I love the Fodor's board...reading questions, asking my own questions and reading experiences through trip reports. I thought I would give trip reporting a try by typing my own so here goes...
About us:
DH turned 30 while on our trip and I am 29 (until October 4). This was our third trip to Kauai but it had been four years. DH & I went to Oahu for our honeymoon in August 2005; then our first trip to Kauai was May 2007; and in late August 2007 we got a great flight deal so we jumped at the chance and went back to Kauai. We love Kauai so much that we had decided to go back every two years so we planned to go back in October 2009 but one month before our trip DH got laid off. It took four years from our first trip in May 2007 and two years since planning the October 2009 trip and we finally made it back to that magical island we fell in love with!
Basics:
Our trip was from May 28-June 4, 2011. We flew US Airways from Austin, TX to Phoenix, AZ then from Phoenix to Lihue on Saturday May 28. The flight was the reverse coming home on Saturday June 4/Sunday June 5. We booked a Mustang convertible through Budget which totaled $451 for the week. We stayed on the North Shore in Princeville at the Sealodge Condos. We love the North Shore and the Sealodge and had stayed there on our previous two trips. This trip we stayed in this unit: http://hestara.com/b10.htm
Day 1: Saturday May 28-- It really is just like riding a bike!
Our plane ride was uneventful with listening to MP3 players, reading books and watching True Grit which was played on the overhead tv screens. The captain tells us over the speaker that we will be making our decent into Lihue which sends excitement through me. After all this time...four years, planning for the '09 trip and the hard times we had with DH's lay off, we will finally be standing on Kauai soil. I LOVE this island so much...I just love how it feels being there! I get my seat in the upright position and my nose is glued to the window...breath held just waiting for that first glimpse of "my" island. Finally after the four years of thinking and dreaming of being there, after flying all day...I see it and I can't help the tears that come to my eyes. This place has a hold on me! Not just on me but DH too. You can see it all over his face as he is leaning over to see that glimpse of "our" island. The plane tires touch down and we have made it! We can't believe that it's real because it feels as though we are dreaming!
We step off the plane, pass through people waiting at the gate with envy in their eyes that we are arriving and that our trip is beginning. It is 2:00pm local time...which makes it 7:00pm at home in Austin, TX. I love open-air Lihue airport! Right off the plane, I feel the warmth of the island. We walk out of the airport to the shuttle to take us to Budget. We had to wait longer at the office than I expected but 'no worries, we're in Kauai'! Finally, it's our turn at the counter so we are moments from being cut loose! We are asked if it was our first time on the island so we tell him how many times we have been and we have this island mapped on our hands! "We're veterans, we got this"! We are handed the keys so we step out the door feeling the breeze on our faces and smelling the salty air. We get into our silver Mustang convertible, put the top down and we can't help but look at each other and smile! We pop our mix c.d. we made of island tunes and we're off! This island is ours for a week...
We head west of the airport to our favorite pizza place...Brick Oven Pizza in Kalaheo! It's almost 3:00pm so it's past our dinner time at home. I love how the windows are open so the breeze is blowing in. I also love the gingham curtains and tablecloths. My favorite thing is the license plates lined along the wooden rafters above all of the tables. We order a medium pepperoni with the garlic butter crust and relish in the fact that we are there. After scarfing down our pizza (we hadn't eaten since breakfast), we decided to drive a little further west to Lappert's in Hanapepe. I had Tutu's anniversary which is coconut ice cream with raspberry and passion fruit sorbet and DH had caramel coconut macadamia nut. We ate our ice cream feeling content we were in Kauai!
Back in our convertible, top down, music going so we could make our way to the North Shore. We made a stop at the Wal-Mart in Lihue for a few things...one being sunscreen. We both used a carry-on so we could not pack sunscreen because of the allowance of ounces. We also made a stop at the Foodland in Kapa'a to get beach mats. We like to use those the woven mats instead of towels because the sand comes off easier. We pass through Kapa'a...over the bridge that is along Waipouli Beach Park...I love going over the bridge with the ocean right there, my hair whipping in the wind and smelling the salty air! Another favorite spot of mine is to pass along Kealia Beach. After Kealia, I love seeing the red dirt along the road to Anahola and Kilauea. We make it to Princeville and arrive at the Sealodge. The B10 was great...just as it is pictured! Our first night we got settled at the condo. Semi unpacked; put luggage away and got comfortable. We went to bed hoping it wasn't all a dream!
