Beena77

Hi all,
I am starting to regret that I am spending my whole trip in Kauai and not visiting any of the other islands....It looks to me as though Kauai is not really the best Hawaiian island for beaches and snorkeling, and I am wondering if we will run out of stuff to do on Kauai?? Are there any really great beaches, snorkeling comparable to lets say..... the Carribean??? This is a whole new type of vacation for us, we usually go to far away exotic places like Bali, Thailand, etc and I am getting sticker shock by the prices of the tours, restaurants etc.... In Bali a 4 course meal at a top notch beautiful restaurant is less than $10 per person.... So that being said, can anyone please say something that will reassure me that Kauai is beautiiful and there will be plenty of great things to do...... even though they don't include a massage overlooking the lotus pond for $5???

iamq

Kal?

Vera

Are you going to regret not spending TEN days in Kauai? When I was there, I thought I could have spent a month and been happy every day. Not good beaches?
Whoa.

Beena77

I am afraid of what Kal will say.... I have already read of a few of his posts.... but I am always wondering if he is kidding, or if he is a local who is just trying to deter tourists, etc.
We will see..... man, i hope it doesn't suck, I am blowing a lot of money on this trip,I could have gone to Bali for a month !!! (Next year, I am missing it so much already)

Kal

:-?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm......
It's so terrible I will be going back again for probably our 15th time just to make sure it's terrible.

I don't want to make a mistake you know...Like serving a Viognier with a big thick juicy porterhouse. :-"

Kal

BTW...I'm almost regretting only spending 19 days on Kauai this year since we're doing a 2 day "party stop" on Oahu on the way over.

But....as always, if you want to know the real scoop on the majesty of Kauai, get someone who is an Apiary because we allll know that "Beauty is in the eye of the bee holder".

Samsaf

Hi, Beena77. If you like to do lots of outdoor activities (hiking, snorkeling, sight-seeing), then I think you'll love Kauai. We've been to Oahu, Maui, and Kauai, and Kauai is our favorite.

On our last trip there (a couple of weeks ago), we snorkeled from beaches (saw lobster, sea turtle, shark, lots of fish), and we did a couple of hikes (beautiful views!!). On this last trip, we didn't do any organized tours, so everything we did was free! It was going to cost over $600 for our family of 5 to take an organized snorkeling boat tour, so that's why we decided to just do everything on our own.

The best snorkeling I've ever done was in Grand Cayman, but the snorkeling on Kauai was good, and the whole atmosphere of the island is what makes this such a good trip. When you step out of the airport in Lihue, you will be met with a wonderful array of scents and beautiful sights -- there's just something about Hawaii that I haven't felt in the Caribbean, and I think you'll love it.

Get a copy of the 'Kauai Revealed' book, and you will get lots of info about places to snorkel, hike, etc.

Most of the beaches on Kauai aren't as big as Caribbean beaches, but they are beautiful; it's wonderful to be on a beach and to see the cloud-and-mist-covered mountains in the background. If you want to e-mail me, I'll send you some of the pictures we took.

I told my husband that the next time we go to Kauai, I want to stay for 2 weeks.

Sherry - [email protected]

BigJim

Well, as far as activities and touristy things to see and do, 8 days is definitely too long. I have to be on the go and doing things, so I thought 2 or 3 days was good enough for us. BUT, if you don't mind just hanging out and relaxing and snorkeling/swimming every day, then you can easily spend a week or more there. So it just depends on what you're in to. You can always split it up and do another island for a few days, or do 1-day trips to the other islands.

annahead

Kauai has some great beaches, and the land terrain is breathtaking. I've never been to Bali or Thailand (I'm jealous you've been to both) but Kauai is the most beautiful place I've ever been and that's including the Carribean. Where on the island are you staying, and when? The north shore beaches are great for snorkeling in late spring, summer and early fall. Anini, Makua (Tunnels), Pali Ke Kua (Hideaways) and Pu'u Poa (Princeville) beaches were my favorite. Pick up The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook (Kauai Revealed) and study which activites interest you. Then post some more specific questions. Here's a link to my pictures from last year's trip to give you an idea of what the island has to offer...

