- Poipu is a tourism centered area of Kauai, but has retained much of its local feel & Hawaiian heritage. Preserved Ancient Hawaiian sites and celebrations of the plantation past are important foundations of the community.
- The beaches and surrounding scenery made it a desirable place to not only visit, but live. However, the development did not accelerate until the 1980s.
- Much, but not all, of Poipu is a Visitor Destination Area, allowing owners to rent their homes on a vacation rental basis.
Poipu Subdivisions- Kiahuna Golf Village – 94 lots of 8.3K – 28K Sq Ft with 2 – 5BR, 1 & 2-story homes. Some vacant lots may still be available. Community is surrounded on 3 sides by green fairways. Residences have golf course, mountain and/or ocean views. Vacation Rentals Allowed (within VDA).
- Koloa Estates – 32 lots of 22K Sq Ft to 1.24 acres with 3 – 6BR, 1 & 2-story homes, built from 2000 to the present. Community is located on Poipu’s northern limit, just below Koloa town. There is no through-traffic, all 3 streets ending in a cul-de-sac. Residences have mountain and/or ocean views.
- Koloa Makai – Lots of 4.8K – 36.6K Sq Ft with 2 – 6BR, 1 & 2-story homes. A few residences date from the 1930s – 1960s, but most built in the 1980s & 1990s. Located on the west end of Poipu, the property sites go from approx 1/3 mile from shoreline to oceanfront homes on Lawai & Hoona Roads. Mountain and/or ocean views.
- Poipu Aina Estates – 17 lots of 2.4 – 2.8 acres with 3 – 5BR, 1 & 2-story homes. Ocean and/or mountain views from residences. Properties are Agricultural zoned, permitting farming and keeping of some animals. Long term rentals only.
- Poipu Beach Estates - Built in 2000. Lots of 12K Sq Ft – 1 acre with 70 2 – 7BR, 1 & 2-story homes. Vacant lots are still available. Located just across Poipu Rd from Poipu Kai Resort, this is the only Poipu area that allows ADUs. Homes have golf course and mountain views, some on the north end can see the ocean. Vacation rentals allowed (inside VDA).
- Poipu Kai Resort – 70 acres containing 4 subdivisions. Resort is bookended by Poipu Beach to the west and Shipwreck Beach on the east. Garden paths throughout connect the different areas. The 8-court Poipu Kai Tennis Club is here. Amenities include community pool, hot tub. All of Poipu Kai is inside the Visitor Destination Area (VDA), allowing all residences to be let as a vacation rental.
The 4 Poipu Kai Subdivisions:
- Bayview at Poipu Kai – 40 lots of 8.3K – 14K Sq Ft with 2 – 5BR, 1 & 2-story homes, built mainly from 1983 - 1995. Easy walk to Shipwreck Beach.
- Crestview at Poipu Kai – Lots of 9.7K – 13.1K Sq Ft with 3 – 5BR homes, built between 1979 – 1995. Residences have ocean and/or mountain views. Vacation rentals allowed (inside VDA).
- Lanai Villas at Poipu Kai – 48 lots of 6K – 9.4K Sq Ft with 2 – 5BR, 1 & 2-story homes. Most built 1981 – 1987, with a few exceptions. Ocean and/or mountain views.
- Weliweli & Weliweli (Makai) – Built in 1999 & 2000. Lots of 3K – 20K Sq Ft with 2 – 4BR, 1 & 2-story homes. Residences have mountain and garden views.
- Wainani at Poipu – 69 lots of 8K – 12.1 K Sq Ft with 3 – 4BR, 1 & 2-story homes, built from 2008 to the present. The community is surrounded by the Kiahuna Golf Course, every home fronting on a fairway. Residences have golf course, mountain and/or ocean views. Vacation rentals allowed (inside VDA).
- Weliweli Heights – Lots of 3.5K – 24.8 Sq Ft with 2 – 5BR, 1 & 2-story homes, built from 1958 to the present. Community is immediately south of Poipu Kai Resort, the properties located from approximately 1/5 miles from the ocean to a very few oceanfront lots. Residences have mountain and/or ocean views. Vacation rentals allowed (inside VDA).
Things to Do in Poipu Poipu doesn’t have a lot of big events on their calendar, but that’s just the Kauai way. It’s about the slower, ‘smell the roses’ side of life here.
- You can see that every Wednesday at the Kauai Culinary Market (3:30PM – 6PM) at The Shops at Kukuiula, where local farmers sell their produce, jams, honey and other products. There’s local foods and crafts to try, all to the sound of Island musicians. Adults will want to stop by the Wine & Beer Garden before leaving.
- October’s Poipu Food & Wine Festival is 3 days of food sampling, cooking demonstrations & classes, and more.
- The whole family will want to be at Poipu Beach Park for the New Year’s Eve celebration. Before the fireworks at midnight, you can watch a movie outdoors while having dinner from one of the local food trucks.
- There’s 2 shopping centers, The Poipu Shopping Village and The Shops at Kukuiula, that will provide many of your needs with a range of shops, restaurants and services between them.
