Hanalei vs. Kapaa (HBR vs. WBR)

Another day, another question from me...sorry! I%26#39;m seem to be spending all my free time reading about all things Kauai, so maybe it%26#39;s unavoidable.

Originally, we were thinking about staying at the Hilton in Kapaa for part of our trip before moving onto one of the Poipu resorts. Then it was suggested by others on this board that we should maybe consider a condo since we will be touring with 2 small children. HBR and WBR were thrown out as suggestions and I%26#39;m really liking the idea of both of those resorts and am quite torn.

We hadn%26#39;t really considered anything in Hanalei/Princeville because I was concernd about rain, etc. However, the HBR looks very inviting and I like the idea that there is a swimmable beach with snorkling at the hotel (big plus for DH). It looks like there are some nice, casual restaurants (we are traveling with little ones, so we don%26#39;t want to torture anyone at a more fine dining establishment) in that area. DH and I really enjoyed K%26#39;ee Beach on our previous trip too, I remember it being quite beautiful up in that area, so maybe that would be a nice place to stay....

Initially, I liked the idea of Kapaa because it was more centrally located and Lydgate sounds like such a perfect beach for smaller kids. WBR looks like it has a really nice pool that our DD would go crazy for (HBR looks great too, but WBR has slides), but the non-swimmable beach is a bummer when comparing it to HBR. I%26#39;ve also read reviews that WBR is basically right off a busy road and across the street from a strip mall. I%26#39;m not sure how strongly I feel about that in a negative sense. It seems like it could be a little weird, but if they resort had a ';contained'; feeling, I think I could get over it.

We were also thinking about trying the Smith%26#39;s Luau which will make for a late night for our little ones to begin with, so staying close by would be a plus. There also seem to be so nice vegetarian restaurants (DD and I are vegetarians) in Kapaa that we%26#39;d like to try.

Can anyone help point out some other advantages/disadvantages to the two different areas?

Also, how far is the drive between Kapaa and Princeville (HBR)? If it%26#39;s really not that far, I think that I would lean towards HBR and just suck up the drive for the couple of restaurants, Lydgate, and the luau.

Hanalei vs. Kapaa (HBR vs. WBR)

HBR to Kapa`a is generally about 40 minutes, more if you hit the backup from Kapa`a at Kealia.

Hanalei vs. Kapaa (HBR vs. WBR)

That%26#39;s a bit of a drive. However, the more I think about it, maybe a luau (which was my bigger concern) isn%26#39;t the way to go with our little ones on this trip. I see that the entertainment at Smith%26#39;s luau doesn%26#39;t even start until 8pm. I just don%26#39;t think that%26#39;s going to be do able, regardless of where we are staying. Maybe we can just find somewhere to see some traditional Hawaiian dancing instead.

Aloha from Kaua%26#39;i!

Hanalei is a great area -- it has a very unique feel to it and is very laid back despite the fact that there are probably more celebrities visiting there at any one time than you can imagine!

Lush green cliffs and wonderful Hanalei Bay (great for swimming during the summer) are just incredibly gorgeous. Did you know that ';Puff the Magic Dragon'; was written about Hanalei? (there is some dispute on this however!)

You also have easy access to Kalalau Trail -- you can hike the 2 miles into Hanakapiai Beach to see incredible views -- and snorkel at Ke%26#39;e Beach which is where the trail starts.

There are lots of restaurants (well a few at any rate) that cater to vegetarians -- Postcards Cafe is very well known and thought of and I think it is fantastic (I and my hubby are also vegetarians) -- you can also get great veggie meals at Calypso. Lots of fun shops to browse through - most of them not the usual ';tourist'; stuff.

Any downside to this area would be that the North Shore typically gets more rain than any other part of the island -- even during our current drought. Also you do have to drive a ways to get to places like Kapa%26#39;a or Lihu%26#39;e or points south or west.

Kapa%26#39;a and WBR -- I%26#39;m sure that WPB is very nice --I%26#39;ve never been inside of it -- looking at it from the front all that I notice is the closeness to the highway and the lack of landscaping

(probably because it is new) -- it is located at the busiest intersection in Kapa%26#39;a -- notorious because of the

tie-ups in traffic from the Safeway shopping center directly across the street. Kapa%26#39;a is a mess with traffic. There is no swimmable beach area - you would have to drive about 5 miles to Lydgate Park to get to a swimmable beach.

I usually don%26#39;t stop to eat anywhere around there but I will say this -- Blossoming Lotus is THE vegetarian restaurant on the island -- it is incredible, fantastic and even folks that would turn their noses up at vegetarian food would find the food irresistible -- I have eaten here 3 times and each time I was with someone who wasn%26#39;t a vegetarian and was a sceptic -- they all raved about the food. So this would be the one good reason to eat in Kapa%26#39;a in my opinion!

Lush green taro fields with towering misty cliffs in a laid-back atmosphere or busy Kapa%26#39;a with traffic -- to me there wouldn%26#39;t be much choice -- but that is me, everyone is different, no?

Enjoy wherever you choose!

Malama Pono,

Janet

Thank you again for the info! I think that I%26#39;m leaning towards Hanalei since I don%26#39;t think that the luau is going to work for us. Like you mentioned, I think a lush tropical environment would be much more appealing than traffic. The swimmable beach at HBR is another major plus rather than packing everyone up and driving to a beach.

Blossoming Lotus was one of the restaurants that I was very interested in trying in the Kapaa area along with Mermaids and Coco Cafe (any thought on those two?). I think that we could easily coordinate a meal or two in Kapaa and still stay in Hanalei.

Aloha from Kaua%26#39;i!

Cafe Coco is still very popular -- the food is great -- in fact they did the food service for a movie that my husband was involved in a few years ago here -- I used to take him to the set and then he%26#39;d get me one of their breakfast fritatas or quiche to enjoy! I%26#39;ve loved them ever since!

Never been to Mermaids.

Malama Pono,

Janet

I%26#39;ve stayed at both places. I think you and everyone who has answered has provided a good summary of the pluses and minuses of each. Except for one big difference - the condos themselves.

The WBR condos are brand new and are fantastic inside. The ones at HBR vary greatly depending on the owner - though I doubt any could be as nice as the one we stayed in at WBR.

That said I%26#39;m not sure which I would choose if I were you. Are the prices the same for the same size condos? Given the prices I paid I found the WBR to be a better value and that might drive my decision.

Good luck.

I spoke with a gentleman on my flight home from Kaui 2 weeks ago who bought a place at WBR. He was quite upset that the management company (ResortQuest?) has greatly reduced the rental prices of the condos in order to fill them up.

I agree that the WBR are gorgeous inside. They are brand new and the builder did a terrific job.

It is true that the HBR units vary by private owner but these are million dollar condos and many homeowners have put thousands into making them even nicer. When you rent through an owner ask to see pictures and find out when they updated.

Who can go wrong anywhere on Kauai. It is truly paradise.