Update from Kauaʻi
Aloha. Our team is here with the latest information and assistance.
Kauaʻi is healing, and most of the island is open and welcoming guests. Here is an honest look at where the island stands, area by area, and what it means for your stay with us. We update this page as things change, so please check back here anytime.
UPDATED • WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 23 • 12:30 PM HST
The good news first
We have walked every home we manage. Not one of our properties sustained structural damage. What we are cleaning up is downed trees and landscape debris, and our crews are well into it.
Kauaʻi is welcoming visitors back as the island continues to recover and rebuild following Hurricane Lowell. As you travel here, we ask that you do so with patience, care, and respect for the communities that call Kauaʻi home. Please be mindful that some areas and services may still be in recovery, and conditions can change. In particular, the road beyond Hanalei toward Hāʻena State Park remains an active recovery area and may not be accessible during your travel dates. Please respect posted guidance, and local residents as recovery continues. Your visit can be part of Kauaʻi’s recovery—support local businesses, travel thoughtfully, leave places better than you found them, and remember that these are not simply vacation destinations, but neighborhoods and communities where people live every day. Mahalo for helping us care for Kauaʻi while you enjoy the beauty of the island.
So the question that decides your trip is not whether your home is standing. It is simply whether the power is back on in that area.
Where we stand on power
We are not able to welcome guests into an area until the power there is restored. We know that is disappointing to read, but the good news is that most of the island is already back. KIUC has restored power to about 95 percent of the island, and crews from across the country are here helping.
We look forward to welcoming visitors back beginning September 21. Our team is already hard at work cleaning and preparing homes so they’re ready for your arrival.
Tourism is an important part of Kauaʻi’s community and economy, and we warmly welcome your return. We look forward to sharing the beauty and aloha of Kauaʻi with you again soon.
Your area, right now
⬤ Open and ready: Poʻipū, Kōloa, Līhuʻe, Kapaʻa, Wailua and the south and east shores
Power and water are on. Grocery stores, restaurants and gas stations are open, the roads are clear, and the beaches are beautiful. These communities are open for business and would genuinely love to see you.
Arrivals here are going ahead as booked.
⬤ Welcoming you back September 21: Kīlauea, Princeville and Hanalei
Power in Kilauea, Princeville and Hanalei has been restored.
If your arrival falls before September 21, please complete this form and let us know your new dates. You can check our website for availability at the home you rented. We will confirm your home is ready before you travel.
⬤ Still working: Wainiha and Hāʻena
This stretch of the North Shore took the hardest hit, and KIUC has not yet given a restoration estimate for it. The road past Princeville to Kēʻē is open to local traffic only.
We are handling these arrivals one at a time. Please reach out to us before making travel plans and we will work through it with you personally.
If your arrival falls before October 1, 2026, please complete this formand let us know your new dates. You can check our website for availability at the home you rented. We will confirm your home is ready before you travel.
Around the island
Airport. Līhuʻe Airport is open and back on regular power.
Water. Good news here. There are no boil water notices in effect and every County Department of Water system is back up island wide. A few remote sites are still on generators, so the county is asking everyone to conserve where they can.
Power. About 95 percent of KIUC members are back on as of Friday, September 18. The remaining outages are on the North Shore between Moloaʻa and Hāʻena, plus a few scattered pockets.
Roads. Kūhiō Highway is open, including all the way to Princeville. From Princeville to Kēʻē it is local traffic only while crews clear trees near Kalihiwai Bridge.
If you need to change your dates
First, if you purchased travel insurance when you booked, please file a claim with your provider. Weather disruption is exactly what that coverage is for.
Beyond that, because of Hurricane Lowell we are making an exception to our usual policy and giving you a full year to reschedule.
Severe Weather & Rescheduling: If a severe storm or hurricane threatens our area around your arrival date, we want to make sure you stay safe! While we do not issue refunds for weather-related disruptions, we are happy to let you move your stay to any available dates within the next year. Please note that new dates are subject to seasonal rates, so if the new dates are higher in price, you'll just pay the difference. If the new dates happen to have a lower rate, no partial credits or refunds will be issued.
Guests who were already in a home when the storm arrived and chose to head home early were refunded for the nights they did not use.
Questions we have been hearing
Can you promise the home will have power, water and internet when I arrive?
We are not able to promise that, and honestly we could not promise it in an ordinary week either. Electricity, water and internet come from third parties, and the roads belong to the county and the state.
What we can promise is that we will tell you the truth about your home before you get on a plane. If your area is still out, we will say so and move your dates.
Was my house damaged?
No home in the Hawaiʻi Life portfolio has structural damage. Some have landscape damage and downed trees, and cleanup is underway. If anything at your home would affect your stay, you will hear it from us first.
Can I get a refund?
Reservations are non-refundable under the agreement you signed, but because of the hurricane we are letting you move your stay to any available dates within one year of your original arrival. If you purchased travel insurance, please file a claim with your provider as well.
Can I move to a different island?
Every home we manage belongs to a different owner, so the funds you have paid are held for the owner of your home. Moving to a property on Maui or the Big Island would be a new booking rather than a transfer, and it needs your current owner's agreement. Ask us and we will take the question to them and tell you either way.
Are the stores and restaurants open?
On the south and east sides, yes. On the North Shore, businesses are reopening as power comes back to each neighborhood. Call ahead for anything you are counting on.
Official sources
These update faster than we can, and they are the places to check.
We are here for you
Please email us at vacations@hawaiilife.com
Mahalo,
Hawai‘i Life
Conditions on this page reflect official County of Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation and KIUC reports as of the date at the top. Utility and road conditions change daily, and restoration timelines are the utility's estimates rather than commitments. If an official emergency notice conflicts with anything here, please follow the notice.