It was a good first travel day. It felt good to get back to "our" island. We knew how to do our first day and that's just what we did. It was a nice feeling...it was familiar...it was stored in our memories and we could recapture it again. It really was just like riding a bike!
Stay tuned for...the perfect beach day; boogie boarding on DH's 30th bday; and falling in love with a beach cruiser bike!
Kauai 4 Years Later: It was just like riding a bike!
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I'm enjoying your report so far - can't wait for more!!
Lovely unit - how were the breezes in the condo?? Was it comfortable all day and night?
jcb: We weren't in the condo much during the day except for Friday until almost 1:00pm. On Friday it rained all morning so it was nice and breezy. At night it was cool enough...I slept comfortably every night. We also had a ceiling fan in the dining area on and two oscillating fans running. We have been before to the Sealodge and had no a/c so we knew what to expect. I'm glad you are enjoying the report.
Day 2: Sunday May 29-- Visiting old favorites
Sunday morning I woke up at 5:45am! It was 10:45am at home so it's hard for me to sleep late. It usually takes me until mid-week to adjust. DH could sleep all day if I let him! I let DH sleep until 6:30am and I couldn't wait any longer to wake him. We talked about what to do for the day and ate blueberry waffles.We decided since we had driven from Kalaheo to Princeville, we wanted to revisit Princeville to Ke'e. We got our beach clothes on, lathered on sunscreen and off we went.
First, a stop at the Princeville Foodland for ice and lunch items. We really like to pick a beach to stay at all day and we eat lunch on the beach. Our routine is breakfast at the condo, lunch at the beach and out for dinner. After leaving Foodland, we headed towards Ke'e.I absolutely love this part of the North Shore! It is my favorite part of the island! I love the Hanalei Bridge; Hanalei; all of the one lane bridges; the lushness; the quaintness of it all; the quiet; when the ocean reveals itself; the feel of it all; I LOVE the North Shore! We made it to Ke'e, eyes wide taking everything in that I possibly could to burn it in my memory.
It was now time to decide which beach we wanted to stake our claim at for the day so we mulled it over. On our August 07 trip we discovered Secret Beach. We spent one day there and have talked about it over the past four years. We say, "let's just do it, go to Secret Beach today". We have been waiting for this so why not? At that moment we were by Ha'ena Beach Park so we made the drive down to Secret Beach. If you are coming from the north take the second Kalihiwai Road. Just as a side note, I get all of my information from the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook. I love that book! I used it four years ago and for this trip. We get to Secret Beach, park and get all of our stuff for the hike down (10-15 minute hike). We planned on staying all day so DH lugged our ice chest down the hike. The hike was actually a lot steeper than I remembered. We make it down the hike to discover that, although Secret Beach is in the famous blue book, it is in fact not a "secret" any longer. The surf was pounding; it was cloudy; too "discovered"; and not what I had been waiting for. Don't get me wrong, it is still beautiful and it's Kauai but I didn't feel the same about it as I did four years ago.
I was hoping for this setting: http://vicki-.travellerspoint.com/59/
We ate our lunch there but soon decided to "let" everyone else have the beach. We decided from Secret we would go try Moloa'a Beach. To get there take the Ko'olau Road to Moloa'a Road. We also went to this beach four years ago. It was quiet and we felt secluded and it was on vicki's blog so we wanted to try it again.
http://vicki-h.travellerspoint.com/57/
When we first got to Moloa'a it was sunny but windy and the surf seemed slightly rough. We walked to the southeast side of the beach where the water is calmer. It is calm enough for wading and swimming. We decided to get in to for a little swimming. It was really nice but some clouds started to roll in. Those clouds were really disappointing me. It was the end of May! Don't those clouds know the "rainy" season is over. I was surprised when I read Vicki's blog about her trip to Kauai. Her pictures of Secret Beach and Moloa'a are amazing and I have to admit that I'm jealous! Their trip was in April of this year and I have always read that November to April is the rainier season in Hawaii. She had two perfect days with low tide. My pictures don't like anything like the one of Vicki or the one of her husband on Moloa'a. We lounged around a bit longer and took pictures then we decided to call it a day. We headed back to the condo to clean up after a day at the beach so we could go to dinner. We ate at Bubba Burgers in Hanalei. We love Bubba Burgers and sitting on the benches on the porch of Bubba's looking out onto the street/shops of Hanalei. We went back to the condo to relax for the night.
