10 Reasons to Stay at The Villas at Po’ipu Kai, Kauai, Hawaii

Today I’m sharing 10 Reasons to Stay at The Villas at Po’ipu Kai, Kauai, Hawaii, a newer boutique resort in the heart of the Poipu Kai Resort.

It’s funny how some of our best memories come from someone sharing their ordinary day, and their ordinary loves, with us in extraordinary ways–like a tropical vacation, a beautiful hike, even a humble family gathering. The things that mean the most to us, we hold close to our hearts–grabbing a cup of coffee and walking on the beach with a friend or loved one, observing a magnificent sunset, experiencing peace in nature. The little things that matter are sometimes the most intimate, powerful moments in our lives, that promise to stay with us forever!

5-star property.

Recently my husband and I made new memories on the Kauai island of Hawaii, starting the celebration of our 25th year together. Sponsored by The Villas at Po’ipu Kai, staying at their beautiful grounds only minutes from the gorgeous beach, Paul and I had no idea what we were headed for, except for viewing their fabulous website. As we entered the property, we both said “Wow,” and we continued to say this as we walked through the 3 bedroom condo, and enjoyed the rest of our stay! Knowing this facility was a five star property, from a stylish designer kitchen to the top floor lanai, our condo gave us a view of the sunsets, rainbows, the beautiful pool and the well manicured grounds, and memories that will last a lifetime.

Vacationing with our dear friends, we were able to enjoy this beautiful home away from home together, and it truly was a “paradise” vacation.

10 Reasons to stay at Po’ipu Kai, Kauai, Hawaii

1. The perfect location. Poipu is a great location and sunny party of the island. It has great surfing, boogie boarding, snorkeling, and kids beaches all nearby. In addition, some wonderful shopping, eating and golfing is available in nearby resorts. When the weather is iffy down on the south shore, you can usually head up to the north shore beaches for a change. This location is great, with a very pleasant 5-6 minute walk to a great boogie-boarding beach and a nice sandy beach to swim or snorkel in. The sunsets? Oh, my goodness. Bring your favorite dinner to the beach and enjoy. The sunrises? Paul and I enjoyed the last morning there, as the sun peeked through the top of the mountains, shining in all its glory on the beautiful ocean in front of us. It was truly magnificent. WARNING: You will see beautiful turtles and monk seals!

2. Gorgeous, relaxing property. The unit and surrounding grounds were immaculate and beautifully landscaped. The rentals include 3-4 bedroom poolside villas and 2-5 bedroom garden villas. The barbecue around the pool is very family-friendly (with 2 gorgeous KitchenAid grills).

The fitness room is large and has a great assortment of equipment, but quite honestly, we mostly enjoyed the outside in the garden paradise, as we walked and hiked and snorkeled and swam with the turtles! Mountain, ocean, and pool views were breathtaking. Each villa includes central air, a true luxury on the island.

Take a five-minute stroll down the tropical greenbelt, you will pass the Poipu Kai tennis club and pool on your way to famous Kauai beaches.

The self check-in and check-out is very convenient, as you get your own key code. We always felt safe and secure at this property, something that is very important to a traveler these days! Something to know is that because this is a “condo,” you of course do your own laundry and there is no “room service.” You buy your own groceries and take out your own recycling & trash. There’s a local grocery store about 10 minutes away in which to buy groceries, as well as many choices of restaurants within a 10 minute drive. When we got to the island, we immediately went to Costco and shopped. If you rent a convertible, make sure that you are prepared to quickly put the top back up, because a rainstorm can happen within seconds! This happened to us when we came out of Costco! (oops!)

3. Hospitable and helpful staff. Upon arrival, both property managers greeted us, giving us their cell phone numbers in case we needed to text message for anything. We were greeted in our room with a gorgeous flower arrangement of fresh Hawaiian blooms. What a special touch! Lauren, who runs the property, was a true gem, an amazing host and service coordinator, and the entire staff from management through maintenance were extremely helpful, so hospitable, friendly and professional. At one point, we had an issue with our ice machine, and Lauren was right there to fix our problem.

4. Fabulous facility. Our 3 bedroom villa felt more like a home, with a gorgeous large amount of space, with plantation house architecture, perfect for throwing open the windows and letting the tradewinds come through.

The Hawaiian driftwood table in the large main living space seated 8-10, and it had a lovely view overlooking the private pool and grounds. It truly was more than we could have ever dreamed of.

The front lanai is very large, and provides expanded space for the living room when the full-length glass doors are open, the perfect spot for coffee in the morning, and evening cocktails before dinner. (That is our space to the left, top floor!)

The kitchen (with top-of-the-line KitchenAid and Sub-Zero appliances) was well stocked, perfect for cooking and entertaining.

