South shore is drier but north shore is prettier…take your pick. It doesnt really matter anyway because the island is small enough to travel from one end to the other in an hour so it really depends on what hotel you like. Take a look at the Sheraton Kauai Beach resort in Poipu if you are after some thing really special.

Any of them, really. Summer has the tamest surf in Hawaii, so you’re relatively safe where ever you go. Poipu is kind of resorty (is that a word? lol) but the beaches on the south side (where Poipu is) are quite good. I live on the east side and we have nice, smaller beaches as well as cute little towns for shopping. There isn’t much nightlife here at all. August and September are our hottest months — it averages 85 degrees during the day and we haven’t had much in the way of tradewinds this summer, so humidity is high. That’s also hurricane season — we’re hoping to avoid Flossie which is heading our way right now!

As another poster said, Kauai has the Wettest Spot on Earth — Mt. Wai’ale’ale. The rest of the island benefits from Wai’ale’ale’s bounty by being green and lush and gorgeous! We have a lot of waterfalls…some of them just right off the road as you drive by! It’s spectacular. If you stay on the east side, you will be sort of mid-way on the road that goes most of the way around the island, so you won’t have as far to drive if you want to see things on the north shore, etc. Definitely buy Kauai Revealed — it will give you lots of tips about beaches, activities, luau, etc. (There is no ‘s’ in Hawaiian, so it is luau instead of luaus and lei instead of leis…just so you know.)

Have a great time and aloha!

I have been to Kauai, and I would probably stay on the south shore, as the weather is drier, and the swimming is safer. Poi Pu is a good place to stay. We stayed on the north shore in Hanalei Bay,and I really like that place. It rained every night we were there, but the days were beautiful. I also live on another Island, and I love to go to Kauai, as I have a friend of mine on the north shore. There is a very good book Kauai Revealed, and it will give you all the information you need. I really enjoyed the helicopter trip we took as we saw the whole Island by air and it was an awesome ride. They have had a couple of crashes on the helicopters, but if you use a reputable company and the weather is good, then I would highly recommend it. Aloha.

The weather in the summertime is going to be pretty nice wherever you are. However, it’s important to remember that Kaua’i gets more rain than any other place on earth. That’s why it is so incredibly beautiful. Usually you can escape it by going over to the leeward (west) sides of the islands. The east or windward sides of the islands tend to get much more rain, but they are also cooler, lusher and offer amazing scenery.. Probably you will get a little rain and a little sun.. Island weather changes so quickly, but it’s so beautiful you won’t mind. Kaua’i isnt’ really all that big, and you will hopefully get to go around and see the whole thing.
Don’t know about luau with hula, sorry, I live on another island, but I’m sure there will be lot’s of brochures when you arrive to your destination.
Have a wonderful time!