thanks for the post! I'm looking forward to the rest of your report.

iamq - i must warn you that blonde girl at the Honolulu GTG in the red shirt with the lei is one wild and crazy girl!

nanabee,

Hahaha.

You should have warned me before the GTG!

Aren't you related somehow?

yes, she is my sister!
looks like you guys had a great time.

Great photos - you are wetting my appetite -- we leave in about 3 weeks. Looking forward to the rest of your report! Carol

Hi iamq,

Great photos. I will be in Hanalei in 34 days! Actually on your recommendation we decided on the north shore of Kauai - can't wait! We are also spending some time on Oahu beforehand and like you I have been toying with the idea of getting a Mini Cooper convertible for a few days - but I think I'm going to have to pass because the cost, plus all the insurances are too much. Anyway, looking forward to the rest of your report!

Quickie? Moi?? nanabee. the rumours are true! blondes do have more fun. but is she really a virgin?? (she told us the story of her middle name.)

Bill, you left in time! we don't just have a hurricane coming...there was an earthquake this evening, too!

Wonderful report, Bill. I am looking forward to the next installment.

We stayed at the Princeville Hotel and were tickled by the library--glad to see you made better use of it than we did!

Miserable trip so far, eh? Look forward to reading more! Thanks for the pics--you all look so happy and tan.

There is beautiful, and then there's Hawaii. Thanks for the photos and report. We're heading to Kauai in March for two weeks. Can't wait!

Hurry please and tell us more! Going to look at your photos now. Glad you are home, friend.

I looked...breathtaking, as usual. sigh....Thanks

Great Pics Bill.

I didn't hear you say thank you for us smoothing out the sand under OUR tree at tunnels for you.

BTW.....did ya see Charo there? She was at her house the week we were there.

Nothing like starting the day with a trip report from hell and photos to savour!

Carry on carrying on!

Upon arriving on Kauai we made our way to Walmart to stock up on things...then...HAMURA'S! We got six beef and chicken skewers, two orders of fried won-tons, an order of tempura shrimp, two orders of special saimin and a liiikoi pie. We ate the finger foods in the car on our way north and left the saimin and pie for dinner. My salivary glands were in overload mode as we munched and drove, smiling the whole way. We were home!

I love traveling to new places, but there is something wonderful and special about returning to a favorite place and feeling the comforting hug of familiarity. That is how I feel about Kaua'i. We have been to other tropical places on our "go beach" trips, but for me there is nothing like returning to Kaua'i. It is "home".

We arrived on a Tuesday afternoon, so our first stop in Hanalei was the farmer's market to stock up on mangos, papayas, pineapples, apple bananas, limes and flowers. We made it just as the vendors were closing up, so we got some good deals on things and also got the chance to chit-chat with the vendors. That was fun and was a perfect outlet of our now full-blown euphoria about being on island, "We just arrived...blah, blah, blah."

We got to Devaki's, quickly unpacked and in no time were on the beach and then the water "bobbing and schmoozing" in the gentle, undulating swells on Hanalei Bay. Fabulous.

Our daily routine went something like this: Up around 7am, coffee, then I'd go for a walk up and down Weke Road and up and down the beach while Martin would go for his barefoot run along the beach. On my way back home I'd stop by the Village Snack Shop at Ching Young Center for some fresh baked goods, then get a paper. We'd rendesvous back home an hour later or so, get cleaned up, pack a lunch, pack the car and set out for the beach. This simple routine is one of the reasons we love staying in Hanalei so much. Walk here, walk there, get this, get that...easy, simple and relaxing at the same time.

We've been to Kaua'i 4 times and have never felt the urge to do many of the paid excursions that are offered. We might be missing out on something, but that's okay. We prefer to plunk ourselves on the beach, swim, snorkel and snooze. Sound boring to you? Maybe, but these trips are all about relaxing and letting go, not being on some forced march to see and do everything.

We alternated between going to Makua (Tunnels) Beach and Hanalei Bay.

As many of you know Makua Beach is my absolute favorite spot on the island. Martin would go snorkeling while I would walk up and down the beach looking for that perfect shell. Shelling is best around Haena Point heading east. One day I trekked down the beach west all the way to Ke'e. What a great beach walk. The beach is wild, windy and isolated...great for exploring. Makua is the best. I can't for the life of me figure out why Mitzi Gaynor didn't do her shampoo and set here instead of Lumahai. Much prettier and the view of Bali Hai will give you chicken skin.

