Poipu condos, no A/C in mid Sept, possible problem??

Aloha all,

My husband and I are in our mid 50%26#39;s and will be coming back to Kauai in mid Sept. for a week. We stayed on the east side 10 years ago in May and loved it. However, we thought we%26#39;d stay in Poipu this time for the swimming/snorkeling beaches this time. I worry about the trade winds not cooling off enough at night in Sept. Any thoughts? We%26#39;ve been looking at the Kiahuna Plantation and Poipu Sands.

Mahalo!!

Karen

Poipu condos, no A/C in mid Sept, possible problem??

You are probably going to get some varied responses on this question. I have stayed in Poipu in mid September before and did not have a/c. Though it was very warm, I was not uncomfortable at all. I was staying at Kuhio Shores, which is right on the ocean, so I had a fairly constant breeze flowing. It was quite nice.

Poipu condos, no A/C in mid Sept, possible problem??

We%26#39;ve stayed at Poipu Sands numerous times at different times of year. We are heading back in late June. We have never needed A/C at Poipu Sands. The ceiling fans and ocean breezes kept us cool. Kiahuna should be about the same but cannot comment directly since we have never stayed there before. Only ONCE in Poipu did I wish for A/C. We rented a house close to Spouting Horn and there was no cross ventilation. My son was 3 months old so I was a lot more worried about the heat. Poipu Sands has a nice cross breeze.

We%26#39;ve stayed at Kuhio Shores numerous times during different seasons and have never needed A/C. Cracked windows and the fan on low worked fine for us. At night we have to leave the lanai slider open some to let the sound of the wave remind us where we are as we sleep. November can%26#39;t come soon enough!

Some people may be more sensitive to humidity than others.

We never had a problem with staying at Poipu Kai without air conditioning. There is always a balmy day or a few, but so little time is spent inside the unit and it generally cools at night considerably, and there are ceiling fans throughout.. Like I said, not a problem for us.

Anna

Leave your place closed up, windows and curtains, while you are gone and when you get back, throw open the windows and turn on the fans. We have not had any trouble.

Mid Sept snorkeling conditions are still good on the North Shore. Sept might be rough on the South Shore. Be cautious of that. A few of the Kiahuna condos have air flow blocked from the other buildings. Sept is pretty warm in Poipu but if you are closer to the ocean it should be cooler. Both complexes are very good choices with me leaning more towards KP. I laos like Kuhio Shores and Poipu Shores.

The only time we have really been uncomfortable that time of the year in Poipu was when the Tradewinds stopped and they got ';kona'; winds. It was hot, hunid and still. Even during that episode, we could sleep OK at night (we were at Kuhio Shores). But trying to put on make up or style hair after a shower was a lost cause. Odds are that you will be just fine, but good cross ventilation is something you should look for.

Aug/Sept is the warmest/highest humidity period. That%26#39;s when our electronics seem to fry out from the moisture.

Generally the trades will take care of you and Poipu can be really windy when they are blowing. I%26#39;ve been sand blasted on the beach down ther. However, if we get a still period, you may be hot at night. We just crank the ceiling fans and suffer or go for a midnight swim to cool off.

I%26#39;d say I wish for A/C about 10-15 days/year. Aug/Sept covering 90% of those days. Still nowhere near enough to actually get an air conditioner and pay the electricity bill.

I%26#39;ll be the dissenting voice. I wouldn%26#39;t stay anywhere in all of Hawaii at any time of year where A/C was not an option. When the Trades die -- and they DO! -- you will not be happy with the underlying humidity they were hiding. We%26#39;re on Maui every February and there has not been a single year that I didn%26#39;t use the A/C at least one night. (I would never leave sliders open at night either unless they are fitted with night locks.)

Many folks in your part of the country turn on their central A/C and leave it on until Fall. If this represents you, even just a little, then you should think about having air conditioning. It%26#39;s all in what a person is used to. Your part of the country can get pretty darned humid so you%26#39;re probably used to A/C.

I%26#39;m not used to it, don%26#39;t have it. I find Hawaii in the summer to be very humid for the first day or so there then I acclimate to it. That said, there have been a handful of trips (over 30+ years) to Hawaii where I thought I could use it a night or two for sleeping only (July, August, September trips).

If you find a place you like that has it, great. I wouldn%26#39;t make it the deal-maker or deal-breaker though.