09/23/2019
Neighborhood Spotlight: Poipu, Kauai | ✨ http://bit.ly/2K7FxaH
With a median home price of over $1.5 million, Poipu attracts a select group of homebuyers in search of a unique Hawaiian experience. Upscale ocean-view condominiums in planned resort communities, magnificent golf course-front homes, and sprawling estates define this region on the sunny south side of Kauai, also known as the Garden Isle. The oldest of the Hawaiian Islands, Kauai represents the smallest and least developed of the four major islands in the chain.
It’s been said that Kauai welcomed its first settlers from the Marquesas Islands, Tahiti, and Samoa as early as 500 A.D., and Polynesian migration to the island continued for hundreds of years. Poipu’s neighboring town of Koloa eventually established itself as a whaling port in the early 1800s and became the site of the first sugar mill on the island in 1835. Since the end of sugar production on Kauai in the early 2000s, tourism has driven the economy, and because of its ideal weather and stunning beauty, much of the tourism has centered around Poipu.
The renowned Tree Tunnel, a section of Maluhia Road lined with 100-year-old eucalyptus trees leads to the Poipu/Koloa region. Once named America’s Best Beach by the Travel Channel, picturesque Poipu Beach offers favorable conditions for swimming, snorkeling, bodyboarding, and surfing, as well as the opportunity to catch a glimpse of Hawaiian monk seals napping on the sand. An array of other breathtaking beaches nearby showcase more golden sands, swaying palms, and sea cliffs bordered by green pastures.
Less than a 15-minute drive from Poipu is the famed Spouting Horn blowhole which is also known as the largest limestone cave in the state. Historic Alekoko Fishpond is a 30-minute drive and in just under one hour you can reach Waimea Canyon, which is also widely known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.
Poipu’s resorts provide unlimited opportunities for recreation and relaxation. From golf and award-winning spas to the boutiques and galleries at Kukuiula Village Shopping Center and Poipu Shopping Village, you’ll find fine dining, exclusive shopping, world-class art galleries, and entertainment.
The Poipu/Koloa area is also home to grocery stores, doctors' offices, hardware stores, auto repair shops, a library, and other conveniences. Located 30 minutes from the county seat of Lihue, Poipu allows easy access to Costco, Kmart, and Walmart, as well as Kauai’s airport and a major hospital. Kauai Community College and Kauai High School are also in Lihue, while elementary and middle schools are even closer, in Koloa. A 45-minute drive from Poipu leads to the largest town on the island, Kapaa, and just a 75-minute drive leads to the lovely Princeville/Hanalei area of Kauai’s lush north shore.