While Hanalei Bay doesn't have the snorkeling opportunities that Makua does, it does have amazing hard packed sand perfect for walking, calm, clear water perfect for swimming, two miles of mostly uninhabited beach and the most amazing backdrop one could imagine. It doesn't have any shade trees like Makua does, so if that is important, bring an umbrella. One thing Hanalei Bay did have this trip was...baby Hammerhead Sharks swimming in the waters! That's right! One day I was walking along the water's edge and say this rather largish (2 feet long) fish swimming right at the water's edge. I did a few double takes and followed it as it swam down the beach. A shark! It sure looked like a small hammerhead shark to me, but what do I know? Martin saw it and concurred. Oh well... It turns out that two or three of them were spotted swimming in the bay that day. We overheard the lifeguard telling some people not to worry as "the mouths are too small to bite anything of yours". Loved that!

more later...

Nice pictures! Thanks for sharing

Hey you just upstaged my whale of a tale with shark encounters!!! Looking forward to the Sharkwater documentary, and more tales from the hellhole.

Easy on the hardsell though. Hanalei is really just so so and strangely over rated....blah, blah, blah!!!

How do you manage to have all this fun in Hell + a quickie?!

LOL....I thought he was bragging when the lifeguard said his was too big for the shark to bite!!!!!!

Is there a reason for the looooooooong pause? You got us all revved up and then slam on the brakes!!

Mahalo Pila for the T.R.!
Do you recall what time of day you saw the hammerheads

Still loving the report! Now a quick question - when/where is the farmers market in Hanalei? We are arriving on a Monday afternoon, so if its on a Tuesday that could be perfect timing!

nice report iamq!

I totally agree with how you travel. I do pack in a few hikes over to kokee side. I never go for the amusement ride type excursions. I get my nature fix on hikes away from crowds.

Hanalei is such a dream no? I also like waking up grabbing some coffee and taking it slow.

Sorry!! I can't help it.

LOL Mels!!!! No wonder it was a quickie! hahahahaha!!!

Thanks so much for the nice report, looking forward to the rest.

Melissa that earthquake was on the big island only, right? Should I be nervous about this hurricane. I bought canned supplies but I keep eating them LOL! Not really nervous about this, will just stay away from loover window side of this house.

Jeez Louise you guys! I thought I was good at sexual inuenendo! Can't a guy go to work and get something constructive done without ya'll loosing it? Ack! Did I just say work? School starts on the 23rd this year! Poor me, poor me, poor me!

Donita, it was very funny and I knew you guys would have fun with it. I sort of thought the lifeguard was making an attempt at coming on to me! HA!

JohnD, I saw the non-adult-size- apendage-eating hammerhead around 10am or so. Are they morning folks like me?

Okay...hmmm...where was I before I was so rudely interrupted?

Oh yes...The farmer's markets in Hanalei are held at 2pm on Tuesdays and 9:30am on Saturdays.

We didn't see Charo! That would have been fun. Does she frolic in the water like the rest of us, or did she have some sort of fancy floatation device? There was a large family staying at her place while we were there. Oh Rich? I got real good at giving folks stink eye if they got too close to OUR tree. We only had to share it a few times..and you left a little trash behind...naughty, naughty.

About a week before we left, auntiemaria sent me an e-mail informing me that Hanalei was hosting the Annual State Championship Outrigger Canoe races on August 4th. She said Hanalei was going to be a zoo and she was right! Over 3800 paddlers from clubs all over the state and many thousand more supporters and spectators decseded upon poor little ole Hanalei and took over for the better part of two days. It was an amazing sight. The bay was wall to wall people! The races started at 8am and we were down claiming our spot of beach around 7:30. It was a big party/festival atmosphere and we had a great time. The boats they race are made of koa and are gorgeous! They paddle for half mile, one mile and one and a half mile distances. The boats themselves weigh 400 pounds and then add the rowers and that's a lot kalua pork and huli huli chicken to be rowing around. We sat there all day long and watched the races...and the people...and the rowers. The Kaua'i Police did a great job of keeping things under control, but it took a few days for Hanalei to return to normal.

Another special event that we attended while there was drinks and pupus with auntiemaria and her husband Bob. Maria and Bob live on the north shore and we were lucky enough to GTG with them on our last night! It had been two years since we saw them last and we had a ball catching up and talking trash about kealalani, iceeu2, MelissaHI, and many other lucky fodorites. We met at the Library at the Princeville Hotel at 5:30 and ended up leaving well after the gorgeous sun set. They are trying to getus to come back for a month next time! auntie and Bob are good folks and I look forward to seeing them again soon. The Library is a great spot to watch the sunset. They serve great pupus and sushi too!

more later...

