I Will NEVER Vacation on Kauai Again!!!
 

… because (OMG) now I LIVE there!!!! Yes, Songdoc has made the move to paradise, and it’s quite a story.

Our house in Nashville was built in 1949 and is needing extremely expensive repairs. It’s in a very exclusive area where every house that goes on the market is bulldozed and replaced by a mega-mansion. We were probably facing $100,000 in repairs that would not be recouped when we’d sell. So that was the push we needed to say “Aloha!”

I had my heart set on Kauai’s North Shore--and a beautiful view was mandatory. A “beautiful” view could be mountains, but to be honest, I yearned to see and hear the ocean.

For eight months we checked every listing and nothing came on the market anywhere near our price range that had the view--and was big enough. (i.e., Sealodge has the views, but at 766 sf for a 2-bedroom, we would have felt like we were living in a hotel room; Pale ke Kua had gorgeous views, but we hated the second bedrooms because they’re tiny lofts with no windows or ventilation.)

As more time went by we realized that we had three options: a single home in Wainiha (with beautiful mountain views, but awfully remote, and subject to the one-lane bridges washing out several times a year); Villas of Kamalii or Villas on the Prince, which are beautiful, newer, gated, spacious townhouses. Some of the Villas have great mountain views, but to see those views you have to look over rooftops, which sort of tainted the views for me.

The only chance of an oceanfront view seemed to be a condo at Ali’i Kai I. It’s an older, tired complex, but some of the units have great views and they felt big enough for the two of us. Hmmm…maybe we could renovate a unit if the view was right. But…in 8 months, not one unit came up for sale. Our realtor explained that most of them are investment properties used as vacation rentals--and the rentals were doing so well, nobody was selling.

We were about to give up hope of ever getting the oceanfront setting we really wanted, and were about to make an offer on one of the Villas when our realtor made a last-ditch effort. He sent a letter to the owner of every oceanfront unit at Ali’i Kai. He received one response -- from the owner of a unit with one of the best views, but the price was high, and if we bought it we were going to have to gut the interior to make it acceptable. We’re not pretentious, but it was pretty bad. But then… he received one more call from an owner and it was everything we could have hoped for--and more.

So last week we moved into probably the best location in Ali’i Kai. The ocean views are SPECTACULAR. It’s a corner unit with double the views, a wrap-around lanai (that faces two directions), and cross-ventilation. The previous owners had done a complete renovation: bamboo hardwood floors; granite countertops; new bathroom and kitchen cabinets; beautifully tiled master bathroom, and … they sold it completely furnished and decorated. Their taste is much better than ours and we never would have spent so much on furniture!

So, if I’m gushing it’s because I am sitting on my lanai with stunning ocean views and albatrosses swooping by, and it is better than anything we had even hoped for! Sometimes, dreams really do come true!

Next: what we’ve been doing since we arrived…

CONGRATULATIONS! Now.....I can ask you more questions for my next trip.

How wonderful! Congrats to you!

We do dream of moving to Kauai, but I don't think it is in our future.

I can relate, somehwat, having lived on Oahu for three years sometime ago. If we had not moved to the beach in Florida I would have been back in Hawaii but there were many considerations. Enjoy your new home.

how wonderful for you... congratulations

That's fabulous - to end up in your favorite place on earth! Congratulations.

How wonderful! Congratulations.

I have always loved to read your trip reports! I am SO HAPPY for you! That really does just make me smile.

Good for you. I bet you could qualify as an Expert on TripAdvisor now.

Thank you all so much for the good wishes.

Jealous. But happy for you. Your trip reports have taken us to many a good meal in our favorite place.

Congratulations, Songdoc! I have a friend moving right next door to the Ali`i Kai this month. Maybe he's there already... He raises roosters, so you might have heard of him?

Only joking..... I know the roosters are disappearing from many parts of Kauai nowadays!

>:-)

That's wonderful! Your story brought a smile to my face. Enjoy your home in paradise.

Congratulations and best wishes for your new home.

Wonderful news. Sometimes it pays to wait for the right spot to settle down. I hope you're sitting on the lanai and enjoying the view as I write.

Wonderful - had 3 happy family trips there- the roosters put me off though!!!!!!

