Here it is, my Kaua'i trip report.
January 16-23, 2005

Thanks to all the fodorites who helped me plan this in ONE WEEK It turned out great. We just went to Kaua'i, didn't have time for any other island - that'll have to wait until next time.

We spent the week on Kaua'i in Li'hui at the Marriot - very nice. We rented a jeep so we were able to explore the whole island - you definitely need a vehicle while you're there. A 4x4 was nice, but not needed most of the time - we wished a few times we'd just rented a convertible. We were glad to have 4x4 in a couple places, but overall is unnecessary.

Day 1 - flew from NJ and got to Kaua'i by 5:30 p.m. We managed to stay up until 9pm and then crashed. Ate a light dinner at the hotel, nothing special.

Day 2 - Stopped in Kapa'a for breakfast at the Olympic Cafe, good food. Drove the North Shore, the waves were HUGE as a storm had passed through a couple days prior. We made several stops along the drive, just enjoyed the beaches and the views.
We hiked a ways past Ke'e beach on the Kalalau trail. There is a great vista of the Napali coast not too far into the hike. We found hiking sticks left by previous hikers at the trailhead, they came in handy, as the hike was slippery and steep in several places.
Had fruit smoothies at the Aloha Smoothie Bar in Hanalei - very good - I recommend.
Ate dinner at Kintaro's in Kapa'a, it had great reviews for sushi, but we were not impressed. I routinely have better sushi in NJ.

Day 3 - relaxed at the hotel, much needed R&R.

Day 4 - Drove the Wimea Canyon Drive, stopped at several lookouts along the way to check out 'the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.' Drive ends at Kalalau Lookout. We walked the remaining mile to get to Pu'o Kila Lookout (supposed to be awesome), but only saw THICK fog. We maybe could see 10 feet down the mountain
We headed back to Li'Hui and took a helicopter tour of the island with Air Kaua'i. We tried to get reservations with Inter-Island (no doors on the chopper and only 4 people go per trip), but they were booked until the end of the week. I recommend getting a reservation before you go and then changing it if the weather isn't good. Helicopter is a great way to see the island.
Ate dinner in Li'Hui at Hamura's Saimin. Local place that serves noodles/Saimin. Very good, nice to experience local cuisine and atmosphere.

Day 5 - Rented snorkel gear. Snorkeled at Lydgate state park on the east side, Ke'e and Anini on the North shore (too rough to see much. Stopped at the Kilauea Lighthouse and enjoyed some beautiful views of the coast, saw some whaled. Last went to Poi'Pu - great snorkeling on the south shore.
Dinner at Roy's in Poi'Pu - AWESOME food. Highly recommend the seafood. Need reservations.

Day 6 - Blue Dolphin boat trip - The trip was planned for the Na'Pali coast, but boats were not going there due to rough seas. Instead, they took us on a whale watching trip and snorkel tour along the south shore. We saw SO many whales!! 2 came really close to the boat. We also saw spinner dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, a monk seal, and did snorkeling off the boat in a secluded cove. Great trip, lots of fun.
Snorkeled some more in Poi'Pu, ate late lunch at Puka dog in Poi'Pu (same shopping area as Roy's). Did some shopping in Koloa, ate dinner at Duke's at the Marriot in Li'Hui. Nice place, good food. I think Roys was better.

Day 7 - Drove to the Wailua Falls and drove part of the powerline train via 4x4. Didn't go too far. Ate at Fish express in Li'hui - good take out.
Drove to Spouting Horn in the evening - really cool. I loved the sound of the water roaring through the hole in the lava.
Ate dinner at sunset at the Beach House - very good, I recommend. Saw a monk seal laying on the beach by the restaurant. We found out it had been camped there all day!

Day 8 - Snorkeling one last time at Poi'pu in the morning, relaxed the rest of the day at the marriot. Our flight wasn't until 8 pm, so we got to soak in the sun as NJ got over a foot of snow. Flew home to reality - farwell paradise.

Thanks for the report Sandy...Did you need reservations at Roy's because of the the time you went? Or do you think if 2 old folks went right at opening you would be ok without reservations?

Hope we get to see a beached monk seal...in 91 more days!

Sounds like a fun week. Hamura's Saimin is a favorite of ours. Thanks!
-Bill
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iceeu2:

Reservations are _strongly_ advised for Roy's -- and playing the "let's get their early and wing it" routine may or may not work.

But the good news is, if you can't get in to Roy's you can just walk across the parking lot and eat at Keoki's Paradise instead. Not quite as upscale, but the food is always good.

JIm and Sandy: We are headed to Kauai and Oahu this August. Could you tell me a little more about the hotel? The rooms, service, pool area? We are thinking about staying at the Marriott while we are there. Did you feel like it was a good base for exploring the north and south sides of the island?

Also, do you remember how much the Blue Dolphin trip was?

Thanks!

Also planning a trip to Kauai in August and staying at the Marriott -- any additional information on the Marriott would be appreciated.

Marriott was great, a beautiful hotel. The beach area at the Marriott in Li'Hue is protected, the cruise ships come into port here. If you like the waves, this beach is NOT it. There were plenty of chairs and lounging areas by both the pool and the beach.

There is a new Marriott in Poi'Pu, didn't see it, but heard it's very nice.

The Blue Dolphin was about $70/person, but I don't remember exactly. If you're going in the summer you'll be able to Na'Pali, which we couldn't due to wave size. I'd love to go back just for that. If I could go in summer, I'd leave for the boat tour from the north shore, less travel distance to the Na'pali.

Have a great time! Wish I was going back soon