Spacious, West side, Beachfront Home

We really enjoyed our stay at Kai Nalu in February 2018. The house is spacious and comfortable. We ate many meals out on the patio and enjoyed watching sunsets from the front yard, which fronts on a beautiful beach. There were seven of us, and we found the kitchen to be well equipped to prepare food for that number of people. The beds were very comfortable. The palatial master bedroom with the large veranda just outside the doors was particularly comfortable and spacious.

If there was any downside to this rental, it is that the beach in front of the house is not really swimmable. The surf is fairly constantly high and the Waimea River, which empties into the ocean about 300 feet down the shore, keeps the ocean water here rather muddy. However, that constant breaking surf does put you to sleep at night.

There are also several good swimming beaches nearby either at Salt Pond State Park or Poipu. Whichever beach you are at, make sure you are careful about currents, as this is the open Pacific Ocean. At both Saltpond and Poipu Beaches, the giant sea tortoises and monk seals come right up onto the beach and sun themselves in amongst all the tourists. The lifeguards make sure people don't get too close, but is still a great sight.

Overall, we loved Kauai and we loved this house. The house is two blocks from two large grocery stores and the downtown part of Waimea. There is good parking in the driveway and on the street. There are several good restaurants nearby, including a good steak house, and the people were very friendly. We would recommend this place to any party requiring four bedrooms and a comfortable, spacious house.

positives:

1. Four bedrooms each with own bathroom- nice privacy (master suite very nice), large living area, kitchen and nice lanais. Was clean when we arrived. Kitchen had everything we needed and beach towels , chairs and the like. It was set up well for when we arrived.

2. 2 groceries within a block, with great delies (poke at ishihara was the best),eateries well within walking distance

3. Backyard right on beach great for evening hangout to look at sunset, stars or bbq (various neighbors had beach fires with driftwood, which were nice to watch, unsure if they had permits though) - fishing pier is easy to walk to

4. Positioned excellent and close for Waimea canyon, we did several hikes and visits there

5. Rental agency who handled was attentive- high marks for them

Other comments:

1. Waimea has a much more local character and certainly no resort feel - some people like us like that others may not;

2. Lucy wright park which is about 4 houses down is a bit questionable in that it seems to have various quasi permanent local residents that have tents or tarps set up, however, locals seems not bothered and had family get togethers occasionally in that pavilion and they didn’t seem bothered, and outrigger-canoes practice in river mouth.

2. Definitely want good rental vehicle to get to various swimming beaches and other towns

3. Beach is non-swimming, blackish reddish greenish sand, and a bit dusty. Water is not clear and contains sediment from Waimea canyon river and driftwood is scattered along. We knew that and rental agency also called us to advise which appreciated. So consider the beach useable for other activities as noted above.

We rented this house for our visit to Kauai this time. With the exception of food, it had everything we needed to make our 8 day vacation a wonderful experience. Went to sleep every night listening to the ocean crashing on the beach just a few yards from the house. We would definitely look into renting this property again if we return to Kauai again.

We were very happy with our stay at this lovely home in Waimea. Being right on the beach, and a short walk to restaurants and shopping is ideal; the neighborhood is quiet and friendly, and this location was ideal for close access to hiking in the mountains and exploring the west coast of Kauai , while accommodating those who just wanted to relax on the beach and stay close to home. Thank you for a wonderful experience.

This house was perfect for our group of all ages! Waimea is a sleepy little town close to majestic waimea canyon and tranquil salt pond beach. The house was well stocked with everything we needed. Shopping was close by. Ample bathrooms and bedrooms. The large outdoor dining area worked well too.