Hikes- Mahaulepu Heritage Trail – 3.8 mile round trip trail along the coast from Shipwreck Beach to Mahaulepu Beach. Beautiful scenery the entire way. Not a difficult trek.
- Poipu Beach & Kiahuna Beach Loop – 6.1 miles. Terrain is mostly flat, but length requires fitness. Along with coastline stretches, this takes you right by an Ancient Hawaiian archaeological site, The Kaneiolouma Complex.
- Hapa Road – 1.3 miles roundtrip. Hike along the old road that once linked Poipu with Koloa. Lava rock walls line the way for much of the trail and you enjoy views of the Kahili Mountains.
Golf- Poipu Bay Golf Course – Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. Hosted the PGA Grand Slam of Golf tournament for 7 years. Last run of holes are oceanfront, with #16 often cited as one of the most beautiful holes in golf.
- Kiahuna Golf Club – Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. The course uses elements such as lava rock & stone formations, and even traces of an Ancient Hawaiian village, that make the course a unique experience. Narrow fairways make shot choice important to your game here.
- Kukuiula Golf Course – Designed by Tom Weiskopf. Private club. Another course that gets mentioned as the best in Hawaii. Wide fairways and ocean views from almost every hole. Exceptionally white sand in traps is imported from Cambodia.
Beaches- Poipu Beach – Consistently in the best beach lists, topping the Travel Channel’s ‘America’s Best Beach’ lineup. The waters here are perfect for every activity – swimming, surfing, snorkeling and boogie-boarding. Protected wading pool area on the eastern side.
- Kiahuna Beach – Swimmers love the water here and, in the summer, surfers & boogie-boarders come for the seasonal waves. Larger and less crowded than Poipu Beach, too.
- Lawai Beach – Known as the beach for snorkelers in Poipu. The reefs and coral here are home to huge schools of tropical fish, as well as keeping the swells out. Not a lot of actual beach and it’s also not the place for extensive swimming. The underwater life is hard to beat, though.
- Brennecke’s Beach – The waves can be strong here, made for bodyboarders who are ready for more. It still has sands for laying out and taking in the ocean, as well as being one of the best places to see beach turtles on shore.
- Shipwreck Beach – Soft sands and beautiful views of the Pacific and the neighboring cliffs. Palm trees and shaded areas provide cool relief when needed. Swimming is usually good, but keep track of the conditions. Divers jump off the cliff there at sunset.
Tennis- Poipu Beach Athletics Club – In addition to a pool, fitness center & other amenities, the club has 4 USTA tennis courts & 4 pickleball courts. Tennis program includes regular Adult & Junior clinics as well as private lessons.
Dining- Tidepools – American/Hawaiian cuisine. Restaurant built to look like beach bungalows and sits in a lagoon filled with koi fish. Emphasis on seafood, the crab cakes and grilled ahi dishes stand out most, but the whole menu gets good reviews.
- Anuenue Cafe – American/Cafe cuisine. Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch place. Try their signature French Toast along with fresh pineapple juice or Kauai coffee. Owner uses local produce & products in dishes. Takeout only and there are lines sometimes.
- Stevenson’s Sushi & Spirits – Japanese/Asian cuisine. Not just sushi, but the Nairagi nigiri and more than a few of the rolls (California, Black Rock, Ke Kai) deserve a try by all. Bento boxes for the kids and a deep bar, including choices of sake, for the adults. Ocean view sushi bar.
- Red Salt – Local/American cuisine. Voted ‘Best Restaurant on Kauai’ by Honolulu Magazine. vanilla bean seared mahi mahi is their best known dish, for good reason. The Food Network has featured its popular breakfast menu, including lobster benedict and lemon pineapple souffle pancakes.
- Keoki’s Paradise – Dine in a tropical garden setting with live Hawaiian music. Many highlight the fish tacos or the seafood risotto as their favorites, along with the calamari and nachos appetizers. Save room for the Hula Pie to cap off the meal right.
History of Poipu The lands here were first settled by the Ancient Hawaiians, who called it Kaneiolauma. This large settlement worked the lands to grow taro and other crops as well as fishing to sustain the village. From that early time, Koloa Landing in Poipu was known to be ideal for launching & landing of boats, due to its deep & clear waters. This led to whaling ships stopping to resupply or rest up here, beginning in the 1830s. It would soon become the 3rd largest of Hawaii’s whaling ports.
Simultaneously, in 1837, the first sugar plantation in the Islands to become a going concern was established in Poipu-Koloa, effectively starting Hawaii’s new dominant industry that spread to every Island. While whaling would die out in the latter years of the 1800’s, sugar would remain the prime driver of Poipu’s local economy well into the 1930s.
Poipu found a new industry in the Post-WWII tourism surge, its beaches and natural beauty making it an obvious vacation destination. Visitor counts wouldn’t grow significantly, though, until Inter-Island flights began to be served by jet airplanes in the early 1960s. This factor caused the 1st major hotels to be built here, which immediately thrived. Development has continued since, making this a still growing center of Kauai tourism.
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