South Shore or Lihue/Kalapaki?

My fiancee and I are planning our honeymoon for the end of June. We are staying at the Westin Princeville on the north shore for a week, then going down to the south shore for a few days at the end of the trip. We%26#39;re thinking of staying someplace cheap in Lihue (Kauai Sands in Wailua) to save money, but I%26#39;m not sure if we should stay in Poipu or someplace else on the south shore. The climate in Lihue is more like the south shore than the north, right? Will we get the full %26#39;south shore experience%26#39; if we%26#39;re staying in Wailua? Thanks so much for your advice!

South Shore or Lihue/Kalapaki?

Wailua is on the East side of the island. If it were me I would stay on the South Shore. You%26#39;ll have great weather on the North Shore in June, I bet, but by staying on the SS it will give you a whole different vibe. The trouble is it%26#39;s more expensive. There aren%26#39;t a lot of inexpensive hotels but you might find a B and B or cottage.

South Shore or Lihue/Kalapaki?

I would definitely stay in the south shore. The Poipu area is really nice, and you can find some reasonably priced condos. I would say the east shore (Wailua, Lihue) is a bit of a combination of both north and south shore. It%26#39;s not as rainy as the north shore, but not generally as dry as the south shore. The south shore remains the sunniest of the three most of the time.

I agree with the others, I%26#39;d stay south. While there4 are some cheaper accomodations in the Wailua area, there are still a few bargains in Poipu too. Check out the Prince Kuhio. It is right across the street from a decent snorkeling beach and most units have an ocean view.

There are some very inexpensive places in Poipu. we can make recommendations if you give us an idea on budget. Hubby stayed at Waikomo Streams Villas in March in a one bedroom for less than $100/night. Deals can be had in the SS. BTW, I%26#39;ve personally found Poipu less expensive than the north shore but it really depends on what complex you are looking at.

For whatever it is worth at this point, I%26#39;ll chime in for Poipu and not for the East side. No offense intended for those who love the East side of the island, just a personal preference.

A condo would probably be your best bet in terms of affordability. Just to get an idea, go ahead and surf right onto www.suiteparadise.com and see rates on some South shore condos.

Anna

Another website tocheck out for a mixture of condos in Poipu is Parrish Kauai (www.ParrishKauai.com). One thing I like about Parrish (and there are several reasons) is they represent a variety of places and you rent a specific unit. I like to see what I%26#39;m getting before I arrive. Their prices are very competitive with the other agencies on the south shore.

Awesome advice--thank you! I checked out those two links and they were very helpful. Might go that route. The cheapest I saw was $119/night for 300 sq. ft. unit. That%26#39;s a great rate, but I am the ultimate bargain hunter and am holding out hope for something under $100 a night. I managed to get the Westin Princeville for $142 night (using Priceline%26#39;s Name Your Own Price) so I don%26#39;t think $100 a night on the south shore is too outrageous...right?

Ehhhh, less than $100/night on the south shore might be stretching it a bit. I%26#39;m not even sure Waikomo Stream Villas has rates that low, and that%26#39;s very close to a construction zone and a bit of a ways inland from the ocean. Keep looking though! :-)

Jam,

You%26#39;re right about Waikomo Streams Villas. The $79 rate my husband got from Parrish was because of the construction. If someone is looking for a bargain, this is it!! Also, it%26#39;s really not that far from the ocean (only 1/2 block from Koloa Landing).

Marti

Waikomo Stream Villas looks like a lovely property. I%26#39;ve flirted with the idea of staying there before, but in the Poipu area I just can%26#39;t resist Kuhio Shores.