The villa in which we stayed on Kauai we found through www.vrbo.com (Villa Rental by Owners) a site I can recommend since each time we have used it has been a great experience. We chose Hideaway Cove Villa and loved it.

Location and parking:

We chose Dolphin Villa at Hideaway Cove, which is a studio. There are many villas from which to choose. We chose the Dolphin Villa which was one of the most beautiful villas in which I’ve been. It is perfect for a family or anyone who does not mind that there is no housekeeping.

It is located at 2325 Nalo Road. It is 19 miles from The Lihue Airport. The location was great. Not only could we walk to the beach but also just around the corner was a beautiful area where the tide hit the rocks. It is really a nice evening walk. The area is very, very safe with both residential and resorts surrounding it.

There is plenty of free parking in front. There is a long driveway but we could not park there. I never asked why but my sense after spending 5 days there was that the most expensive, Sea Breeze Villa, which is upstairs, got that space. Downstairs was our villa and one next to it, which is a one bedroom – a sort of duplex style. Downstairs you will also find the free laundry facilities and dumpster. One problem was that one day the dumpster was overflowing but it the trash was picked up that day so the next day it was fine.

Some facts about our villa:

The website is: http://www.hideawaycove.com/villa.html

“Check-in” time is at 3:00pm and “check-out” time is at 10:00. This is in quotes because check in involves picking up the keys from under the welcome mat (Please leave your shoes outside.) and leaving your keys on the table when you leave. These villas are separately owned and the owners of ours, Herb and Gale Lee were wonderful. They let us stay until 3:00 when we asked because we had a late flight.

We found fresh juice in the refrigerator and a personal note. Herb called us while we were there to make sure everything was all right, which it was.

There is no smoking in the villa but you may smoke on your lanai (patio). The grounds were very pretty but not as pretty as Garden Gate Bed and Breakfast in Maui.

If you go to the website you will see that the Dolphin Villa is 625 square feet and $125 for 2-6 nights. We were able to negotiate a $95.00 a night rate.

Amenities:

-We had a phone with an answering machine which we could use for free for local calls.
-air conditioning
-a home theater type unit with cable TV, a VCR, Stereo and CD player. We found games, videos and books in one of the draws in this unit.

-There is a stove and oven, dishwasher, refrigerator and every cooking utensil you could possible want including the whole line of OXO utensils.

-Linens are provided.

-On the lanai we found a gas grill as well as beach mats and chairs. There were also two tables and chairs on the lanai.

-A beach shower and foot bath are available.

-Four beach cruiser bicycles are available on a first come, first served casis.

All guests receive a 10% discount on island activities such as Na Pali boat trips and Surfing lessons.

If you give the owners your shoe size they will have snorkel gear ready for you for $20 for the week which will be a lot less than if you have to rent gear everywhere you go.

What the villa was like:

Our studio was just beautiful. We could not have asked for anything more perfect. We went to Hawaii to be active so we didn’t plan on sitting by a pool. There is no pool here (although the most expensive room has a Jacuzzi!) or resort type amenities. This is a villa just like someone's house.

It is a place to live for 5 days very, very comfortably. Although it was a studio there was a semblance of 3 rooms. You walk into the bedroom on the left, living room and dining table on the right and straight ahead was a large kitchen. The bathroom is off that.

When we walked in we saw a beautiful 4-poster bed with a beautiful comforter and matching shams (pillowcases), the entertainment unit, night tables, a small table with 2 chairs and a large couch with a coffee table. Area information as well as a guest book was there for us. There is a closet in the living room and plenty of drawer space. We found an iron and board as well as beach towels and extra linen in the closet.

The décor is beautiful. The floors are granite and beautiful pictures with lights for the pictures as well as recessed lighting made up much of the bedroom and living room area. There were also table lamps. The kitchen as I said had everything: a new blender and toaster as well as a microwave and really there was nothing we needed over the 5 days we were there.

The bathroom was huge and very, very pretty. A large basket of fluffy towels waited for us along with shampoo, conditioner and lotion. There is a large modern shower that was enclosed 3/4 of the way around with glass-type panes.

The wall looking out to the lanai was all windows with a sliding glass door, which is the front of the villa.

Around the corner is a very nice restaurant called Casa Di Amici which the owners highly recommended to us.

My final thoughts:

Although there are other areas in which to stay in Kauai, the upscale Princeville, for example, I found the Po’ipu Beach area to be wonderful and this villa just perfect. The location is great. It is close to restaurants and shopping areas as well as one of the nicer beach/park areas for children to play in on the islands.

All my reviews of our Hawaii trip are on my profile page including one on the Poipu Beach Area in general.

Please feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me with questions.


Other Hawaii reviews you may be interested in:


Traveling to Hawaii on a Budget

The Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel

Aloha Airlines

Garden Gate Bed and Breakfast in Maui

Maui

LahainaTown Maui

Hana Highway in Maui

Haleakala National Park in Maui

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Hawaiian Airlines

Puff the Magic Dragon Lived in Kauai

Waimea Canyon on Kauai

Poipou Beach Area, Kauai

Na Pali Coast, Kauai

Hideaway Cove Villa, Kauai

Royal Kona Resort,The Big Island

The Island of Hawaii - The Big Island

Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park on the Big Island

Oahu

USS Arizona Memorial on Oahu

DiamondHead State Monument on Oahu

Polynesian Cultural Center,Oahu

Wailua River State Park in Kauai, Hawaii

Recommended: Yes