We just returned from a week stay at this property on the sunny south side of Kauai. This is a condo complex and the unit we stayed has not been recently renovated but it was fine for our needs. There was no AC but the ceiling fans helped a lot. The unit had a nice lanai and was clean and well maintained.

The location can't be beat. The beach here is one of the best for swimming. They have a kiosk right at the beach where you can get towels and beach chairs and even rent boogie boards and snorkeling gear. Po'ipu beach is a short walk to the east and is great for swimming and snorkeling. Lawa'i beach is a short drive to the west and actually had even better snorkeling. There is also a shopping complex across the street that had some decent places to eat and even a convenience store (shop at Kmart or Costco for most of your supplies).

Expedia had mixed up our reservation so they didn't have a room for us at check in but the staff were very accomodating and found us a nice unit right away. On our way out we had a mixup with our flight and needed to stay an additional day. Once again the staff was there for us and allowed us to stay another night and charged us an incredibly low rate. They really went out of their way to take care of us and really made the best of a bad situation. We will be happy to stay there again on our next trip to Kauai.

Kiahuna Plantation is a beautiful resort in the heart of Poipu. With its low-rise, spread out buildings, it offers an alternative to nearby densely populated high-rise resorts. The buildings are one, two or three stories, and some have as few as 3 units.

My wife and I stayed at in unit 196 (building 30) for a week in August 2008. Building 30 has six rental units, 3 up, 3 down. Unit #196 is a 2nd floor one bedroom condo on the west end of the building. When you walk out on the Lanai, you are literally a pebble’s throw from the water. The Wizard Pubs site has a good aerial. We had visited Kiahuna in 2007 when looking for a place on the South shore. While we really liked what we saw, we were put off by the relatively high nightly rates and the inability to reserve a specific unit (some “ocean view” units have a limited ocean view at an angle). Both these concerns were solved when we stumbled across unit 196 at the owner’s page on the vrbo web site. The owner, Janet, rents some of the weeks directly, and apparently the ones she doesn’t rent remain in the Castle Resorts inventory. At the time we rented, the rate offered by Janet was $325/night, about $200 less than the “card rate” for an oceanfront unit. Some of the furnishings are a bit older than in some of the updated units, so there is some basis for the lower price. But the bottom line is that if you can rent this unit from the owner, you are getting a beachfront bargain.

The view from the Lanai is outstanding, and the sound of the surf will serenade you to sleep while also blocking out other noise. In general, this is a quiet, family oriented resort. This was reinforced by a friendly chat I had with Dave, one of the security staff, on our first day. He said they don’t permit any loud late-night parties, and if we had any noise complaints, to call the manager’s office and they would dispatch security to handle it. He also forewarned us about the loud music on Friday nights from the Sheraton next door, but it wasn’t too bad, and we could see some of their fire dances from our Lanai.

The unit comes with all standard kitchen appliances, and an adequate amount of plates, silverware, glasses, etc. for two people. Technically there is enough for 4 people, but then you would probably need to run the dishwasher daily. There is a detailed inventory list in the kitchen of everything that is supposed to be provided with the unit. There are also a few “extras” in the unit – a couple of boogie boards, some beach mats, books, etc. The unit is also equipped with high speed Internet. An extra long cable is provided, but I found it more convenient to use the wireless signal from the Sheraton next door. There were a couple of things that seemed notably absent from the unit: candle holders, matches, and, especially, drink coasters. There is no washer/dryer in the condo, but there is an on-site coin-op Laundromat which we used once mid-stay.

There is a beach services hut next to building 30. They have pretty much everything you need for the beach. Towels and beach chairs are available at no charge (you sign for them). Unfortunately, there are no beach towels in the condo, so for our excursions to other beaches we purchased a couple of beach towels at Whalers. There are also a number of good quality gas grills in different locations around the property, but I didn’t get the opportunity to try them out.

There is a pool, tennis courts, and restaurant on the property. These are located across Poipu Road from the main part of the Plantation. It is about a 10 minute walk between the beach and the pool. We walked over there once, and it seemed pretty popular, but I much preferred the beach.

The beach is beautiful, and very popular. There was a bit of surf during our stay (this was true along the whole south shore), so the beach was mostly sunbathers and surfers. Snorkeling was decent on the west side of the beach, near the public beach access.

On our last day, we had a night flight home, and were able to stay in the unit until 6pm since there was no one checking in. Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Kiahuna, and if we return, would definitely rent unit 196 again.

We thought that this one the best location on the south shore within its price range. Very nicely located (close to the shopping center, in the middle of the coast - which makes it convenient to travel both east and west). Our unit was clean and nice. We got the garden view to save some money - and were not disappointed at all (see the pictures attached). Their beach is also nice. You can walk to Sheraton, stay at their beach too, and have a decent breakfast at their buffet.
If you are not sure at which part of the island you want to stay - note that the surf is higher on the south shore in summer. We were here in August, and spent a few days on the south shore and a few days on the north. We liked the North shore much better - no waves, good snorkeling, and unbelievable views. In winter, however, the surf should be too high in the north - so it's great time to stay at Plantation Resort ;-)
We explored all the beaches on the south shore. By far the best was Lawa'i bay (you have to walk through private property from the end of Lawa'i Rd. We saw locals just stepping over the gate, so we did the same). We liked the restaurant at the Plantation's grounds. The well-regarded Keoki's paradise was pretty boring for lunch, and Roy's bar and grill (supposed to be one of the best) is a chain, overpriced, and does not have any good views. In contrast, the Beach House Restaurant is very nicely located, and has even lower prices ($140 with the tip for full dinner with drinks, call in advance at reserve the table at the window).

My husband and I had a wonderful time at this condo resort. We booked one of the garden view apts-- basically at the back of the resort farthest from the beach (about a 5 min walk to the beach).

The resort was conveniently located on a nice beach for snorkeling (not as good as the beaches in Hanalei like Tunnels but still not bad) and the condo we stayed in was lovely. I particularly liked the fact that the condo was spotless. The daily housekeeping service insured that it was well kept during our stay.

We also loved the fact that there were lots of grills around the property so a couple of nights we grilled steaks.

I was a little concerned when I read reviews that said the resort didn't have air condition but there were windows on all sides with lovely shutters that allowed for wonderful breezes at no point did I ever wish we had AC. We also had a really spacious porch area where I'd read and enjoy the cool breezes during our down time.

Another bonus is the fact that the resort is located across from a shopping center that has a couple of restaurants and a little general store that stays open til 10 in case you need to pick up milk, cereal or any mini vanity hawaii license plates.

Although we don't have kids, we did see lots of families with young children. The resort had lots of large green spaces where kids were playing ball and hanging out so it did seem like a kid-friendly spot even though I thought the beach was a little rough for kids. They even have a nice little pool area across the street with a cool water slide for the kids and a nice bar for the grown-ups.

Bottom line is, if you want to stay in Poipu, I can't recommend this place enough!