day; winter weather can change quickly at high altitudes.

Kauai is gorgeous, and (like Maui) very different from end-to-end. I can't recommend specific B&Bs, but there seem to be plenty of them (and condos), in addition to the resorts.

[jenalove]

Check out Kauai Banyan Inn - its on the south (sunny) side and very reasonable, but nice. Definitely do the helicopter tour - Kauai is the best island to take one on. We went with Air Kauai for their great safety record. They were fantastic. Jack Harter and Inter-Island also are great companies. Definitely check out the north shore. Hanalei is not to be missed, but at that time of year I would stay on the south side. Could be very rainy up north.

[Sweetbeet]

Depends what you like to do. I myself prefer the helicopter tour over the volcano on the Big Island, and a boat trip along the Na Pali coast on Kauai. But I guess a heli trip could be nice on Kauai too. Do they go up to the top of Mt. Waialeale (the 'wettest spot on earth')? I'd love to see what it's like up there. And in January I don't know if the boat tours run at all, I guess it depends on how rough the surf is.

South side will probably have better swimming and snorkeling in winter, lots of pretty fish at Poipu Beach Park and down that way. I highly recommend the petrified sand cliffs (or whatever they are) down on the south side. Can't remember if January's too early for whales, there were tons in late February. If they are there in Jan., the pedestrian walkway up north of Kapa'a has some nice spots to sit and watch them.

Get "Kauai Revealed", it's a good guidebook for all sorts of things. We took a zip line trek once and it was overrated, I thought it was a waste of time and money. On the other hand, there is a very cool little waterfall that you can hike out to and swim in a most idyllic place. If you want more details let me know and I can look them up for you. I forget exactly where it is and I can't remember whether I found it in the guidebook or through geocaching. We saw some great places while geocaching on Kauai.

Hanalei Bay is gorgeous, as is Waimea Canyon and Kokee State Park. It's at least 20 degrees cooler up at Koke'e, most of the time. If you drive all the way up, and it's not 'socked in' with fog (it is much of the time), the view is awesome. If you drive out to the lighthouse the view of Hanalei Bay from there makes you truly believe you're in paradise. And there are cool birds, the lighthouse area is a bird sanctuary.

What to choose, what to choose. Well, I love about all of Kauai (that's why I'm moving there in 35 days! woo hoo!), but it depends whether you like surfing, snorkeling, hiking, touring, shopping (not much of that unfortunately), laying about on the beach, eating out, or what. I know a great surf instructor, I can PM you his name and number if you're interested in that. Whaddya wanna do/know?

[Mar0]

You should visit the Kauai forums on tripadvisor- many of these questions have been addressed numerous times. I know there is a nice B&B in Lawai, but I can't remember the name.

Kauai Forum - TripAdvisor