Wainiha Beach or Anini Beach?

I am so close to making a decision on where to stay...but I%26#39;m heading into information overload. We%26#39;re looking to stay for 3 weeks in October at the north shore (2 adults, 1 7yr old). The place at Wainiha River is $1400 less for the 3 weeks than the cottage at Anini Beach. Do you think it%26#39;s worth the extra money to stay at Anini?

Wainiha Beach or Anini Beach?

That%26#39;s a lot of money to save but Anini is much nicer IMO than the Wainiha river area. There might be a reason it that%26#39;s much less. Gosh you%26#39;ll be there 3 weeks. Have you thought about splitting your time and staying in Poipu part of the time?

Can you send us a link to the river property? It is just very isolated out that way. There is a tiny store and a burrito shop. Down further is a restaurant and you can always go into Hanalei, but again it%26#39;s isolated. With a 7 year old I would think hard about that.

Wainiha Beach or Anini Beach?

We just returned from 8 days on Kauai and if I had to choose between the two, I would stay near Anini Beach ... it was one of the top 3 beaches that we enjoyed on Kauai, and very calm despite the high surf elsewhere (it%26#39;s quite protected). Will you be within walking distance of the beach? We drove out to Ke%26#39;e Beach a couple of times and crossed over the Wainiha River bridge....while it was nice to drive out that way, not sure I would want to be there for 3 weeks, unless you are looking for an out of the way place.

If this is your first visit to Kauai, I agree with Jebett that it%26#39;s worth considering splitting your time up between north and south shore. They are quite different, and both are great. The North Shore was our favorite, but it was nice to spend some time at the south shore to enjoy the beaches there and be close to the Waimea Canyon.

Whichever you choose, 3 weeks on Kauai will be wonderful...enjoy!

Wainiha is not a good beach for swimming since it is not reef protected and it tends to be murky since it is at the mouth of the river. So if it%26#39;s important to be able to walk to a beach where you can swim, Anini is your best bet. It would definitely be the safest beach for your 7 yr old. You generally won%26#39;t find much calmer water than you will at Anini.

On the other hand, if you%26#39;re like us and you are going to drive to a number of beaches anyway, then maybe you want to save the money. You can still hang out on the beach at Wainiha and you are closer to Tunnels and Ke%26#39;e there. And you%26#39;re probably just about as close to the shops and restaurants in Hanalei as you would be at Anini.

We absolutely love the north shore, but I agree with jbett. If you%26#39;re going to be there three week, you might consider a week on the south shore.

Another thing to consider is the ocean conditions in October. It is just starting to change at that time and might be a bit rough for a 7 year old.

welovewater: Have you looked into houses in Hanalei? Anini is expensive and Hanalei will be too, but I don%26#39;t quite as high. If you could find a place within walking distance of town, your 7 year old might like that. You could look on VRBO.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. There may be a change in plans...I think I%26#39;ve talked my husband into just he and I going for 2 weeks as a belated 15th anniversary celebration. I love my son, but I will be entertaining him all summer when school is out. I think by October I%26#39;ll be ready for some down time. As for being in quiet place-that actually sounds really good to us. We%26#39;re used to driving to places for activities, but we like to be able to go back to a calm oasis. I just got back from Waikiki with my son (my husband didn%26#39;t go as he doesn%26#39;t like crowds) and I absolutely loved it, but Kauai sounds wonderful to me too. My husband is now going to look at all of the info in my trip file and see if he spots a better place to stay. Anini Beach Hideaway looks pretty good to me, but there is sooo much to look at.

We stayed in this cottage near Anini Beach for a week last summer for our 30th anniversary. It was perfect for the 2 of us. Nothing luxurious, but in a great area in the midst of multi-million dollar homes. Only a short walk to the beach. It was clean and private.

http://www.vrbo.com/22597

Anini has long been our favorite beach. It never seems crowded, and has facilities and shade. We always seem to end up hanging out reading or snorkeling until lunchtime, then hit the Taco Truck or maybe drive up to Hanalei for lunch. It%26#39;s also one of the safer beaches on island, as it%26#39;s reef-protected.