I was talking earlier today with a coworker about the vacation rental he was splitting with a few friends of his. He’s renting a ski house with a few buddies of his for the winter. Anyone who has rented a ski house knows that not all the rooms are the same, and we were discussing how they were splitting the rooms. There’s usually a nice comfy master bedroom often with a private bathroom. Then there are the smaller rooms, often containing tiny bunk beds. Given the disparity in accommodations, the master bedroom is usually highly sought after especially amongst vacationing sets of couples.

The question is then how do you decide who gets which room? For a shorter term rental I think it’s best try to be accommodating. For example if there’s one couple and three people who are are “alone”, the couple probably should get the nice room with the private bath. I think most people would agree on that. The problem is that more often than not, different individuals or couples have similar claims to the nicer room. Personally I’m ok with luck deciding the matter, but I generally don’t care that much about where I’m sleeping. I used to take a trip with a few buddies of mine to Whistler, and what we used to do was play cards each night for choice of sleeping locations. We played Asshole, and the rank at the end of night determined which bed or share of a bed each person got. The Asshole slept on the couch. We felt that was fair if not equitable.

I know others who think that the person who has done more work to book the house should get preference. On the surface this seems only fair. If you’ve done more work, you should reap the rewards of that work. However that begs the question of who gets the privilege of booking the house? Often times who does the booking is an arbitrary decision, other times its a perk more than a responsibility. Many people want to be the one booking because it allows for more control.

Like any matter concerning money and people, the clearest way to avoid problems is to spell things out in as much detail as possible beforehand. Don’t all show up and drop off your stuff in the master bedroom. I say if you think the choice of rooms is going to be an issue, set the terms of choice before arriving and make it financial. For example when a friend of mine and her roommate had to decide who got which room in their 1500 apartment they put out silent bids for the bigger room. The person who bid higher paid the average of the two bids. So my friend put in a bid of 800 and her roommate bid 900. Her friend got the bigger room and paid 850 while she paid 750 for her smaller room. This method gives the person who values the better room the better room at price that is fair to all involved. You can extend this method across multiple people and rooms by requiring a bid for each room.

When I had decided that I wanted to go to Kauai, I had also decided that I wanted to stay on the north shore. The north shore is more scenic than the other coasts. It’s certainly the greenest, receiving more rain than any other coast of Kauai. Hanalei Bay is the Crown Jewel of the north shore, and the Princeville resort the diamond. The Hanalei Bay Resort is the Princeville’s bastard half brother. They are located less than a half mile from each other in Princeville on the same side of the bay.

Bastard half brother it may be, the Hanalei Bay did give me great rate for 4 nights via Expedia. I paid $134/night with the 4th night thrown in for “free,” netting a total cost of a little over $100/night including tax. For comparison, the same period mountainview rooms at the Princeville were $380/night not including taxes. While there are cheaper hotels, and hostels for that matter, the Hanalei Bay I thought represented by the far the best value. Most guidebooks listed the hotel in a grade below the Princeville. On Orbitz it’s listed as 3 star versus the 5 star Princeville.

However once I arrived and checked in, I was very curious about both the 3 star rating, and the “very expensive” classification the resort is given in most guidebooks.  This is not the say Hanalei Bay is not a pleasant place to stay. Our room was large, and the king size bed plenty comfortable.  The small patio overlooked the mountains as promised.  The staff was helpful and courteous.  However, the Hanalei Bay Resort is not exactly what I would call a high end hotel despite being listed as such in many guides.

One of the reasons Hanalei Bay is the way it is simply a question of ownership.  Hanalei Bay is owned by developer Quintus Resorts.  Quintus is not a hotel management company like Marriot, Hyatt or Starwoods.  It only owns Hanalei Bay, and is currently developing a property in Nevada.  The company is primarily in the timeshare development business.  As a result most of the units at the Hanalei Bay are privately owned especially the larger units with kitchens.  I stayed in a hotel room owned by Quintus.

It’s possible to book a unit privately at Hanalei Bay with an owner directly. Some of these units have been extensively remodeled, others poorly maintained. The rooms owned by Quintus I imagine are like the one we had. Dated, but clean. In addition room service does not happen every day. According to a note in the room, room service could be requested for additional $30 for each visit or $10 just for towel service.  However I found my room cleaned the second day.  I believe room service happens every other day unless requested which is more than fine with me.

