icee: I pretty much went to all of them (or drove by - such as the Hanalei Colony Resort) - when we last spent about 10 days on Kauai - a couple of years ago - staying at our timeshare at the Cliffs club. et tu?

Over the years - I have probably been to Princeville/Hanalei about 20? times with an average stay of usually a week - and was an advisor to the HOA Board.

We also have good 3rd generation Kauai friends down in Waimea (atayed at their Mauka cabin up in Kokee) - and have been all over the island quite a number of times. Don't know if I mentioned it here - but my wife was scuba certified right there in Hanalei harbor. :)

Oops. Thought I cut and pasted this Cliffs Club page:

Some of the units have incredible views. http://www.cliffsatprinceville.com/about.php

mea culpa, Tomsd!!

No problemo. :)

Tom,

You're Great. Wish we could bring you with us as our guide.

Although we are thinking of hiring a man servant, you know, bring us Mai Tais, peel our grapes, fan us with palm fronds and maybe a nice pedicure !

I might be just ok on the pedicure, but think I could excel in the other functions. :) And also - go spear fishing for some fresh fish!!!

Tom

You're the perfect guy for us..

thanks,
susan

Wanted to provide a link to the lovely house that we have rented:

http://www.vrbo.com/118478#comments

BTW - just happened to think. If you do buy some lovely fresh fish (which costs a lot more than it used to in Paradise) - and don't cook/prepare it all the first day - rinse if off with water and pat it dry with paper towels. Then wrap it in paper towels - and then in saran wrap or a plastic bag, etc and put it in the fridge.

And then if you don't use it the next day - do it again - rinse it off/pat it dry - and you can keep it amazingly fresh for days. I did that with some absolutely wonderful Bluefin tuna I caught here (well - south of San Diego a day and a half on a boat - in Mexican waters) - and it kept it so nice. :)

This comes from a noted seafood/sushi chef who talked about doing this - at a seafood cooking seminar and he said that this rinsing/patting the fish dry with paper towels takes away the moisture on the surface that helps age the fish. :)

BTW Dos: So what is your daughter going to do? Her Internship - and then private practice, or more advanced education, just chill for a while?

I agree with susiedq - I'd love to have tomsd as a guide and we've been there before! My young nephew loves making sushi. That seafood cooking seminar sounds interesting.

TOMsd- Bali Hai at the Hanalei Bay Resort is unfortunately still closed, as is the Happy Talk Lounge. There was a fire there in the restaurant a few months ago and since Happy Talk was planning on using the restaurant kitchen to cook their bar food, that is also now closed. They are in the permitting stage last I read. Too bad, as that was always a chill place to stop for a drink.

Mahalo susiedq and starrs and jamie99. Was at a fishing seminar this morning/afternoon - and now watching the final four.

Re fishing - it's great to use Kayaks here (with the new Hobie Cats - you can peddle and keep your hands free to cast) - to get to the Kelp beds off La Jolla - and catch big White Sea Bass, Yellowtail (more of a Jack Cravelle/Amberjack than a Yellowtin type tuna - very delicate and tasty - called Hamachi in Sushi bars http://www.fishsniffer.com/recipes/sushi2.html ) - and also the occasional California Halibut.

Shame about the Bali Hai restaurant in the Hanaley Bay Resort. I loved to sit in the bar- with the incredible view -and drink Chi Chi's - about the only time of the year I did that. And they also had good dinners with the same incredible view.

If I didn't note Chi-Chis earlier - as this says - it's a lighter version of Pina Coladas - made with Vodka v. Rum. And soooooooooooooooooo good in Paradise. :)

http://www.food.com/recipe/chi-chi-o...d-drink-104374

And what a great place to stay Susieq: A quiet side street - within an easy stroll to the beach. We loved to snorkel at Ke beach (very safe - reef protected - but just don't swim out too far at very high tide - or toward the left (facing the ocean/by the hill(- where there is an outlet to the open ocean.

That reminds me - I was snorkeling over there by the outlet (I wear fins so no worry if I get caught in a Rip tide, whatever) - and saw some big Barracuda - maybe 10 footers - on the bottm (not a threat to humans). When I got back to the beach - I told some local guys who just come out to spearfish - about those big critters - and they were stoked/big anticipatory smiles all around. :) No idea if they nailed any.

It's also fun to watch the sunset from Ke Beach (or maybe from the beach close to your place) and see if you can see the legendary "Green Flash". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTvIenot5ck

Thanks for all of your help Tom. We'll be thinking of you when we visit Kauai next month !

Hope you have a great time and maybe even "go native" a bit. :)

Love to hear a post trip report - or hey - even a semi-daily update?

The OP also asked about the best luau on Kauai.

My DH & I are getting ready for a trip to Kauai (our first, as well) and I'd be interested in some info on that as well to help us decide.

My March 30 reply may have been buried in the avalanche, halfapair. Where are you staying?

I think at the North Shore - the Hanalei Colony Resort (the one about halfway beyond Hanalei - toward the end of the road at Ke Beach - not to be confused namewise as I did - with the Hanalei Bay Resort next to the St. Regis up on the cliff at Princeville) ) has a well regarded luau - and mid-island - trying to remember the name of the resort that has pretty good quality offerings.

A ha: The classic - Kilohana Plantation is the one I am thinking of - and here is their webpage and also a webpage listing other Luau's on Kauai. But they cost a whole lot more than when I went years ago, to the good ones back then: The King Kam Hotel at Kona, the Polynesian Culture Center also had a good one with good entertainment.

http://www.gohawaii.com/kauai/region...ilohana-estate

http://tinyurl.com/76l2a93

The mid-island luau Tomsd is referring to is Smith's Tropical Paradise, and probably the largest and most popular on the island. The one at the Hanalei Colony Resort is at its restaurant, Mediterranean Gourmet. My wife and I went last September and plan to again when we're there this August. It's a very small, intimate, literally family affair: mom, dad, daughters, and a couple cousins and/or inlaws. The evening ended with <b>everyone</b> forming a circle, joining hands, and singing Aloha 'Oe. Yeah, I know it sounds kind of hokey reading that, but it felt more like ohana than most other luaus you'll have the opportunity to attend.

islandaze, was the luau at the Mediterranean Gourmet outdoors? Thanks for the great information on this thread btw.