New Poipu vacation rentals near Poipu Beach.

The Poipu Beach area is one of our favorite places to stay in Kauai. The beaches are safe and swimmable all year long, it gets less rain that the North Shore, and there are lots of good restaurants to choose from.

Until now, Poipu vacation rentals didn’t have the same level of amenities you’d find at Waipouli Beach Resort & Spa on the East Shore or the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas. But the new Villas at Poipu Kai offers all the bells and whistles, including hardwood and tile floors, stone bathrooms, and kitchens with granite countertops, and SubZero Refrigerators.

Located in the Poipu Kai Resort complex, the Villas has 27 condos in eight plantation-style buildings. All have full kitchens, washers and dryers, and free WiFi. There’s also a spa, swimming pool, and fitness center. Poipu beaches are about a five minute walk down the pathway that runs through the resort. And there are two golf courses nearby.

Both garden and pool side villas are available. One-bedroom, two-bath condos start at $269 a night. Two-bedroom units start at $299 a night. With travertine floors, 1,200 square feet of living space, and two full baths, these are a great deal for families. The five-bedroom model will sleep more than a dozen. And the four-bedroom pool side penthouse has two master suites.

It’s a short stroll to numerous restaurants and bars. The Grand Hyatt is a few minutes to the south, and Brennacke’s and the restaurants in the Koa Kea and Marriott Waiohai are in the other direction.

A grand-opening special makes the Villas an even better buy. If you reserve a three-bedroom condo before August 31, 2010, you’ll get a rental car free for seven days. You must complete your stay by December 15, 2010 and stay a minimum of five nights.

New Poipu restaurants.

The opening of the long-awaited Kukui’ula Village shopping center and the Koa Kea Resort have brought some exciting new dining choices in Poipu.

The new Poipu restaurants cater to all budgets with two fine-dining restaurants helmed by James Beard Award nominated chefs, a lovely pool-side resort bistro with ocean views, and a casual café. Vacationers staying in Poipu will enjoy the added variety. And all of them are convenient to Poipu-area hotels and resorts.

Josselin’s Tapas Bar & Grill.

One of the founding fathers of Hawaiian regional cuisine, Jean Marie Josselin, won plenty of accolades for his previous restaurant, A Pacific Café. Now, he’s opened a new place in Kukui’ula Village called Josselin’s Tapas Bar & Grill. As the name suggests, the menu features small plates that are meant to be shared.

Yummy choices like coffee-smoked pork tonkatsu, scallop ravioli in coconut milk, wood-oven roasted steak, and firecracker salmon roll make choosing a challenge. For those who want something more substantial, entrée-size dishes like sesame-crusted mahi mahi are also available. Many of them were on the menu at A Pacific Café.

Don’t miss the fabulously refreshing sangrias, which are made at your table on a cart. Three versions are available, including a white lychee.

Red Salt Restaurant

Located in the Koa Kea Resort, which is on the grounds of the old Poipu Beach Hotel, the Red Salt Restaurant serves chef Ronnie Sanchez’s innovative takes on traditional island favorites. The beach-front location provides wonderful views and the dining room is stylish and attractive.

Inventive cocktails like the Poipu Surf with Champagne, peach vodka, and passion fruit juice are a lovely way to begin your evening. And if you’re not hungry enough for dinner, you can order appetizers like crispy pork gyoza or crab cakes in the lounge.

Sanchez breathes new life into standards like poke and kalau pork, which is served with taro gnocchi and a pineapple demi glace. Seared ahi comes with an avocado-ginger salsa and mango vinaigrette. Grilled ono has Maui onion and king crab home fries. The New York steak served here is one of the best on Kauai.

Lilikoi Crème Brulee is the perfect way to end your meal.

Merriman’s Poipu

A three-time finalist for the James Beard Awards for the Pacific Northwest/Hawaii region, Peter Merriman has opened not one, but two restaurants in Kauai. Located in Kukui’ula Village, the fine dining restaurant — Merriman’s Poipu — is located upstairs. Merriman’s regional Hawaiian cuisine makes the most of local ingredients. In fact, 90% of the food he serves is locally sourced. So you can expect to find oyster mushrooms, sweet onions, and line-caught fish in season.

Start with the Pupu Taster, which includes ahi and watermelon poki, kalua pig and sweet onion quesadillas, roasted beets and feta, marlin sashimi, and calamari salad. The Mix Plate serves almost as a tasting menu, letting diners sample fish, beef, and vegetable dishes. There are also excellent choices for vegetarians, including truffle-Parmesan fries. The wine list is terrific and the desserts are worth saving room for.

