Poipu or Princeville with kids: picking your side of Kauai
Written October 2026
Kauai's two resort shores are at opposite ends of the island, and they feel like different trips. Poipu, on the south shore, is where the pools with slides and lazy rivers are, with Poipu Beach Park and its lifeguards and natural wading pool at the center of it. Princeville sits on the cliffs of the north shore above Hanalei Bay, a two-mile crescent of sand that's calmest in summer and a surf beach in winter, and the places to stay are mostly villas and condos with kitchens.
From Lihue airport, Poipu is about 30 minutes one way and Princeville 29 miles the other. Where to stay on Kauai with kids covers the whole island, Lihue and Kapaa included.
Poipu, the south shore
Poipu Beach Park is a lifeguarded county beach with a natural wading pool for young swimmers, and the Shops at Kukuiula, with the Kauai Culinary Market, are a walk from two of these.
Koloa Landing Resort at Poipu
Poipu Road, set back from the beach
A pool resort about half a mile from a family beach by its own count, 10 to 15 minutes on foot, with a free shuttle that runs anywhere in Poipu. The main pool has a waterslide for kids 48 inches and up, splash areas and a gentle beach-style entry, the family lagoon pool has an island in the middle of it, and a third pool is for 18 and over.
Studios sleep four with a kitchenette and an in-unit washer and dryer, and the villas go up to three bedrooms with a full kitchen, every one with a queen sleeper sofa. Cribs and high chairs are free. The Shops at Kukuiula and the Kauai Culinary Market are a four- or five-minute walk on the resort's path.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa
Poipu, oceanfront
Fifty oceanfront acres with multi-level pools joined by river pools, a lazy river that ends at a 150-foot waterslide, and a saltwater lagoon with a sand bottom and a beach of its own for kids who aren't ready for surf. Every room has a lanai and a small fridge, and the suites add a sleeper sofa.
There's no kids' club here; the concierge can point you to a babysitter. Poipu Beach Park is a 25-minute walk or a four-minute drive by the hotel's count, and the airport is 15 miles, about 30 minutes.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
Kiahuna Plantation Resort Kauai by OUTRIGGER
Poipu Beach
Cottage-style condos on 35 acres of lawn that run down to the sand of Poipu Beach, one- and two-bedroom with full kitchens and a laundry room on the property. The pool, which has a water slide, is across Poipu Road at the Poipu Beach Athletic Club and free to guests.
The Poipu Shopping Village is across the street, Little Fish Coffee is about 0.3 km, and Poipu Beach Park is about 0.5 km along the shore.
- Suites
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- No
- Laundry
- Yes
Sheraton Kauai Resort
Poipu Beach, oceanfront
Oceanfront on Poipu Beach, with the beach a few steps from the rooms, each of which has a lanai. There's an ocean pool with a whirlpool, poolside bungalows to rent and introductions to watersports on site.
Poipu Beach Park is about 0.9 km along the coast and the Shops at Kukuiula about 1 km the other way.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
Princeville, the north shore
Princeville is on the cliffs above Hanalei Bay, and the end by Hanalei Pier is calmest for kids playing in the surf. Prince Albert Park has a playground in Princeville itself, and up the road at Anaina Hou there's a playground with a volcano, a canoe and a sugarcane train to climb, next to mini golf through gardens.
1 Hotel Hanalei Bay
Princeville, above Honoiki Beach
Oceanfront at Honoiki Beach, with the sand below for snorkeling and tide pools, three heated pools (the lagoon pool is for kids, and the eighth-floor infinity pool is 21 and over) and free bikes. Seedlings' Aloha Camp takes ages 5 to 12, kids 4 and under eat free at the breakfast buffet, and rooms connect: an ocean-view king with a two-queen room, or a one-bedroom suite with a two-queen.
There are no cribs, so a Pack 'n Play or a rollaway comes on request, and the Pu'u Poa Ocean Loft Suite and the Napali House Suite are the ones with a kitchenette. The Princeville Shopping Center is about 2 miles, Nourish Hanalei about 1 km, and Lihue airport 29 miles.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Connecting rooms
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas
Princeville, cliffside
Villas on the cliff in the middle of Princeville: studios with a kitchenette, and one- and two-bedroom villas with a full kitchen and a washer and dryer. The two-bedroom has two king bedrooms and a sofa bed and takes up to eight. Four heated pools include a children's pool and a water slide.
Hanalei Bay is 3.8 miles and Anini Beach 6.1 by the hotel's list, and Prince Albert Park is about 1 km.
- Cribs
- No
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
Club Wyndham Bali Hai Villas
Princeville
Condos in Princeville, in one-, two- and three-bedroom suites that each have a full kitchen and a sleeper sofa, with a washer and dryer to use. One of the two pools has an underwater reef that makes a separate kiddie pool, and there's a built-in beach for sandcastles.
Lapperts ice cream is about 1.4 km, and Hanalei's bakery and donut shop (Hanalei Bread Company, Holey Grail Donuts) are under 3 km.
- Cribs
- No
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
Poipu or Princeville: how the two shores differ
Poipu has the pools: a slide at Koloa Landing, the Grand Hyatt and Kiahuna, and a sand-bottom lagoon at the Grand Hyatt. Poipu Beach Park has the lifeguards and the wading pool, and three of the four hotels are a walk from it.
Princeville is villas and condos with kitchens on a cliff above a bay that's calm in summer and a surfers' beach in winter, and each of the three has a pool for small kids: the 1 Hotel's lagoon pool, the Westin's children's pool and Bali Hai's kiddie pool behind its reef. Hanalei town, with the bakery and the pier, is a short drive down from all three.
Questions
Poipu or Princeville with a toddler?
Poipu, for the wading pool at Poipu Beach Park and the sand-bottom lagoon at the Grand Hyatt. In Princeville, small kids have the 1 Hotel's lagoon pool, the Westin's children's pool and Bali Hai's kiddie pool, and Hanalei Bay is at its calmest in summer, with the end by the pier the calmest spot of all.
Where to stay on Kauai with kidsPhoto credits
Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa: tdlucas5000 from Lakewood Ca., United States (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Sheraton Kauai Resort: Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0) · 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay: Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0) · The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas: Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0)