Just another Kaua`i T.R.
 

Day 1:
First flight with AA to LIH. Experienced difficulty with check in with counter agent with regard to our bags after checking in online the night before where the program did not ask if we had bags to check((?)) The counter agent was initially reluctant to assist with seat changes in subsequent flights but finally assisted #-O. The first segment from east coast to DFW on MD80 was OK however there was no entertainment, not even music/headphones. The second and third segments from DFW to LAX and LAX to LIH were aboard 757s with TV and music/headphones, and an((A)) gate agent enabled us to catch an earlier flight from DFW to LAX. The return flight from LAX to DFW utilized a more modern 767 which had more adjustable seat positions in first class and a movie was shown only on the longer flights between LAX and LIH.

Picked up an Escape SUV from Hertz with many bumper scrapes & scratches, one small fender dent, and confirmed the pre-existing damage with gate agent before departing into the red dirt. No problem with Hertz upon ((S)) return. The Escape’s tailgate rattled incessantly until it dawned on me to clean off the accumulated red dirt on the gasket under the glass. Appreciated the 4WD and ground clearance in Kokee State Park, however the brakes were’nt the greatest.

Checked in to Sheraton, and negotiated upgrade of four categories for additional $75/night from Garden view room (well under ~200$-))across the street, to fabulous, Ocean Front w/heavenly bed, refrigerator, good A/C, and option of buy 1 get 1 free oceanfront breakfast each day if decline housekeeping service.

<b>Update that can’t wait:</b> Princeville Hotel (now known as St Regis) scheduled to open Saturday, Sep. 26, darn just missed it.:`(

Day 2: More to follow…

Oh goody. No cock-a-roaches in the SUV I hope?

Aloha <blue>iamq</black>,
You're correct, no car critters this time, and the interior had an air of disinfectant, perhaps Hertz is trying harder, can't say for sure:? since we use <red>hotwire<black> and end up with rentals through different agencies.

I've always had spotless roach free cars on Kauai ((knock wood)). Although not so lucky at a condo in Princeville ... oh my those suckers are fast! I can't imagine having one of those fly at my face while driving.

I'm having a ((6)) of a time getting a car rental for Kauai thru Pline and Hwire this trip.

Doing battle right now as we type!

How is the development going in Poipu?

"I can't imagine having one of those fly at my face while driving."

How about having one crawl over your foot while driving?

Looking forward to hearing MORE!

I draw the line when one puts their leg over mind in bed....

Aloha <blue>Kal<black>,
Agree it was most difficult to obtain a reasonable car rental rate at LIH, but finally the price dropped about 2-3 weeks before flight to ~30-something for midsized SUV, and then price increased by ~1/3 about 1-2 weeks before our flight ((o)).

Mucho Mahalos for the day 2 segway, the surf was on the high side in Poipu and we heard on the radio that Ke`e was closed so we headed to Lydgate for snorkeling. Wow what a change in Poipu from our last visit! A nicely landscaped%%-((F))%%-((F))%%- traffic circle steers you clear to Spouting Horn, Poipu Beach, or Koloa and what was a noisy construction zone was eerily silent with some structures half completed whilst other areas seem strangely tarped off. Surf was crashing against the rocks at Lydgate and checked out a new digital underwater ((P)) and recorded ((~))a surfing chihuahua((&)). Later on in afternoon, headed off to Waimea for the Shrimp Station's tasty Coconut shrimp:P lunch.

great trip report John!
looks like we were there about the same time..just got back on Sunday..surf was huge on the 13 and 14th of Sept.
dang, I knew I had to eat somewhere in Waimea..hear the coconut shrimp is excellent..passed by with the people eating on the patio.
wife went crazy for the super cheap baubles at spouting horn..great deals..vendors pay $5k a month for their super small kiosk...saw a monk seal..too!

Love your reports JohnD!! ((R))

Wassup w/ the high rental rates?? I read that Patrick scored $22 p/d for a convertible on priceline! I tried for 1st week of Nov... no way. Maybe you need to book em late. hmmph.

