Housing

The best way to find housing on the island is to check the newspaper, online listings, local publications, and ask everyone you know who lives here.

The newspaper is The Garden Island News – 808-245-3681

Bulletin boards:

  • Kapaa: Hoku Whole Foods
  • Anahola: Post Office

Online:

A Facebook group is set up for every class several months before the program begins in order to facilitate the process of finding housing and making the landing smoother.

While searching for housing, note that the following areas are all within a 40 minute drive from where classes are held (closest to furthest): Princeville, Hanalei, Kilauea, Moloa’a, Anahola, Kapa’a/Kapahi, Wailua.

Suggestions for short term stay till you find something more permanent:

Hostels: The Kauai Beach House Hostel (temporarily closed)

Camping: There are many wonderful beaches here. Camping is permitted on some of them. You’ll need to get a camp permit. There is a 60-day cumulative limit per year on camping and a max of 2 weeks at a time. During the 2 weeks you have to leave one night/week for maintenance. approx $3/night/person. Free for residents. Call 808-241-4463 for more info. The closest campground to us is Anini beach to the north, about 5 – 10 min away. Go to the Parks & Rec. website for more info and to download application for permits.

You could even ask people you meet and people in class if they know of anywhere you could pitch a tent. There are also some farms in the area that may have a work/trade position open for living on the farm (usually a camp site or very rustic accommodations) in exchange for some hours during the week, working on the farm.

***If none of the accommodations you find are appealing, you may want to consider doing a short term vacation type rental for a week or two, or camp out for a short time, and see what possibilities open up once you’re here. Usually there are several people in class who are looking for housing and are open to sharing spaces with other students. During the first days of class many of these options open up. The going rates for renting a room in a home with others, sharing facilities, etc. is not less than $1000 and will vary considerably depending on whether utilities are included and whether you have your own kitchen and/or bathroom.

Keep in mind that Kauai is a very transient place. Rentals come and go all the time, so if you don’t find anything right away, something will most likely turn up.

Transportation

Hitch-hiking is legal and fairly reliable here, and much safer than on the mainland.

Kauai Bus has a stop in Princeville, which is a little less than a mile north of our location. Check the schedule for Hanalei on the Kauai Bus website. You may put your bike on the bus rack if there’s room.

Bicycling is OK – the bicycle facilities are not the best, but you can certainly bike from Princeville. You CANNOT bicycle from Kilauea or Hanalei.

Car-pooling is highly recommended. During the first week of class those with cars can set up arrangements to help out those without them. There’s really only one road, so this works quite well.

Buy a vehicle. There are always listings on the Heartbeat of Kauai newsletter, the newspaper, and Craig’s List – all listed above.

Many people park their ‘For Sale’ vehicles on the street corners as well. We’ve had some students find used vans and then live in them and use for transportation. Again, people are always coming and going here, and there are many dependable cars for sale under $1000, and of course better, more-dependable autos at higher prices. Some students buy motor bikes and street-legal scooters, though this is not a good option here.

Rent a car

  • Island Cars 800-246-6009 – near airport & much cheaper than the big companies, which are all located in Lihue.

Share a vehicle with another student. You’ll have the same schedule and it keeps costs down.

We appreciate the opportunity to help you in whatever way we can. Remember, class time is from 8:15am to 5:15pm, 4 days per week. That leaves you plenty of time for exploring and relaxing in this awesome paradise wonderland, or to have a part-time job.