This was our 4th trip to Kauai. We love the north shore for its lush tropical landscape, laid back vibe, and great snorkeling beaches. So when we vacation here it’s to lay out and walk on the beach, swim and snorkel. This was the best condo we’ve stayed in yet for that reason and the most remote. You are practically on the water. It’s a second floor unit and from the lanai you can watch the waves, the sunrise, and see across to Princeville. We had a hard time leaving the lanai our first day because it was so beautiful and relaxing. The beach is about 15 feet from the condo. Also a large lawn area is right there too. If you walk to the left along the beach for a few minutes you’ll see that the water is calmer due to a reef and you can swim and snorkel. My favorite beach for snorkeling is Tunnels which is 1 mile away. If it is windy and blown out in front of the condo, Tunnels will be calm. Tunnels is a great place to see sea turtles plus it is a long wide sandy beach. Getting there has always been hard due to parking availability. In recent years you have to have a parking reservation but you are actually parking at Haena State Beach and then walking a ways on the beach to get to Tunnels. We just walked from the condo along Kuhio Hwy which has a speed limit of 25 mph or I’d drive my wife and sisters to a beach access point and drop them off with our gear and then drive back to the condo and walk back to Tunnels.
The staff at Hanalei Colony Resort was super friendly and helpful. The grounds and facility are well kept. They have two charcoal grills and they provide the charcoal. They have a pool but it was being refurbished during our stay. There’s also a small art gallery that doubles as a coffee place. The best coffee is 5 miles back in Hanalei at Hanalei Bread Company.
The king size bed in the master bedroom was comfortable and the kitchen had everything you needed. My sisters joined us and slept in the two twin beds in the adjoining room but said they were not comfortable. That being said, we all agreed that this was the most relaxing time we’ve had and look forward to returning F3 at HCR in future visits to Kauai.