another Kauai trip report
Oct 22nd, 2003 | 12:28 PM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 241
Likes: 0
another Kauai trip report
Hi and thanks to everyone for sharing their wonderful ideas here. We also eloped while we were on this trip!
Reviews:
Paradise Services:
http://www.paradiseservices.com/
This was a terrific service. Ellen Woodall was my wonderful coordinator. All I did was email photos of things I wanted or made a phone call and she made it work out perfectly for me. The distant waterfall location was beautiful and fun to use. My only (extremely tiny) regret was that the waterfall in the distance was not in season for our photos. My bouquet was perfect. We did get professional photos but we have not received those yet.
Hyatt Hotel (Kauai):
This is a very nice place. The service is impeccable ? free lei?s and quick response to anything you need/ask for. Although the rooms (or the view) were not impressive, the bed was super comfy and the bathroom was very efficient (plenty of room for a girl to spread out all of her beauty items). The hotel grounds and pools were absolutely gorgeous and fun. I would definitely stay here again.
Tidepools Restaurant (Hyatt):
This was our favorite restaurant on the whole island. Food is great. The atmosphere is great (although it?s a little noisy if you?re seated next to one of the waterfalls). We had dinner here twice since we like it so much.
Beach House Restaurant:
This place definitely has the best sunset views. The food was pretty good but not as good as Tidepools. Getting there early for one of the ?open window ? seats is recommended. It?s hilarious how everyone jumps up to take pictures as the sun starts setting. It gets a little warm with the sun directly in your face for dinner here.
Waimea Canyon:
Very cool area. The weather constantly changes. It took us 3 visits to the main lookout before we got good, sunny pictures. Be sure to check out the various hikes. We didn?t do one hike which consisted of three trails because one of them (Nualolo Cliffs Trail) was going to be along a cliff with a sheer drop-off (as told by cashier at Kokee Museum). But it sure sounded cool! Instead we hiked to Waipoo Falls using Canyon Trail. The canyon views were great and the hike wasn?t so hard. The ?view? of the falls was unimpressive. You ended up at the top of the falls and couldn?t see the falls from any angle. You only knew the falls were there because of the pools and stream and the sound of falling water!
Polihale Beach:
This is a beautiful beach worth the drive ? vast and impressive. It?s hot here though ? no shade whatsoever ? so come prepared. And be careful about driving out on the beach ? we watched a jeep get bogged down in the sand for hours ? luckily some smart guy had some 2x4s with him.
Waimea Brewing Co Restaurant:
We had lunch here once. The hamburgers and nachos are terrific.
Kauai Backcountry Tubing:
http://www.kauaibackcountry.com/tubing.html
This was a neat experience. It was $85 per person. The tour took about 12 of us out through this private, sugar cane plantation to go tubing in old, irrigation ditches. These ditches actually flow through several tunnels which were hand-carved many years ago. You strap on a helmet with lights and gloves and jump in a tube. Then you flow along (pretty steadily I must say) for about an hour or so. This includes going through 4 of those dark tunnels ? kind of crazy. The tour guides were really cool and made it fun. You have a picnic near a steam and pool at the end.
Wailua Falls:
Waterfall shown in ?Fantasy Island?. We were scoping out the beginning of the hike down to the bottom of this waterfall ? looked steep and extremely difficult ? when a local said ?don?t be scared ? it?s a breeze and only takes 10 minutes to get down there?. So we just jumped onto the trail without a second thought. Oh my goodness! This was the hardest hike I have ever done! Luckily someone had tied strong ropes along the trail ? it was slippery and extremely steep. You had to hold on to those ropes tightly. And there are a TON of mosquitos on this trail ? and our Deep Woods Off spray was in the car (nice). So we get to the bottom and it is quite beautiful ? only wished we had our backpack with the spray and our swimsuits in it. The water felt wonderful.
Kilauea Lighthouse:
It?s pretty but definitely hotter on the north side of the island (this was our first excursion on the north side).
