Mellyz

Need advice on several issues:
1.Is it worth driving up to The Princeville Hotel for the seafood buffet on friday night after arriving from Big Island at 6:30 pm? We'll be staying at the Marriott Kauai Beach Club and would be checking in first, so wouldn't epect to get to Princeville much before 8:30 Is this too late?

2. Which rental outfit is better for jeeps -Thrifty or Dollar? Have heard the shuttle from the airport to the pickup lot for Thrifty is long and unpleasant. How about Dollar? I have resv with both - roughly same rates.

3. Want to do an Ocean Tour. Anyone with experience on Blue Dolphin?

Thanks for the help - we'll be on Kauai mid December.

vivi

I think 8:30PM is too late to arrive at he P-Ville Hotel for the Friday buffet. It's a long drive (45-55 minutes) and it will be dark so you will miss the spectacular view. ALso it is not a fun drive back in the dark. You might want to make a reservation for Duke's (upstairs) at the Marriott that night, much easier.

The drive to Thrify is not "long and unpleasant." It is about a 3 minute drive once the shuttle leaves the airport property; less than a mile.
Make sure you go to the Thrifty counter at the airport to sign your contracts before boarding the shuttle. Dollar is located on the airport property but still requires a short shuttle ride. All the shuttle buses leave from behind the rental counters.
(Since 9/11 there are no rental cars ready for pick-up directly behind the rental counters like in the "old days.")

chicgeek

We just got back from 2 weeks at the Kauai Marriott, and I can't imagine being on this type of "schedule". I read this forum, and am always amazed at how people program their trips to Hawaii. We have been there countless times. On Kauai it is important to "go with the flow". The weather, ocean conditions, etc can change in an hour, as well as how you feel about what you want to do. I agree with Vivi----driving to Princeville at 8:30 pm is a waste, especially on your first day. We love Duke's upstairs, but on our first day we like to just eat at the bar downstairs at Duke's-----no reservations needed, great outdoor ambiance, and a good menu. We get to our suite, unpack, throw on our shorts, and are ready to unwind with a mai tai (although, actually, we like tai chi's better) on the beach. There was a woman at the hotel who was totally type A, on her cell phone and schedule the whole time, and she stuck out like a sore thumb. Save your trip to the North Shore for daylight hours. And be sure and stop at Banana Joe's for a banana/pineapple smoothie on the way! If anyone has any questions about our trip I would be happy to answer them. But my main advice is to chill out----you don't need reservations way ahead for most things (except during the holidays), and enjoy life in Kauai as it unfolds.

Rusty

Chickgeek, I totally agree with you that it makes no sense to prepare a detailed schedule or itinerary in advance of a Hawaii visit. It amazes me that some people agonize over whether to do this or that at 9 am or 11 am, etc. Do they actually enjoy themselves ?

Mellyz

Wow chickgeek - I just ASKED whether or not it would be worth it to drive up for the seafood buffet since everyone thought it was spectacular. We are planning several days driving up to the north shore in the daylight. And, we're used to mountain and seaside roads so the drive doesn't bother me at all - just wondered if the buffet itself really was so great as not to be missed, since we'll be departing the following friday.

We don't micromanage our schedules nor are we on a "schedule"- the only things I have booked already are referral dives with Bubbles Below and a flight with Interisland. We intend to go with the flow - and weather. We are, however, very active adventure seekers and keep moving from diving to kitesurfing to hiking without a thought. It's just what we do - and enjoy. To each their own.

JohnD

If the seafood buffet is to be your only trip for dinner to the Princeville Hotel, I would recommend postponing dinner to an evening where you can arrive before sunset, as the view is amazing and can lead to picture-postcard photo's. Also recommend a before sundown visit to the Beach house restaurant in Poipu (opposite direction of Pville). If you are staying in a condo with cooking facilities suggest you pick up fresh fish in Hanalei for example, and cook it yourself for a real $saving treat!

nyellen

We went to Oahu/kauai/maui this august and loved kauai the most. Princeville is gorgeous, but you should really be there during the day. I recommend the brunch - for the scenery alone. Also, the drive from the Marriott to Princeville is beautiful, so you wouldn't want to do it at night.

2) definitely do the Napali Coast tour on the Zodiac boat is you want the adventure of a lifetime

hmmm

Are there zodiac boat tours of the Napali in the Winter? Seems extremely adventurous.

puddy

I don't think Melly is creating a detailed schedule... just asking a simple question about a buffet.

Since no one really answered your question... if you do a text search on Seafood Buffet, you will find a post from this weekend about the Princeville Buffet. Most people seem to think it's great and well worth it(I did not go there during my stay). Since it is only on Friday's and it seems like something you really want to do, then it is worth it to you. You lose the view but still get all the seafood.

I would make a reservation and see how you feel the day of. You could always cancel when you arrive in Kauai or even before you leave the Big Island if you decide it is too much. My only concern would be what time they stop serving... you wouldn't want to drive all that way and have limited options because it's towards the end of the evening.

As for car rental, I can't comment on jeeps, but Alamo has a deal on SUV's and convertibles using code 6T. Not sure if that includes jeeps.

Mellyz

Thanks Puddy. To my knowledge - only Dollar and Thrifty have jeeps, and where we intend to go we'll need one!! The 6T is a good rate though. We're going to do some of the ADVENTURES in Kauai Revealed.

vivi

Melly- You don't sound like an over-organizer to me, either. You have done your homework and you know the P-Ville seafood buffet is only one night a week, coincidentally on the day you arrive!

Part of what makes dining at the
P-Ville so fabulous is the view. I would recommend a leisurely Sunday brunch there instead of rushing to the Seafood buffet in the dark.

Sheila54

We went to the seafood buffet on the night we arrived in Kauai. It was raining and we were too late to be seated with a view but the food was great. We thought the restaurant was worth it even without the view.

bquarre

Mellyz: About your question regarding ocean tours, we took HoloHolo to Nihau and Napali and loved it. You are gone for 7 hours and are on a 60 foot power cat that is awesome. They take you up to Napali and then out to Nihau for an hour or so of snorkeling. They feed you a decent breakfast and lunch. The day we went the visibility was 100 feet and the snorkeling at Nihau was amazing. Beware though, take your Dramamine as the seas on the return were huge and I tossed my cookies.