Hey pila,

sharkwater.com

looks like a mighty fine documentary

On with the show! Oh to have a Hanalei Dolphin Fish Store picnic!

...oh and Mels REALLY knows how to do a quickie!

mo latah...

Oh what a fine time with the ever kind, ever wise, ever levelheaded dear dear Bob!


Oooops I meant Auntie!!! No I meant Bob too! (sheepish grin insert here)

What fun and what a smile on Auntie M. Some day!

The only real excursion that we took that took us our of Hanalei (other than the trip to Kapa'a to score some Pono Market chicken) was the drive to Waimea Canyon and Koke'e State Park. I was really looking forward to this as the last time we were there the road up to the Pu'u o Pila Lookout was closed and we didn't walk up there. The road is fixed now so we wanted to visit the lookout and take the Pihea Trail for a couple of miles. We left Hanalei at 8am and got up to the lookout by around 10am and were greeted by clear skies! Yeah! This lookout offers an amazing view of the Kalalau Valley. Unreal. The Pihea Trail leaves from the viewing area and skirts the top edge of the Kalalau Valley, so as we walked we continued to get amazing views of the valley below. At one point we got what appeared to be a full frontal view the the valley unfolding in front of us. Very cool. We continued on the trail to the point where a spur leads to Pihea Peak. We didn't do that as my asthma was kicking up and the clouds had taken over the ridge and you couldn't see a thing anyway. I think the Pihea Trail offers the most bang for your hiking buck. It offers great views and adventure without hiking 10 miles and risking your life. Highly recommended!

We also made a trip to the Kilauea Lighthouse as it is one of my favorite places on Kaua'i. It is a spectacular spot. As part of a fund raising effort to help restore the lighthouse they are selling bricks on which you can have something inscribed and then it gets laid in the ground. There are about 400 of them so far, with another 300 getting put in later this month. I purchased one in honor of some fellow fodorite Kauai haters. Sometime after November, if you look hard enough you will find a brick with a turtle, a nene and the names iceeu2, kealalani and iamq on it. If you look for it and find it, let me know and I 'll send you a package of Kal's rooster jerky.

Speaking of roosters and chickens...we noticed that there aren't as many of the little dickens running around this time. The day after we commented on that there was an article in the Kauai paper saying that the chickens on Kaua'i are dying out in fairly large numbers and no one knows why, but it is suspected that someone may be poisoning them! Save the chickens!

Food next!

or iamq - it may be that the local restaurants like "free range chickens"

Oh, yes, I think Charo does have a fancy flotation device!!!!!

Where did you get the goodies for the beach picnic?

What did you say about us????We had a GTG also.....didn't we 'lani?

I hope this thread doesn't go poof, sistah......you're on a roll today!!

Hey iamq,

Looked at those pictures again. Does anything rival the northshore of Kauai?

Oh those heady days when I told you the Pitons were amazing and Ladera was an undiscovered gem. Ladera was a fantastic memory but since discovered, never calls me to return like the Pali!!! Even my NReading freind agrees - send the tourists to Ladera for an amazing time, and leave paradise to us!!! LOL!!!!

kealalani,
There is NOTHING like it I am afraid. Never seen the Pitons up close and personal, but I've hugged Makana Peak and that is one powerful piece of rock!

Bill, Martin look what I found on Shingon Mission. Its on the national registry of historic places.

Its one of only 7 structures of similar architecture in HI. Check out this one page link.

http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/feature/asia/2003/shingon.htm

icee, the two of you have the kiss of death today, so don't muck around on MY thread, ya hear?

Food!

Food is always the most important part of our trips and since Kaua'i is renowned for its lousy eateries, we usually have to lower our high standards. (I can feel the eyebrows raising...I'm only joking...).

