Hawaii Kauai Trip Report

In My Humble Opinion
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I just got back from a week on Kauai, so I thought I’d post a trip report.

Lodging: I stayed at the Kauai Coast Resort, also known as the Coast Resort at the Beach Boy. They are on the beach, walking distance to stores in Kapaa. Highly recommended. I had a one bedroom suite with a 40 and 36 inch TV’s, king bed, full kitchen couch, patio. Very, very nice room. Friendly staff, good restuarant and they are next to a touring marketplace (Coconaut Marketplace) for souveniers. Quiet. Ask for a third floor room, as they only have three floors.

Trips: I did a boat trip along the Napali Coast with Holoholo charters. We also snorkeled off Nihau. The staff were good, knowledgable and friendly. If you are prone to seasickness, obey their warnings. We had about 15% of the tour throw up in 12 foot swells. But everyone who threw up was guided to the back of the boat, told it was OK and then brought a cup of water and a wet towel. And they were counseled what not to eat for lunch.

(Endorsement - on the way back to Kauai after snorkeling, I went into the cabin for a free beer. One of the guides was going through their med kit to make sure everything was current. We got telling guide stories and medical stories and she made sure I left with some disposable tweezers and a set of gloves /body fluid wipe-offs that she had put together, even though I had told her that I was only doing personal trips anymore.)

I also kayaked the Hanalei river. In Montana, we’d call it a big irrigation ditch. You can do about two miles upstream, after that it shallows out and is no longer kayakable. It’s more of an exercise trip than a kayak trip, unless you are a birdwatcher. I used Kayak Kauai, because they are right on the river.

Food: I didn’t do much in this respect, just because I would grab something to eat whenever I was hungry, rather then looking for restaurants. The pupu at the Kauai Coast resort was good. In Koloa, skip TomKats Grill unless you like surly, eat your food and get the feck out of here service. On the river side of Seokous market in Koloa there is a walkup window that had good cheap food. I tried to eat a the Pizzetta in Koloa one night, but they messed my pizza up three times.

If you want to go someplace small and friendly, Kauai is the place. The top speed limit on the island is 50 mph. There are tourist hells, but mostly it’s like driving around a small town.

Whistlepig

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Another Kauai recommendation:

Best beach - Polihale State Park. It’s a tough one to find. You stay on the main road around the island, following it up the western side of the island. Shortly before the blacktop ends, you will see a small, decrepit, hand-painted sign (unless someone’s replaced it recently) saying “Polihale State Park,” pointing off down a cane-hauling road to the left.

About five bouncy, sometimes muddy miles down that road, you’ll come to a gorgeous stretch of soft sand beach, three miles long, with great swimming conditions - no rock or coral underfoot, and no close-in reef, so there are waves to play in. A word of caution, however - the currents in the surf there are among the strongest I’ve ever encountered!

Here’s a website about the place.

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It’s a shame to hear the service at Tomkat’s wasn’t good. I went there several times while in Kauai and loved it. It’s very possible there’s been turnover in their waitstaff since then, though.

I was pretty amazed by the whale/dolphin watching tour I went on with Napali Eco-Adventures. They power their engines with vegetable oil, and without the nasty diesel odors I didn’t get seasick at all. The marine mammals, which I’m generally not that interested in, were amazing. I’d heard coastal spinner dolphins liked to flip and frolic, but I had no idea that they did it so much.

After being in Kauai a week, I went through Oahu for a day. Stayed in Waikiki. It was like night and day; the place is so appallingly built up you can’t even find the beach. I liked Kauai much better. While Kapa’a is sort of crapulous, Hanalei was one of the most beautiful towns I’ve ever seen. Even the more built up places were still charming. (Though I must admit I mostly avoided Lihue)

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I had to live on Oahu for three years, but had the pleasure of visiting Kauai. Its my favorite island.

Is Chris the Fun Lady still there?

Did you hike Na Pali coast at all? I managed a five mile hike in an afternoon, but one day, I’m gonna do the whole 22 miles and camp out at that beach.

Did you do the coast tour in a catamaran? A lot of people do the tour in zodiacs, but I had a hard time imagining you drinking your gratis beer in that vessel:)