Kauai Island, North shores 2026

We did not stay in the Princeville area on our visit to Kauai. However what I can highly recommend is the AirVan tour with "Wings over Kauai". It will provide you with stunning views of the island that IMO are well worth your time and money. It's a gorgeous island! https://www.wingsoverkauai.com/activities/kauai-air-tours/ I would also suggest a stop at JoJo's Shave Ice during your time on the island. https://jojosshaveice.com/ ALOHA!

Not a Hawaii expert but noting that you have chosen the wettest part of the wettest island at the height of the rainy season.

It's been more than 10 years since my last stay on Kauai, so I won't attempt to offer lodging suggestions. But on the west side of the island you have the bird sanctuary and Barking Sands Beach, both of which are excellent places to just sit and watch the world go by. The trail to Barking Sands is unpaved, and can be rutted, so it can be a chore, but the beach is great and never crowded.

Long-time Kauai resident chiming in here.
As was mentioned, the weather on the north shore at that time of year can be a roll of the dice - it can be (and usually is) spectacular ... really other worldly beautiful. Thing is, the winter months can also see a week or more of solid rain - not the passing showers that you'll see most every day but true socked-in conditions that would spoil a once-in-a-lifetime visit. I'm not sure I'd risk it but it's your call.
Also, winter is high season up in Princeville and Hanalei which is probably why you're finding affordable accommodations difficult to come by.
Your safer bet for good weather on any of the islands is to head over to the south or west side (Poipu, Kalaheo, etc.), which is the "rain shadow" due to the prevailing northeast trade winds.
FWIW, we return to Hawaii every winter to visit family on Oahu, and usually add an extra week or so on the Big Island to decompress and generally chill out without the crowds (and the high prices) of the more resort-oriented destinations on the other neighbor islands. The area north of Kailua-Kona in particular has become our personal go-to destination before returning to the snows of Colorado. I can provide some suggestions for an affordable getaway if you're interested.
One comment: the beautiful state beach that KGC refers to is Polihale - located just to the north of the US Navy base at Barking Sands which has restricted entry policies. It truly is gorgeous, but the old cane haul road is indeed unpaved and usually badly rutted. You wouldn't want drive it in a rental car, and you'll void your rental car contract if you try.

We are going to Kauai next week for 2 weeks splitting our time between the north shore and south. We typically stay in a condo and have had limited water views but we’ve been to this resort in Princeville where my cousin stays each year. https://www.hanaleibayresort.com/ They always have a room with mountain and Hanalei Bay views.

I can also recommend the location of the Westin hotel with many ocean views. https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/lihwp-the-westin-princeville-ocean-resort-villas/overview/?scid=f2ae0541-1279-4f24-b197-a979c79310b0

We rented a condo at Pali Ke Kua and loved it--but it's been several years. There was a casual restaurant onsite and you could walk down a steep hill to the beach. It's the only part of Hawaii that we went to twice!

We recently spent 1 week each in 4 AirBnB/VRBO vacation rentals in Kauai in Jan-Feb. FWIW our weather was great, including on the north shore. The most-affordable sea-view lodging we found was in Anahola , on the east shore. Our favorite, but pricey, was all the way northwest near Waineha. Look for food truck parks and supermarket Poke as your best dining values.

Don’t rule out the south shore; it’s beautiful too, and it’s only the SE corner that’s somewhat resort-ified. We didn’t stay way west near Waimea, but drove there and suspect it would be suitable and better value. (We drove from Koloa, no sea views there but loved it, and an easy short drive to lovely Salt Pond Beach.)

My husband and I just returned from our first trip to Kauai. We spent a week in Kapa’a. We stayed at the Waipouli Beach Resort. Lovely complex with a great pool, nice beach, tons of shops and restaurants nearby.

We had a car and drove all over. Spent a couple days on the north shore. Loved Hanalei. Be aware that the water is VERY rough up there in the winter. Massive surf and strong currents. You won’t want to be IN the water on the north side. But it is beautiful. We did not like Princeville at all. But we’re into a more authentic feel, the reason we chose Kauai of all the islands.

At this time of year, the south side is calmer, warmer and drier. If you want to be IN the water, you want to do it where the water is calm. We loved Poipu for floating and easy snorkeling. Gorgeous sunsets, also.

Our place in Kapa’a was about 40 minutes from Hanalei and 35 minutes from Poipu. With tons of interesting things to see in between. Be sure to check out the various farmers markets for local food, crafts and artists.

I can also highly recommend a flight with Wings Over Kauai. Highlight of our trip. Go in the morning before the clouds roll in.

Another tip: traffic is crazy on the one highway going around the island. If you stay at one of the resorts on the east side, pay close attention to the map and consider how difficult it will be to make a left turn across the highway. We were grateful for the stoplight that allowed us to easily leave our complex. Some places it looks next to impossible to turn left at most times of the day.

We’ve been to all the islands many many times. Our favorite is Kauai and least favorite is the big island. We just got back from Kauai (and the big island, not by choice with friends). We’ve stayed on both north shore, south and east- Kapaa. They’ve all been great! Princeville is lovely. If you want a view just look on Airbnb and find a condo suitable for you with a view. There are MANY to
chose from and all pretty similar. Just read reviews. Wherever you will be you will love that island.