Hawai'i -
Surf and sunsets (and more sunsets)
Surf and sunsets (and more sunsets)
Kaua'i
Hotel
Best Western Plantation Hale. Because we didn't have a lot of time on
Kauai and wanted easy access to all parts of the island, I chose to stay in
the Kapa'a area. This is a timeshare property (we avoided the pitch) and
the rooms are one-bedroom suites. It is not on the beach, but that wasn't
important for this trip. It was relaxed and quiet. Best of all was the price:
$125 per night for the room and a mid-sized car from Hertz (through
Expedia). No real complaints about this property; it satisfied our
requirements for this trip, and I knew exactly what I was getting. When I
return with my husband and daughter (hopefully sooner rather than later),
we will want to stay at a beach property, but I will have trouble choosing
between Poipu Beach area and the north shore. The Princeville Hotel was
gorgeous, but I may have to win the lottery first!
Food
Duane's, in Anahola. Great burgers, especially the ones with avocado.
Keoki's Paradise, in Poipu Beach. Fun atmosphere (except for the rooster
camped out at my feet looking for handouts) and pretty good food. Of
course, I got in trouble for waiting until almost the end of our trip to
introduce mom to Hula Pie.
Shave ice at JoJo's in Waimea. Try the tropical rainbow on mac nut ice
cream.
Highlights
Limahuli Gardens. We wanted to visit Allerton Gardens, but its hours didn't
really fit with our schedule. Instead, we took the self-guided tour at
Limahuli Gardens -- also part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden. It
is a beautiful setting on the north shore, near the end of the road. Of note is
the terrace system built by ancient Hawaiians.
Driving the north shore. We took our time and made number of stops, from
Kileaua Lighthouse all the way out to Ha'ena Beach. However, the parking
lots at Ke'e Beach at the end of the road were jammed.
Drive up Waimea Canyon and to the Kalalau Valley lookout. The road to the
Pu'u O Kila lookout was closed and the two-mile roundtrip hike was a bit
too much, but the view from this point was also spectacular. We left early
and beat a lot of the traffic up the canyon. However, it seemed like I was
shooting into the sun and that photographic conditions might be better in
the afternoon??
Wailua Falls. Worth the detour.
Lowlights
Traffic, again, particularly through Lihue in the early evening. Kauai
Revealed discusses a bypass; I should have looked into it.
Biggest Surprise (what I didn't remember from my last trip to Kauai 20
years ago): chickens all over the island. I hadn't even made it out of the
airport before I nearly ran over a bunch of chicks trying to follow mom
across the street. And no need for an alarm clock here: the resident rooster
will take care of that (at 3:30am, just to make sure you're up on time). On
our drive up Waimea Canyon, we pulled into one overlook with a lone car
whose occupants were out hiking; there were about a dozen chickens
surrounding the car, waiting...
O'ahu
our travels
home
contact us
Hotel
Best Western Plantation Hale. Because we didn't have a lot of time on
Kauai and wanted easy access to all parts of the island, I chose to stay in
the Kapa'a area. This is a timeshare property (we avoided the pitch) and
the rooms are one-bedroom suites. It is not on the beach, but that wasn't
important for this trip. It was relaxed and quiet. Best of all was the price:
$125 per night for the room and a mid-sized car from Hertz (through
Expedia). No real complaints about this property; it satisfied our
requirements for this trip, and I knew exactly what I was getting. When I
return with my husband and daughter (hopefully sooner rather than later),
we will want to stay at a beach property, but I will have trouble choosing
between Poipu Beach area and the north shore. The Princeville Hotel was
gorgeous, but I may have to win the lottery first!
Food
Duane's, in Anahola. Great burgers, especially the ones with avocado.
Keoki's Paradise, in Poipu Beach. Fun atmosphere (except for the rooster
camped out at my feet looking for handouts) and pretty good food. Of
course, I got in trouble for waiting until almost the end of our trip to
introduce mom to Hula Pie.
Shave ice at JoJo's in Waimea. Try the tropical rainbow on mac nut ice
cream.
Highlights
Limahuli Gardens. We wanted to visit Allerton Gardens, but its hours didn't
really fit with our schedule. Instead, we took the self-guided tour at
Limahuli Gardens -- also part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden. It
is a beautiful setting on the north shore, near the end of the road. Of note is
the terrace system built by ancient Hawaiians.
Driving the north shore. We took our time and made number of stops, from
Kileaua Lighthouse all the way out to Ha'ena Beach. However, the parking
lots at Ke'e Beach at the end of the road were jammed.
Drive up Waimea Canyon and to the Kalalau Valley lookout. The road to the
Pu'u O Kila lookout was closed and the two-mile roundtrip hike was a bit
too much, but the view from this point was also spectacular. We left early
and beat a lot of the traffic up the canyon. However, it seemed like I was
shooting into the sun and that photographic conditions might be better in
the afternoon??
Wailua Falls. Worth the detour.
Lowlights
Traffic, again, particularly through Lihue in the early evening. Kauai
Revealed discusses a bypass; I should have looked into it.
Biggest Surprise (what I didn't remember from my last trip to Kauai 20
years ago): chickens all over the island. I hadn't even made it out of the
airport before I nearly ran over a bunch of chicks trying to follow mom
across the street. And no need for an alarm clock here: the resident rooster
will take care of that (at 3:30am, just to make sure you're up on time). On
our drive up Waimea Canyon, we pulled into one overlook with a lone car
whose occupants were out hiking; there were about a dozen chickens
surrounding the car, waiting...
O'ahu
our travels
home
contact us
First sight of Kaua'i from the air
Waimea Canyon
Limahuli Gardens
Can't have a trip report for Kaua'i without
one of these...
one of these...
