We stayed in #209 at Pali Ke Kua for almost a week during the first week of July. Let me start off by saying it was a WONDERFUL place to vacation!

The first evening we arrived, it was very hot inside because the unit had been closed up but the blinds were left open, so the afternoon sun just cooked the place. But after we got all the windows open, it took a few hours but the place finally cooled down once the sun set. This was the only day that it was too hot for us, because all the other days we left the windows open all day so the breeze coming thru always kept the temperature nice.

This unit is on the bluff facing the Bali Hai mountains to the west, giving you the most unbelievable sunsets! I had done a lot of research about which unit to stay in, and we were so glad with our choice! It is a second story unit, with the master bedroom and bath on the first floor, and another bedroom with bath upstairs, as well as a loft area with two twin beds. The loft however has no windows, so it was always warm in that area, too warm to sleep in.

The decor was very nice, and the owners supplied us with everything we could need, except for beach towels. That was the ONLY thing we were not happy with, since we hadn't packed any from home. The beds were very comfortable, and both bathrooms were absolutely AMAZING! The showers are big with a huge built-in seat under the window. We thought the downstairs master bath was the only one like it, so we were shocked when we saw the upstairs one was exactly the same, actually even bigger since it didn't contain the washer and dryer as the downstairs bath did. It ended up being perfect since we were two couples staying there, we each got a wonderful bathroom.

Now, I had read a lot about the private beach called Hideaways, and how it was such a huge, hard hike down and back up. So we were prepared for a hike, and believe me, we are not in the best shape. I was really worried about it, but I had heard that the snorkeling was good so I wanted to at least try doing the hike once. Well, let me tell you, the beach was WONDERFUL! The hike wasn't near as bad as people made it out to be! I was able to hike up it in 10 minutes, and each time I stopped and rested for a minute or two to catch my breath at two different spots. It really isn't that bad! And believe me when I say this, it is well worth it! The beach is small and very private, and has the best snorkeling on the island! The fish life is abundant, more so than at Tunnels beach, and we figured it's probably because there is WAY less people there! We ended up going down to the beach every morning about 7:30 and we had the whole place to ourselves for at least the first few hours! Eventually a few other people wandered down to do some snorkeling, but it was never crowded. It was always low tide in the morning, so it was perfect. We even walked out around the rocky point to get to the other part of Hideaways beach (the one that has public access) and even that one was never too crowded. We liked ours better though, because there was a lot of shade under the trees and less people. Two days in a row, while snorkeling, we came upon two sea turtles in the water! That was amazing to swim with them! We were done there each day by 11:00 or noon, and would come back up, shower, and go do more sight-seeing stuff. So don't let the steep path keep you from visiting this wonderful beach! If I can do it, you probably can too. And I considered it getting my daily exercise by hiking back up! One warning about this beach: do not walk on the black rocks! They are very slippery (I fell once and so did my brother-in-law). Just be careful getting in and out of the water, as it is rocky, but that's what makes the snorkeling so excellent! If you go down to the far end (just before the rocky point that separates the two beaches) there is actually a big sandy area to get in and out of the water very easily, as well as a nice big rock-free area to swim, if you aren't into snorkeling.

Most evenings we bought fresh fish at the local fish market in Hanalei Bay (behind the Dolphin restaurant) and brought it back to the condo to cook. The fish was great, and it was wonderful sitting on the balcony each night eating fresh local fish, drinking tropical fruity drinks made in the blender, and watching the sun set, from that fabulous balcony.

The whole place is very clean, the grounds are very well taken care of, and if you book a unit with a view like we had, you will not be disappointed. I would even stay on the other side of the bluff facing east, as the views from those units were great too. But nothing compares to the units facing Bali Hai.

We rented #209 from Regency Pacific, and I dealt with a very nice lady named Gloria. I highly recommend them, we had no problems, in fact we were able to extend our check-out on our last day until 1:00, which gave us an extra morning to go snorkel again on our private beach!

If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me via the link here. I am happy to answer any questions you may have if you are considering staying at Pali Ke Kua!

Princeville, what can I say, as this part of the island is gorgeous. Our family of four stayed in unit 15 at Pli Ke Kua for three nights during July 2008 and it the heat was unbearable in our unit. No A/C, which we knew going in was much hard to do without. The dryer in our unit did not dry clothes. The pool area was unusual because the restaurant, Saffrons, overlooked the pool. The rest of our trip, five nights, was spent at the Sheraton Resort Poipu. That was amazing as the service was 4 to 5 star. Aloha!