I feel and share your enthusiasm. We stayed just across the way at Hanalei Bay Resort.
Your review is making me smile!!
Day 3: Monday May 30-- The Perfect Beach Day
I awoke a little after 6am...still trying to adjust to the time. I love waking up to look out at the endless ocean and hear the waves crashing just thinking we have the whole day ahead of us. We did our usual routine of breakfast and getting beach ready.
We set out in search of our beach post for the day. I have always been curious about Lumaha'i Beach. I love the picture, page 53, in the blue book of the eastern portion of Lumaha'i Beach.
Four years ago, DH & I were at Ha'ena Beach Park when it started to rain so we left hoping to leave the clouds behind. We pulled up to another beach and stayed for a little while. Back at home we have reminisced about our previous trip four years ago so when going on this trip I wanted to show DH that beach we went to so he could see what I was recalling. We discovered on this trip that we were in fact on Lumaha'i. Not the eastern portion but the one you park right off road and walk up to. Lumaha'i (the part at the road) has pounding waves and is not really swimmable. I remember that day four years ago that we only sat on the beach and did not swim. I remember reading about the eastern portion which requires a hike down but for some reason I remember thinking, four years ago, that I thought it would be really steep and I did not realize where parking was for it so we didn't put too much thought into going then.
I am so happy to report that we did figure out where to park and did hike down (not really steep at all and definitely nowhere near the steepness of the Secret Beach hike) to the eastern portion of Lumaha'i Beach. What a perfect day we had on, according to the blue book, Kahalahala, which is the technical name of the eastern portion of Lumaha'i. We didn't know what to expect so we just brought our beach mats with us. Almost near the end of the 5 minute hike...Lumaha'i revealed itself so I turned to DH and said, "we aren't going anywhere else today", with a big smile on my face! The sand was so soft; the water sparkling from the sunlight; the water so calm that people were wading, floating and swimming. It was perfect! We found our spot to lay out our beach mats and DH went back up to the car to get our ice chest. When he got back we settled in our spots and ate our lunch. How is it that nacho cheese Doritos taste so darn good on a beach? We watched people swimming/wading; people jumping off the lava rock and just feeling completely relaxed with no care in the world. We laid there in a complete relaxed state; swam in the ocean; jumped of the lava rock ( I needed extra encouragement from DH on that one because I was being a chicken!) After being in the water we let the sun dry us while we read books. I almost can't describe how absolutely relaxed I felt. It was the best feeling in the world that I wish I could bottle and take home! Every muscle in my body was unbelievably relaxed. I just don't know how else to describe it...the sand had formed around my shape and I didn't want to let go of this feeling but eventually we had to peel ourselves away from this perfection. Reluctantly we gathered our things to hike back up to the car. It really was the perfect day! It was the perfect beach!
We went back to the condo to clean up from our day at the beach so that we could get dinner. We ended up eating Bubba's again...like I said, we really like Bubba's! One thing you must know about DH & I...we are burgers and pizza kind of people. We aren't into salads, vegetables, etc. We are picky eaters! One new thing at Bubba's is that we always wait for our food on the porch and we eat on the porch area so we had never been inside where the counter & t-shirts are so we had never noticed all of the celebrity pictures on the wall of the celebrities that have been to Bubba's! We saw Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Adam Sandler, Colbie Caillat, Jack Black and the list goes on. It was really cool to see them pictured at Bubba's!
Back at the condo for the night...DH's last night in his twenties!
Sounds glorious. I assume you know this, but just in case....
http://www.hawaiiweb.com/kauai/beaches/LumahaiBeach.htm
Great trip report so far. More please!
