This is our second time to stay at the Pali Ke Kua, and in my opinion the sunsets are the best. Having a unit on the west side of the complex insures that you will have a wonderful show each night.

My husband and I stayed in Unit 109 which is a one bedroom unit. We love staying on the ground level, as it gives you the ease of simply walking out your lanai door to the cliff side. Without a/c, I don't think it gets as hot in the afternoon as the upstairs units.


We rented the unit direct from the owner via VRBO. She was very nice to deal with, and the transaction went smoothly. The unit is very clean and very nice, but it definitely needs updating. Some repairs and maintenance need to be done to various items/areas in the unit. Things are just starting to look dated, and you could tell that the unit just needs a good overhall.

But nonetheless, we were very pleased, and would recommend this complex to others.

This was our third stay at PKK, which is our favorite condo complex on the North Shore of Kauai. My wife and I stayed at PKK#218 for a week in mid August 2008. Unit #218 is a 2nd floor end unit with a loft 2nd bedroom. The condo has a great view of sunsets and the north end of the Na Pali Coast (see photos taken from the lanai). Also, since this is an end unit that juts out slightly on a point of the cliff, in addition to the main views to the west, there is a view to the north from the dining area and the master bedroom. The position of this condo makes it a bit more private than some of the others, which is also a plus in my book. These facts, and the quality of the interior finish and furnishings, justify the premium in the rental rate. We heard our neighbors a few times, but it wasn’t really a problem. Our main company was the cute chirping geckos who shared the condo with us.

We like the west facing views the best (there are a number of buildings at PKK with north views, and there is unit 226 on “The Point” with fabulous north, east and west views). Bottom line: In my opinion, after unit 226, unit 218 offers the best views at PKK. Also, of the west facing units, the second floor units have the best views.

The only downside with the west-facing units like 218 is that in late afternoon, until the sun starts to set, these condos get direct sun to the interior of the unit and become quite warm (no A/C). So if you plan a sunset dinner, you might want to get takeout or prepare most of it ahead of time. During the summer, it can get rather warm if you are cooking in the kitchen in the early evening.

The furnishings in this condo are first rate. Very comfortable and in great condition. The owners web site - kauai-oceanfrontcondo.com - accurately depicts the interior of the unit (this unit can only be rented directly through the owner). Angela, the owner, was great to work with. She let us move our original dates by a week and also let us check out late on our last day, which was a huge advantage.

You will find almost everything you would have at home in this unit. Lots of kitchenware, drink coasters, cable TV, DVD player, 3-disc CD player, high speed Internet connection (cable provided), washer/dryer, books, games, puzzles, Hawaiian-themed videos. Lots of towels. Extra bed linens. Etc. Also stuff for the beach. Straw mats. Bogie boards. Good quality beach chairs. A couple of coolers. Etc. If I could change one thing, it would be the table and chairs on the lanai. They are very comfortable, but I found I was looking right at the railing while seated (I am 5’6”). I would have been happier with a bar height table with swivel bar chairs so I could enjoy the sunset unobstructed. That said, I would absolutely rent unit 218 again.

There is also a great little snorkeling beach, Hideways, at the base of the cliff, which is accessed by walking down a paved (most of the way) path. Even with the path, it is a steep hike, so the beach is not crowded. Thanks to our late check-out, on our last day we had time for one more visit to the beach and that happened to be the day a good-sized sea turtle decided to hang out and snack on the reef right off the beach. I met one of the long time owners of another PKK condo and she said we were real lucky because the turtles didn’t usually come so close to shore. I was able to get the best turtle photos (see photos) of all my trips to the Islands, so this made our stay extra-special.

There is a pool and hot tub. The pool area has been upgraded since our first visit to PKK. We only used it once this visit, and it was OK. Not at all crowded. I tried the hot tub, but the water temperature was set overly high, so it was impossible to relax and soak.

Overall, we really like PKK. Since the units are individually owned, the décor, upkeep, and furnishings can vary widely. If you can get recent reviews or photos of your specific unit, I would recommend it. In addition to renting directly from Angela, we have rented at PKK though Princeville Vacations and Kauai Vacation Rentals, and had good experiences with all three.

We stayed in unit #118. It has a 270 degree view of the ocean and Napali coast. It was the ideal location to watch the sunsets. My husband enjoyed snorkeling at Hideaways Beach. We took the path down between the 2 hotels. Then we discovered the paved pathway from the condo area. It was an easy walk by comparison down to the BBQ, tables, and private beach. I wish we had BBQed and eaten a dinner down there.
Our unit had been redecorated with beautiful counters, cabinets and tiling recently-very nice. We would love to come back to stay here.
We rented it from remaxkauai.com-great people to work with!

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!