|
1. CAN YOU WALK TO THE
BEACH? Many places advertise that you can walk to the beach.
A friend who manages 40 rentals and has her own rental near beach says that all
her guests drive somewhere else everyday. Why? You will want to
explore many different beaches, each with different character. (See our
beach tour
Beach
Photo Tour.) Kauai
has more white sand beach than all the other islands combined. Some
beaches offer soulful walks, some good for swimming, (lagoon sheltered
beach or lifeguard), some for surfing (winter), snorkeling (summer), infants ..... For rentals that
claim "walk to beach", question is, "Is it a safe beach? Is it crowded by houses? Do you walk by streets
that are dangerous for kids? Is it even attractive? " The beach that is
walking distance from our place, about 10 minute walk, is a river
mouth that is not as epic as other choices. We ourselves never use it. It is better to drive 1 mile to world
class beach, Lumahai, or Tunnels Beach, 2 miles, or 4 miles to Hanalei Bay, or 4
to Ke'e. The list goes on. Walking on road here isn't safe as there are no shoulders in some places. Bike
riding in this area is also hazardous for same reason. There are intrepid joggers who make the
traffic go around them, dangerous for everyone. I think it is better to drive 5
minutes to long beach and walk or jog there. The contrast between the
windy beaches you will visit in the days and secluded lushness and river sounds
you will experience here at night is wonderful. When there are big
waves, ONLY SWIM
at lagoon beaches or near lifeguard towers.
2. HOW CLOSE ARE STORES AND RESTAURANTS?
Hanalei Town is 4 miles, or 10 minutes away, with about 15 restaurants,
grocery store, photo processing, ATM machine (of course!),
and gift-art shops.
3. IS THIS ONE HOUSE
OR SEVERAL? This is one long house with all rooms sharing view to south.
Each space has a private entrance after coming up stairs (or elevator for elderly)
4. WHAT WEATHER CAN
WE EXPECT? Is the weather predictable anywhere?!!
Do I trust the weather report??? (not!) Hawaii is a land of rainbows.
That means sun shining down on rain. That means passing clouds and showers
mixed with blue skies and sun. You can expect the weather to change several
times a day. You can expect gloomy mornings to change to brilliant baking
sun block afternoons, and vice versa. We have had a record breaking droughts
in recent winters, while some summers have been rainy, which just shows how
unpredictable it is. Honestly, in 6 years of business, there have only been
4 times where a period of 5 days was rained out, and all 4 times it was state wide storms. In general,
anticipating some rain is wise, and having sunblock with you is very wise! You will be in shorts and t-shirts most of the time. Summers bring
one sweater just in case an evening is cool. Winters, bring two layers in case it gets real
chilly. ... Below is current weather within one hour of right... now!..........
If you hear that it is storming here, don't worry. It
will change before you arrive.
A note on
South Shore vs. North Shore.
All the calendar photos of Kauai that you have probably ever seen were taken on
North Shore, the green lush side of every island in Hawaii. I think this
makes the South shore businesses jealous, so they put out negative comments
about the North Shore being rainy or cloudy. Read GREEN! The
south sides of all our islands are the leeward, dry sides. Mesquite and
prickly pear cactus, no kidding. Sun is guaranteed and so are mega resorts
and artificial environments. On Oahu it is Waikiki, on Maui it is Kihei,
on Big Island it is Kona, and on Kauai it is Poipu-Waimea-Kekaha. On
Kauai, a small island, the 20 mile long south side can be seen in a 2 hour
drive. Forget splitting your vacation between North and South!
Stay on North Shore and visit South side one half day, see the desert and
resorts and be very pleased you chose the calendar photo, green, North
shore. Oh, another criticism from the south, "rough water in winter on North Shore". True,
depending on waves, but there are several sheltered beaches. We
know. We swim daily.
Not convinced? Why is Pierce Brosnan
my neighbor and NOT living on South Shore?
5. ADA? Dawn Studio was designed at complete wheel chair access space, with lever door handles, roll under kitchenette and bathroom vanity, and roll in shower. And of course, the elevator
6. VALUES/SPIRIT/LIMITS ? We don't want to attract drunk energy or drugs or promiscuous energy
(people who bring home strangers). We expect our guests to dress modestly in the
carport area or on grounds. (One young couple in carport explained their
nudity this way "We're from California!" Huh? Give me a
break!) We don't subscribe to HBO or Showtime anymore, because of
late night porn. If you like to party, maybe a different rental would be better
for you. I would like to hope
our place is supportive of traditional family bonds. I use words 'traditional' and 'family' and 'honeymoon' in
historic and biological sense.
7. HOW CLOSE ARE THE NEIGHBORS?
We one neighbor behind bamboo, maybe 150 feet away. Basically no neighbors.
8. ARE ALL THE RENTALS NON-SMOKING?
Yes, no smoking. Message from Ray.... smoking killed a friend of mine
before he turned 50.
Quit now.
9.
ARE THESE HOT TUBS? The jacuzzi tubs are empty until you fill them with fresh water.
10. AIR CONDITIONING?
We don't need AC on the North Shore. All the spaces have ceiling and portable fans, and many screens. This is comfortable.
If you are from
the Southern states and used to air conditioning, or have stayed on desert
sides of islands, maybe you will expect AC but you won't miss it
once you
are here. And on winter mornings when there is a clear starry night, as stated in weather paragraph, a sweater
and socks are often needed, (unless you just flew in from winter in Wisconsin).