I will be visiting Kauai for the first time in Oct 2011 so your report is helping with my planning. Thanks!
rsidhu, I'm going to be there in October too! (I've added Kalaheo Pizza to my list)
LOL...........sf7307, it's Brick oven pizza in Kalaheo! and it's on my list as well.
louistraveler5 hurry up - we're patiently waiting.........just kidding.
I'm so happy to read that ya'll are enjoying my trip report!
I definitely recommend the blue book...it's a must!
http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Kauai-Guidebook-Revealed/dp/0981461018/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308860929&sr=8-1
Stay tuned for day 4...
Day 4: Tuesday May 31-- DH's 30th Bday, boogie boarding and the chocolate cake!
We awoke to DH's 30th bday! We made a big birthday breakfast at the condo consisting of eggs, sizzlers, and biscuits. It's what DH wanted for his birthday breakfast. After our breakfast we got beach ready.
For his birthday, DH wanted to spend the day at Brennecke's Beach on the south shore. It is perfectly made for boogie boarding:http://www.flickr.com/photos/nj_dodge/1428063703/ *This is not my picture. I "borrowed" it from Flickr. The condo came equipped with two boogie boards but on our previous trip we rented boogie boards from Snorkel Bob's in Kapa'a. We left our condo to make our way to the south shore and as soon as we got to Kapa'a the traffic came to a halt! We had been in some traffic in Kapa'a on our previous trip but nothing like this. As we were inching a long we saw a sign for a right hand turn that either said Waipouli or Wailua Bypass so we took it...big mistake! We sat in just as much traffic if not more. Our drive to DH's favorite beach was not off to a good start. I can't recall how long we sat in traffic...it must have been almost an hour! After our Kapa'a traffic jam it was smooth sailing to Brennecke's Beach. We settled into a spot on the sand, ate some lunch while watching everyone boogie boarding. After a little bit DH was ready to get in on the action...he was ready to get wet! He got in first for a little bit so I could take some pictures of him then I joined in on the fun! It really is made for boogie boarding...the waves break about waist deep or you can go further out. It is so much fun! We spent all afternoon enjoying the waves and celebrating DH...how lucky to be in Kauai on your bday...
After we tore ourselves away from Brennecke's Beach we made our way to none other than the Brick Oven in Kalaheo for DH's bday dinner! Did I mention how much we like burgers and pizza?! We got pepperoni and half of it with smoked ham for DH along with the garlic butter crust. On the way we were wondering what desserts they had because we never noticed before so we checked and there was chocolate cake on the menu. Of course we had to order the cake in honor of DH's bday! OH MY GOSH let me tell you this cake was absolutely delicious! It was chocolate cake with chocolate icing...so moist, not overly sweet and just simply delicious! We were so glad we ordered it. It was a nice way to end DH's bday! We made our way from Kalaheo back to Princeville to call it a night.
rsidhu & sf7307: Where are each of you staying for your trip?
We really love the Sealodge and I've used these websites:
http://hestara.com/
http://www.kauai-vacations-ahh.com/
Also, I thought as a first timer, rsidhu, you might like this map:http://www.summitpacificinc.com/kauai_map.html
I absolutely LOVE Kauai and would love to help so any questions you may have just ask!
More to come...day 5
One more thing...while your "patiently" waiting for me to finish my report, I highly recommend reading Vicki's blog on her Kauai trip. I came across the link for it on Fodor's about a month ago. Her blogs are addicting...she tells the story so well and her descriptions are so vivid. I was loving it because I read it before our trip! You can click on each day she was there from the table of contents:
http://vicki-h.travellerspoint.com/toc/
Enjoy!
I haven't decided yet but I'm leaning towards the Westin Villas in Princeville using points. I'm a little worried about the rain. What do you think - should I stay in the North Shore or South Shore?
I really enjoyed Vicki's blog - thanks for the link.
We're staying at the Hyatt (freebies - the only reason we're going, having already spent 3 weeks in Southeast Asia this year!).
rsidhu: I wouldn't worry too much about the rain. It is scattered showers that pass quickly. Clouds will roll by that sprinkle rain then it's over. You can always find a beach or somewhere to be where there is not rain.
