Of course, the best accommodations on Kauai are our guest room, but failing that we like the Marriott Resort in Kauai. Both are centrally located on the East side of the Island - the Marriott is about 15 minutes south of us - so driving distances are about the same from either. The Marriott is a beautiful resort, so if you just like to stay around the pool and drink Mai Tai cocktails you need no further suggestions.
If you want to stay on the South Shore in Poipu, try Kuhio Shores Condominiums. If you want opulence on the North Shore stay at the Princeville Resort.
Our
favorite restaurant on Kauai is Hukilau
Lani. It is a must-do for anyone visiting Kauai.
O
n
the East side of Kauai, adjacent to the Marriott in Nawiliwili (Lihue) is a nice
restaurant for dinner, Duke's Canoe
Club. And located next door the Kalapaki Burger
Hut, the best place for a
burger or Ono fish sandwich on Kauai. Also on the East side in Kapaa is Coco's
for very funky dinner, but BYOB, and bring a little insect repellant too since
at Coco's you eat under a roof but outside.
On the North side, if you're
through Hanalei at the right time for lunch eat at the Hanalei Dolphin restaurant.
And if the Wishing
Well Shave Ice van happens to be open you MUST have a rainbow
shave ice over macadamia nut ice cream. It's a rule! If you're looking for
dinner on the North side we recommend Postcards
Cafe for an upscale, funky meal,
BYOB for the liquor store across the street.
On the South side of Kauai we like to have lunch at Keokie's Paradise in Poipu. For a great dinner and a really nice restaurant try The Beach House on Lawai Beach.
On the off chance that you want to get around and really see things and do things while you visit Kauai, here are our personal favorites. Driving distance are approximate and from the East side, i.e. Kapaa, Wailua, and Lihue.
Driving
all the way North to the end of the road is a 1/2 day to full day trip not to be missed.
The round trip drive time from East Kauai is probably 2.5 hours. But you'll
want to stop a dozen times the last 30 minutes of the drive to look at ocean views,
beaches, mountains, dry cave, wet cave, etc. If you like to take pictures
you'll shoot a couple of rolls of film there. Do treat yourselves to a
convertible rental car. It will probably cost an extra $30 or $40 a day,
but how often will you be driving here?
There is a nice beach, Ke'e
Beach, at the end of the road that is usually a little crowded. [If you're
through Hanalei at the right time for lunch eat at the Hanalei Dolphin restaurant.
And if the Wishing Well shave-ice wagon happens to be open you MUST have a rainbow
shave ice over macadamia nut ice cream. It's a rule.]
Going to the "other" end of the road,
West, is another 1/2 day to full day must-do trip. The drive doesn't start
out as impressive. But when you get to Waimea
Canyon that one view is so spectacular it is worth it. The round trip is
maybe 3 hours from East Kauai.
Keep driving another hour (roundtrip) north past the Canyon lookout to the very end of the
road and you'll be rewarded with another fantastic view - the Kalalau valley in Kokee
State Park. And
there is a nice little snack bar in Kokee before you get to the Kalalau lookout
that has really good, albeit overpriced, sandwiches, salads, and lunches.
There are LOTS of great hiking trails in Kokee, not all as wet as the Ale Kai swamp trail.
A
20 minute drive will take you to Wailua
Falls. No
hiking is required to see these easily recognizable twin falls made famous by
the open credits of the 70s TV series Fantasy Island. The
Opaekaa Falls are just five minutes from the Wailua Beach. A second
lookout at Opaekaa falls has a great view of the Wailua River valley. And
across the highway are the stone remains of a sacred temple. These Heiau
are still sacred to residents of Hawaii so please treat them with the respect
appropriate for any place of worship.
There are at least another 60 beaches on Kauai so just get a beach guide and
go exploring! (Use plenty of sun screen whenever you visit the beach.) If
you want a central beach with lots of people then try Kalapaki Beach in front of the
Marriott. If you want a really safe place for little kids to swim and
snorkel try Lidgate Park on the East side. We like to drive West to
Kekaha Beach where you can usually walk for a mile on the beach and only encounter
a half dozen other people. Poipu Beach and Lawai Beach on South Kauai
are usually full of happy tourists, and the snorkeling on Lawai Beach is
good too.
There is some great hiking on Kauai. You can pick from walks no more difficult than a parking lot and other hikes which are steep, wet, and difficult. Take a look at the picture of my friend Laura that I took on the Ale Kai swamp trail for something hard!!! The Sleeping Giant trail that starts in our back yard is very easy and you can do just the first part in 30 minutes and still see some great views from Sleeping Giant, or keep going and make it a three or four hour hike.
My favorite brief guide is Day Hikes on Kauai, ISBN: 1573420115. The 18 hikes it describes are really more walks than hikes, so this book perfect for me. But if you want a more rigorous hiking experience, look for a more hardcore book.
OK,
it isn't completely free, but the National
Tropical Botanical Garden's Allerton
Garden is a MUST see on Kauai's south side. The fee to take the tour
is money well spent to support their conservation efforts. Call ahead for
reservations, and if you can take the tour when Wendy is giving it you'll have
an incredible experience.
unsetsWhere ever you are at dawn and dusk, take a moments to watch the sunrise and
set. We have some assume sunsets on Kauai.
With lots of golf courses to choose from and great weather, golf is very popular among residents and visitors alike.
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Boat tours are great on Kauai. It is really the only way to see one of the most beautiful spots in the world unless you want to make a 4 day hike. 50' cats make 4 hour, 6 hour, and all day tours of the Na Pali coast. Some people recommend, Holo Holo since their boats run on french fry oil instead of diesel fuel and smell a whole lot better to ride on. But a lot of people go on Capt. Andy's and love it too. The longer tours include snorkeling. Do expect rougher seas in the winter.
This section intentional left blank... Just kidding, but don't expect to find Chanel handbags anywhere on Kauai.
You can find a good selection of souvenirs, Hawaiian shirts and probably batteries for your video camera at Wal-Mart in Lihue.
Right next to Wal-Mart is Hilo Hatties with the best selection of souvenirs and Hawaiian clothing and good prices too. Just remember you ARE tourists, so it is OK to go to a store just for tourists.
If you really want to spend some time just walking around shopping try Coconut Marketplace place in Kapaa. This mall has about 70 small stores, including surf-wear, Hawaiian clothing, Hawaiiana, souvenirs and the like. There are smaller, similar shopping areas in Poipu and Hanalei.
If you really crave air conditioned ambiance, Lancome cosmetics, and upscale clothing, your ONLY choice on Kauai is Liberty House, the regional department stores of Hawaii. Our Liberty House is located in Kukui Grove just south of Lihue, along with Sears (without any softer side), K-Mart, and Border's Books.
Page lasted updated May 30, 2011