Aloha y'all...
((R)) mak

car rental was running around $300 for an economy car for a week on expedia..we did the package deal which worked out to less than $200 for a Toyota Corolla..
I'm finding car rentals all over are high..
wassup up with that!

Mahalo <blue>makai1<black> and <blue>ksucat<black>,
Thanks for expanding my vocabularly regarding the baubles, we circled on by that T.Trap mistakenly seeking a shortcut west, as <blue>Mrs JohnD<black> previously had scored enough((G)) this past spring in Maui. We did not see any monk seals on this visit, though we experienced an awesome one on one encounter while snorkeling on previous Kaua`i trip.:S-

Day 3
Headed to Poipu Beach Park as surf had eased some since the day before and the first cove was calm enough for swimming. A large turtle came near the cove and foraged among the rocks for a while to the delight of everyone. In the afternoon headed over to the Shrimp Station for the awesome Shrimp Burritos, while <blue>Mrs JohnD</black> tried the <red>Thai<black>-Shrimp, which were unpeeled in a <red>spicy<black>, garlic sauce. Stopped off for freshly made Taro Chips in Hanapepe and also redeemed coupon for the many varieties available at the Kauai Kookie Factory. Upon returning to the Sheraton, watched the ((#))sunset((S)) while enjoying Mai Tais ((D)) and live ((8)) from the hotel’s oceanfront reception.

Day 4
Began with morning snorkeling at Poipu Beach Park. Noticed what appeared to be a pair of flippers moving in the water in front of the lifeguard station, however there was no snorkel, as looked closer appeared to be a pair of fins moving over the reef. A couple of people stood and watched from the beach while I donned my snorkel gear and swam out for a closer look. To my surprise it was a pair of rays swimming gracefully around the reef. I was sure to keep a good distance away from the long tails of the rays while attempting ((P)). Eventually one or two snorkelers noticed the rays before they swam back out of the reef and was surprised at how long((o)) they spent investigating this populated area, with few people seeming to notice them. After the morning snorkel, headed off to Waimea and Kokee State Park. There was repaving going on just before the NASA station on the way to the Kalalau lookout.

Upon reaching the lookout the parking lot was full despite the view being obscured by a blanket of clouds. We circled back and explored the Makaha Ridge Road which ends at the Pacific Missile Range Tracking Station. The smaller gorge visible near the end of the ridge road was clear of clouds, though the view would have been enhanced if the dried-up waterfall across the way had been flowing. We then returned back to the Kalalau lookout and the clouds briefly opened up for a moments offering a stunning view of the mountains and ocean on the far right side of the lookout. We hastily retreated to Waimea to catch the :P Shrimp Tacos at the Shrimp Station before 5PM, and near the end of our descent to Waimea the Escape’s brakes started to fade and shake.

Day 5
Visited Kaua`i Coffee Plantation and found the dark roasts((C)) most agreeable such as the Blue Mountain coffee, and the regular style Vanilla Macadamia Nut-flavored coffee was also delicious. Checked out Wailua Falls and was impressed by the heavy flow of water across the falls. On our previous visits separate streams of water appeared as memorialized in “Fantasy Island”, however this time the normally separate streams were combined into a single massive stream, with ((R)) visible downstream through the mist.

Day 5 continued:
Headed north to P`ville and ran into the tree trimming single lane closures north of Kapaa where everyone patiently waited =;in line until the **==men waved us on in an orderly fashion. The fountains were flowing as we entered the P`ville resort to revisit our honey((S)) retreat the HBR. We checked into the mountain view condo and contacted the front desk regarding the bathroom sink drain stopper not working and to cut new door keys-which didn't work well #o. The minor issues were attended to while we unpacked and no further complaints at ~75$-)/night. The 2nd floor condo had a mini refrigerator, stove, toaster, kitchenette, lanai and air conditioner which could have been improved by a ceiling fan.