Kilauea Bakery and Pau Hana Pizza:
We had lunch here and it hit the spot. It was pretty hot though ? windows open with fans going. Joe had pizza and I had an uberzone thing ? highly recommend both.
Princeville Hotel:
This was a much fancier place than the Hyatt by far. The rooms were nicer too. The views were quite awesome. But they lacked a little in the ?extras? department (example: I noticed a kukui nut lei on top of the bed and thought it was another freebie ? wrong ? a small note at the bottom of a paper underneath said it was yours for $20 ? wtf!). The pools were nice but not as nice as the Hyatt pools (not by a longshot). Plus, it seemed crowded ? but no wonder since there aren?t as many pools there as there are at the Hyatt. The beach was pretty though.
Café Hanalei (Princeville):
We had dinner here on our first night which also happened to be our wedding night. I must give these guys an awesome review on service. They bent over backward to ensure we had the best balcony seat possible since we had just gotten married. They also gave us a free bottle of champagne. The view here is spectacular. But after it gets dark the mosquitos come out. You can get sprayed at the front desk though. The meals were very good (but we still missed Tidepools). Breakfast in the morning was good too. We found that it was cheaper to eat off the menu instead of the buffet (once you figured out what you really liked the best ? for us it was Belgium waffles).
Kalalua Trail:
If you are going to do this trail get there EARLY. That is what we did and it worked out great for two main reasons ? heat and parking. The trail was mostly shaded when we started it at 8:30am (earlier would?ve been more ideal). It was a pretty steep climb most of the way (not as bad as the hike to Wailua Falls). I liked this hike the best because of the spectacular views of the Napali Coast along the way. It really is breathtaking. You are pretty much hiking along the sides of the curvy mountains next to the water most of the time. There are some slippery parts though (luckily we picked the driest month of the year ? I can?t imagine this trail in the rainy season). When you get to Hanakapi?ai Beach you have to cross the stream over the rocks. I really don?t like crossing on the rocks because I am so afraid of losing my grip and slipping (not afraid of getting wet but hurting myself on rocks). Because of this we opted not to hike to the waterfall since it looked like you had to cross the stream a couple more times AND we were already getting tired (2 miles to get here). So we took a break and then ventured back to our car.
Kilohana Plantation:
We checked out this place for lunch and for the shops. The food was very good at Gaylords Restaurant. The drinks and desserts are also terrific. I definitely liked the shops upstairs ? there were some pretty original pieces of jewelry (some made of koa wood) there.
We did a lot of other things on Kauai and I have a better explanation of everything in a journal (I wrote in it every night). Hope this gives you some good ideas!
Reviews:
Paradise Services:
http://www.paradiseservices.com/
This was a terrific service. Ellen Woodall was my wonderful coordinator. All I did was email photos of things I wanted or made a phone call and she made it work out perfectly for me. The distant waterfall location was beautiful and fun to use. My only (extremely tiny) regret was that the waterfall in the distance was not in season for our photos. My bouquet was perfect. We did get professional photos but we have not received those yet.
Hyatt Hotel (Kauai):
This is a very nice place. The service is impeccable ? free lei?s and quick response to anything you need/ask for. Although the rooms (or the view) were not impressive, the bed was super comfy and the bathroom was very efficient (plenty of room for a girl to spread out all of her beauty items). The hotel grounds and pools were absolutely gorgeous and fun. I would definitely stay here again.
Tidepools Restaurant (Hyatt):
This was our favorite restaurant on the whole island. Food is great. The atmosphere is great (although it?s a little noisy if you?re seated next to one of the waterfalls). We had dinner here twice since we like it so much.
Beach House Restaurant:
This place definitely has the best sunset views. The food was pretty good but not as good as Tidepools. Getting there early for one of the ?open window ? seats is recommended. It?s hilarious how everyone jumps up to take pictures as the sun starts setting. It gets a little warm with the sun directly in your face for dinner here.
