I am so looking forward to 7 days in Kauai in early April 06 with wifey and two dtrs aged 8 and 4. My mom's family is from Maui (some scattered on Oahu), but I'm a Californian. Excited to stay at the Marriott in Lihue, the birthtown of my grandmother back in 1915.

Helpful hints are what I'm looking for. Here goes an attempt of a very flexible itenerary:

Monday noon- arrive in Lihue; then either to Wailua falls or local eats for Saimin. Check into the Marriott; get acqainted, hang out by Kalapaki beach or the pool

Tues- kick back. Kalapaki or Lydgate for a day in the (hopefully) sun. Is Fern Grotta a tourist trap? Getting a very mixed review during my research.

Wed- North shore; Ke'e beach and Hanalei Bay...Wishing Well and Bali Hai are on the agenda. Would also like to take the kids on a short exploration of dry caves. Is the first viewpt of Ke'e on the Kalalau trail too much for a 4 yr old?

Thurs- Kayak Huleia or play around on Kalapaki Bay. Any turtles out there that can be seen by kayak? Afternoon at Poipu; lunch or early dinner at Keoki's Paradise. Sunset cocktail at the Point at the Sheraton.

Fri- Waimea Cyn and whatever else comes our way. Jo-Jo's for shave ice on the drive down. Would like to end up at Salt Pond Beach for more sun-fun and hopefully catch a sunset there.

Sat- Kauai Kids museum (heard it's closed on Sunday); and just wing it the rest of the day.

Sun- Brunch at the Marriott's Kukui's; more Kalapaki playing; but don't know what to do the remainder of the day until our 9 PM flight back to California. Suggestions?

Thanks for taking time to help out. Sorry for posting this twice on US and not Hawaii search topics.

Quick critique...since you asked! 8-)

Head for Hamura Saimin -- you'll be hungry, and it's the perfect place for lunch. Don't be dismayed if there's a line...we've
rarely had to wait more than 10-15 minutes.

Fern Grotto is one of those "go if you must" things. Kind of a classic Kaua`i thing to do at least once...

4 year old might enjoy a short bit of the Kalalau Trail, if it's dry.

Thursday, take the family to Huleia Stream -- interesting views, the kids will feel like Indiana Jones.

Somewhere in all this, be sure to take the kids to Kamalani Playground at Lydgate Park. There are _two_ play facilities -- one near the big beach pavilion, the other down a spur road (on your right, before you get to Lydgate Beach). My grandkids (5-, 4- and 2-years) love them. No your typical kids playground, for sure.

thanks auntie,

i've really heard great things about the playground...can't wait to let the kiddos go crazy there.

after spending so many visits with family on Maui, it will be great to visit a new island for the very first time. hope to find some crack-seed, li hing mui and all the other snacks my mom used to give us when we were kids. do they still make those Hawaiian "red" hot dogs? I don't recall there name, all I remember is that they were red...

thanks again.

You'll find crackseed at all the grocery stores, plus Long's Drugs. Mostly imported though.

And yes, Redondo's "red" hot dogs are still widely available, too!

eRnO, I'm not a *Kauai expert* like our auntiemaria, but I think the Fern Grotto is a neat thing to do once. If you think you're going to enjoy it, you will ... sort-of thing! The kids will probably enjoy it. We loved Lydgate Beach because we're not strong swimmers; it's a wonderful place for kids plus you have the playground which is very, very neat!

Your itinerary sounds pretty relaxed and do-able, which is so important for the kiddies. Have a wonderful trip, and gaze at a rainbow for me, please!

thanks bonnie b....i am new to this Fodor's thing. it's so nice to hear REAL opinions about places to visit. some of the reviews on other sites like tripadvisor are so harsh; they make parts of Kauai seem like you're visiting the green zone in Baghdad. thanks for all of the down-to-earth responses.

Fern Grotto - Not exactly a "tourist trap" but it is a bit touristy especially if you take the boat ride. Although your kids may get a kick out of that part as they have entertainment with a lot of audience participation involved. I can see where the kids may enjoy seeing you make a fool out of yourself. The grotto isn't what it used to be since iniki came through.

Kalalau trail - You'll proably have to carry the 4 year old part of the way but it is definately doable to the first view and even a little farther.

Flight home - Get to the airport fairly early. Our last late PM flight back to SF there was another flight to LAX scheduled within 10 minutes. The place was a mad house with both flights checking in trying to use one security bag screening area. It took nearly two hours to get to the gate.

The fern grotto tour is hokey..yep, but it seems like a homey local-run kind of operation and i'd vote is worth it for one time. Put on the bug spray, i got some
monster bites around here. However.. i would strongly reccommend doing a little reading about the valley that this grotto is in. I never go to this island without paying a bit of homage to the accesible trail of heiaus running up this ancient royal valley.

..put da baby on a leash for the na pali hike..
8-)