Although, our week there we did experience more rain than our past trips. On Friday June 3, there was a disturbance over the entire island. It rain quite a bit until 1:00pm and that was June!
You never can tell and most people say you can't let the rain keep you away so you just have to take your chances.
I'm so sorry for the delay...day 5 and the rest of my report to come.
Day 5: Wednesday June 1-- Our Groundhog Day (the movie)
Finally I slept until 8:00am! It's mid-week so I'm adjusting to the time difference. DH & I didn't talk in depth about activities we would like to do on this trip. We both considered this more of a beach leisure trip and we were going to just let things happen as they may. We had discussed ziplining or a surf lesson. On our trip four years ago we did horseback riding on the South Shore with CJM Stables and it was beautiful and a lot of fun!
Today DH & I lazed around talking about what we wanted to do today. We also talked about our 'groundhog day' routine we had going. We were having breakfast at the condo and doing our 'beach ready' routine of having my swimsuit on; lathering on sunscreen; then putting our beach clothes on in order to fixate ourselves on yet another beach for the day. It's somewhat ironic that on my vacation I was growing antsy of our 'routine' because that's our life at home. It's what fits my personality. I enjoy having a routine and doing the same things constantly. I absolutely adore Kauai and its beaches but I felt that we needed to break up the routine. I find it difficult to express my feelings about this because I don't want to seem unappreciative or ungrateful because I am grateful and realize that I was/am lucky enough to have a moment of my life in this magical place!
By Wednesday I had grown somewhat antsy of our routine but we decided over our talk that we were going to continue with our beach leisure for the day and mull over an ideas before our trip was over. We also decided that as much as we love our beach time we do need to sprinkle in some activities throughout our week. We figured out the perfect recipe for our 'perfect' week in Kauai!
The morning was also a little more rainy than usual so we didn't leave the condo as early. Once we did get on our way we decided to spend the day on 'our' perfect beach...the eastern portion of Lumaha'i. We didn't get our 'groundhog day' at Lumaha'i because the clouds would not cooperate. We couldn't recreate the perfect beach day. Clouds continued to roll over the beach and the sun refused to make much of an appearance. We chalked it up to, "once you reach perfection, it's hard to recapture".
I'll still always have that one perfect beach day!
We headed back to the condo to get ready for dinner. We ate at Hanalei Dolphin that night. I loved the romantic, tropical atmosphere. Open air, Hanalei River, tiki torches, candles on the table. I had the fish & chips and DH had a steak. It was really nice! After dinner, we went to this shop 'I Heart Hanalei' which was next door to the Hanalei Dolphin and I got a Hanalei, Kauai shirt!
Back to the condo for the night...
Up next...day 6
Day 6: Thursday June 2-- Fate Intervened and I fell in love with a beach bike!
Thursday morning I slept until almost 9:00am! We put on 'normal' clothes in preparation for an activity day! It's funny, we continued to mention all day how good it felt not to have swimsuits and tons of sunscreen slathered all over us!
First, we wanted to check out the Hanalei Okolehao Trail. We went over the Hanalei Bridge then took an immediate left and drove almost a mile to the parking lot. We parked and easily found the small footbridge to begin the trail. We started along the trail to get a feel for it but quickly the trail turned narrow with so much vegetation that glided against us. We wouldn't have minded but I felt that I did not have the proper attire for such a hike. I was wearing shorts and sandals so we felt it best to turn back and save it for our next trip. Also when we got back to the car I noticed that I had two large welts from mosquito bites...one on my forehead and one on my leg. One thing you must know...mosquitos LOVE me. Proving my point, I had two bites and DH had none! Next trip I am going to bring a pair of pants, tennis shoes and we are buying repellent. I would love to do this hike!
We drove into Hanalei and stopped at Pedal 'n Paddle. The blue book says that you can rent beach cruisers in Hanalei at the Pedal 'n Paddle. We stopped in but were told that they were out of bikes because most people rent them by the week not by the day. We were stumped on what to do...couldn't do the hike and there were no bikes
We went back to the condo to flip through our blue book and come up with an idea.