One of the great finds on this trip was the Hanalei Snack Shop in the Ching Young Center. It is a little restaurant and bakery that serves breaksfast and lunch. I would pop in for a post morning walk stop there every morning to pick up goodies to have with our fresh pineapple and mango for breakfast. Much to my tastebud's satisfaction they make their own malasadas! They also have delicious cinnamon rolls, fruit pastries, corn bread and the most amazing cheddar cheese bread ever! We used the cheedar cheese bread rolls to make sandwiches with to bring to the beach. By the end of the trip they started to recognize me and chat me up. We also bought one of the coconut cream pies that was very good. A+

I mentioned earlier that we ate at the Canoe Races. The best food we had there was the kalua pork from the Hanalei Canoe Club's booth. Very good! We also got some roasted pork in gravy and huli huli chicken from another booth that was almost as good. We bought some more later and had a picnic at Waikoko Beach. B+

Hamura's was fantastic as usual. A++++

Pono Market was great as usual too. We always get the fried chicken nuggets. This time we got some spicy shrmp sushi that was pretty good. I sure wish these guys would open a shop in Hanalei. A

Olympic Cafe: We had dinner here one night. Service was awful with main courses coming before our shrimp appetizer. I think our server was either blissed out or stoned. She had this "no one's home" look in her eyes. She took our mains back and broght the appetizer and then no more than two minutes later they brought the mains back with no apology or any concession made. We went along to get along and didn't push, but it was disappointing. Martin had an ahi sandwich that he said was okay. I had fish tacos that were actually pretty good. C+

Hanalei Dolphin: Martin had ono and I had fish and chips. Portions were surprisingly small and Martin's fish was bland. For a place that specializes in fish, the food was mediocre. Last time we ate there we the lobster for two and we both wished we had done that again this time. B-

Good thing our food we had at the Hanalei Dolphin fish market was better than what we had in the restaurant. We put together a little picnic dinner that we ate at Waikoko Beach. We ordered one soft shell crab roll, one snow crab roll, one ahi roll, 3/4 lb of poke and a pint of potato salad. The sushi was excellent and the poke was perfect. If you like sushi, this is your place. Not fancy, but fresher than fresh. A

more food later...

Wonderful TR & pictures, as usual, iamq! Too bad about the chickens. Here's hoping they'll catch whoever is doing deed.
Now that I've raced about to see the island, I feel I could return & just hang out a bit myself!
Mahalo!

Howdy for Texas Billy Boy....i can run, but i can't hide. I simply have to check in on those Kauai "haters" occasionally. And much to my delightful surprise, I see you have made your pilgrimage. I'm thoroughly enjoying living vicariously through you. My gang is actually going to give the Big Island another chance in March.....but my big, fat heart is loyal to the Big K!!! Question...are the albatrose birds still hanging around the P'Ville? Our last visit was during the monsoon (when the road washed out) I will say the "sleepy" little isle was not so sleepy on our visit. How's the rest of the clan..sistalou? Kal?...Kal's niece...pray for a healthy report if you have one. I digress....glad your home safely, and surely there's a shaved ice on this trip at some point? Did you catch Auntie's radio show? I be checking in on for the rest of your report...Your previous "princess"...aka Visormom OH..and an actually question: Where did you nite nite in Honolulu...any recommendations?

OSB,
Good idea about returning. Our first time on Kauai, we blew through Hanalei and didn't stop or detour to the bay, the pier or the beach. The next time we spent an afternoon at the beach and had dinner in town, the last two times we stayed there and hardly left at all!

Sharks normally hunt at night, right??

Glad to hear about them chickens. Maybe someone is selling them as jerky?

Alooooohaaaaa Visormom!!!

How appropriate that you would chime in during Hurricane Flossie no less!!!

smooches, lou

WHAT??!! Chickens are missing???
Mauka Bob sent the neighbor in P'ville a dart gun... uh oh... maybe he's been hiding in the bush??

BBQ... excellent pix & reporting, as usual. I needed Kauai today... this summer has been an absolute whirlwind, and this trip was the perfect getaway for me today. Mahalo buddy!

Aloha to all my fine friends I see frequenting this thread... miss y'all! Haven't been round much.

Hugs, rainbows and aloha!

Mels, I guess my little toe was safe, eh?

Aloha VM! Auntiemaria was talking about the Albatrosses the other night, so it sounds like they are still hanging around.

Yeah we listened to KKCR all the time on Kaua'i. My favorite show...other than auntie's show of course was a show called the Lilikoi Lounge. The host was a total crack up. Auntiemaria plays the best songs!

We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in the Ali'i Tower. Nice room with a nice view. The Hilton's beach is away from the chaos a little further down the beach. It is a big and busy place. It was fine for one night, but it is not the sort of place we normally stay at.

makai! I was hoping this report would flush you out! Nice to "see" you. I thought of you as we walked past the benches on the cliff at Princeville. If memory serves, this where you and you mom and aunt would have your evening cocktails, right? smooch!

