Search hotels in Kapaa

Getting around Kapaa is easy but traffic can be heavy on the island. Our favorite is Anini Beach Park (drive) and Lydgate (walk). Also, visitors need to be prepared for the roosters at the crack of dawn. There's no getting around it - they are everywhere! We at at Oasis (excellent!) and Hukilau Lanai (very good - service somewhat questionable) as well as various local eats. The mountain tubing adventure is a whole lotta fun! We also took a 4-wheeler tour with Kipu Mountain Adventures. Sleeping Giant is an easy hike and very close to Fern Grotto.

We loved the bike/running path along the ocean, the beautiful views, sleeping giant mountain, and the restaurants in this area were the best on the island. The beaches seem rougher in this region though! We snorkeled on the North and South shores, but didn't attempt this around Kapaa!

The Kauai Shores would be a great place to stay if it had a complete renovation. The rooms are very old and tired. Like something back in the 1970s. And I am not kidding about that. The rooms are very tiny. No vanity in the bathroom. Not even a drawer to hold a toothbrush. Very minimal electrical outlets. There was a tiny lanai with a couple of old chairs. Old enough that made it look not very clean and we didn’t sit on them at all. While we were having breakfast, we saw chickens eating scraps on top of a table. Bad enough that they’re hanging around your feet like you’re eating. I ordered a mai tai with easy ice. When I got the drink, the glass was only half full.😆 they could have filled it with water or ice lol. On the upside, the view from the restaurant is very nice.

Aston Islander charged more than Booking.com Terrible bed the mattress was worn out. Hidden fees for towels. House-keeping every 4 days you only got 2 wash cloths for 4 days if wanted more towels or wash clothes you had to pay a fee. I thought that was ridiculous. I went to Walmart bought some wash clothes then brought them home with me.

ALL the hotels & resorts on Kauai are WAY OVERPRICED, & the limited single road lane each direction caused fairly long lines when driving to this mediocre small town resorts area, both from the south (lihue) & from the North (towards Kilawauia & Princeville). There also was some road construction going on which just made the travel to the south that much more Congested. Kapaa also gets a little more rain than further South, which also ruined the 2nd half of our 2nd day, trying to reach the North shore which sees more rain yet, more so in winter mos. Kapaa frankly is run-down, a bit aged & 'Ramshackle', vs. other islands resort towns. The beaches are decent but the Resorts are ALL way overpriced, even more so at Kauai Shores which was barely 'mediocre' given faulty inconsistant hot water & internal Heating issues.

Cons: 1) My biggest complaint is the traffic congestion in Kapaa. We visited in non-holiday low season and yet the traffic is horrible especially anytime after 11 AM due to multiple reasons like it being in central location connecting north and south, never ending road works, various merges from side roads in the downtown area near the signals etc. Can't imagine how much worse it would be in holidays times and high season. 2) Not enough public parking spaces in the downtown area. The street parking is very limited and people trying to find parking spaces aggravates the existing traffic congestion in the narrow one line road. 3) Getting around in a car is not easy in Kapaa especially when driving from north to south Kapaa. It takes 30 to 45 mins in peak times to drive a distance of 3 to 4 miles. Pros: 1) Its a central location which is accessible to reach north and south in fair amount of time. 2) The downtown Kapaa has many shopping areas and has a touristy vibe 3) The beaches are good (not great but good). This is a positive aspect as the beaches are not over crowded unlike the beaches in south like Poipu.