11. WHAT IS CANCELLATION
POLICY? When you book, you do this with an email confirming your
intention, I confirm with email, amd mark calendar and then send directions
by email., and you send deposit check in mail or by credit card. Full payment of balance
is expected with personal check by mail, or another credit card payment 60 days before your arrival. If you cancel more than
60 days before
your booking, we charge
$50 service fee and return funds to you. Less than 60 days, if you choose to
cancel,
we refund you only if we can replace your dates with another visitor.
What if there is a
disaster? If airport is closed
and your vacation cannot occur, or if landslide blocks road and you can't get here, I think we each should take 50-50 responsibility for the loss,
and I would refund you 50%.
If you arrive here and do not like the place, we''ll refund 30% in such a scenario. This
is unconventionally generous compared to other rental agencies on Kauai.
12. DO YOU TAKE
CREDIT CARDS? Yes. For those who prefer cards and
are willing to pay an extra 3.5% (charge from paypal), please request an online credit card invoice when you send
your inquiry. I'll ask last minute bookings to be paid this
way. The service is provided by Paypal.com with over
100 million accounts, and EBAY their biggest client. If you are
coming from Europe and don't want to use card, we can arrange for you to wire money
bank to bank.
13.
WHAT DO YOU PROVIDE ... Washer (with detergent included) and Dryer for
laundry is located in carport area, beach towels, cooler,
charcoal barbecue, iron and
ironing board, hair dryer, dvd, cd player, cable tv, wireless internet, beach equipment. For babies we have high chair, play pen,
stroller. We rent kayak, surf boards... There is no daily maid service. You clean your
place while you are here and take trash to cans in carport when needed. On that
subject, it is shoes-off policy in house, and there is hose at bottom of stairs to wash off your feet. If you have a favorite shampoo, bring
it, but not in carry on luggage, as you know. Hikers should bring
shoes and shorts that WILL get stained by iron oxide in dirt here.
SURFING LESSONS, BOAT AND HELICOPTER DISCOUNTS, LICENSED MASSAGE. Just ask me,
Ray, about
it.
Damage deposit is a hassle for
me, so I request when you burn a pot, or break something to tell
me and give me some money for it.
We just ask that you conform to shoes off policy, wash off sandy feet with
hose provided, and do one favor, take trash from kitchen to downstairs can
when you leave. Otherwise, you don't have to strip beds or wash anything
but your own dishes. Please don't leave dirty dishes.
14. WILL WE NEED TO RENT A CAR?
Yes, absolutely. The public transportation here is very marginal.
You will want to explore all the beaches and there are no signal
lights within 20 miles, so don't worry, you will not be in a traffic zone on
north shore. There is rush hour traffic in Lihue and Kapaa. For car rental quotes, use 800 numbers in your local yellow pages to
call the different car rental companies, such as National, Dollar, Thrifty, Budget, Alamo,
Avis, and tell
them you are needing a car at Lihue Airport on Kauai. For guests under 25 years old,
you will probably pay double. I personally think renting a jeep is a waste of
money. They are all automatic transmission, you can't lock them, they
cost double an economy car, and, there are almost no roads where you need one!
I know, I know, you are on safari and have to have 'the look'.... For all of them
ask for AAA discounts, etc. Remember to
check for damage before driving off with car.
15. AIRLINE TIPS?
United and American Airlines have a direct daily flight to
Lihue Airport on Kauai from
San Francisco or LA. We just found a DIRECT flight Lihue to Phoenix
inexpensive, Amer-West
airlines (US Airways). Sun Trips also had a
direct budget flight from SF? There may be others also as things change quickly but look into this option
of flying direct to Kauai, not going to Honolulu. This will save you the inter-island flight time (Honolulu
to Kauai) which is about 3 hours (with all the waiting) minimum each way.
Shop online for interisland tickets from Go! (Mesa Airlines) and Hawaiian Airlines.
All of you, if you are passing through Honolulu,
you can often immediately catch the about-to-take-off flight to Kauai with your existing
ticket, and not have to wait around at Honolulu airport. Hawaiian airlines leaves almost every hour, kind of like a bus. Just ask
if you can get on an earlier flight standby. By catching an earlier flight, you will
probably beat your baggage to Kauai, but you will be here and can use the time to get your car.
Try travelocity , priceline, expedia or
orbitz to see possible itinerary from your area, but call the airlines to get the real lowdown. Then you can
save money by reserving your ticket online at airline website or often your
local travel agent can get a discounted fare.
Be forewarned. Frequent flyer miles are usually very
stingy on availability. Book way in advance when you want to use your
miles.
Things change fast in
travel industry. If anyone has any updates, please let me know.
16. WHAT ACTIVITIES
DO YOU RECOMMEND? We encourage all water sports. EVERYONE
should do the 3 or 5 hour Napali Coast boat tour!!! (whale watching
in the winter). I can book this for you at a discount once you are here.
Saves enough money for a restaurant dinner!
There is a
great 8 mile round trip hike to a waterfall, and shorter hikes also.
Hikers should
bring grubby clothes as the earth (okay, MUD!) here, repeat, has iron oxide, staining clothes and
shoes permanently. Here are some great photos of famous Kalalau trail (link). There
is golfing and tennis in Princeville, riding stables, windsurfing lessons, live music,
helicopter trips. We can give at least 10% discounts for boat and helicopter trips
so, again, don't book these until you get here. We rent a soft top surfboard ($20)
and have massage studio on river.
THE 3 QUESTIONS YOU WILL ASK YOURSELVES...
1. Do we have to leave?
2. How
can we bring this feeling home with us?
3. When can we come back?
Reality..... If you liked
this website
you will love our
place!
Home
|