Hanalei Inn

Five studio cottages a block from Hanalei Bay on Kauai's North Shore — the only true B&B-scale property in Hanalei village. Owner-operated, modest, and walking distance to the bay, the pier, the surf, and the Hanalei taro fields. The Hanalei Inn is the working alternative to the Princeville resorts (Princeville Resort, 1 Hotel Hanalei) up the cliff.

If your North Shore Kauai trip is about the bay, the surf, and walking to dinner — not pool service and a 7-acre resort — this is the small property that does that.

The setting

The inn sits on Aku Road in Hanalei, two blocks from Hanalei Bay's beach park (the long crescent bay with the pier at the western end), and walking distance to all of Hanalei village — the Hanalei Bread Company, Bar Acuda, Tahiti Nui, the Ching Young shopping village. The Hanalei Pier is five minutes' walk. The road to Tunnels Beach, Ke'e Beach, and the Kalalau Trail (Na Pali Coast) runs past the inn west.

The drive in from Lihue Airport is 90 minutes north on the Kuhio Highway. Princeville is 10 minutes east; Princeville Resort and the Princeville Botanical Gardens are five.

The building

A small clapboard-and-wood property — five studios in a single-story building set back from the road. Materials are clapboard, painted wood, and the open-air tropical-vernacular construction Hanalei builds with. The aesthetic is plain, not designed.

Owner-operated. Small enough to feel like staying at someone's house.

The rooms

Five studio cottages — kitchen, sitting area, queen or king bed in each. From around $295. Bathrooms are simple but updated. The studios are small but functional, with a small private patio in some cases. The aesthetic is North Shore working-class — not Princeville-luxury.

Food & drink

There's no on-site restaurant. Each studio has a kitchen for in-cottage meals. For dining out, walking distance to Hanalei village's restaurants — Bar Acuda (the destination tapas dinner), Hanalei Dolphin (sushi and seafood), Tahiti Nui (the long-running tiki bar), Hanalei Gourmet, and the Hanalei Bread Company for breakfast.

On the property

A small B&B-scale amenity stack:

• In-studio kitchens
• Walking distance to Hanalei Bay and pier
• Walking distance to Hanalei village restaurants
• Open year-round; winter (December–March) is the wettest season; summer is drier and busier

Who it's for

• Travelers doing Kauai's North Shore on a more modest budget
• Surfers — Hanalei's bay is one of the better long-board waves on Kauai
• Couples doing a two-week Kauai trip who want a base in walking-distance Hanalei village
• Repeat Kauai visitors who've done the resorts and want the in-village stay

Who it's not for

• Travelers wanting a beach-front room — the inn is two blocks back
• Anyone wanting a resort with restaurant, pool, spa, and concierge programs
• Light-amenity guests — this is a small property

Nearby

Hanalei Bay (one of the best beaches in Hawai'i) is two blocks. Hanalei Pier and Black Pot Beach Park are five minutes' walk. The Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge — with the taro fields and the Hanalei Valley overlook from Princeville — is across the river. Tunnels Beach (Mākua Beach) and Ke'e Beach are 15 and 20 minutes west by car (when the road is open; it has historically been damaged by floods). The Kalalau Trail trailhead is at Ke'e Beach. Limahuli Garden is 18 minutes west. Princeville's resort area and the Princeville cliff path are 10 minutes east.