This was our sixth trip to Kauai. We usually stay at either Kauai Marriott in Lihue or at the Sheraton Kauai near Poipu. This time around we had our 13 month old child with us, so we decided we needed to stay someplace which provided us with a full kitchen and a condo feel. If you are used to staying at regular hotels and resorts, then looking for a condo with most of the amenities of home is a bit daunting at first. We wound up being very satisfied with Castle Kiahuna Plantation & Beach Bungalows.

We focused Castle Kiahuna because of its location near the Sheraton. We had been to the Sheraton a bunch and like the area around Poipu Beach. The beach fronting the Castle Kiahuna is the same beach that fronts the Sheraton. Thus, we knew the beach would be great (and it was). Also, if you don't like the beach fronting the Castle Kiahuna, you can take a 4 minute walk over to Poipu beach. We wound up using Poipu Beach a bit more since it has a protective reef that creates a safe haven of calm water for toddlers.

The unit we stayed in was a Garden-View Suite. It was located on the second floor towards the corner of the building, so we only had neighbors on one side. That makes a difference since you can hear your neighbors if they are using their lanai/terrace when you are using yours. The unit was everything we expected and some. It was well furnished and had a full kitchen. Most importantly it was extremely clean and well-kept and two-thirds of the floor space had carpeting (which is great when you have a toddler who is crawling but not quite walking yet). The unit consisted of a bedroom, living room, dining room and bathroom. It felt like you were living in your own tiny little apartment. The ceilings were very high, which made you feel like you had more space than you actually did. The windows had wooden slats that you could crank as open or as closed as you wanted (which was great for controlling light and wind levels inside the unit). The lanai had a table and char set, so we ate many meals outside. The view from the lanai was of the grounds. There were so many trees placed throughout the grounds that you couldn't really see all the other units around you. The trees masked your unit so well that you got the sense that your unit was the only one in the area (even though the Castle Kiahuna has many units scattered throughout its grounds). The full kitchen allowed us to do our own grocery shopping, which was more economical for us than eating out at restaurants every meal. There were two televisions (one in the bedroom and one in the living room). Be sure to bring your laptop, as there is complementary high-speed internet access. There was also ample parking outside our unit, so we always had a space.

The staff was great. They did a great job keeping the unit and the grounds clean. They don't clean your unit in the manner you come to expect from a high end resort. They basically come in while you are away and empty your trash and give you new towels. They don't try and tidy the whole room up like they do at the Sheraton. Thus, if you leave your damp shorts on the couch, they will be there when you return from trek to the Waimea Canyon. That was fine with me. My clothes lying around made the place feel more like home. The front desk staff were polite, professional and answered all our questions. The staff near the beach were great as well (that's where you get your beach towels and other beach gear). The overall service was very good.

As for the negatives...there weren't a whole lot. There was no air conditioner in the unit, but that didn't present a problem. The ceiling fans and evening breezes in the evening were more than sufficient to keep us comfortable at night. In the daytime we were out and about the island. The noise from the neighbors wasn't a great hassle, but you could definitely hear them when their children bumped around in the morning on the lanai. The walls aren't paper thin between the units, but they could be a bit thicker. Finally, there are salamanders here and there inside the units. there is no way to avoid that problem in this particular part of the tropics. Every now and again while I dozed off on the couch watching the Olympics, I would look at the ceiling and see a small salamander scamper across. Didn't bother me much, but it may bother folks who are not used to seeing them.

That's the overview. Great place to stay if you want to be on/near Poipu and want to feel like you are in your own apartment. Not the greatest place if you are the type of traveler who wants to be pampered. i.e., spa, daycare, five-star restaurants, art gallery, etc. Great place for families.

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).