Where to Stay on Kauai: The Best Areas and Hotels, by Region
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Where you stay shapes your whole Kauai trip, because you can’t drive all the way around the island. The highway stops at the Na Pali Coast, so Hanalei to Waimea Canyon is about two hours. Pick your base by the trip you want, and if you have a week, split it between two areas.
First trip, a week+
Split North Shore + Poipu
Best value, central
Coconut Coast (Kapaa)
Most sunshine
Poipu (South Shore)
Quiet and romantic
Princeville and Hanalei
North Shore: Princeville and Hanalei
The dramatic Kauai: green cliffs, Hanalei Bay and the road to Na Pali. It’s wetter, especially in winter, and the winter surf is big.
- Splurge: 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay (the former Princeville resort), right on the bay. It reopened Sept. 28 after a storm pause.
- Mid-range: Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas, with full kitchens. Listed open; call to confirm.
- Budget: Princeville condos (Pali Ke Kua, Hanalei Bay Resort) or a Hanalei vacation rental.
Coconut Coast: Kapaa and Wailua
Central, easy and full of good casual food, about an hour from both the North Shore and Poipu. This is condo and vacation-rental country.
- Mid-range: Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort (Kapaa), reopened Sept. 19 with no structural damage.
- Mid-range: Hilton Garden Inn Kauai Wailua Bay (open, per the Royal Coconut Coast status page).
- Budget: Kauai Shores Hotel (open), and condos along the Kapaa bike path.
Lihue: Closest to the Airport
Five minutes from the airport, on Kalapaki Beach and Nawiliwili Harbor. Great for a first or last night, or a central base.
- Featured pick: The Royal Sonesta Kauai Resort Lihue on Kalapaki Beach. This is the former Kauai Marriott Resort; it became a Royal Sonesta in March 2021. The resort says it’s fully operational after Hurricane Lowell (Royal Sonesta). Points tip: the timeshare next door is still Marriott’s Kauai Beach Club.
- Splurge: Timbers Kauai Ocean Club & Residences at Hokuala, with big residences and a golf course (listed open).
- Budget: Kalapaki Beach-area condos.
South Shore: Poipu and Koloa
The sunniest side, with calm summer swimming and turtles at Poipu Beach Park. It was also hit hardest by Hurricane Lowell.
- CLOSED: Sheraton Kauai Resort (Poipu), with no availability until early December. Don’t book it for this fall.
- Splurge: Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa (open; its saltwater lagoon and luau are closed for repairs) and Ko’a Kea Resort (open since Sept. 16; direct beach access and oceanfront cabanas unavailable).
- Hotel or condo: Koloa Landing Resort, with studios plus villas with kitchens, and three great pools.
- Mid-range: Outrigger Kiahuna Plantation (open, some oceanfront units under repair) and Lawai Beach Resort (open, two pools closed in early October).
- Condos: Poipu is the island’s condo capital; Koloa town, a few minutes inland, is cheaper.
- Booking tip: many oceanfront rentals on Lawai Road and Hoona Road were badly damaged. Ask hosts directly about storm repairs.
Our South Shore Favorites
Our favorite: Ko’a Kea Resort on Poipu Beach
Splurge Couples
A boutique oceanfront resort with one of our favorite bars and restaurants on the island, Red Salt. Open since Sept. 16; check on beach access and cabanas, which were still under repair after the storm.
Official site ↗
Koloa Landing Resort (Poipu)
Hotel rooms Condo-style villas Family-friendly
Book a studio like a hotel room, or a one- to four-bedroom villa with a full kitchen. The 350,000-gallon main pool has waterslides, swim-through waterfalls and a grotto, plus a family lagoon pool and an adults-only pool. Fully open after the storm.
Official site ↗
West Side: Waimea and Kekaha
Quiet and local, and the gateway to Waimea Canyon. Lodging here is mostly vacation rentals and cottages. Waimea Canyon and Kokee are closed right now, so we don’t recommend basing yourself here until they reopen. When they do, Waimea Plantation Cottages is a charming, historic pick (listed open, though the grounds took storm damage).
Insider tip from Guy: Kauai only allows short-term vacation rentals (under 180 days) in its designated Visitor Destination Areas (VDAs), like Princeville, Poipu, Kapaa/Wailua and Lihue’s resort areas. Outside those areas, only a limited number of grandfathered rentals with a county permit are legal. So if a place looks off the beaten path, make sure it’s a legal, permitted vacation rental: look for its TVR or TVNC permit number in the listing (the county requires it in every ad) and check it against the county’s list of approved vacation rentals. Don’t book a long-term home someone is renting out by the week illegally. It can get shut down mid-trip, and you could get in trouble.
Best Resort Pools
Some days the pool is the vacation, especially with kids. These are our picks (pools are for registered guests):
Koloa Landing Resort (Poipu)
Three pools, led by a 350,000-gallon main pool with waterslides (48-inch minimum), waterfalls, a swim-through grotto and cabanas. Open daily 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; slides 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Grand Hyatt Kauai (Poipu)
Famous for its multi-level river pool, waterslide and saltwater lagoon. Heads up: the saltwater lagoon was damaged in Hurricane Lowell and is closed for several months. The river pool, slide and action pool were set to reopen Sept. 27.
The Royal Sonesta Kauai (Lihue)
A huge pool right behind Kalapaki Beach, with the Royal Lanai and Kukui’s alongside for food and drinks.
1 Hotel Hanalei Bay (Princeville)
The best pools on the North Shore: an adults-only (21+) infinity pool on the 8th floor that seems to float over Hanalei Bay, plus a main pool by the sand and a rock-lined lagoon pool for kids. Reopened Oct. 1, fully operational.
Budget vs. Splurge
Kauai doesn’t have a ton of five-star luxury, but it has some very special places. Condos with kitchens are the biggest money-saver, especially for families. Airbnb is a fine option too; we just aren’t paid for it.