Day 6
Awoke to a lanai view of an awesome ((R)) ending in Hanalei Bay. Headed off to Ke`e beach where a new lifeguard stand has appeared since our last visit and restrooms have been restored complete with shower facilities. Parking was tight, though not many folks were on the beach. Snorkeling was decent and saw two different kinds of eels, and the usual moorish idols, wrasses, butterflyfish. Signs were posted indicating not to walk on the reef, however every few hours the lifeguards instructed the clueless [-X not to walk on the reef. Headed back to HBR for <red>Lava<black> flows((D)) at the reopened :-d Happy Talk Lounge. Enjoyed the fish tacos and grilled vegetables. Checked the pool and for once the jacuzzi was unoccupied, however the heater was out of service.

Day 7
Headed off to Tunnels to check out the snorkeling and had to divert through the P`ville mall lot as repaving on the entrance to the P`ville Hotel shutdown traffic access to 56, presumably to prepare for the opening of the St Regis. Picked up a burrito along the way at Red Hot Mama's which was large and filling but not worth the half-hour wait ((o)). Was able to find parking at Tunnels no problem despite only the left side of the access road having designated parking, the right side is now posted with new no parking signs since our last visit. Enjoyed the snorkeling variety at Tunnels and was visited by Rex, a friendly ((&)). Returned to Hanalei for a Haena Sunset at Wishing Well Shave Ice, and then picked up some Ahi at the adjacent Hanalei Dolphin which made for an awesome home-cooked meal back at the condo.

Day 8
Returned to Tunnels again to find a sign on the beach indicating it was closed despite a calm appearance. Headed over to Ke'e, only to be greeted by the "No[-(Snorkeling" sign. The lifeguards indicated that although the waters were not that rough in the morning, the surf was expected to increase in the next hour or two. Headed back to Lydgate Park for safe snorkeling.
On the return to P'ville traffic was jammed onto the old bridge before Kapaa while work proceeded on the new bridge over the Wailua River. We diverted to Opaeka`a Falls hoping the traffic would ease. The falls were undergoing improvements to the overlook area, and were flowing strong just as we remembered from our previous visits. We followed the lead of two police cars that circled back to avoid the traffic backup and continued driving on past the falls and turned right onto Kamalu Road in an attempt to avoid the Kapa`a crawl, which made for a scenic diversion where we came across a roadside fruit stand and picked up some fresh bananas. Later, returned to Scotty's Beachside BBQ for the generous BBQ sampler and Fish and Chips.

Day 9
Headed back again to Tunnels where some divers leaving the water indicated they had seen white-tip reef sharks earlier in the deep. Snorkeling was very good with a turtle encounter. As afternoon visitors increased we continued on over to Ke`e beach with fewer folks. Snorkeling was good until a pair of throw-net fisherman began fishing off the rocks. The lifeguard reassured us that "Nemo" was not their intended catch. That evening returned again to our new favorite Mexican restaurant, Monicos Taqueria, and were blown away :P by the seafood fajitas and passion:x Margaritas((D)).

Day 10
Rough surf made for another visit to Lydgate Park on our last day in paradise. Stopped by Walmart, on our return trip to LIH, where <blue>Mrs JohnD<black> fed the many ((@))((@))((@)) off to the side of the entrance. Later visited Costco and found a good selection of edible souvenirs which we packed to get the most out of AA's $-)baggage fees and [-o<ed for a return to the beautiful, @};-garden isle. :S-

Thanks for the beautiful report. I WANNA BE THERE NOWWWWW!

Thanks for sharing ... especially your multiple visits to the Shrimp Station!

Mahalo nui loa ((8))<blue>doc<black> & <blue>globetrotterxyz<black> for your replies, and may every ((&))(K9) have their day on Kaua`i.

we just got back and this makes me want to go back already!! may buy a second home in tahoe tho so that may curtail the next trip :(