WHY Pu'u Poa Over Pali Ke Kua?

Reading through old posts, Pu%26#39;u Poa comes out ahead. What I want to know is...Why? Is it really that much better? I mean, is it really $100/night better? Is the Pali Ke Kua beach that much rockier? Is it the units? The feel? The vibe? The smell? The view? I mean, some of the interiors at Pu%26#39;u Poa look as dated as the more dated ones at PKK. I%26#39;m just trying to figure it out. In person Pali Ke Kua%26#39;s grounds are more lush and tropical than Pu%26#39;u Poa, but Pu%26#39;u Poa certainly does feel more sleek and modern.

Please weigh in if you have opinions. Thank you!

WHY Pu'u Poa Over Pali Ke Kua?

Wow! Lots of ???%26#39;s.

Here%26#39;s my take (and why not look at Hanalei Bay Resort)

PP are very modern on the outside. The units are quite large. They have a huge lanai but there are high walls that separate the condos. They are privately owned so the interiors will all be different. The complex is right next to the Princeville Hotel which is nice so you can walk over for drinks and dinner. (hotel is starting major remodel project in March) Dickgoode has a wonderful unit there. Probably the nicest.Send him a private message. These are for sale for 1.7 and up and PKK start at around $700,000 so PP is more high end.

PKK is a large complex of 3 story buildings. Some face a small bay and some the ocean. I have been in a few and they are OK. The complaint I hear from friends of mine (or other guests) is they are noisy. The walls are thin and no a/c. The walk to the beach is down a steep path. PKK has a small pool and Saffron restaurant is next to it.

The grounds of PKK aren%26#39;t what I would call lush. HBR is but PPK does have some flowers and grass winding around the parking lot. PP has a parking lot in the front, the modern looking building and that%26#39;s it.

I like both complexes but they are different. I would read some reviews on different units because the various buildings will give you different views. I like looking towards Bali Hai.

Again if you put those 2 condos on your list HBR will give you that and so much more. Paved path to the beach (and bellman service to take you there) bar and restaurant on site. 8 tennis courts, a fabulous pool and awesome, jaw dropping views from 22 acres or your condo. Rent through a private owner only for the best units. Ask for updated pictures.

Hope this information helps.

Happy planning.

WHY Pu'u Poa Over Pali Ke Kua?

Hm. Paper thin walls aren%26#39;t good. When we were there, sans kids, last summer we made sure to look around the grounds of PKK and Pu%26#39;u Poa. We saw a unit in the latter, but not in PKK. Going with the kids, we can%26#39;t afford HBR for the 2-3 bedrooms, but I might try it when we go solo again in the future. It looks enchanting.

So then, there aren%26#39;t noise complaints associated with Pu%26#39;u Poa? Is it weird having others above look down on you on your lanai there, I wonder?

I think we%26#39;re mostly driven by 1)View and 2)Comfort. We were right on the beach in Moloa%26#39;a last time, in a house with no A/C, and the owner preferred that we not open the windows (can you imagine?!), so we BAKED at night. Let alone any chance of lounging there in the daytime for some, ahem, ';naps.'; So as long as Pu%26#39;u Poa and Pali Ke Kua are clean and allow for air circulation, I think we%26#39;ll be happy.

I so appreciate your input. Thanks!

Bump, and the main thing I wonder is whether it%26#39;s truly worth $100 more a night than PKK, if we rent a PKK unit on an upper floor with a Bali Hai view.

I think you are wrong about the prices for HBR. A 2 bedroom will run you around $295-$350. That is in line with PP and some nicer PPK. You could aslo rent a one bedroom with loft at HBR for even less.

I have not found those. So thank you! I will look in earnest.

Our first stay 3 years ago was at Pu%26#39;u Poa for our 30th anniversary. We loved it and for that special occasion and first time visit to Hawaii it was worth the extra money. As you noted in your post it really depends on the particular unit when comparing the interiors. For subsequent trips we have chose to forfeit a bit of square footage and luxury in exchange for longer stays. On those trips we have stayed at Sealodge and Pali Ke Kua and found them both to be excellent values. We prefer the location of Pali Ke Kua and rent a mountain view unit there that has no one above or below us and therefore we never hear anyone else in adjacent units. We love both complexes but for the money we prefer Pali Ke Kua. We return in 114 days for our 4th stay in Princeville and will be staying at Pali Ke Kua.

Thank you SO much, dfarr. That%26#39;s the kind of insight we need.

dabs - We have gone through the same kind of questions you are asking now. I have always been intrigued by Puu Poa, but had trouble chunking over the cash to pay for it. We compromised last time at Pali Ke Kua, and were quite happy with it. I do recommend the upper floor units and I don%26#39;t think you will have noise issues. The other thing I really like about PKK is that you have the incredible Bali Hai view of Hanalei Bay, not just open ocean.

Thanks, Kimocat. It seems like I shouldn%26#39;t have to agonize like this every time! We did last time before we finally decided on the Moloa%26#39;a Beach House and were so bummed with our decision when we got there. (We still had a marvelous time between the sleeping times.)

Were there any drawbacks to PKK? Do bugs get in? That view is nearly irresistible, so I%26#39;m thinking PKK 204 or 202. We%26#39;d shell out the dough, but we want the kids to be able to do some touristy things like surfing lessons and a luau, and those extras add up. The mister and I are perfectly happy snorkeling every day. It%26#39;ll be an entirely different kind of trip there this time.

We never had any more problem with bugs at PKK than any other condo we have rented in Kauai, and we have stayed at a lot of them over the years. You know the drill -- don%26#39;t leave any food out on the counters, if you spill something, clean it up. Otherwise you get hoards of tiny ants, which live in every building on the island. I don%26#39;t recall seeing anything else in the way of insects.

Oh, there was one big honkin%26#39; centipede -- but it was outside and also quite dead.