Fabulous real estate story with a moral that persistence pays off!

wow, how wonderful that it came together so perfectly. It was meant to be, congratulations!

Wow Congratulations Songdoc! It sounds perfect!
Now you'll never have to write a "trip report" again! :) Would love to see pictures of your view!

Terrific!

Love this! Right place, right time, right people! Enjoy every moment!

How exciting for you! Best wishes in your new home

Thank you all SO much for the nice comments. I've been trying to set up a link to share some pix. I hope to post them soon.

I just got back from eating lunch at Tiki Iniki in the Princeville Shopping Center. It's owned by Michelle and Todd Rundgren (superstar songwriter, recording artist, record producer). It was FANTASTIC.

Before that, we walked the length of Hanalei Bay and ended with a dip in the surf. Bliss!

Re: the infamous roosters ... there are a few, but they haven't been waking us. Apparently, these particular roosters like to sleep in. ;-)

We've been walking every evening to watch the sunset at Hanalei Bay, the Hanalei Wildlife Preserve, the St. Regis, or just exploring the neighborhood. I have fallen in love with a walk I never knew about. We drove to the end of Hanalei Plantation Road and parked. The parking area itself is gorgeous with spectacular views of Hanalei Bay and the river. It leads down to the beach next to the St. Regis hotel if you walk to the right. If you walk to the left the trail ends at the river at Hanalei Bay. It's a popular place for a locals to watch the sunset.

We also did one of my favorite walks--the path north from Kealia Beach.The only other things to report on this trip so far are several exciting trips to Home Depot, Walmart, Costco, K-Mart and Pier 1, as well as lots of touching up scuffed paint and organizing closets and drawers. But we've had awesome meals at Hamura's Saimin and Kountry Kitchen.

The next installment will be a GREAT bird story! Stay tuned ...

PS. The walk I described goes across the property that was formerly Club Med. Scenes from the movie "South Pacific" were filmed there. There are plans to develop VERY expensive homes there, but for now it is open to the public.

How exciting. Enjoy paradise!

I love your thread title!

Well done! I'm jealous.

Wonderful to hear Songdoc. I have enjoyed your many trip reports. My husband's family are slowly moving to Hawaii and most are on Kauai. We are forced to visit regularly. ;-)

Hopefully, this link to my photos will work!

https://songdocsnewhome.shutterfly.com

(actually, I think you'll have to copy it into your browser)

Wow! Congratulations. It would be glorious waking up to those views every day. Beautiful. Enjoy!

How wonderful Songdoc. Happy for you.

Loved the photos, thanks for sharing.

Well now that you're living the dream, you don't want to be the mainlander haole. Maybe some community work is in order to make your presence known. Just one way…..

https://kauai.surfrider.org

Thanks for the nice comments about the photos -- and for the great volunteering suggestion.

I've been volunteering at the Kauai Humane Society for the past several years, but it's a long drive. I wish I had more time. I'm not retired and have been working exceptionally long days this week. But at least I get to do a lot of my work on the lanai, looking out at that beautiful view, and I make time for at least one walk a day.

I have a feeling I'm not going to get much sympathy ;-).

I needed to take some photos of flowers for a project and decided to go to the Smith Family Tropical Gardens. Of course, since I was passing right by I had to stop at Kountry Kitchen for a banana/mac pancake--my addiction. I don’t know how anything can taste so good. I love their coffee, too. The pancake was so immense it barely fit on the plate and I couldn’t quite finish it!

In addition to the gardens, Smith’s has a luau and Fern Grotto cruise. I’ve been to the luau twice when I had visitors. They do a terrific job, but it’s not my thing. I was bored, and I think my visitors were, too.

I did the Fern Grotto boat cruise a few years ago and that was nice. It’s a gentle, relaxing ride down the Wailua River with tourist-oriented entertainment, including hokey hula lessons. IMO, not a “must-do,” but pleasant. I put the gardens in the same category. I had a really nice stroll and enjoyed the peacocks and the scenery. But it’s not “wow.” I arrived at 9 AM (they open at 8:30) and I was the only person there. As I was leaving (after 10) a few other people arrived. My favorite Kauai gardens are Allerton and N'aini Kai.

I stopped at Lydgate Beach on the way back. With the man-made rock pools it’s a perfect place for families with little kids -- and that’s primarily who was there. It’s not a favorite spot of mine and it was crowded compared to most other Kauai beaches.