Some people look to receive a certain class of service from resorts. They want to be waited upon hand and foot from check in to check out as I felt when I stayed at Caneel Bay.  Hanalei Bay is not this type of resort.  The staff is friendly, casual and low key and nothing like the staff that might be found at a Four Seasons hotel.  For some this might be a good thing, for others unacceptable.  Given that my stay in Kauai was to enjoy the outdoors, I wasn’t particularly concerned with the lack of “plus” hotel service.  If you’re looking for that, stay at another hotel.  Stay at Hanalei Bay if you want in beautiful setting, at a resort that takes a hands off approach.  If you want a superior room at the resort, I would recommend researching different privately owned units at the Hanalei and booking such a unit directly with the owner.  The rooms owned by Quintus are unlikely to impress, but are certainly adequate enough for most people

I spent two nights in Honolulu two nights in Maui, and 4 in Kauai. I will only be skimming over my time in Honolulu and Maui given that I didn’t actually do much on those islands.

Honolulu

I stayed at the Ohana East in Waikiki. My girlfriend’s company paid for the room which they were able to get a fantastic rate of $75/night. The Ohana hotel company runs a wide range of hotels in Honolulu. The Ohana East is on the lower end of the scale. The location is good but not fantastic. It’s near the main drag, but not on the beach.

Waikiki beach itself is a great beach if you haven’t been to other beaches in Hawaii. Since we visited during off season, the beach was only moderately crowded. Compared to a beach in Cape Cod or the Jersey shore during the summer, the beach was positively abandoned. Waikiki is good swimming beach with gentle surf by Hawaiian standards. The snorkeling given the volume of beach goers is not the best.

Maui

In Maui we stayed at the Beachside Motel near the airport on the bay. We stayed there because it was cheap and conveniently located to where my girlfriend needed to be. Unless there’s a strong reason you need to stay near Kahului, the main town in Maui, I would look to other hotels in more recreational locations.

Given my short time in Maui, I only managed to do two things:

One: I drove around the western half of the island. This is the less famous drive in Maui. The drive to do is the one to the eastern side of Maui, The Road to Hana. I instead drove around the western island, the smaller of the two connected islands, which is still incredibly scenic in itself. The drive is series of mountain switchbacks across a one lane road. Depending on the traffic levels, it can make for some interesting moments as two cars traveling in opposite directions try to make room for one to pass.

Two: I snorkeled in Lahaina near Black Rock. On our last day in Maui we rented snorkel equipment parked the car near the series of resorts in the Western town of Lahaina and made our way to Black Rock. Black Roak is craggy rock jutting out to sea at the beach near the Sheraton hotel. Torches are lit up a night along a walkway towards the top of the rock from which brave souls jump into the sea. I was not such a brave soul. I was only brave enough to snorkel by daylight in the vicinity. Because of the geology of the area, the shore quickly becomes much deeper in the vicinity of Black Rock. This geography makes for excellent near shore snorkeling. There is both coral and fish to be scene. Remember do not get near the coral as your touch can kill coral that may be hundreds of years old.

Kauai

Kauai was really my vacation while the rest of Hawaii was just a bonus. Without any work obligations, my girlfriend was free to spend time with me. We were able to do what we wanted when we wanted, making the best of 4 nights, and three full days.

Using the Hanalei Bay Resort as our base of operations, we generally stuck to the northern and eastern side of the island. Not having done my research ahead of time, I only earned winter was rainy season in the North Shore when we arrived. Luckily it was reasonably sunny 3 out of 4 days. The waters are rougher during rainy season while in contrast the south is calm in winter and stormier in summer. Even without the seasonal variation, the north shore is known to be the wetter locale. However like much of Hawaii rain will often come but does not often stay through the whole day. Expect showers, but don’t expect constant rain. However if sun and surf is your main interest, I would recommend staying in the South especially in the winter.

The North Shore

Princeville on the east marks the beginning which might arguably be the prettiest area of Kauai. Princeville is on the eastern shore of Hanalei bay, and is best described as a posh gated golf course community. The north shore because it gets more water than the other shores is by far the greenest, and this greenery frames the ocean perfectly

• Princeville
  • Princeville Hotel (accommodations - $$$$)
  • Hanalei Bay Resort (accommodations - $$)
  • Café Hanalei, La Cascata (food - $$$$)
• Town of Hanalei
• Postcards Café (food - $$$)
• Kee Beach
• Na Pali Coast

The Eastern Coast

The east coast is home to Kaua’is largest towns Lihu’e and Kapa’a. The airport and Marriott Hotel are located in Lihu’e which is the most commercial part of the island.

• Kapa’a
• Wailua
• Lihu’e
  • Marriott – Café Portofino (food - $$$)
  • Hamura Saimin (food - $)

Southeastern Coast

Poipu

Poipu is known as the Wakiki of Kauai. I didn’t really see that while spending about an hour on this shore. The Sheraton and Hyatt are two big hotels in this area. The Hyatt has wonderful oceanfront restaurant called the Tidepools which features independent thatched huts linked by bridges over a carp pond and waterfalls. I didn’t get a chance to visit the restaurant, but many friends who have been to Hawaii have. All we really managed to do at Poipu was watch rather subdued sea spray at Spouting Horn. The horn needs the bigger summer surf to put on a real show.