Sorry to cut day 6 short but I need to continue later...
..".I just love how it feels being there! I get my seat in the upright position and my nose is glued to the window...breath held just waiting for that first glimpse of "my" island. Finally after the four years of thinking and dreaming of being there, after flying all day...I see it and I can't help the tears that come to my eyes. This place has a hold on me! Not just on me but DH too".....
Know just what you mean. We feel that way every time we go and we go about every 1 1/2 to 2 years. It is our home away from home and we are sad every time we have to leave...It truly is our place to totally relax. Just sitting on the lanai watching the waves crash with our morning coffee or wine in the evening is worth it all. Our last trip, we were there in Feb 2011, we had the most spectacular whale spotting ever. It was awesome. Enjoyed your report.....
..".I just love how it feels being there! I get my seat in the upright position and my nose is glued to the window...breath held just waiting for that first glimpse of "my" island. Finally after the four years of thinking and dreaming of being there, after flying all day...I see it and I can't help the tears that come to my eyes. This place has a hold on me! Not just on me but DH too".....
Know just what you mean. We feel that way every time we go and we go about every 1 1/2 to 2 years. It is our home away from home and we are sad every time we have to leave...It truly is our place to totally relax. Just sitting on the lanai watching the waves crash with our morning coffee or wine in the evening is worth it all. Our last trip, we were there in Feb 2011, we had the most spectacular whale spotting ever. It was awesome. Enjoyed your report.....
sorry for the double posting. using my sisters laptop and it didn't seem to go thru....oh well we all know that Kauai is worth reading abut it 2x!
Day 6 cont'd...
We were looking through the blue book so we could decide what to do with our day. I went to the biking section to see other options we had. I read there is a 5-mile section of Kapa'a to just north of Donkey Beach. The book states that two shops in Kapa'a rent bikes. I called Coconut Coasters to find out if they had any bikes available and they did! The guy said there were plenty so I said we would be there soon. We made our way to Kapa'a and stopped at Bubba Burgers but this time we had corn dogs instead of our usual burger. I like the Bubba's in Kapa'a because the ocean is across the street so you can sit on the porch and stare out at the ocean!
After finishing up at Bubba's we made our way to Coconut Coasters. The shop was so cute; the two guys, don't recall their names, were very nice & helpful! They set us up with our bikes...we both got a single speed beach cruiser bike with old fashioned pedal brakes! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED the beach cruiser bike and the pedal brakes! I fell in love with this bike and didn't want to give it back! The bike path is right outside the shop! We got right on the path to begin a day I'll never forget! It was just so much fun being on the bike! I love the big handle bars; I loved the bell I had on it; I loved the big comfortable seat and of course, I'll say it again, the pedal brakes! The bike path was absolutely gorgeous! Riding along the ocean/coastline was perfect! All we could do was stare in awe! When we made it to Kealia Beach we paused to watch the surfers then continued on the path. We stopped so many times to take pictures and it was just so enjoyable to be on the bikes. After Kealia the path is still concrete but the red dirt is more apparent. I love Kauai red dirt! The path after Kealia until the end was my favorite. We passed Donkey Beach on the path...I just don't know what else to say but how beautiful this bike path is and just so much fun!
After passing Donkey Beach, we are continuing on the path just enjoying ourselves. At the end of the path we parked our bikes and walked down to a magnificent bluff. The sound of the ocean, the smell of the salt, my hair whipping in the wind; the bluff also overlooks Secluded Cove (which you can see on the map in the blue book). Absolutely gorgeous! We spent a little while on the bluff just enjoying being in the moment! The bikes, the path and the scenery was such a perfect day! We made our way along the path to return the bikes which I was hesitant to do. I didn't want to give my bike back! We decided to eat the pizza again at Brick Oven that night. We had the chocolate cake again! I was so happy that the Pedal 'n Paddle did NOT have bikes available because we never would have done the bike path in Kapa'a. I'm so happy that fate intervened with my original plan to bike around Hanalei because we gave the bike path a chance and loved it!
so have you bought your own beach cruiser bike yet? i have a pink one to ride to coffee at home and love it!