After a few hours of work I blissed out on my lanai with a book. After dinner I returned to what now feels like my special “magic” spot--that Hanalei Bay overlook at the end of Hanalei Plantation Rd. I brought a chair and enjoyed the beautiful Bali Hai sunset.

A couple was in a canoe being rowed by two young men on the bay. The canoe was beautifully festooned with greenery and flowers. I’d never seen that before. It was sort of the Hawaiian version of a Venice gondola.

That ends today’s installment. Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. My mother’s dream was to see Hawaii. She died very young (when I was 17) and her dream never came true. I found myself thinking about her today and wondering if she planted the seed for my love of Hawaii. Hmmm….

Congratulations on that awesome move. I have enjoyed reading your trip reports and gained valuable information for our trip to Kauai.

Aloha!

Just got back from Kauai which is a must for us every 18-20 months just to refresh our souls. So glad you were able to buy BUT where will you go for vacation now.....NASHVILLE?
We ate at Tiki Iniki on this trip as we stayed at the Cliffs. Loved our condo there......love that the bill at Tiki Iniki came in a spam can. We had fabulous fish tacos at Sleeping Giant in Kapa'a(?) after we did a hike on Sleeping Giant.

Looked for you but then I wouldn't know if it was you if you were standing right in front of me! Just looked for a handsome dude with another handsome dude who both had tans and there were a lot of them!

Shar, I'll look forward to hearing more about your trip. FYI, on several evenings I walked over to the Cliffs to watch the sunset. As I'm sure you noticed it's a great place to watch the sun make its last hurrah. I was the one who was the George Clooney look-alike with the hunk who looked just like Brad Pitt. (Well, maybe in my mind!) But you were right about the tans!

FYI, we had considered buying a condo at The Cliffs, but the monthly maintenance fee was $1400. It's because it is almost exclusively used as vacation rentals, so you are paying for the amenities (tennis, nice pool, clubhouse, activities, etc...) that I'd never use. I also learned that part of the complex is timeshares.

We're now back in Nashville (he said, sobbing) setting up an estate sale and auction to get rid of the belongings of a 3-bedroom house (with a packed basement). We have until July 27th to vacate our Nashville home, which sold in 40 minutes.

The place we bought is beautifully furnished and so well-stocked that we don't need to bring anything but items we can't bear to leave behind because of sentimental value. Sadly, between work commitments and house stuff, I'll probably stay in Nashville for the next six weeks. :-( But at least I know what's waiting for me.

The grief I felt at leaving our new home was powerful evidence that we've made the right move. One of the unexpected bonuses is that while lying in bed I can see the stars. That, and the song of the waves, are bliss to me.

On one of my last days in paradise I hiked down the path that begins at the Westin hotel. It's on the steep side, but the trail was dry and I wore sneakers, so I was fine. Once you hit the bottom of the trail you can walk along the beach to Anini Beach. You have to cross a tiny stream that's just slightly too big to jump over. Knowing that, I brought a bag with a towel and flip-flops. There are a couple of places where you have to walk up to the road then return to the beach, unless you want to climb over rocks or wade into the ocean. I didn't want to do either of those things because I had my camera with me. The walk was absolutely stunning and I took some gorgeous photos.

One other thing ... our condo is directly above Turtle Cave. I'd never heard of it, but lots of people hike down there, and I heard there are even guided "adventure tours." The hike is VERY steep and strenuous (at least for my tired old bones). It's almost like rappelling in spots. There are ropes that you need to use to pull yourself up. I did see lots of turtles, but I didn't wade into the cave where most of them are. Someone told me they saw more than 100. They mentioned that they rest there and that they shouldn't be disturbed. I'm going to scope that out before I go back down.

Next installment will be about the baby albatross...

Shar (and anyone else who visits)... let's try and meet up!

PS. Is it just me? I haven't been able to make the "preview" function work.

How'd I miss this?

<b>CONGRATS!</b>

now maybe you'll have time to get to the Westside? ;)

we will return to Kauai in another 12-18 months and would love to meet up with you SongDoc. I may end up knocking on everyone's door at your condo to find you. I will ask everyone if they have seen George Clooney and Brad Pitt look alikes!