Princeville

As you pass the gated but open entrance to Princeville, an ornate fountain welcomes you to what could be just another expensive suburban community. The Hanalei Bay Resort and the Princeville Hotel are the primary hotels/resorts in the compound. While there are commercial properties in the area, Princeville is on the most part residential. The Princeville Hotel run by Starwood features one the grandest lobbies I have ever seen. It’s a lobby befitting one the most expensive hotels on an island full of expensive hotels. The rack rate for rooms can be easily over $500 depending on the season. The rooms themselves are located below the lobby which sits on the 9th floor. The Princeville manages to get around Kaua’is building ordinances against any buildings taller than a coconut tree (3 or 4 stories) by building down rather than up. The bulk of the hotel is built into the cliff walls of Hanalei Bay. The Princeville hosts two very expensive restaurants, the Hanalei café and La Cascata. The food at the café is more contemporary while La Cascata offers more traditional Mediterranean fare. One way to enjoy the view without paying through the nose is to have drinks and appetizers at The Living Room, the main bar at the Princeville. The outside terrace adjacent to the main seating area is popular location to catch the sunset. This is what we did one night before actually feeding ourselves with cheap Chinese takeout at Panda’s Kitchen in Hanalei.

Hanalei

Heading west past a sharp and badly identified hairpin turn is Hanalei Bay which is encircled by lush mountains. At the apex of the bay lies Hanalei a quaint town with a small town center with a number of restaraunts both within and outside the Chin Young marketplace. Towards the water, Hanalei town hosts a wonderful beach, Hanalei Beach. Hanalei Beach makes up a greater portion of the bay and offers wonderful swimming year round. We were there are on slightly stormy day, and as a results found good but manageable surf. I regretted not having a boogie board as watched first time surfers hitting the waves in wet suits. Next time in Hawaii, I’m going to try surfing. I felt I didn’t have enough time on this trip to dedicate a full day to learning.

Postcards Café

The restaurant built in 1992 is a replica of an old. The menu eschews meat other than fish, and generally uses organic ingredients where available. The interior is relaxed without being too informal. In addition there is an outdoor seating area on the patio where we actually ended up sitting. We started off with the pupu platter, a perfect sampler for two, which was excellent. The platter consisted of fried tarot, shrimp, tuna sashimi, and vegetarian spring rolls. Our expectations were raised. However, both our entrees disappointed. I had the wasabi encrusted Tuna, while my girlfriend had the seafood Sorrento pasta. Both were delivered less than warm which I’m willing to excuse. What I won’t excuse it that both entrees were lacking in flavor. I was also surprised to see the seafood Sorrento used rotelli. I generally think of rotelli in a pasta salad rather than as proper pasta for a main course. Continuing the drive east from Hanalei across more one lane bridges are a few more beaches and the last stop on the Kuhio highway (route), Kee Beach. Past the beach heading south and east is the beginning of the Na Pali coast. Kee Beach is well protected by an extensive coral reef system located close to shore. As a result the surf is gentle, and there is decent snorkeling, though there is a limited amount of live coral to see right near the shore.

Na Pali Coast

Na Pali coast is the northwestern shore of Kauai. It’s in inaccessible by car. The Kalalua trail begins at Kee Beach and extends 11 miles down the coast offering breathtaking views of cliffs and ocean. Beyond the first two miles past Hanakapi’ai beach, a permit is required to continue. Hanakapi’ai beach is one the most dangerous beaches in Kauai. On average one person dies a year swimming in the surf of beach that’s unprotected by any type off shore reef system. Swimming is to be avoided. My girlfriend and I hiked the first 2 miles and then a secondary hike off the main trail to Hanakapia falls. Neither the main nor the secondary Hanakapi’ai Fall’s trails are easy, especially in wet winter conditions. The trails are both slippery and steep in some locations. In addition, the way to the falls involves a number of stream crossings. These stream crossing can be dangerous during wet conditions. The rocks are slippery and the current strong especially after heavy rains. However the rewards for making the hike are spectacular views of the coast on the main trail, and gigantic and secluded waterfall on the secondary trail.

Some fellow hikers enjoying the water. They were braver souls than I. Given that it was somewhat cool day in the shade of the fall, neither I or my girlfriend wanted to venture in the uncertain pool. The pool beneath the falls was somewhat dark ominous. We did get a chance later to refresh ourselves inthe smaller secret falls up from the Wailua river.

