We booked this B&B based on the Travel Channel's review. When we arrived we were shocked! The place has no curb appeal at all, is far from anything,especially the beach ( the ocean view is is sliver of ocean in the distance). The room was not as clean as it could have been and the bed was very hard. We were eaten alive by mosquitos within the first hour. We could not even stay one night! We went to the Hilton Kauai Beach and only paid a little bit more for an excellent place to stay! We were out our non refundable 50% deposit for 5 nights, but we felt that it was better than staying there and being miserable for 5 nights.

We booked the Hale 'Elua Studio at Kakalina's for a week long stay. The property itself is located in a rather pleasant rural, rustic setting, about a 20 minute drive from Kapaa. The studio was clean but small, really suitable for only one person. The queen sized bed's mattress was uncomfortably firm to sleep on, with only about a foot of space between the bed and the wall on either side. The studio's furnishings consisted of a rattan loveseat and chair, equally uncomfortable. The owners were understanding when we let them know we were checking out after two nights and refunded most of our money for the remainder of our stay. For budget-minded travelers who don't need much space and are not planning on spending a great deal of time in their accomodation, this would probably be an acceptable place to stay.

B&B: We stayed in Hale Kolu. Really good, very clean. I saw what one reviewer said about fleas. We had some harmless ants (keep in mind, it's located on a garden on an island, you're bound to get some bugs) but we just carefully sealed any food as soon as soon it was open and it was fine afterwards. The main pro was that the place had a lot of things available for guest use, including fluffy beach towels, bamboo beach mats, boogie board, even flashlights for when we visited the North Shore caves. I really appreciated that. We cooked for the most part and there was salt and pepper, some spices and condiments so that was convenient (note: no oven in the kitchen). There was cable tv, dvd, vcr, and a cd player (never thought I needed one but actually came in handy when doing wedding errands for my friend). No worries about lack of AC cause you don't need it, it's so breezy outside. Oh but watch for the roosters. They are all over the island and at this place they crow early and they crow frequently (light sleepers, beware). I thought the place was just OK but by the end of the trip, I really liked it.
Food and service: great breads,great daily housekeeping, more pineapple would have been nice. I've read other reviews about the owners and I'll admit that over the phone and email, I found them a bit surly and tense. They were not warm people and I felt like I didn't want to bother them for fear of being snapped at. When I met them though, it was a lot better and I felt a lot more comfortable. I guess I would say that if you want to do anything that is against their normal policy, than watch out. Otherwise, they really are nice.
View: nice enough but they really shouldn't call it an ocean view. Ocean is WAY out and hard to see through mountain mist. Wish I had known because that was one of the main reasons we settled on this place.
Location: visitors need to be aware that even though Kapaa is considered the most central location, everything takes a LONG time to get to. There is one main road, 2 lanes, that runs around the entire island. No cutting to other parts of the island. Didn't think it would be a big deal cause it is a small island but it was. Took us forever to get anywhere. In particular, this B&B is located on a quiet neighborhood road that hits some school zones and winds a lot so you have to drive carefully. I loved its remote location but the problem was that the B&B took awhile to get to AND the main roads take awhile to get to. Double trouble. If you are visiting Kauai for anything that requires punctuality, better stay in that region (ie, Lihue, South Shore, etc). Also, while Kapaa is a good base to get everywhere, I didn't find that great of stuff in the town (just touristy stores) so we spent a lot of time driving to North Shore, South Shore, West, etc. I think it may have been better to just pick one region I planned on spending a lot of time in and then just drive to other places as opposed to the central region where you are in the middle of everything and have to drive to everything. Again, B&B has a great remote location but you will need to leave earlier than expected. Just be prepared.
Overall: I would recommend staying here, esp. because in Hawaii, B&Bs are not at all regulated so some of the places I drove by that I had considered staying at before I visited look awful once I actually saw it. This place was very good.

We stayed in what was more like a private duplex for a bed and breakfast rate - it was amazing! Bedroom with plush, top of the line linens, full kitchen stocked with anything you would need, living room with tv/vcr/dvd, books, magazines. There were even beach supplies available - chairs, mats, coolers, etc... Breakfast was fresh breads and fruits picked right on the property. The property is practically a bird sanctuary! We saw and heard so many different birds (and even roosters in the morning). The beach is not far away and you are close to the quaint town of Kapaa with very neat stores and restaurants.

I know one review remarked about the cancellation policy, but we were delayed by one night and we were not charged for that night...

Overall, Kakalina's is the best value on Kauai and it is in a good location to explore both the north and south shore.