I like to explore places when I travel so a beach front resort is never my preference. Instead, cleanliness and a bug free environment are much more important to me. This time I chose Hole O Nanakai mostly because of the good reviews here and they happen to have a room for solo travelers so the price was also incredible. The property absolutely lived up to my expectations. I stayed in the Maile room on the 2nd floor, with a shared bath with another room. There's a huge kitchen and beautifully decorated separate dinning and sitting areas on the same floor. The glass sliding doors open to an ocean view patio, where you can see the sunrise. Everywhere is spotlessly clean. The only thing that may not be ideal for some people is there's no sound insulation between the 2 rooms upstairs. That was not a problem to me and in my past experience including this time, most travelers in shared properties are considerate.
The location may look far from attractions and difficult to find, but actually it's perfect as long as you have a car, since Kauai is a small island. The biggest advantage is it's only about one hour drive from Waimea canyon--where you need to get in early to see things (otherwise the clouds build up quickly). And being away from beach towns means you get to see the milky way right in your front yard.
The outdoor advices you get from the hostess Sheila are invaluable. She started offering advices right after I made my reservation, like where to find cheap rental cars. She prepares driving and hiking maps for her guests, and she'll tell you what the best time to visit what place, which I was not able to find in any of my tour books.
And the breakfast--all I can say is it's probably better than what you eat at home. There's always a fruit basket or salads, several types of cereals, breads/cakes, milk, and juice. Sheila even offers free bottled water for you to take with during the day. And she sets up the breakfast the night before, so you don't have to give up your breakfast if you need to leave early for activities.
I would absolutely stay here next time I'm in Kauai.
