My friend was offered a great deal to stay at the Marriott Beach Club on Kauai and with airfares only $99 each way, we jumped at the opportunity. We flew Hawaiian Airlines. I rented a car with Budget car rental through Costco. Costco allows you to have a second driver for free, you don’t need to pay for the car until you arrive, and it is cancellable with no penalty. We arrived at the hotel in time to enjoy a few hours at the beach before dinner.
We had dinner at the Beach House in Koloa. This restaurant has a beautiful view of the ocean. It was lovely to watch the sunset while dining. The service and food were both very good.
The next morning we started out early as we were spending the day at Hā’ena State Park. We had breakfast at The Kountry Kitchen in Kapaa. The food was so good…a huge pancake with their coconut syrup. There is usually a wait, but we got there at 7:30 a.m. and were seated right away. By the time we left there were people waiting for a table. We had a reservation at Hā’ena State Park which I had to book 30 days in advance online (tickets are released at 12:00 a.m.). You have to purchase entrance tickets as well as parking. If you can’t get parking, you can purchase the shuttle ticket. There is a large parking lot at Waipa Park and Ride. The shuttle drops you off right where the trail starts at Hā’ena State Park. There is a restroom at the beginning of the trail. There is a nice view of the Na Pali coast ¼ mile into the trail. Two miles into the hike is the beach. You do have to cross a creek to get to the actual beach, so be prepared. People made it look easy, but I was not comfortable doing it. You can continue on to see the waterfalls, but we turned around. We hiked 4 miles round trip, and it took us 3 hours.
One of my favorite ways to explore the Hawaiian Islands is using the Shaka Guide app. It is like having a tour guide in your car. Be sure to download all of the tours before you set out on your adventure, and be sure to bring a charger for your phone. This app will tell you stories about the islands and all of the different places you should visit while driving. It gives you great directions on where to turn off, where to park, and what to look for. Our first day we did the North Shore Kauai Driving Tour on our way to Hā’ena State Park. We saw the Kalalea Mountain Range, which actually looks like King Kong. We then stopped at Moloa’a Beach, a picturesque beach where the first season of Gilligan’s Island was filmed. We stopped to view the Kilauea Lighthouse from afar, and we visited Hanalei Town with its variety of restaurants and stores, as well as the famous Hanalei Pier, where families spend the day enjoying the water and even jumping off of the pier. On the way back I stopped at the Hee Fat General Store to get a shave ice. I heard their shave ice was superior, and they were correct. The ice was so fluffy, and the syrup flavors were wonderful.
We went to Tidepools for dinner. Great views of the ocean (however, you can’t see the sunset from there). Service was great as well.
We spent the next day using the Shaka app to explore Poipu and Koloa and finished our day exploring Waimea Canyon State Park. The Poipu and Koloa tour is something I would do if I had an extra day that I was trying to fill as it was not as thrilling of a day tour as the North Shore and Waimea tour. I did enjoy seeing the Spouting Horn Blowhole and the Makauwahi Cave Reserve, which is a sinkhole inside a large limestone cave. You actually have to crawl a little bit to enter the cave, and there is a guide there answering questions. The highlight of the day was visiting Waimea Canyon. Pure beauty. There were a number of places to stop to see different viewpoints. You need to pay a parking entrance fee and an entry fee at your first lookout, but then you use the receipt for the other stops so you only pay once. The Red Dirt Waterfall was also quite amazing to see. On the way back we stopped in Hanapepe Town to walk across the Hanapepe Swinging Bridge. We ended our evening with dinner at Keoki’s Paradise. They have a great dinner special if you get there early. Nice atmosphere.
We started our next morning following the Wailua Valley and Waterfalls Tour on our Shaka app, which took us to waterfalls including Opaekaa Falls and Wailua Falls. We also visited Kauai’s Hindu Monastery and Lydgate Beach Park. However, the highlight of the day was the Na Pali Coast Sunset Tour with Capt Andy. This was such a magical day as we sailed on a 65’ yacht to the Na Pali Coast. We saw spinner dolphins, breaching whales, and rainbows. The Na Pali Coast is stunning from so many different viewpoints. This should definitely be on your list of things to do while on Kauai.
We enjoyed our 5-day getaway to Kauai. I am looking forward to getting to explore other islands, as well.
Linda Perry
Linda@Peachhead.net
www.Peachhead.net
February 2022