Little toe?

...more food...

We ate at Polynesia Cafe in Hanalei. We liked this the last time, so we went again. We really like the fish dishes. They do Ono several ways and it was delicious. Beleive it or not the fish here was much better than at the Dolphin for half the price. It's a great place for a casual meal. Service can be slooooooowwwwwwwww though. A

Saffron is a new place in Princeville at the Pali Ke Kua complex.It is where Sabella's used to be. It is an interesting menu with Spanish, Greek and Italian sections. We ordered small plates and apps from each section. Standouts were the paella and the Spanish potato fritata. An added special treat was having Keli'i Kaneli'i singing in the bar that evening. If you're on the north shore, try to catch him. Amazing voice and a gentle smile. He perfroms at the Tahiti Nui as well. B+

Bar acuda: They serve up small plates. We liked it a lot. We ordered five dishes for the two of us. All were good, but I liked the braised short rib sauce over polenta the best. It's a bit snooty and pretentious for the north shore, but that's okay. A

Postcards is one of our favorites. Their fish preparations are unique and flavorful, if a bit over the top in flavor combinations. We had locally caught Pacific swordfish with a cherry/macadamia nut crust/sauce on top served in a taragon/lilkoi reduction. I could have done without the reduction, but it was an interesting combo. Service has been a weak link here in the past, but this time service was friendly and the meal was well executed. Sit on the deck outside on the side of the building, but put on bug spray. A

Next up...our quickie in Honolulu.

After 11 horrible days on Kaua'i we left to spend one exciting evening with the wild and crazy Honolulu fodorites MelissaHI, lcuy, mari808, kuranosuke and Sarah. We would do dinner and then go to a Bon dance at a Buddhist temple!

We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in the Ali'i Tower, which is not the type of place we normally like, but it was fine. It is a very large and busy tourist resort, but it is a very nice place. I liked being on this end of Waikiki as it was a bit removed from the cheek to cheek body crush on the beach further down around the Royal Hawaiian and the Moana Surfrider.

I love Waikiki and even though it is chaotic and crowded, it will always be special to me. My first three trips to Hawaii as a teenager were here and I have fond memories of doing things like getting juiced up on maitais and dancing the hustle at the Foxy Lady at the Hawaiian Regent Hotel and shopping for monkey pod bowls, X rated postcards and puka shell necklaces at the International Market Place. Good times.

We walked around for a couple of hours, had lunch at Duke's, then headed back to our hotel for a rest and fresh, a dip in the pool and a snooze.

MeliisaHI motored in to pick us up looking fine in her bright red, shiny Mini Cooper! Nice car! MeliisaHI is a gracious host and along with the other Honolulu fodorites, showed us a great time.

MelissaHI wrote about the gory details of the evening's events in her blog. I'll include the links here so you can read all about it. We had a great time.
Dinner at Sorabol
http://blogs.myadvertiser.com/index.php?blog=10&title=fodorites_gtg_part_1_sorabol&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

Bon dance time
http://blogs.myadvertiser.com/index.php?blog=10&title=fodorites_gtg_part_2_bon_dance_at_shingo&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

We left the next day to go home feeling both sad and happy.

A few thoughts about this trip:

Never again will I go to Kaua'i.......for less than two weeks! I could have easily stayed another week. I was just getting to know the gals at the Village Snack Shop.

Connecting with fodorites while traveling is a true joy. I feel very lucky to be part of this community. I am making friends with well-traveled people all over the world. How cool is that!?!

That's it for now. Questions? Comments? Fire away!

Bill

OMG! The Hawaiian Regent....that's where I was a banquet waitress! The guy that I was talking to at the bon dance used to wait tables with me.

I'm so glad you had a good time; you really need to spend more time on Oahu so you can take in the other cool stuff, like Iolani Palace, Byodo In Temple, the north shore....so much to enjoy!

Next time....more malasadas and andagi. The world is your buffet!

Mels,

Next trip: July 2009

Bill's 50th birthday trip. All are invited! One week on Oahu followed by three weeks in hell! Yippee!

By then you will be 50 and 4 months! There will not be cause for a celebration, unless you are celebrating it all year!!!!!!

Now, here's a better idea.....how about we all go in March, 2008, and we can celebrate your XLIX and someone else's double nickels???????????