http://community.webshots.com/user/annaparks

Beena77

Ok, so what you are all saying is that Kauai sucks..... right ???
Well, good now I feel a little better....
Now as far as those tours for which I will need to sell my kidneys to afford.... which are the best??? I am not one for majorly touristy things, but somethings we can't do on our own, i.e. helicopter and boat cruise to NaPali.... are those the 2 must do things in Kauai? Or should i do somehting else?
Am I going to be on theverge of a nervous breakdown for the whole helicopter tour? I already reserved interisland for the waterfall landing.... is is wortht he extra $$$ or should I just do the regular 60min tour?
Thanks
If you everhave a chance, go to Bali.... the beaches there aren't so great, but the island, expecially around Ubud is pure magic....... like no place on earth. I want to retire there.

iamq

Both of us don't like helicopters so we've never done that, but the one big paid tour we have done that we liked was Holoholo Tours trip to the Na Pali coast and then out to Niha`u for some remarkable snorkeling. It was a long day ( 7 hours), but it was fun and the water conditions were flat and lovely in the morning, and visibility while snorkeling at Nihau was amazing. Coming back in the pm was a wild ride, with some of us tossing out lunches. I did not take bonine as suggested. It can get rough!

If you have not bought the Kaua`i Revealed book yet, go get it and read up on all the things you can do there. It is a fairly comprehensive guide to the island.

My favorite activity while on Kaua`i is planting my rear in my beach chair in the shade at Makua Beach, and watching the clouds drift by. It gets no better!

-Bill

annahead

I would rate the tours I took as follows:

1. Kipu Ranch Adventures ATV Tour. Simply the most breathtaking scenery I saw on Kauai.

2. Napali Catamaran Tour. The Napali Coast is really a sight to see. I wanted to try the Holoholo trip to Niihau, but couldn't afford to do both.

The helicopter thing just wasn't my cup of tea. I don't really enjoy flying in general, and never felt safe.

You don't have to take any tours if the cost is prohibitive. You could spend all 8 days on the north shore relaxing and taking in the beautiful surroundings.

bear900

We have done the helicopter tour and I had to practically knock my wife unconcious to get her on-board. Then she did the fingernail shredding of my shoulder on lift-off.

Then the pilot turned on Izzy's now famous tune "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", and we melted together into a magical tour over Kauai.

She won't stop begging me to take her back to Kauai...again! We have been to the 4 main islands, some twice, and Kauai most of the time. Princeville is our favorite location, and there is great snorkeling and hiking nearby.

We also kayaked the river and hiked up the waterfalls on our own. You can also go horseback riding.

I love to be on the go too, and never run out of things to do there. Kauai will fool you if you don't plan first however. Be sure to plan to relax as well!

Enjoy!

travelinandgolfin

Beena, no offense, but you strike me as someone who looks longly at the choice not made. I think if you booked a trip back to Bali or had only booked a 3 day trip on Kauai, you'd be regretting not spending more time on that wonderful island.

Don't let doubt spoil your vacation. It will be wonderful if you let it!!

Beena77

I know Kauai will be great.... I am just in love with Bali, and we almost went again this year, and I put my foot down and said "NO!" we are going to go somewhere else this year.... and now that it is said and done and my plane tickets are bought, I am thinking.... hmmmm, maybe we should have..... but I know I will love Kauai, and who knows, maybe I will be back to Kauai next year????
Bali pics- http://community.webshots.com/album/194083420kiMYFp

MaureenB

Regret 8 days in Kauai?? Are you kidding? It's beautiful there. We've been a few times and loved it, even without splurging on the higher-priced helicoper rides, etc. We spend time on the beaches and in the water, enjoy the beautiful green scenery, and eat lovely fish dinners.

You may be right about the expense, compared to Bali, which will hopefully be your only real complaint when you return.