Day 7: Friday June 3-- Rain, Rain, Go Away
We woke up Friday morning to a hazy, rainy sky. We watched the weather channel to find out what the day would be like and it turns out there was a disturbance covering the entire island of Kauai! We decided to make use of our time at the condo. We washed our clothes and semi-packed (we were leaving the next day). I really love having a washer/dryer in the condo! Of course I would have rather been out & about on "my" island but it was nice to get those things done. We were in the condo until 1:00pm!
The rain finally let up but not the hazy sky. We decided to venture out and just take the drive from the condo to the end of the road. We just wanted to burn the scenery in our memory! I couldn't believe how high the Hanalei River looked! Since the sky was hazy Tunnels Beach had plenty of parking. We had never been to Tunnels so we decided to check it out. On a sunny day the parking is packed for this beach and now I know why! We brought our beach chairs from the condo and relaxed! Tunnels was gorgeous and I would love to see it when it is sunny. It was so relaxing sitting in the beach chairs hearing the water lapping at our feet. Over our shoulders we had a front row view of a waterfall cascading from the towering mountain behind us. It was picture perfect scenery but I was so sad it was our last full day/night in Kauai.
toncasmo: No, I haven't gotten one yet. I love the bikes at:
http://www.beachbikes.net/index.php
I would love to have one but I live in a suburb of Austin and there isn't really a great place to ride around my neighborhood. I could load it up in the back of my truck on the weekends and ride around in Austin which is what I thought I would do if I got one. Summertime here really isn't fun to ride a bike because for almost 70 days now, we are about to set a new record, we have had triple digit heat!
Day 8: Saturday June 4-- All Good Things Must Come To An End...
We could enjoy Saturday, our last day, because our flight didn't leave until 10:30pm and we chose to pay a 1/2 day rate in order to check out late. We took our time around the condo packing and getting things in order for leaving. We decided to take the drive again to the end of the road.
When we reached Hanalei we just couldn't believe the throngs of people that had invaded "our" island/Hanalei! It seemed as though in our four year absence of visiting so many more people had found out about Kauai. The two previous times we went to Kauai were May 7-12 and August 29-September 2. Both times kids are still in school so many people are not traveling.
*To everyone reading this: have you noticed through repeat visits more volume of travelers or is this the norm when school is not in session? Does it seem like more people "know" about Kauai?
We took the drive to the end of the road memorizing every possible morsel of it. When we headed back towards the condo we wanted to eat one last lunch at Bubba's but the line was across the porch and down the steps! We had to pass because we needed to get back to the condo to get our stuff together and towards Kapa'a. We made it back to our condo; completed our packing; got all our things together; DH loaded up the car while I double checked everything. I was really sad to leave the condo. Leaving the condo made it more real that our vacation had to come to an end.
*One note I would like to make about being sad about leaving the condo: the cycle of being on vacation is bothersome to me. What I mean is that when you arrive, of course I'm excited, but you are thrown into a new environment; you have to get comfortable with place that is not your own; and for myself I miss my dog. After a day or two I get to used to my environment and I get comfortable. Just as soon as you are comfortable and have a routine down it's time to go home. I truly was sad to leave the condo because I felt that it had become our "home" for a week.
To anyone reading: do you ever experience this cycle?
We made our way to Kapa'a and ate lunch at Bubba's. We decided for our last afternoon in Kauai that we wanted to do the bike ride again!! We went to Coconut Coasters and rented the same bikes and since we were a repeat customer we got 10% off our rental! This time I had a basket on my bike because I had my purse that I didn't want to leave in the car. My basket was so cute! The bike ride was just as much fun as the first time but with one negative difference...gnats! Since it had rained so much the day before the gnats were out in full force and we kept getting pelted by them! Thankfully we only had to deal with it until after we passed Kealia Beach. After Kealia they seemed to let up. We came to the end of the path and spent some time on the bluff just relishing every last moment. We pulled ourselves away from the edge of the bluff so we could take the path back to the bike shop. After returning the bikes, we went to some gift shops in Kapa'a then to the few in Koloa. After the gift shops we made our way to Kalaheo for one last pizza at the Brick Oven. After our last pizza it was time to gas up the rental car and head to the airport. We pulled in to the return section at Budget, got our luggage and receipt. All too soon we were riding the shuttle over to the outdoor ticket counters. We had a short wait at the ticket counter then got our boarding passes. We got through security quickly so we went to the gift shop to get a photo album. Quicker than I could imagine we were waiting to board; boarding the plane; and flying back over the ocean to come home.