There are beach towels, cooler bags, laundry soap—everything you’d need. Beautifully furnished, the bedrooms had large closets, the master a tub, 2 great lanais, and of course a wonderful pool and spa.

Perfect for multifamily vacation or couples, there is plenty of space to be alone when wanted. The full sized washer and dryer were lifesavers for us, as we hiked and spent hours at the beach. Each villa has a dishwasher and a large, front-loading washer and dryer (detergents are provided), which were lifesavers for us, as we hiked and spent hours at the sandy beach! (Photo below courtesy of The Villas)

But wait … if you’re also looking for a penthouse suite for a larger party, with marvelous views and four lanais, you can also entertain a large party here, with room around several tables to comfortably eat and play games. There’s even an elevator that opens up to the inside, Don’t all elevators open to the inside? which makes you feel very classy. Check out the other penthouses, villas, and houses for rent.

5. Relaxing master suites. We had 2 master suites in our facility. The one Paul and I stayed in had a very comfortable king-size bed, with a giant bathroom and walk-in-closet (the size of a small bedroom!) I adored the soaking bathtub, and the private lanai overlooking the pool and grounds. We often threw open the doors to enjoy the breeze and cool air.

6. Family-friendly. This place was heaven to us 2 couples, but we couldn’t help but think how perfect it would be for extended family, or the little ones in the family. There is a nearby children’s beach (10 minute walk). There is also a closet in A building full of kids’ toys, from sand shovels to boogie boards. This means as a parent you don’t have to pack or purchase these things. If the beach gets boring, spend the day at the safe and clean pool on the property. We spent a lot of time here, and in the evening, it was very beautiful to see families come to the barbecue area (everyone shares several barbecues), bringing their food and drink, to enjoy a family meal. Again, the condo provides everything you need for a fun beach experience! There’s also free family lei making lessons, free family hula lessons, and so much in general to do on the island with your families!

7. Perfect for larger parties. With a larger party of eight – hotels don’t offer comparable prices to the value of staying at these villas. Try to price out one of the top 4 bedroom rentals and you’ll find it very expensive. This beautiful Hawaiian “home” has so many areas to retreat to for your own solitude and space, which we find is very important when you travel with friends. We could have easily hosted 8 in our villa, if not more. The property also has cribs, and they really do accommodate your needs. And–the kitchen is fully stocked and ready for a large party!

8. Easy entertaining. The kitchen was CLASSY with amazing dishes, heavy pots and pans, kitchen utensils for gourmet cooks, excellent quality knives, large serving bowls and platters, and it even had a crock pot (make your own Kaluha Pork!) and rice cooker. As I mentioned, it also has beautiful KitchenAid appliances, it’s fully stocked with dishes and everything for cooking a fabulous meal. You could easily entertain 12-20 people in these villas. They even offer recycling of garbage. We bought Mongchong Fish at the local Koloa Fish Market, to make a delicous home-cooked meal for our group!

9. Close to outdoor activities. If you like hiking, most of the great hikes are near the Waimea Canyon, which is a 75 minute drive. But there are great hikes all over the island. Kauai is a hikers dream, and I’ll be sharing more about our splendid hike in my next post.

We loved driving to the North Shore for a variety of beaches and more turtles. If you like running or walking, there are amazing walking trails that take you all through the planned Poipu Kai resort facilities. In addition, enjoy Old Koloa Town where there is quaint shopping, the Koloa Fish Market, and food trucks. The Villas provides beach chairs, cooler bags, and beach/pool toys for guest use! There’s also snorkel gear, surf, and body boards that can be rented from nearly all activity rental shops around the island, one right down the street from the Villa (Brenneke & Shipwreck Beaches). There’s Stand-Up Paddle Boarding (Kukui’ula Bay Harbor). Every Friday night is the Hanapepe Art Night.

10. Free Concierge Service. Check with Stephanie (Kauai by Stephanie), for any tours or customized schedules you want to set up. Steph lives on the island, and her services are free to you when you book any tours with her; I guarantee she will save you time and money. I loved how she gave us so many ideas what to do for FREE on the island! Thank you, Stephanie!

When we return to Kauai.

My husband and I decided that when we return to Kauai, this type of stay is what we enjoy, versus the hotels right on the beach packed with people. For us, privacy, peace, quiet, opening wide the doors and hearing the waving palm trees bending and speaking hello to us, with not a whole lot of people around, was the type of vacation that we longed for, and need.

The Villas at Po’ipu Kai was the embodiment of the “spirit of Aloha” in the islands. True hospitality!

And very good for our souls.

This post is sponsored by The Villas at Poipu Kai, who provided our lodging in Kauai. As always, all opinions are my own.

Coming soon on RE:  12 Authentic Things to do on Kauai. :)