goldengirl

Sorry this is such a late reply, but maybe it will be of interest to someone out there! After much deliberation, we purchased a Caldera Kauai a year ago. We have it on our screened-in patio. I have to tell you that it was one of the best purchases we've ever made!! The size is absolutely perfect for my husband and me. I'm short (5'3") so I had to find a spa that would make me feel like I'm drowning. There is one seat in the Kauai that's just right for me - the other two are a little deep. I ADORE the foot jets on the lounge - that's actually what sold me on it! I have to put my hands behind me and sit way up in order for my feet to touch the jets, but that's ok. I'll happily do that for that wonderful massage. So - we're very happy campers with the Kauai. No problems at all so far! Oh - and I added the light kit so we can have the pretty changing colors.

We had our new Caldera Kauai delivered last Wednesday - we love it!!! Thankfully some cold weather came to central FL yesterday, so it's even more fun getting in. Here are some photos from the installation day! We just love it!!!!

TinyBubbles, what kind of liquid do you buy? I love the smell of plumerias, so I'd like to find what you use! Thanks!

Oooh - I'm so excited for you!! My Caldera will get here in about 2 weeks. Can you stop the lights on a color, or do you have to cycle through them all? Is one of the colors just plain white? I'd love to see photos!!! I'm getting the little Kauai, as we just have a small area on our back porch where we are putting it. Is yours outside or under a lanai?

Congratulations, ivieisme!!! I know you spent a lot of time and thought in making your decision. I hope you love it - do post pix once you have it all installed! I also made the decision yesterday to go with the Caldera Kauai! I am going by tomorrow to sign the paperwork. My electrician is coming next week to see what we can do with the electric - that makes me nervous. I hate the thought of this big pipe running across my patio wall! I'll put up photos when mine is all ready to go - should be right before Christmas if all goes well. Let's keep our fingers crossed for some cold weather!

I'm curious as to why most folks wouldn't get a lounger again. I'm getting ready to buy, and did my wet tests yesterday. I LOVED the lounger in the Caldera Kauai - the foot jets are what sold me. Do you find that lounging gets old? Is it more comfortable/relaxing for longer periods of time to be sitting in one of the seats instead? Thanks!

Hi Chas, Thanks for your reply! Why do you say that the Hot Springs is the easiest to keep sparkling clean? What makes Caldera a bit harder to keep clean? Do you think the cat hair would affect my pump? THANK YOU!!!

Ok - newbie question again! I just did my wet testing of 3 models today - D1 Triad II, Hot Springs JetSetter and Caldera Kauai. The D1 is out completely. I'm leaning towards the Caldera, as its footjets on the lounger are pure heaven! However, the 100% filtration of the Hot Springs SOUNDS great. Do you think that is a significant feature? I have a lot of animals and am somewhat of a neat/clean freak, so telling me the water is always clean and clear is a big deal. I'm a little afraid that the cat hair floating in the air may get sucked into the pump if there is not 100% filtration. Is that a valid concern? Thanks as usual for your input!

ivieisme - there is a D1 dealer in Sarasota at Adventure Spas. The woman I spoke with there is Margaret Bell, and she's wonderful. If it isn't too far away for you, you might want to drive there and check out their spas. I'm sure she would make sure you are treated well! Good luck. I'm wet testing 3 today - Caldera, Hot Springs and D1!

I appreciate you all giving me your thoughts on this!! I'm in central FL, so most of our weather is fine for being outside all the time. However, my patio is a narrow one off the back of my house - so while it is indeed screened, it has a roof. I can enjoy looking out, but not up! As I'm in the woods, bugs are a HUGE concern. We have a lot of mosquitoes at night. If I'm going to go to the trouble to do the umbrella with the screened sides, then I might as well stay inside. I'm leaning toward inside for now; I guess we can always have it moved outside later on, right? I just think that if it's out in my yard I might not be as inclined to go and get in at 2am as if it was on my back patio. We live WAY out in the country and neighbors aren't close by. It's VERY dark out there and a little "creepy" sometimes!!

Ok, ok - don't laugh at this question! Up until TODAY (after reading someone's post about floating in his tub under the moonlight) I had thought we were putting our spa on our screened-in patio. Now I'm wondering if it should go outside. For those of you that do have yours outside -and if you're in Florida, so much the better - do you have problem with mosquitoes or gnats or anything of that nature? I'd hate to think I'd have to put bug spray on my face when I wanted to go out to my spa! I live in a heavily wooded area , although we have a cleared area for our house, which lets some sun in. I can imagine floating out there on a cool day - it sounds lovely! Much nicer than being inside under a roof. I need your thoughts on this! Tomorrow is my wet-test of the 3 models on which we're basing our decision. I better make a change now if I'm going to do so!

Why did yo leave out the Caldera Kauai completely? My search has narrowed down to the Caldera Kauai, D1 Triad II and Hot Springs Jetsetter. I'm going to wet test all 3 tomorrow, but I'm interested in the opinions of others as well!

Hi there! I'm 5'3" and found I was having the same problem, as well as "drowning" in most spas. My husband and I have been researching models and have wet tested a few. As we have a relatively small area in which we can put our spa, the 3-seaters are what we must purchase. Once we were able to wet-test one of those, I found I wasn't drowning and floating was less of an issue. These are much shallower than those big monster spas! We wet-tested the Hot Springs Jetsetter. Tomorrow I'm going to try the Caldera Kauai and the D1 Triad II. (I'll start a separate post about the comparison of those!). I've been told that the grip bar on the side of the lounger of the Caldera, as well its shape - deeper seat plus your legs are up at different angle than the Jetsetter - helps to combat the floating. I'll let you know! I'm glad I'm not the only one that was totally disappointed after the first wet test! I can't tell you what a let-down it was for me. Good luck with your search!