The Copper Kettle is a fully restored 2-bedroom, 1-bath plantation cottage on a quiet half-acre in Princeville, 2.4 miles from Hanalei Bay and 14 minutes' walk to Anini Beach. We bought it in 2016, restored the original ohia-wood ceilings and push-out screen windows, and have hosted 482 stays since listing in March 2017 — 478 of them five stars. It's not a resort, not a hotel, not managed by a property company. It's our second home, and when you stay here you're taking care of something we love. Sleeps 4. Two-night minimum. No pets, no parties, no kids under 6 (the lanai railing is original and not up to modern code). Hawaii TVR #TA-148-284-2149-01, GE #W-48244-2149.
Two bedrooms, one bathroom, a proper kitchen, a covered lanai where you'll spend 60% of your time. Full-time private use — no shared walls, no shared yard, no owner pop-ins, no cleaner visits mid-stay unless you request one.
Queen bed (Avocado organic mattress, replaced 2023), blackout curtains, ceiling fan, direct lanai access through French doors. Clean linens on arrival, extra set in the armoire. Works for light sleepers — the road is silent after 8 PM.
This is where you'll eat every breakfast and most dinners. 12×18 ft. covered and screened, ceiling fan, dining table for four, two teak loungers. Coffee at 6:30 AM with the mynahs is why people come back; 68% of our guests are repeat. Bring a book.
Two twin beds (can be joined into a king on request — 48-hour notice), ceiling fan, window to the garden, blackout curtain. Works well for kids 6+ or a third and fourth adult. Not a kids-under-6 space (again: railing).
Full kitchen, not a kitchenette. Electric range, full-size fridge, dishwasher, coffee grinder + Chemex + French press, Vitamix, cast iron, sharp Japanese knives (please rinse not soak), olive oil and sea salt to get you started. Big Save grocery is 4 minutes away.
Walk-in tiled shower, single vanity, plenty of towels (4 bath + 4 beach), hair dryer, Ren skincare products restocked every stay. The water heater is a 2023 heat-pump unit — hot water in 45 seconds, indefinitely.
Gigabit fiber (Spectrum, tested 840 Mbps down / 38 up), a dedicated desk in the living room with ergonomic chair, USB-C and HDMI ports, a ring light if you need one. We use this setup ourselves when we're here. Zoom works in a hurricane.
Cleaning is included in the nightly rate. Taxes (TAT 10.25% + GE 4.712%) are shown separately because Hawaii requires it. Book directly and you save the VRBO 15% service fee.
The north shore is small and full of "secret spot" lists that are not secret. We won't tell you to go to Queen's Bath (people die there every few years). We won't tell you to trespass to the waterfall TikTok keeps showing. The things worth doing are in the list to the left. Everything else, ask us — we answer texts inside 20 minutes 8 AM–8 PM HST, same day after.
We've stayed at 14 rentals on Kauai over 20 years. The Copper Kettle is the only one we've returned to — four times now. The owners text you like a friend, the cottage is impeccable, and the beach gear shed alone saved us $400 in rentals. The only reason we're not writing "don't tell anyone" is we want them to keep hosting.
I almost didn't review because I don't want anyone else to book the week we want next year. Fine: 10/10. The lanai at 6:30 AM with the mynahs is the reason we come to Kauai now. Sigrid and Darius, our daughter is already asking when we go back. Please don't sell it.
Booked direct on our second trip and the experience was measurably better than via VRBO: detailed arrival guide, WhatsApp group pre-arrival, hand-drawn map of snorkel spots. And $282 cheaper for the week. If you're reading this deciding whether to trust a small independent listing, you can.