Downstairs, Merriman’s Café is more casual and less expensive, with soups, salads, sandwiches, and pasta dishes. Fish tacos, grilled fish sandwiches, and pulled kalua pork on a Portuguese sweet roll keep things local. Kalbi-style ribs and teriyaki are other good choice. Most items are less than $12.

One of our favorite places to eat in Poipu, Savage Shrimp, is moving out of the truck and into the Kukui’ula Village this summer. Watch for an update once she’s settled in.

Find more Poipu restaurants here.

Starwood offers big discounts on Kauai.

Some of the best Kauai hotels are members of the Starwood Hotels & Resorts group. And they’ve just introduced a fantastic deal at three of their Kauai resorts.

Starwood Preferred Guests (SPGs) can save 35% off the room rate, and get a free night (with minimum stay), double points, a free double room upgrade or $100 dining credit, and free breakfast for two each day. The three participating properties are:

* The Sheraton Kauai. On a beautiful golden-sand beach in sunny Poipu, the Sheraton has the island’s only ocean-front luau. It’s walking distance to Poipu’s shops and restaurants, and the Point is one of the best spots on the island to watch the sun set.

* The St. Regis Princeville Resort. Recently reopened after a $100 million renovation, this member of the prestigious St. Regis group has unbeatable views of Hanalei Bay and Bali Hai. With five restaurants and two world-class golf courses, you’ll never leave.

* Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas. With gourmet kitchens, private lanais, spas, and great programs for kids, these are some of the best Kauai vacation rentals. The location is convenient to North Shore beaches and Princeville golf.

The offer is good for bookings through June 30, 2010. But availability is limited, so make your reservations as early as you can to avoid disappointment.

You’ll find all the details at starwoodhawaii.com/morehawaii. Or find other recommended Kauai hotels here.

How to pick the right Kauai hotel.

There are Kauai hotels for bargain hunters, luxury seekers, nature lovers, families with kids, and everyone in between.   In addition to hotels and resorts, Kauai vacation rentals are another great option for those who want to enjoy all the comforts of home while they’re on vacation.

So how do you find the right place for you from the dozens of Kauai hotel choices?  Start by figuring out what you want to do.  And when you plan to visit.

Virtually everyone who goes to Hawaii is looking for sunshine and pleasant temperatures.  Fortunately, there’s plenty of sunshine on Kauai all year long.  But there’s also plenty of rain.  So if you’re visiting during the winter, you’ll get better weather in Poipu Beach and the surrounding area.

Many of the Poipu hotels and resorts have rocky beaches, so if a sandy beach that’s safe for swimming is a priority for you, stay as close to Poipu or Kiahuna Beach as you can afford.

If your idea of the perfect Kauai vacation is just relaxing in a chaise lounge with a good book, the Sheraton Kauai, the Grand Hyatt Kauai, or one of the other Poipu hotels will probably suit you just fine.  But Poipu vacation rentals can be a better value because they give you the opportunity to have some meals ìat home.

Having a kitchen frees you up to eat in or out whenever you please.  And if you visit one of Kauai’s farmers’ markets, you can enjoy lots of tropical fruit for breakfast and have impeccably fresh local fish for dinner.

Kiahuna Plantation has one, two, and three bedroom units, and many have beautiful ocean-view lanais.  If you stay here, you can also use one of the barbecue grills on the lawn to make dinner.

Less expensive Poipu vacation rentals are available at Prince Kuhio, Poipu Kapili, and Poipu Kai.

In summer, there’s less rain and the seas on the north shore are much calmer.  During that time of year, you can pretty much stay wherever you like.  Many of the best Kauai resorts are in the Princeville and Hanalei area.

The best known Princeville hotel is the St. Regis Princeville, which used to be the Princeville Resort.  It’s recently reopened after an extensive renovation.  The view of Hanalei Bay are some of the island’s best.

With gourmet kitchens and private lanais, the Westin Ocean Resort Villas are the ultimate Princeville vacation rentals.  Their kids programs make them a great, if expensive, choice for families.

The Hanalei Colony Resort, Pu’u Poa, and the other Hanalei hotels are less expensive and still provide great access to the north shore beaches, restaurants, and shops.

Kauai’s east shore also has hotels, resorts, and vacation rentals in abundance.  And most are less expensive than the Princeville or Poipu hotels.  Because the east shore is more congested — traffic can be a real problem around Lihue — you’ll probably be happier on the north or south shore.