Great trip report, btw...thanks for making it so much fun to read.

i'2

What? You've never milked a birthday for all it was worth?

Can't go in March...I have to work.

The real icee will be retired by then and you can take time off anytime...why can't you come in July? Don't say it's too hot, please don't say that! Hmmmmmm......?

Glad we're making ya smile!

Well someone better get there before 2009 to make sure they got the spelling right on that beautiful brick, but who? hmmmmmmmm........

Another fanfabulicous report from hell and back!!!
Mahalo, mahalo, mahalo!!!!

thanks bill for another fine report and photos of your trip to hell and back!!! also glad to hear of your quickie oahu visit and meeting other fodorites

it's good to see all the old chaotic k-9 banter again...been jonesing for some kauai rapport here for a while...doesn't seem like i've missed much for the past nine months since my workplace has blocks on message boards like fodor's.

i'm headed back to the same hell hole next month so your report was very timely. mahalo!!!

Looks like you had a blast as usual. Thanks for sharing your photos!

Cajun Storm, I noticed you changed your photos over to flickr. I have to do that soon too. Why did you choose flickr? When's your next trip to the islands?

bluefan, still copying me, eh? We're going to Fiji next June, when are you going?

does seem like i've been trekking right behind you these last few years ...which isn't bad at all

fiji (wow...i'm envious )...it'll be south island new zealand, which is somewhat close, instead for me in nov

btw, i also read your very fun roma trip report a while back and never got around to complimenting you on that

Well darling iamq, you certainly are the belle of the ball on your trip report!

So wonderful that k'9s and their fodorite ohana came out to play. You certainly know how to throw a trip report!

Aloha one and all, what a lovely reunions of haters of the hellhole, may it endur the changes of time!

Malama Pono one and all!
Sistahgyppiesledge

bluefan, how our dear iamq loves all the kudos(deservingly so).....if my old memory is serving me correctly, he has been to Maui, Rome, Seattle & Kauai already this year and we still have 4 more months before the year is over!!! Those rich California kids....wish he liked those of my persuasion, I would dig my poor claws right into his rich, young tush!!

Little toe.....that still tickles me and makes me laugh!!

Thanks for the great report Bill, and for saving the best for last (or almost last) - namely FOOD.

Sorry to hear your experience at Hanalei Dolphin was not that good. We usually only get up to North Shore for lunch since we stay on East Coast in Lihue and was planning on giving that a try since Zelos is closed and the new place does not seem to get much if anything in the way of good reviews. Maybe we'll try Hanalei Gourmet instead.

Thanks again for taking the time.

iamq, Yeah, we like going to different places, too, but the K isle keeps calling thanks to fab trip reports like yours. Gotta love, love, love the north shore. I'll be interested to read if Fiji compares favorably. Welcome back to your second home....

I'2,

How the hell do I respond to a remark like that? How about LMFAO?

I am glad that all of you folks are coming out of the wood work...now would you stick around and give kealalani, icee and me some support?

Mahalo!

Right back atcha, bbq!!!! Finally, I made you laugh!! Just the way you always put a smile on my old face.

Bill & Martin,
The pictures are really nice. I enjoyed reading your report and it takes me to Kauai for a short moment.

We rented a house in Hanalei several years ago and I like the idea of walking into town for grocery.

Thanks for the info about Hanalei market on Tuesdays. I thought the only one in Hanalei is Saturday morning. Is it in th e same ball field as the Saturday one?

Bill / Martin,
I see you guys had about the same experience with the Dolphin as we did. Fair at best and grumpy people.

Hope they improve big time by next year or they will have lost me.

Actually......had 2 great meals at CJ's and of course Postcard's, but that is pretty much a given.

See ya

you know I don't understand how there is not more of a restaurant scene on the North Shore of Kauai. Middle range places in Hanalei with a bit more flair I guess is what I am thinking.

Guess the seasonal business does not sustain real competition. This is how I think places like the dolphin and Zelos stay open.

Hanalei, can I have your fodors name please? HaHa.

The Tuesday market is about a mile west of town at Hapia Farms.

Any plans to return to Kaua'i?

Rich, How was your trip? Was it tough staying for only two weeks this time?

Regarding north shore Kaua`i lunch ideas...

CJs Steakhouse has a good lunch menu -- sandwiches, burgers, salads (no salad bar at lunch) -- and daily "specials". My personal menu favorite is their Beefeater Sandwich (slab of prime rib, melted cheese, smothered onions, on a large french roll with choice of fries or salad). And their Thursday "special" -- baked potato stuffed with crab and cheese, with side salad. Not a good place for dieters.

