Kauai is Hawaii's garden isle, a place of verdant volcanic mountains, rolling sugarcane fields, waterfalls and rainbows. Its laid-back ambiance recalls the days when the cycles of the growing season set life's pace, and it remains an example of the small-town Hawaii once embodied by Oahu's north shore, now choked with traffic. Here people still lunch at simple noodle stands and roadside shrimp wagons, and the social hubs continue to be the beaches, surf spots and fishing docks as well as old Koloa Town's plantation-era market. Much of Kauai is zoned for agriculture; even the developed parts have a lower profile than urban Waikiki, with its Legoland high-rises and European-designer boutiques. These zoning codes prohibit buildings higher than thirty feet, which means there's no structure taller than a coconut palm.
If this makes you think you could never find a modern home on Kauai, think again. A construction spike on the island's south shore is resulting in scores of new properties and offering once-in-a-generation opportunities for those seeking residences in Old Hawaii. Although many of these sites are little more than graded lots today, it's expected that over the next few years, the growth will yield more than 1,100 homes, 1,050 condominiums and luxury townhomes and nearly 1,300 fractional-ownership units.
Prices on Kauai's south shore, near Poipu, the main town, range from $200,000 for a one-bedroom condo to $5.3 million for a town house in Ritz-Carlton's Kauai Lagoons. Around $2 million will land you a new home on the grounds of the sprawling Club at Kukui'ula. A development defined by extensive gardens, sweeping views and the plantation style, which you find in old Honolulu neighborhoods, Kukui'ula will be anchored by a shopping village and by a lavish clubhouse, pool and spa that are accessible only to homeowners.
"Poipu has been starved for inventory," says Hannah Sirois, vice president of sales and marketing for Kukui'ula Realty. "Nothing has hit the market since 1981." All that is about to change.
LAY OF THE LAND
Kauai is famous for the lush Na Pali Coast, in the northwest, and Hanalei, on the north shore, but most of the development under way is on the sunny, drier south shore. A fifteen-minute drive through cane fields and a tunnel made of eucalyptus and kukui trees takes you from the southeast's Lihue Airport to Poipu, the south shore's heart, where for years a Grand Hyatt (with its world-class golf course) has been the island's only brand-name hotel.
WHO YOU'LL MEET
Though Kukui'ula will be built around an eighteen-hole course created by Tom Weiskopf, and Kauai Lagoons will have a new back nine designed by Jack Nicklaus, those buying in are looking to do more than just play golf and lie on the beach with a page-turner. The newcomers are a predominantly West Coast crowd from the worlds of finance, real estate, design, sports and entertainment. Steve Case, the Honolulu native who helped found America Online, is a major local landowner.
WHERE TO STAY
With 602 mostly ocean-view rooms and suites, the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa is the best place on the south shore to spend the night. Families can play on the resort's beach and paddle kayaks in its saltwater lagoon, while golfers can challenge themselves on the Robert Trent Jones–designed Poipu Bay Golf Course, the cliff-side links course that for more than a decade was the home of the pga's exclusive Grand Slam of Golf tournament. Double rooms from $430. 800-233-1234; grandhyattkauai.com.
WHERE TO EAT
Even among celebrity chefs, Roy Yamaguchi, Hawaii's first James Beard award winner, is a rarity: a culinary artist who created a regional cuisine that became part of the local culture. Twenty years after Yamaguchi opened his first Roy's restaurant, in Honolulu, and introduced Hawaiian fusion cooking, he's still wowing diners. At Roy's Poipu Bar & Grill, you can sample macadamia-nut mahimahi with lobster butter; blackened island ahi with a spicy mustard, soy and butter sauce; and other signature dishes. 2360 Kiahuna Plantation Dr.; 808-742-5000.
Those looking for a light but filling lunch should head to the Poipu Bay Grill and Bar, overlooking the Poipu Bay Golf Course. The Hawaiian seafood Cobb salad brims with shrimp, scallops and seared salmon atop a bed of fresh greens, tomatoes and avocado. 2250 Ainako Rd.; 808-742-1515.
For even more casual eating, there's CasaBlanca at Kiahuna, which serves burgers and such Mediterranean-inspired dishes as salad niçoise and grilled-lamb sandwiches on pita bread on a covered patio next to the courts at the Kiahuna Swim & Tennis Club. 2290 Poipu Rd.; 808-742-2929.
SUPER AGENTS
With thirty agents and three decades of experience on Kauai, Sotheby's Sleeping Giant International Realty is the dominant player. Contact Debra Blachowiak; 800-247-8831; sleepinggiant.com.
Pacific Ocean Properties has a smaller staff but robust listings. Contact Rebecca Supon; 808-742-6428; kauaiproperty.com.
For info on Kukui'ula, contact Hannah Sirois at Kukui'ula Realty. 808-742-0234; kukuiula.com.
ON THE MARKET
Kukui'ula Makai Cottage $2 million
Owners in the community of Kukui'ula receive memberships in the golf course, spa and clubhouse; the services of a "lifestyle team," who offer instruction in surfing, hula dancing and yoga; and many other perks. The Makai group of properties, with two bedrooms, two baths and optional guest cottages inspired by the Hawaiian architect Charles W. Dickey, have 2,000 to 3,670 square feet of living space on quarter-acre lots near the ocean. CONTACT: Hannah Sirois, Kukui'ula Realty; 808-742-0234; kukuiula.com.
Kauai Lagoons Resort, Ritz-Carlton Residences $5.3 million
With three bedrooms and three and a half baths on 2,500 square feet, plus a 1,000-square-foot lanai, each Ritz-Carlton town house will provide ample room to spread out in. The resort will be set amid a golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus, thirty-nine acres of man-made lagoons and the wide, white Kalapaki Beach. A vintage Chris-Craft motorboat and Venetian-style water taxi will transport owners along the resort's waterways. CONTACT: Noreen Kam, Kauai Lagoons Resort; 866-494-2924; rcr-kauailagoons.com.
Kauai Kai $10.9 million
In this beachfront three-bedroom, three-bath home (with a one-bedroom guesthouse), in a quiet cul-de-sac across from the Kukui'ula clubhouse, spa and golf course, you can watch the surf, the turtles and the occasional Hawaiian monk seal from the patio or pool. The fully furnished property includes a wine cellar, a Wolf range, a Sub-Zero refrigerator, four high-definition TVs and a Bose surround-sound system. CONTACT: Rebecca Supon, Pacific Ocean Properties; 808-742-6428; kauaiproperty.com.
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