The hike to waterfall is 8 miles round trip and makes a wonderful day hike. The entire Kalalua trail hike on the Na Pali coast is 11 miles and must be broken across multiple days. Camping with permits is allowed currently at Hanakapia and at the end of trail at Kalalau beach. The other campsite between Hanakapia and trail end is currently closed. While I haven’t traversed the trail myself, I’ve heard that it’s not the easiest hike with some the same muddy conditions that mark the first two miles along the way. One section of the trail has completely disappeared, washed off the hillside by rains. Without any clear path to make footing, it’s advisable to bring a shovel to be able to dig out a foot path from the face of the hill.

Kapa’a

Kapa’a is Kauai’s beautifully compact and slightly bohemian urban mecca of yoga and would be vegans. Restaurant and stores abound. One of the Bubba’s Burgers is in town, the other being in Hanalei. Bubba’s serves and old fashioned hamburger, shakes, fries, and gigantic onion rings. They also sell Bubba t-shirts and other trinkets. In addition to Bubba’s our river guide also recommended Mermaids as a good lunch spot, and Kintaro’s for good sushi.

Wailua

South of Kapa’a is Wailua which has more of strip mall feel in comparison to the more alternative Kapa’a. The main reason to come to Wailua is Kayaking. East of town is the main mouth of the Wailua river and popular destination for both self-led and guide led tours. We enjoyed an excellent tour with the mom and pop run Wailua Kayak Adventures. We were dropped off and picked up by mom and pop at the Wailua river, and taken out on the river by their son. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour, and was more than happy with the service provided. Compared to some of the larger kayaking companies, Wailua Kayak Adventures offers an excellent deal at $85 per couple to share a two seat Kayak. Unlike some of their competitors who provide a full lunch, Kayak Adventures only provides a snack, but some of their competitors charge almost the same ($85) per person as does Wailua Kayak Adventures charges per couple. Given that the morning tour that starts at 7am finishes around 1pm, I think lunch afterwards and DINNER for at least TWO days can be paid out of that saving. Wailua Kayak Adventures is located past the town of Kapa’a to the north after “Movie Tours.” It’s no longer located behind Coconuts as many guidebooks state.

Lihu’e

The only two things I did in the Lihu’e area were either air travel or food related. The Kauai airport is located on the outskirt of the town. In addition commercial businesses of Kauai, as few as they may be, tend to be located in Lihu’e. We had two meals in Lihu’e that were as about as opposite as they come. Hamura Saimin serves Saimin noodles which might just be another name for ramen. I had the “special” saimin which comes with pork, wontons, and vegetables for $6. There is no better value on the island (certainly not one I came across). Even without the fantastic low low price which is cheaper than the Ramen I can get in Boston, it was the best ramen I’ve had in years.

Café Portofino at the Marriott

Mom and Pop at Wailua Kayak Adventures recommended that we go to the Marriott. They told us the restaurant overlooked the beach and the bay and was a perfect place for a sunset meal. It was, except we missed sunset by a few minutes as we ran late making the walk from the parking lot. If you go to either Café Portofino or Duke’s Canoe Club, it’s actually more convenient to park at Kalapaki beach rather than the Marriott parking lot. Café Portofino is the more expensive of the two options. Both restaurants have a similar view of the bay, but at Duke’s you can avoid being serenaded by the Harpist that provides light background music at the Café. The food at Portofino is standard Italian fare with a few more seafood offerings. It’s good but nothing special. You go for the view. While Hanalei Bay is much grander, Kalapaki beach and accompanying bay has a much more intimate feel that I find is better suited as backdrop to dinner.

As I’m sure some people have surmised I’m back from the wonderful islands of Hawaii. I came back on a redeye on Thanksgiving. I was lucky enough to avoid any delays despite traveling on the busiest travel days of the year. I will be in the next week posting a thorough recap/guide of my time in Hawaii (mostly Kauai), along with a review of the Hotel I stayed at in Kauai, the Hanalei Bay Resorts.

While I was able to keep up with my posts while away, I realize it’s not the easiest thing to do.  For one thing, everything I wanted to write while I was on vacation was often travel related.  Also because I was on vacation, I was generally out of touch of current events and other blogs. So much of my writing on this blog is dependent not only on current events, but idea generation that often comes from different blog posts and discussions on those posts.  I think next time I go on Vacation, I’m going to solicit for guest writers in addition to having a larger set of pre-written posts ready to publish.  I think it’ll make me a little more relaxed on vacation and it’ll definitely make my girlfriend happier – she thinks I’m a bit obsessed about blogging.