And another place to grab lunch to-go (shhhh, don't tell), the Princeville Chevron Station. Don't laugh! They've added a full kitchen -- open B/L/D 7 days a week. Breakfast burritos (almost too big for one person), and li'dat. Burgers (their "BBQ" is burger, BBQ sauce, and onion rings loaded on to a huge burger bun), pizza, salads, and daily specials. All their beef is from Princeville Ranch -- hormone-free. No place to dine there...but the beach is mere minutes away.

Bill,
We don't know where the farm is but will ask for direction. We are returning next June. Would love to go in July to meet you, but work schedule won't allow.

Rich,
We are in escrow for the loft unit at the Cliffs. Yeah!!! I got next year's confirmation already (reserved by seller).

Hanalei, take the highway out of town towards Lumahai for about a mile, look for Hapia Farms on the left as the road starts to straighten out a bit. You won't be able to miss all the cars parked in the adjacent field. The mangos this year were excellent, as were the pineapples. When we were there in 2005, the vendors had only the white pineapples. This year they had only the yellow ones. The white ones are sweeter, but the yellow ones taste more "pineappley". Congrats on your purchase!

iamq - I randomly chose Flickr actually. I really wanted to open new photo albums on web shots but never got a response when I sent them an email asking if they could move my yahoo photos (even for a fee).

Actually, our first trip back to the islands (post-baby) will be April 2008. It's long overdue for us. I have island withdrawals.

I am so jealous of your upcoming Fiji trip! Take LOTS of photos and post for us.

Sorry, iamq, but I just have to ask CajunStorm a question please....

Is the baby already here? Or is it on the way? A hearty congratulations to you and Mr. CajunStorm!!!!

Bill,
Two weeks just flew by this year. But we had a great time. We are going to Palm Springs for another week this year in October and doing Pebble Beach and San Francisco in March

We had my wife'sbrother and his wife along, so by leading them around we got to see some places we haven't seen in some time. We went up the canyon for the first time in years and had beautiful, clear sunny views.

Went to the lighthouse and really enjoyed what they have done there. The last time I was there it was free, but not much to see.

Got some great coffee from the coffee plantation.

Did a few different restaurants, since Hanalei Dolphin bummed us out. Kauai Pasta was excellent and cheap. As good as I can get in NYC.

We will be back in July 2008, and hope to get back in 2009. When are you guys gonne be there in 09, maybe we can hook up for a birthday blast.

See ya. Have a great year at school. Georgia is golfing three times a week. Loves retirement. 3 years for me.

Sounds great. Let me know if you'd like to get together for drinks/dinner while you guys are in our neck of the woods in March. Aloha.

Re: Tuesday Hanalei Farmers Market

Sorry, but I've gotta correct iamq just a wee bit...

As you head out of Hanalei, look for WAIPA FARM on your left.

Thank you, Auntie.

Hapia, Waipa...Let's call the whole thing off...

Thanks auntie

I know Weke is pronounced Veke, so how say you Vaheepaa?

Thank you, auntiemaria for the great lunch suggestions. Wow, that Beefeater special is making my mouth water Little less than a month to go for us.

Bill, glad you liked Hawaiian, we have flown them the past few times and enjoy the flight from LAX. They are really nice. Last year the flight over got cancelled for mechanical reasons and they got us on American. American sells food, but the snack pack I ordered was so salty and high in carbs. When are you going back? Next year?

jamie, I think those snack packs are gross too! I guess they serve a purpose, but that's way to much packaging in such a small space for me. Usually when we've flown lately, my better half makes sandwiches and we bring our own salty and carb-laden snacks with us. It was nice that we didn't have to do that this time.

We're probably not going next summer, as we've been trying to go to an alternative tropical place every other year, so that puts us back in hell in 09. I don't know though as I have been reading a lot about the Solomon Islands and this little place called Uepi...hmmmmm...

Bill,
Drinks or dinner would be great when we make our March trip. Are you near San Fran or Pebble Beach?

Drop me an email and we'll have to set it up
Rich

bill, when you come back to hawaii, you need to spend more time in Honolulu or your friends here will have a mutiny!

Mels, oh, we'll be back for longer, don't worry about that! Martin has been googling "andagi" like crazy and wants to go to the Okinawan Festival next time (Which may be hard as it is held after I go back to school) and eat an anadog. He's actually going to make some andgai. We'll take pictures!