Waimea Canyon:
Very cool area. The weather constantly changes. It took us 3 visits to the main lookout before we got good, sunny pictures. Be sure to check out the various hikes. We didn?t do one hike which consisted of three trails because one of them (Nualolo Cliffs Trail) was going to be along a cliff with a sheer drop-off (as told by cashier at Kokee Museum). But it sure sounded cool! Instead we hiked to Waipoo Falls using Canyon Trail. The canyon views were great and the hike wasn?t so hard. The ?view? of the falls was unimpressive. You ended up at the top of the falls and couldn?t see the falls from any angle. You only knew the falls were there because of the pools and stream and the sound of falling water!
Polihale Beach:
This is a beautiful beach worth the drive ? vast and impressive. It?s hot here though ? no shade whatsoever ? so come prepared. And be careful about driving out on the beach ? we watched a jeep get bogged down in the sand for hours ? luckily some smart guy had some 2x4s with him.
Waimea Brewing Co Restaurant:
We had lunch here once. The hamburgers and nachos are terrific.
Kauai Backcountry Tubing:
http://www.kauaibackcountry.com/tubing.html
This was a neat experience. It was $85 per person. The tour took about 12 of us out through this private, sugar cane plantation to go tubing in old, irrigation ditches. These ditches actually flow through several tunnels which were hand-carved many years ago. You strap on a helmet with lights and gloves and jump in a tube. Then you flow along (pretty steadily I must say) for about an hour or so. This includes going through 4 of those dark tunnels ? kind of crazy. The tour guides were really cool and made it fun. You have a picnic near a steam and pool at the end.
Wailua Falls:
Waterfall shown in ?Fantasy Island?. We were scoping out the beginning of the hike down to the bottom of this waterfall ? looked steep and extremely difficult ? when a local said ?don?t be scared ? it?s a breeze and only takes 10 minutes to get down there?. So we just jumped onto the trail without a second thought. Oh my goodness! This was the hardest hike I have ever done! Luckily someone had tied strong ropes along the trail ? it was slippery and extremely steep. You had to hold on to those ropes tightly. And there are a TON of mosquitos on this trail ? and our Deep Woods Off spray was in the car (nice). So we get to the bottom and it is quite beautiful ? only wished we had our backpack with the spray and our swimsuits in it. The water felt wonderful.
Kilauea Lighthouse:
It?s pretty but definitely hotter on the north side of the island (this was our first excursion on the north side).
Kilauea Bakery and Pau Hana Pizza:
We had lunch here and it hit the spot. It was pretty hot though ? windows open with fans going. Joe had pizza and I had an uberzone thing ? highly recommend both.
Princeville Hotel:
This was a much fancier place than the Hyatt by far. The rooms were nicer too. The views were quite awesome. But they lacked a little in the ?extras? department (example: I noticed a kukui nut lei on top of the bed and thought it was another freebie ? wrong ? a small note at the bottom of a paper underneath said it was yours for $20 ? wtf!). The pools were nice but not as nice as the Hyatt pools (not by a longshot). Plus, it seemed crowded ? but no wonder since there aren?t as many pools there as there are at the Hyatt. The beach was pretty though.
Café Hanalei (Princeville):
We had dinner here on our first night which also happened to be our wedding night. I must give these guys an awesome review on service. They bent over backward to ensure we had the best balcony seat possible since we had just gotten married. They also gave us a free bottle of champagne. The view here is spectacular. But after it gets dark the mosquitos come out. You can get sprayed at the front desk though. The meals were very good (but we still missed Tidepools). Breakfast in the morning was good too. We found that it was cheaper to eat off the menu instead of the buffet (once you figured out what you really liked the best ? for us it was Belgium waffles).
