Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Trip Report Kauai trip report

Hubby and I returned from Kauai a couple of weeks ago and had a great time. We followed many of the tips from the Ultimate Kauai book (aka the Blue Bible) and it was right on. The weather was perfect - morning sprinkles each day, but by the time we got out of the hotel room, it was sunny, warm, and not too humid. We spent our mornings sightseeing and afternoons at the beach. Here are some details of our trip and recommendations ...

Accommodations:
We stayed at the Sheraton in Poipu in an oceanfront room on the 4th floor, which happens to be the top floor. The view was wonderful! The room itself was nice and clean since I understand this wing was recently renovated (although some of the outside areas of the hotel did seem worn). Even with the great room view and special pricing (we booked a few months ago during an advertised deal), we still thought it was not the best value. Like many people have said on these boards, the Hyatt has much nicer hotel grounds, but the Sheraton's location can't be beat. So at the Sheraton, you're really paying for its location. We enjoy being able to walk right out to the sand to calm waters and a swimmable beach, so overall, if we went back to Kauai, we'd still go back to the Sheraton despite their room prices.

Sights & activities:
Helicopter tour with Air Kauai - we were very satisfied with this company. Their staff was friendly and helpful, and the tour was the highlight of our vacation. The NaPali coast was incredible to see, especially since I had the best seat in the helicopter - in the front! We took an early morning tour and it had been sprinkling overnight and into the morning, so I lost count of how many rainbows and waterfalls we saw.

Drive up to Waimea Canyon - a great sight to see, but I have to say that the view from the helicopter was much more impressive. Maybe because we were flying much closer; right up to the side of the cliffs. Still, this is a must-see. We took a short hike on the Iliau Nature Loop between the 8 and 9 mile markers, but the views were just about the same as at the Waimea Canyon Outlook. We also drove all the way to the Pu'u o Kila Lookout, rather than the Kalalau Lookout, as the Blue Bible indicated, and we were not disappointed with what we saw. It was so tranquil and beautiful looking down at the valley.

Princeville area - en route to the northern part of the island, we briefly stopped at 'Opaeka'a Falls and Wailua Falls. Both were cute waterfalls and easily accessible, so if you don't do a helicopter tour or strenuous hikes to get to much larger waterfalls, these are nice to see if you have time and want to see some falls. In Princeville, we stopped at the Princeville Hotel just to check it out. It's quite extravagant and I felt more like we were in Las Vegas (minus the casino noise) rather than in Kauai. The weather was cloudy which made things seem gloomy and depressing, and I couldn't wait to get back to Poipu. We talked to some people there that said it had been raining all day up until then. We were planning on driving all the way to the end of the highway to Ke'e beach, but decided not to anymore. Some others we ran into said the same thing - that it had been pouring rain and it was really muddy at Ke'e. Also to quote them, "Ke'e is no Poipu." I got the impression that Ke'e is more for those that like a raw/rugged beach, while Poipu has the resort feel to it. I understand for snorkeling, Ke'e is wonderful, but if you want to sit back, relax, and bask in the sun, Poipu is for you. The scenery in northern part of the island is incredibly green for a reason (=lots of rain), but for us, we prefer to stay in Poipu where it's sunnier and drier, and then just visit Princeville for the day. On the drive back to Poipu, we stopped at the Hanalei Outlook to see the taro fields which were very pretty. It was still cloudy and overcast, but we still had more to see at that viewpoint than others who stopped earlier in the day when the valley was almost completely filled with clouds and fog.

Poipu beach - excellent beach for swimming: calm waters and sandy bottoms in most areas. There were also plenty of beach chairs available. For snorkeling, the water could've been a bit more clear, but it was still ok.

Food:
Roy's restaurant - this one of our favorite restaurants. We have one nearby in our hometown, so we eat there all the time. We've also been to the ones in Maui and on the BI, and Roy's never disappoints us. We had excellent service and the food was delicious. Hubby had one of their specials for the night - a fish dish (sorry, can't remember what fish exactly) which he loved, and I had their prix fixe menu with their signature short ribs. For dessert, I had a delicious mac nut tart.

Beach House restaurant - very good place, but the service was a tad bit too slow (I think even for the laid-back island lifestyle, they were REALLY moving at a slow pace!). It wasn't bad service (the staff was very nice), just slow. We had pretty late reservations for dinner, so it didn't help that I was almost falling asleep by the time we got to the dessert course. Notable dishes we had were the watermelon salad, the ahi, and the duck. I had the bananas foster for dessert which was good, but I wouldn't call it a real bananas foster since they didn't pour any alcohol on it or torch it. Instead they poured caramel sauce over it. I'm a sucker for caramel, so I thought it was good anyway. Overall, we'd eat there again, but would just show up earlier and allow more time for the slow service ;P

Shrimp Station - a little shack in Waimea where we stopped for lunch one day. Great place!! We love shrimp and were really hungry after the Waimea Canyon drive, so we actually went back in line for a second round of orders. The beer battered shrimps were very tasty.

Polynesian Cafe - quick stop for lunch in the Princeville/Hanalei area. This place was located in the Ching Young Village with all kinds of little shops. Parking was difficult (very crowded w/ few spots) and the only restrooms they had were pretty shabby. The food at the Cafe, though, was good. We had pulled pork sandwiches. The portions were just right for lunch.

Kauai Bakery - we grabbed some malasadas, but we must've stopped by too late in the morning because they weren't tasting that fresh anymore. We were a bit disappointed by it, since we loved the malasadas at Tex Drive-in on the BI.

Mama Lucy's - we had lunch at this Filipino restaurant in Lihue. The food and prices were reasonable, although they were a little heavy on the amount of nutmeg they put in EVERY dish.

Surf to Sunset Luau at the Sheraton - the food was your standard luau menu, but the open bar was nice. There was kalua pork served, but they didn't perform the ceremony where they take the pig out of the imu. The show itself was ok - the stage was small, so the dancers seemed cramped trying to do their performances.

Tidepools at the Hyatt - awesome food, service, and ambiance! Hubby had an ahi appetizer, mahi mahi, and a "trilogy" of brulees (pineapple, Kona coffee, and passion fruit), while I had sugar cane shrimp appetizer, pineapple-mac nut crusted chicken, and a trilogy of sorbets (lychee, mango, and pineapple).

Can't wait for the next time we go to Hawaii!