Kauai Accommodations for 2

We have rented condos on/near Poipu from Suite Paradise -- they also do auto rental packages. (And yes, you will need rental car on Kauai.)

Thank you. They don't have any availability, unfortunately.

Take a look at Kalaheo and points west all the way out to Kekaha. It's the sunniest part of the island but with less development and therefore less traffic. Better beaches too. Anything located away from the water will be a lot cheaper than one of the seaside condos in Poipu.
If you have a military connection there's a Navy base at Barking Sands that features 2 BR cottages on the beach.

Recommend the Poipu area. Specifically check the Parrish Collection for Waikomo Stream Villas. You can also sometimes find the Waikomo Stream Villas on Homeaway or VRBO.

We are in your age and interest category and have stayed there several times. Very nice one bedroom condos, nice pool and lovely grounds. Just across the street from shops and restaurants. About a 10 minute walk to the beach at the Sheraton.

Good luck!

Mahalo for suggestions. No military connections unfortunately, and everyone's suggestions must be good ones because there's "no availability" on websites or when I call. February is a very popular time!

January-February is high season in Hawaii. Tourist tend to book air and lodging travel plans far in advance for Hawaii destinations.

Are you absolutely locked into Kauai? If not consider the Big Island as an alternative. The best snorkeling in the state is on the Kona side, which happens to be the sunnier side with calmer waters and better beaches. You can usually find (relatively) cheaper accommodations up at Volcano Village. With a car you'd have easy access to both the Hilo (rainy) side and the Kona side.
If it's got to be Kauai then you have a problem - you're very late to be booking for late Feb. I normally advise against staying on the east side (Kapaa side) because of the traffic congestion and increased chance of rainy weather, but that might be your best (or only) option at this point.

Take a look at the Kauai Beach Resort - one of the nicer properties on the east side. Am seeing weekly rates for the end of Feb for as low as $222 per night.
This late it might be your best option.

Mahalo for the suggestions! Kauai is definitely our destination, although we enjoyed the Big Island very much when we were there 30 years ago. Stayed in a youth hostel in Hilo and drove all over the island. Very impressed with the volcano and hot flowing lava that was consuming houses even then! We last visited Kauai about 20 years ago and loved it--and well remember traffic was a problem going and coming to Princeville--which was nice but we don't want to stay in that area again. I think we'll try the Kauai Inn.

Mahalo again for your assistance.

Check the Kapaa area on Kauai. I know people who have rented in Kapaa. It might even be cheaper because it does not have the "resort/tourist" vibe.
Snorkling is popular in the Poipu area, as others have suggested, but also at the North Shore (closer from the Kapaa area). Of course surf can be dangerously high on the North Shore during the winter months.

OK, the closest stretch of nice beach from the Kauai Inn will be Kalapaki Beach located about 7 minutes away by car - it's fronted by the Marriott Resort but the beach itself is public. Can park in one of the upper lots at the resort and access the beach via a public right of way. Pretty nice actually. There used to be a beach shack somewhere on the property where you can rent beach chairs, umbrellas, etc for the day.
For good snorkeling you'll need to drive about 25 minutes to Poipu. There will be plenty of places to rent snorkeling gear, including the venerable Snorkel Bob's which has surprisingly good quality equipment and weekly rates that will save you a few bucks.
If you think traffic to the north shore was bad 20 years ago just wait till you see it now. The congestion is know locally as the "Kapaa Crawl" and makes any trip to Princeville or Hanalei an all day ordeal. Suggest sticking to the south and west shores for that reason.

Not a heck of a lot of snorkeling on Kauai. And know that travel to the north shore is still fairly limited and some areas require you get tickets for the shuttle in advance. I would head to TA Kauai forum for details. For sun - you probably want south shore in February, which is more expensive then say Princeville. Kapaa is really not resorty but there are some less expensive options there.

Thanks for the suggestions. Totally forgotten about TA forums for info and found lots of useful info.
Mahalo.