Unit 205 is a two bedroom, two bath second floor unit at Pali Ke Kua...we stayed there (4 adults) in early April. It's a great place and we would highly recommend it to anyone.

For starters, it has to have the most beautiful view on this planet...it's located on a cliff that overlooks Bali Hai! I still dream about that view...the ever changing colors of the sky and ocean, the magnificent sunsets, the rainbows...in addition to the gorgeous vistas we were delighted to observe lots of wildlife from our lanai (Nene, whales, turtles, dolphin, swordfish, etc.)...ahhh, I could go on and on!

The decor of unit 205 was lovely and everything looks recently updated. The layout was great...It was immaculate and completely stocked with everything we needed in the way of kitchen supplies, towels, linens, beach chairs, etc. The beds were very comfortable and there was a wonderful cross breeze in the unit at night so air conditioning wasn't needed or missed.

The Pali Ke Kua is located centrally on the north shore (in Princeville) and is only a couple of miles from the charming little town of Hanalei. The grounds are lovely and well maintained. It's a steep paved walk to Hideaways Beach from the complex but well worth the trek. We spent a couple of idyllic afternoons there...it was one of our favorite beaches to visit...it's very pretty and never seemed crowded...probably due to the effort it takes to get down there!

There isn't anything negative I can say about this place. On our last day (we had a late flight out) we called the Remax management and were permitted to stay until 4:00pm for no additional charge (they didn't have new renters coming in on that day). That really made it nice for us...it was like getting an extra bonus day in paradise! And paradise it was...the north shore, Pali Ke Kua, unit 205...we can't wait to return.

We stayed in Pali Ke Kua unit 111 (1st floor, 1 bedroom/1bath) for 5 nights at the beginning of July, 2008. We rented through Ah Aloha realty and the pictures on their website are extremely accurate. This condo is lovely on the inside and the views are truly amazing. Seeing the beautiful Pacific Ocean and the mountain view every time you look out the windows is absolutely gorgeous. There were beach towels, beach chairs, mats, and a little ice chest to use. The condo also had the usual kitchen necessities—pots/pans, utensils, dinnerware, glasses, soap (both hand and dish), dishwasher tabs, and a few spices and condiments (located either above the microwave or in the frig). The bathroom had 2 starter rolls of toilet paper, bar soap, hand soap, and laundry detergent. There were several towels, hand towels, and wash cloths as well. The washer/dryer combo is in the bathroom.

This condo does not have air conditioning (many places on Kauai do not). There were vented windows that opened up to allow the trade winds to blow through and these cooled the condo very well—I live in Arkansas and was concerned about the lack of A/C before we got here! As others have mentioned, it did get hot inside during the late afternoon. It was helpful to keep the curtains closed when we were out or during the hottest parts of the day if we were in. The ceiling fans and shuttered windows really did keep the condo cool most of the time. We could also sleep with these little windows open b/c you can’t get in through them. We kept the sliding glass doors open (with the screen closed) when we were at the condo but always locked it up when we left and at night. We also closed the shuttered windows at night—it helped keep out noise (the rain falling on the palm fronds was louder than you might think) and it really did get quite cool in the bedroom at night.

The condo is in a beautiful location on the North Shore. You do have to drive a bit to get to other areas of the island, but that seems fairly common around here. There is a small shopping center up the road from the Princeville entrance—the Princeville Shopping Center. There is a Foodland grocery store—be sure to ask for the customer discount card to save a little bit of money. Yes, the items in here are expensive, but that seems to be true in many places on the island. There is also a Lappert’s ice cream store and several other stores and a restaurant.

Pali Ke Kua has a paved path down to its own private beach (sign stating that it’s only for those staying at this complex). This path is STEEP and a difficult climb coming back up. We went down (and up) a few times when we first got here but finally decided the beach down there isn’t worth all that effort. Yes, it’s a beautiful walk down and up and the view down there is gorgeous as well. The beach is very rocky and doesn’t appear to be a good place to swim or snorkel. We never felt comfortable enough with it to attempt either. Some people seem to think this little beach is “Hideaways beach” but I don’t believe it is. Hideways is next to it but must be entered from a different path (it’s between Princeville Hotel and Pua Poa). There are some big rocks that jut out between the two beaches and it doesn’t appear safe enough to attempt to go between the two with this route. We enjoyed snorkeling at Tunnels beach—so many gorgeous fish and easy water to snorkel in.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay and our condo. The view is truly fabulous and the condo itself was very comfortable. We’d be happy to stay here again, although our curiosity about other parts of Kauai might lead us elsewhere. This island is beautiful and worth exploring.