Kiahuna
Kauai
Spouting Horn (not ‘sprouting’)

OK, now that that is over with…
Kiahuna Plantation is a lovely resort. It’s fairly quiet and right on the water, though you will have to walk a little bit to get to a swimmable beach (Poipu). I’m not sure what you mean by ‘dangerously close.’ Is that good or bad? Anyway, it IS right near Poipu beach, which is consistently ranked among the Top 10 beaches in the world. Kiahuna’s condos are well maintained and nicely furnished and most of the views are spectacular.

Yes, We have stayed there several times and I love it. The condos are just right and the beach front property is great with lots of lawn area BBq’s and then a great beach. I have snorkeled many times right from this beach. Yo can also take surfing lessons right from here too or rent a boogie board. The restaurant is very good also. Across the street are some other restaurants and several shops. I found it to be very convenient too, close to Poipu beach and many other beaches too and the sprouting horn also(the sprouting horn is a great place to by souvenirs). Love this place and you will too.

Hi, I visit Kauai from England as often as money will allow. Because of the expensive flight costs from the UK i have to look for cheaper places to stay. I have found a website that i trust and use each time i visit. Take a look at and it will give you hundreds of options all over the island. Kauai has to be the most beautiful place in the world and you are so lucky to be getting married there………best wishes and good luck for the future from the UK

Having lived there (Kauai) I can tell you the area at Poipu is not cheap, not even reasonable. Check with your hotel about a block of rooms at a discount since you are getting married there, but if that is not an option, I would suggest trying the Kauai Sands. Nice, reasonable, recently renovated, clean and locally owned. I always had people stay there and never had a complaint. Actually stayed a few nites myself while I was having painting done. ALOHA! and best wishes!!

Don’t worry about it bruddah, as we say here, “Just Hang Loose”; it’s your honeymoon. Even if things go wrong, just laugh it off and enjoy each other’s company, in that moment, in that place; that’s what makes a honeymoon so memorable and unforgetable. If it’s raining up north, just head south towards the sun and vice versa, it’s only an hour and a half from one end of the island to the other. Stop at the Coconut Grove Swap Meet and the Fern Grotto halfway down by Kapaa. Quit your worrying, enjoy Kauai and each other and everything will fall into place.

You aren’t going to find anything reasonable in the Poipu area. However, Lihue is only 15 minutes away from Poipu and will have many more options for hotels.

However, if you are getting married at the Hyatt, check with them for a block of rooms for your guests. Most times hotels will offer a block of rooms for your guests at a significant discount.

Good luck and congratulations!

It does rain on the North Shore, but it’s often just a passing shower. You won’t be dissapointed, but while the North Shore is beautiful you should really explore the rest of the island while you’re there.

For a beach day I reccomend Polihale. Poipu is small and can be crowded. Hanalei beach (North Beach) is very nice, but the best beach in Kauai is Polihale.It’s one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and the best in all of Hawaii. It’s a large beach and it will NOT be crowded and it’s very romantic.

Unfortunately, you’re as far away as you can be from it, but I would still find the time to go there. Polihale is located on West Kauai, which the locals refer to as the desert because it’s so dry. Rent a jeep or SUV while you’re in Kauai. You’ll need it to get to to Polihale because it’s on a dirt road.

I would leave early in the morning from the North Shore and have a light breakfast while on the road. Bring a cooler with snacks and drinks — there’s nothing in the area. Also be careful when you’re swimming, there are no lifeguards and the waves are strong, so don’t go out too deep.

On the way back I suggest stopping at Waimea Brewing Company for a nice casual lunch. After lunch you should go to Waimea Canyon, the grand canyon of the pacific. The views are amazing.

Enjoy your trip!

I stayed in Kaui a number of years ago in Lihue which is half way between the north and south on the east. It was kind of a compromise. We knew we would be driving both north and south and thus never had as far to go.

For some reason the first day you get to Kaui, you want to go drive and look around the island. Anyway, January is considered the rainy season. That’s when I went. Summer should help out in that regard. That said, Hanalei is beautiful, it’s worth seeing, but being there on a cloudy day is not as fun. You’d think it wouldn’t matter but it’s just so much better being at the beach when it is sunny.

I think I would stay south, if you can find a nice place you can afford. Staying in a cheap yucky place is no fun, even if sunnier.

The Hyatt in poipu which is south is nice but pricy. There is a great restaurant nearby called Roy’s with fantastic pacific rim cuisine. Also a fun casual open air restaurant right on poipu beach, although the name escapes me. If you could find a website with more weather info on kaui, that could help.

Snorkeling is fun at poipu beach, by the way. I’m sure whichever you choose will be great. The both have their upsides.

Here is a tip on selection of hotels, whether in Hawaii or not. I’d pick the cheapest room in a ritzy hotel over the priciest room in a cheap hotel any day. In other words, a room without an ocean view at the hyatt beats a room with an ocean view at a less luxurious hotel any day. You can always go outside and see the ocean, but its so nice to have a beautiful room, tastefully decorated etc, versus a dated room with a view. Watch out too, cause it seems like all hotels show pictures of the hotel and rooms when they first opened, so the fact that it might be dated looking now won’t be apparent.

Summertime is *the* time to go to Kauai in general. You’ll get some showers because Kauai is a wet island, but the weather should be gorgeous in general in August. The north shore is a bit wetter. If you don’t want to stay way out in the very northern tip of things, but want something that’s not in the thick of a major resort development zone, you might consider Anahola. Its a bit dryer, has a gorgeous, very sparsely visited beach, etc. Its very local, less touristy if you’re into that sort of thing. You can find places right on the beach there (though availability is tough within a few months of booking). We’ve stayed there for years, and love it. You can google anahola rental for potential places.

The fact of the matter is that anywhere in Hawaii (unless you’re a bizzillionaire) is going to have a fair amount of folks around. If you go the north shore, you’ll find alot of houses packed in. Also, the road is narrow and because there are some great snorkeling beaches and the Na Pali coastal hiking trail at the end of the road, you’ll see lots of tourist cars all the time on that road.

I know I’m pitching Anahola, but if you want to kick back on the beach, you’ll have way fewer people around you there. That in and of itself feels more luxurious in my book. Its also a bit more central so that its easier to get to all parts of the island that you might want to visit (Waimea, Kokee, Poipu, Hanalei, Natural botanical gardens, etc) than if you stay way north or way south in Poipu.

Buy the “Ultimate Kauai Guide”, from Amazon or whatever and read it thoroughly. You’ll be glad you did.

Have a great time

There is great news for you! First off the northshore is the most gorgeous and physically beautiful part of the island and if you like nature you will love it.

The great news is this… it is very normal to have a downpour of rain on one part of the island and another part be sunny with people laying out on the beach, if you have a car you can get to where it is sunny! (the entire highway that goes around the island is only 80 miles)
From Hanalei (northshore) to Kapaá is only 25 or so miles.

Enjoy your honeymoon, and I suggest you stay near hanalei!