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Vacation Rentals on Kauai

Pauline Kenny

We have spent many months on Kauai, in several different vacation rentals, always in the sunny, southern Poipu area. Here are my notes about places we have stayed or looked at.

Note from 2006: The prices for these vacation rental cottages has increased steadily over the past years. Consult the websites for current prices. Prices now seem to be around $1200/week for 1bed/1bath and $1500/week for 2bed/2bath.

Poipu is under construction!

In summer 2007, several large constructions projects started in the western end of Poipu. These projects will add 4,500 homes and apartments to this area. Construction has started on the large project of homes along the road to Spouting Horn. Several other large condo/resort projects, just west of the Sheraton have started. They are redoing the intersection of main Poipu road where it meets the road to Spouting Horn, so you have to detour.

If you are staying at the Hyatt end of Poipu (Pe'e Road, Poipu Kau, Poipu Beach Park) you will not notice the construction, but if you are staying in the Spouting Horn side (Ho'ona Road, road to Spouting Horn) you will be in the middle of this dirt and noise. These projects are expected to last for five years and will greatly increase the traffic to this area. Development projects affecting Garden Isle style - Poipu Construction FAQ

Why are the Cottages so Expensive?

Housing prices on Kauai are high, very high. These simple cottages on Hoona Road in Poipu were selling in 2005 for over $700,000 (2bed/2bath). I could not even guess what the large houses on the water are worth. Also maintenance costs are high. Houses near the water need constant work and the appliances and electronics break down quicker because of the sea air. Utilities are expensive on Hawaii. All this adds up to higher vacation rental prices, but when you compare them to the cost of a hotel and eating all your meals out, they are a bargain.

Cottages on Hoona Road in Poipu

Hoona Road is a short road that runs parallel to the road to Spouting Horn, but goes right along the ocean. The street only gets local traffic. There are large houses and small cottages on Hoona. Many are vacation rentals. The location is good. Baby Beach is at one end of the street (public access to a small beach with a shallow bay).

Note: Starting in 2007 with the construction in this area, this is no longer a good location in Poipu. You will hear constant construction noise during the weekdays, day time.

Little Grass Shack from Kauai Vacation Rentals (5123 Hoona Road). 2bed/1bath, charming cottage, $1075/week. Not as modern as the others, but less expensive. This is the cottage we always rent. See my review for more information. February 2006 is probably our last time renting this cottage - while the price has increased, the condition of the cottage has decreased.
www.kauaivacationrentals.com

Hale Malanai from Garden Island Rentals (Hoona Road). 1bed/1bath house next to the Baby Beach Bungalows. The house is up on "stilts" with the parking area underneath, so the living area is higher up. This makes it more private (it is not sitting close to the road). In 2005 we got to look inside. It is very nice - large kitchen (gas stove), vaulted ceiling, huge bathroom, big bedroom, a porch runs around the whole house, you can almost see the ocean (trees across the street block the complete view). The second bedroom is really a second living room. $1250/week.
www.kauairentals.com

Coconut Cottage and Turtle Cove from Grantham Resorts (5115/5119 Hoona Road), 2bed/1bath cottages, $1300-$1600/week. They look very nice from the outside and a good location. Very pretty garden and large porches. But the cottages are side by side and the porches are only 15 feet or so apart.
www.grantham-resorts.com

Baby Beach Bungalows from Garden Island Rentals (5147 and 5149 Hoona Road). Two 2bed/2bath cottages, $1500 per week. We rented #1 a few years ago. These cottages are side by side, but are situated so they are both private. They are set back from the road, and have big trees in front, so the front porch is more private than other cottages on this road and they are not exactly side by side, so you are not really close to the other house (and the driveway goes in between). #1 was carpeted (I don't like wall to wall carpeting). #2 has wood flooring in the living room.
www.kauairentals.com

Cottages in other parts of Poipu

Hale Pohaku Cottages from Garden Island Rentals (2231C Pane Road near Brenneckes Beach). 2bed/1bath, very charming cottages in a group of 4 cottages. They have one larger cottage. About $800/week. Note: In 2007, a large new house is being built right beside these cottages.
www.kauairentals.com

Poipu Kai is a large resort of condos and houses near the Hyatt. In September 2007 we rented a house there from Grantham and really liked the house and the area.
www.grantham-resorts.com

Cottages in Koloa, near Poipu

Omao Hideaway Cottage on Omao Road, north from Koloa, from Gloria's Vacation Rentals. 1bed/1bath small cottage, beautiful building and furnishings, very private, good price ($770 per week). We spent 3 weeks here March 2004 and loved it, but you do have to drive to the beach - 8 minutes drive, 4 miles to Poipu Beach Park. The cost is similar to the Little Grass Shack, the location is not as good, the size is smaller, but the quality of the house is higher.
www.gloriasvacationrentals.com

Vacation Rentals on the West Side

There is going to be a new development of 1000 homes along the Spouting Horn Road in Poipu - they have been talking about this for years, but each time we come back to Kauai, nothing has been started. This is just a block from the Little Grass Shack. Poipu is already pretty built up with resorts along the water and many condo developments. I think this new development of large homes (instead of condos) will really change Poipu. When that happens, we will look at rentals in Hanapepe, Waimea and Kekaha.

Waimea Plantation Cottages, Aston Resort in Waimea. Lovely little cottages in a resort on the water, but expensive. (Too expensive for a long stay - in 2004, $225 - 290 per night for 1bed/1bath.)
www.waimea-plantation.com

Aloha Kauai Villas, cottages in Kekaha.
www.alohakauaivillas.com

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