Paradise at a reasonable rate: This oceanfront Pali Ke Kua studio with its spectacular oceanview is ideal for a romantic get-away or rejuvenating holiday. The studio has a full-service kitchenette and its own lanai situated in lush tropical surroundings.
Pali Ke Kua, one of Kauai's premier vacation destinations, is perched on a bluff overlooking some of the most breath-taking scenery in all of Polynesia - green peaks and ridges, hanging waterfalls, Bali Hai dynamic sunsets, and the blue Pacific. Nearby is a private path descending to a hidden beach, with a pavilion and shade trees, where you can snorkel in the warm Hawaiian waters with schools of colorful tropical fish and green sea turtles. Wintering humpback whales and spinner dolphins cavort offshore. On-site amenities include a Mediterranean restaurant, sparkling pool and jacuzzi.
Just next door are Princeville's world famous golf courses - 45 challenging and scenic holes. Play tennis or take the short walk to the nearby new St Regis Hotel with its incomparable views, fine dining, and exquisite beach and lagoon. Visit the nearby hamlet of Hanalei, at the foot of the verdant mountains, whose restored missionary buildings and school take you back to early Hawaii. Do a bit of shopping, buy some shaved ice or a smoothie, then stroll along the beautiful bay.
Bring your binoculars for the nearby sea and waterbird refuges, take a guided tour through the tropical botanical gardens, or drive to the end of the road and hike into remarkable valleys and waterfalls of the extraordinary Na Pali coast. Surrounded by natural beauty with plenty of things to do, savor the healthy and relaxed atmosphere of Kauai, and start planning for your next visit!
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Not much to say about the studio. It was roomy enough for the two of us and the kitchen well appointed. The bed is very comfortable. The bathroom is large and the tiled shower stall is huge. Bring your laptop to stay in touch with friends with emails or a blog (as we did) as the studio has a high-speed wireless router. It worked very well.
We did all of our own cooking in the studio and took lunches with us on day trips. (We are not restaurant eaters.) The nearby Foodland grocery store (although a bit expensive) had great selections and we did all of our grocery shopping there. (We had pizzas one day at Aloha Pizza in the Coconut Mall in Kapa'a. They serve gluten-free pizzas and we ordered one plus a regular pizza. Both were great.)
Most things we did touring around were rewarding, but the very best part was snorkeling at the Pali Ke Kua beach (with the private paved footpath access) and swimming around with a green sea turtle for a few minutes. Very cool.
We saw humpback whales everyday right out of the studio patio (lanai) windows. They never came in closer than about 1,000 meters but I still managed a few decent "breaching" shots. The fact that this particular unit faced the ocean was a huge bonus for us. We could sit outside in the morning and have breakfast and a coffee while watching for whales. We also saw a lot of turtles below in "turtle bay" and saw one group of porpoises. I took 2,500 pictures in two weeks and posted a few of them here:
http://clives.shawwebspace.ca/photos/view/kauai_2009_/
Perhaps the "best" picture was one of the wave shots, but the most fun picture was the underwater shot of the green sea turtle.
Overall communications and service from VRA was great. The driving directions and access information was easy to follow. We received lots of insider help from the condo owners who pointed us to several interesting places such as "Powerline Trail" which we enjoyed for the orchids, lizards and great views.
My main advice for anyone using the unit would be "have fun" ... we did.