Did i happen to notice sistalou??? Are we no longer on the big, bad, banned??? LOLOLOLOL. It's a riot catching up on the K-9s again...and the wannabes like me. ...cuz we're just jeeeeaaallllooousss. Regarding another, not so touristy, tropical...we were forced to forego the Islands for Nevis last year. VERY laid back and the 'killer bees' drinks are to die for!!!! Just a thought for ya. We're forced to go to the BI is March...too much rain in Hell for us to go again this Spring...and unfortunately, that's when our vacation is...ugh. Glad to hear the birdies are still there...that was awesome to see. Still would like to hear from our CA K-9..and especially how is little niece that was so ill is doing? Anyone know???? Aloha from Texas, VM

IMHO, the Okinawan Festival food is kind of expensive, but it IS a fundraiser, after all!! Also my fear in going to one of those is running into any one of my ex-boyfriends (I have an Okinawan guy fetish).

But not to worry--if you cannot come to Oahu at that time, we can arrange to get andagi elsewhere.

Melissa did you guys ever make it to Leonard's last night.

Andagi is great but if Martin is going ape over this I hate to see the impact of coconut malasadas at Leonards!!!!

we never did make it to leonard's! yikes

Hi VM!

What is it the Okinawans have the others don't? Hmmm..oh I know! Big...large...ANDAGI!

Sarah, We were going to hit Leonard's on the way to the airport the next morning, but we never made it. Just ANOTHER thing to do when we come back.

google the image Iamq you are gonna die

here is the bake shop and a list of some others, I like agnesus in Kailua too. But look at Lenard's old fashion shop. First image link my fav, coconut

http://www.globalpauhana.org/fileadmin/upload/0585Malasadas.jpg




http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://hawaiitravelnewsletter.com/images/leonards-bakery-0322-300x200.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.hawaiitravelnewsletter.com/oahu/bakeries.htm&h=200&w=300&sz=98&hl=en&start=13&tbnid=VtckgNTKngk7lM:&tbnh=77&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3DLeonard%2527s%2BMalasadas%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX

Drool...
Is there really such a thing as the malasada mobile? Is it like the ice cream man?

Leonards USED to have a malasada mobile. So sorry. ha ha.

Hey, Liliha Bakery has haupia malasadas and lilikoi malasadas. you really buy it for the filling, because their malasadas are a little heavier--more dough-y.

Since trip reports are found on our profiles I thought I would update the photo link. The old one no longer works. This one should:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=10y7ihr9.108vgk5h&x=0&y=2dbrsl&localeid=en_US

Nice pictures. The one of the sushi plate had my mouth watering! Where was that from? Thanks.

Hi Ronda,
The Hanalei Dolphin restaurant in Hanalei has a fish market in the back. They have all sorts of delicious poke, salads and sushi. I haven't eaten sushi in many places in Kaua'i, but I am always pleased with the rolls and poke that I get there. They also sell fresh fish that is VERY good. We bought several rolls and some poke to go and took them down to Lumahai to watch the sunset. Much better than eating at a restaurant that night!

I just looked at your pictures. Clearly Hanalei IS hell! I can't wait...

Thanks for the info. I have seen a couple of good reviews on Hanalei Dolphin so will have to check it out. We love to sit on the beach and watch the sun set. I have read a couple of threads and picked out the restaurants and made a list.

china_cat, you're going to hate it! Ronda, you will too!

ttt

The good old days of community on fodors.

Too bad kodakgallery sucked up my pictures and won't let me have them back unless I pay. I'll put the orignals on picassa when I have time.

Hola

Your photos still show OK on Kodak. I've noticed many such sites don't have a quick download, often have to do it one at a time unless they've converted to Flash then you're out of luck !! So I use for sharing and archive originals to DVD.

Yes, Fodors is very quiet now, this is first time I've logged in for ages to be honest

Hi percy, I am glad to hear that the kodak gallery still works. That was a great trip. I use picassa now and love it.

BTW...your sand from the Sahara is a big hit evey year when I pull out my sand samples and my huge world map! The kids love the color of it.

What fun Fodor's used to be!!! I miss all the OLD Hawaii posters!!

Great photos. I'm headed to Oahu and Kauai in September for the first time in 15 year. I'll be staying in Waikiki and Poipu. Any updated suggestions from more recent visitors?