Back at home...final notes about our trip:
*DH & I definitely realized that four years was too long of a wait to revisit Kauai! We plan to make it back every two years. Kauai is my favorite place on Earth but there are other places I would like to see in this world.
*We realized on this trip that the perfect recipe for us would be to blend beach days & activity days. Next trip we want to hike the Okolehao Trail; bike ride (multiple times!); beach days at eastern portion of Lumaha'i; kayak the Wailua River to the Secret Falls like Vicki:http://vicki-h.travellerspoint.com/55/
*This trip really hit us hard in a few ways. I already knew that I loved Kauai but this trip really enforced those feelings. This island really has a hold on me and DH! Since it had been four years and with it slipping out of our fingertips in 2009 I think we were in shock that we were actually there. I felt so lucky to have made it back but now it all seems like it was a blur. This one week in time went by so quickly. I would like to go back with my new "recipe" of the perfect trip and not so much shock of a four year absence. Coming home hit us hard as well...we really missed the island and the condo. For the first time, the time difference really affected us for an entire week after we returned. In the middle of the day at work I felt as if I could go to bed. It was really hard adjusting back at home with the time which is was unusual for us.
*I was surprised by the amount of rain that was received during our week there. Every morning it was raining until 9-10am. Our past trips we did not experience this much rain. I read on many postings directed at first-timers that it mostly rains at night/first of the morning. I definitely noticed a difference of more rain. Especially with the disturbance that Friday with rain until 1:00pm and it continued to be hazy the rest of the day. I was surprised and disappointed by all the rain especially at the end of May and beginning of June. To all seasoned Kauai travelers: how have your experiences differed by the rain?
*Seasoned Kauai travelers: I said, above, that I was surprised about how many people were in Kauai during this visit for us. If you have been traveling to Kauai over the years have you noticed a flux in volume? Did I just notice it because we went during a time that school was not in session?
Mahalo to everyone that read my report! I'm sorry it took so long for me to complete it but I did enjoy typing it and reliving my week on my favorite place on Earth!
Nice report louistraveler! We are considering Sealodge B10. The pictures on VRBO look great but how was the view? One picture on VRBO shows waves but from the lanai, it doesn't look like you can see waves.
We have been to Hanalei many times with our family and this will be our first time just the two of us. So many wonderful memories!
It really does look just like what is posted on the Hestara site:http://hestara.com/b10.htm
I do remember seeing waves. You are not beach/shore level because the condos in Princeville are on a bluff. It is absolutely beautiful and we love the Sealodge! It's the only place we stay when going to Kauai.
Here is an overview of the Sealodge units: http://www.hawaiirevealed.com/wp-content/uploads/kr-sealodge.jpg
The 'B' is not as upfront as 'C' or 'D' but we didn't feel cheated on views. We could hear the ocean from our unit. I definitely recommend the B10!
Hi Louise, thanks for the link to this report, I truly enjoyed reading it. From what I am hearing Kauai casts a spell on many people and they keep coming back. I am so excited about our trip, and even more so now that I have read your report.
PS Please click my name to read about the Fodor's GTG in Gruene on 8/25. I hope you can come.
I meant to tell you, I also get very homesick for my dogs when I'm away. I don't miss anyone else because they know where I am, how to reach me, and when I will be home. But I miss my babies terribly!! Another thing we have in common is leaving a hotel room/condo we really love is a sad, sinking feeling. But I keep thinking about seeing my pups again and it doesn't seem so bad.
I clicked your name and I saw the pic of your pup in the bluebonnets. Your baby is adorable!!
P_M:
I love hearing that other people feel the same way about missing their dog!
I know he is at the next best place, at my mom's, while I'm seeing the world!
I'll try to make it to the GTG.