The only time I've snorkeled in the Caribbean was at a few places on St. Martin and I thought the fish population was really scarce-- maybe because we were sharing the waters with spear fishermen! Not a comfortable feeling.

Since then, we've only done Hawaii trips for our snorkeling fix.

I'm not good with geography-- can you take a boat day-trip to another Hawaiian island from Kauai?

Relax-- you'll have a great time. Don't go with a negative attitude, though, or you'll create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

DB

Yes, you will regret going to Kauai. Because afterward, there will be competition for your heart every year from then on. If you think it's difficult to decide this year, ho-ho, just wait until next year. But, maybe you'll get lucky and have a bad time --

-- don't bet on it!

~gt; It's been two years now, but I'm thinkin' we'll go back next year, once we get this Cancun thing out of the way.

ggrtist

Don't mean to be rude, but honestly, after reading the OP...my first thought was, "Is this one pulling our leg?!"

Take a look at just a few pics of Kauai in a guidebook or on the web, what you see is what you will get. As for the budget, if you don't have money to blow, just pick and choose well. You don't have to do every tour there is, most of the beauty in Kauai is just going to the beaches to snorkel and gaze at the beautiful views...and the only cost in that is gas money. On our trip last August, we stayed in a condo and only dined out 5 times during the whole week. We splurged on a discount Heli-Tour.

If you want some ideas on how to save on the budget and see some pics...here's a link to my report on IGOUGO:
http://www.igougo.com/planning/journ...0the%20Bank%20

Since it's already booked, it might be a good idea to stop worrying whether you'll like Kauai as much as Bali and concentrate on making this another experience of a lifetime.
Happy Planning!

lcuy

I can't count the number of times I've been to Kauai. I love it, and I have never been on the helicopter tour, or any tour except for the Captain Zodiac boats (no longer in existence, sorry!)

Oops, I've also been on a local fishing boat...we cruised along the Pa Pali coast from thse south side...didn't come into shore cuz one of our party was afraid of sharks!!!(should have pushed her overboard..)We did catch a 150 lb ahi though, and thoroughly enjoyed the sashimi!

Other than that, every time we go, we swim, go body surfing, drive to gorgeous spots, do light hikes, eat, hang out by the pool and visit friends. Costs are minimal!

I love getting massages in Thailand overlooking pools, love listening to mariachis in Mexico, and can think of nothing better than an eating trip to Japan. Doesn't make me like Kauai any less.

And choosing a favorite vacation spot is not like choosing a husband---where you have to choose the one you like the best and forego all others!

RElax. If you end up tiring of Kauai, hop a flight to Oahu. Its only 20 minutes by air.

Fabio

I was in Hawaii last year for 3 weeks.
I am happy that I visited 4 of them, Big Island, Oahu Maui and Kauai.

I would say Kauai is absolutely my favourite !!

Na Pali coast viewed from helicopter will remain in my mind for the rest of my life !!
Boat tour to Na Pali of previous day returned to the dock due to ocean water conditions once we reached the northwest edge of the islands, where we met strong winds from the east!! With my great disappointment we had no money refund although it was well known to them that in the afternoon winds get stronger and that that cruise would have most probably been cancelled !! But they did not, we left, we came back and no money refund (a lot of money !!) That's why next day we got the helicopter tour and I am so happy that I did not give up !! It was fantastic !!!
Waimea Canyons also very nice, with those red/green colours we can drive along the rim or also during the helicopter tour to Na Pali. I strongly recommend the helicopter tour !! Do not miss it !!

By the other side I would not say it is a good plaace for snorkelling at all !! If you are interested in that go to French Polynesia or better to Queensland, Australia on the Great Barrier Reef out of Cairns but on a boat tour in Kauai the snorkelling part was definitely not that good !!

The center of the island, on top of the mountain is the most rainy spot on earth but we saw that eastern coasts of all hawaiian islands, including Kauai, are more rainy than western coasts so you can switch from one to another in less than 1 hour !