Poipu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii

Poipu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii

Roy and I spent our honeymoon 51 years ago at Waiohai Hotel on Poipu Beach. There was only two small hotels in the sugar cane fields at that time. It was paradise. We have been to the islands every year since then, although it has been many years since we had been back to Kauai. Today, there is no sugar cane grown on the island, and thousands of condos and luxury homes have been built. We went for two weeks before Christmas, and I was amazed at how built up this area has become. A big shock for me was the high price of groceries. $8 for a gallon of milk, $7 for a loaf of bread, $7 for a tub of butter just to name a few items.

Here are my recommendations on where to stay, and where to shop for groceries.

When you pick up your car at Lihue airport, go straight to Costco which is nearby if you are a family and need to buy in quantities, second choice also nearby the airport is Walmart. There is a Safeway in Lihue, and a small market Big Save, in Koloa which is the nearest little village to Poipu Beach. There are no markets at the beach, but you can buy some items at a higher price of course in ABC stores

I can see why families are renting a condo. You can fix your own breakfast and lunch, then perhaps go out for dinner. However, there are no fast food restaurants on the island. You pay $17 for a hot dog, and $22 for a hamburger so eating at restaurants is higher than you are used to. It was impossible for us to have dinner at under $100 and we ate out every night.

I always tell a client, you must go to a luau, which is the traditional island dinner and show. However, the two hotels, Hyatt and Sheraton were charging $125.00 each for the evening which I thought was high. They do it once a week,

Poipu beach is not one long beach but three coves. The first has the Sheraton Hotel and Kiahuna Plantation Resort where we stayed. The Sheraton is a 400 room hotel. However, it is under heavy construction at present. They are remodeling 200 rooms to give them kitchens since they realize that families want to rent a condo these days. Kiahuna Plantation Resort is 300 one and two bedroom condos in 37 acres of absolutely gorgeous gardens. Orchids, fish ponds, waterfalls, hisbisus and camellia shrubs, plumeria trees, and huge ferns. They are all privately owned, and Outrigger Resorts does the renting of the units. You take a chance on whether the condo is furnished in luxury, or early goodwill. The unit we were given was rotten. Not comfortable and the kitchen was poorly equipped. I asked to be moved which they did after 2 days to a lovely unit, very comfortable and we were happy. We were lucky that they weren’t full, so they were able to offer us another choice. I would ask for Condo 235 again, a short walk from the beach. Ocean front No. 159 would be my other choice. Outrigger does an outstanding job of service. They were there instantly if you needed something.

In the gardens is the Plantation Restaurant. This was the home of the sugar cane plantation manager and is an absolutely marvelous location for a wedding ceremony and a reception. The manager’s wife was an avid gardener, and in the l940’s it was rated one of the top 10 gardens in the world. The wedding guests could stay at either the Sheraton or Kiahuna, and walk to the wedding. The food is excellent. Lovely hardwood floors, antique Koa wood surf boards on the walls and the happy hour is a bargain. Amy Christiansen is the special event and wedding manager – amy@pgrestaurant.com This is worth checking out for a wedding or any special occasion.

The next cove, which has bigger waves so is popular for surfing, is the Marriott Waiohai Resort, and Kea Ora hotel. The 24 rooms two story Waiohai Hotel where we spent our honeymoon is long gone and a multi story building is now there.

The next cove is Poipu Beach Public Park. Lovely grassy area, with two life guard stations, one at either end. One end has a lava stone wall, where the water is only 4 inch deep and is ideal for little children to play in the water. The other end is sheltered by another lava wall and is ideal for snorkeling. The cove is about 6 ft deep, You can walk from the public beach around the corner into the surfing area by the Marriott Hotel.

A few miles further down the coast is the Grand Hyatt Hotel, which has no beach, but an excellent golf course.

I will do a second article on Kauai, since I have more information for you

Maureen Jones

All Horizons Travel/Frosch

825 Santa Cruz Ave

Menlo Park

Tel.No. 650-961-2340 direct