Kalalua Trail:
If you are going to do this trail get there EARLY. That is what we did and it worked out great for two main reasons ? heat and parking. The trail was mostly shaded when we started it at 8:30am (earlier would?ve been more ideal). It was a pretty steep climb most of the way (not as bad as the hike to Wailua Falls). I liked this hike the best because of the spectacular views of the Napali Coast along the way. It really is breathtaking. You are pretty much hiking along the sides of the curvy mountains next to the water most of the time. There are some slippery parts though (luckily we picked the driest month of the year ? I can?t imagine this trail in the rainy season). When you get to Hanakapi?ai Beach you have to cross the stream over the rocks. I really don?t like crossing on the rocks because I am so afraid of losing my grip and slipping (not afraid of getting wet but hurting myself on rocks). Because of this we opted not to hike to the waterfall since it looked like you had to cross the stream a couple more times AND we were already getting tired (2 miles to get here). So we took a break and then ventured back to our car.
Kilohana Plantation:
We checked out this place for lunch and for the shops. The food was very good at Gaylords Restaurant. The drinks and desserts are also terrific. I definitely liked the shops upstairs ? there were some pretty original pieces of jewelry (some made of koa wood) there.
We did a lot of other things on Kauai and I have a better explanation of everything in a journal (I wrote in it every night). Hope this gives you some good ideas!
Oct 22nd, 2003 | 01:55 PM
#3
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,489
Likes: 0
CajunStorm,
Nui Nachos at the Waimea BrewCo?
Best damn nachos in the world...next to the seafood nachos we had at The Beach House.
OK you Kauai Klowns. Stop making me drool into my darn keyboard!!!
67 to go.
Anybody see the new Nissan commericial with Dick Dale? Polihale, baby!
Mucho Mahalos,
Kal D.
Nui Nachos at the Waimea BrewCo?
Best damn nachos in the world...next to the seafood nachos we had at The Beach House.
OK you Kauai Klowns. Stop making me drool into my darn keyboard!!!
67 to go.
Anybody see the new Nissan commericial with Dick Dale? Polihale, baby!
Mucho Mahalos,
Kal D.
Oct 23rd, 2003 | 08:01 AM
#5
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,854
Likes: 0
Thanks for the confirmation on Polihale Kal. Every time I see that commercial I turn to my DH and say that sure looks like Kauai. Every time. His response is usually, "yeah". Then we both stare at the screen wishing we were there!!!
Oct 23rd, 2003 | 09:45 AM
#6
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,111
Likes: 0
We just came back from Kauai last month and also can recommend the tubing - very different and fun. We did hike all the way to the waterfall on the Kalalau Trail. We kept getting mini showers on and off, just enough to make a muddy slippery mess. Just washed off in the pool at at the bottom of the waterfall though. 
It was tiring - around 8 miles round trip, but worth it.
Its fun reading reviews like this cause it brings back all the memories again. Can't wait to book my next trip.
It was tiring - around 8 miles round trip, but worth it. Its fun reading reviews like this cause it brings back all the memories again. Can't wait to book my next trip.
Aug 16th, 2007 | 03:23 AM
#7
Original Poster
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 241
Likes: 0
I'm adding an updated photo link since yahoo photos is shutting down soon. Sorry for no comments yet:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/txcajun...7601175807837/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/txcajun...7601175807837/
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Aug 16th, 2007 | 01:50 PM
#9
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,051
Likes: 0
Thank you for sharing your wonderful photos and writing the nice report. Looks like you has so much fun on your Honeymoon!
We leave in a few weeks for the Grand Hyatt(5th time). Just love that hotel and Tidepools Restaurant. Looks like they put you in a garden view room from the photo, so you missed the incredible sunsets from your balcony at the Hyatt, but you saw it from the Beach House while at Poipu.
Congratulations!
We leave in a few weeks for the Grand Hyatt(5th time). Just love that hotel and Tidepools Restaurant. Looks like they put you in a garden view room from the photo, so you missed the incredible sunsets from your balcony at the Hyatt, but you saw it from the Beach House while at Poipu.
Congratulations!
Aug 16th, 2007 | 02:32 PM
#10
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 10,984
Likes: 58
Congrats on the wedding!! Your report and pictures brought back lots of great memories from our trip there last Sept. It is a beautiful island with lots of fun things to do. Next time we go, we'll have to do the K trail. Looks gorgeous.
