hikerboy

jamaltay & pastyp, thanks for the kind words.

Brian-in-Charlotte, small world. Had we only known each other then! LOL about the BYOB and the Citgo. Did you select the "high test," or did they have a nice, vintage bottle of Thunderbird on ice?

I didn't mention in my TR that Hanapepe Cafe, and many other Kauai restaurants are BYOB, and they usually charge a modest corkage fee of about $5, which is a lot less than the normal markup on wine in restaurants that provide it.

Brian_in_Charlotte

I guess because of Cafe Coco and other nearby restaurants (Mema - great Thai) that don't serve, the selection at the Citgo was better than your average gas station, so it wasn't so bad. Happily, there was no corkage at Cafe Coco.

s1951

Hikerboy:
What about the Kaimana Beach Hotel in Honolulu? I really need your input.

biker

Reference the BYOB.
Do they let you brink liquor or is this wine/beer only?
Is this the policy in all restaurants on Kauai (BYOB even if they have a full bar)
Biker
41 Days

hikerboy

Biker, I'm no authority on Hawaiian booze regs and customs. My hunch is that those places without a bar allow BYOB, and those with a license or a bar don't. I never saw anyone bring liquor or beer into a restaurant, but that is not to say it doesn't happen. You could check with the management when reserving and find out. We never brought our own, but occasionally ordered wine with our meal if they had it.

If some of the Kauai regulars are lurking here, they could tell you more definitively. There are for example Bill(Iamq), Kal, jamaltay, and
auntiemaria, who lives on Kauai and who posts her e-mail address, so you could ask her directly ([email protected])

Firstsoprano: about the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel, we didn't stay there so I have no opinion to offer you on that. Read my trip report and you will see that we stayed at a B&B in Kailua, which we prefer and which we liked very much.

I don't know what your desires and needs are, but if I were you I would check this hotel and others on tripadvisor http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...hu_Hawaii.html

You will see that the reviews are generally favorable, but mixed.

There are advantages and disadvantages to staying in Waikiki, and also advantages and disadvantages to staying at that end of Waikiki.

I would also check in the travel guides such as Fodor's and Frommer's. If you have done that and are still looking for input to help you make a decision, you might get some help by starting a separate thread here.

Hope that helps, and good luck!

makai1

Aloha hikerboy... excellent, excellent reporting... and I haven't scoped out the photos YET! I've been on travel board hiatus for awhile, so imagine my delight when I checked in for "new" O'ahu and Kauai reports to find your gem!

Aaahh, you have hit just about every highlight on my two fav islands... ditto to most of your thoughts... the mac nut farm was by far suberb... Romy's... I can taste it now.

Mahalo for the descriptive writing. You must enjoy more of the north shore on both islands on future trips though... as I must enjoy more of Kailua on my next.

Sunsets at the Living Room in the Princeville Resort are wonderful, esp. on Sunday night when there is an authentic hula/chant performance. Try again!

Mahalo for sharing the memories... roosters, rain and all! ><

iamq

hikerboy,

What a fun trip and a fabulous report.

Reading your about your experiences on Oahu makes me want to visit there next time.

I love that your first stop on Kaua'i was Hamura's! Next time try to won-tons!

aloha,

-Bill

iamq

That should read "the won tons."

antoinette

Awesome trip report-loved all the details! Yes, you did see us at the Aloha Tower that day after the dim sum. Doing a little gift shopping for those left behind. We had to hook up with Jeff and their daughter after ballet practice so we couldn't meet up later. It was great meeting everyone though!

hikerboy

makai & iamq, thanks for the comments, and thanks also your active participation on this board.

After all is said and done it's due to people like you, who are so generous of spirit and of opinion, that obsessive trip planners like me can get to know the ins and outs of a place, even before we get there, and I've truly enjoyed the humor, the playfulness, and the helping spirit of the Hawaii gang.

That Kauai bunch is great, and so is the Oahu crowd of PPC, MelissaHI, dusty56438, lcuy, chepar and all the others. The GTG with PPC and Toni was wonderful, we enjoyed the company of the "friends of Fodorites," and we hope to do that again sometime.

I'm already thinking wistfully and longingly of the things we must do on the next visit to Hawaii.
Although many unexplored places still beckon, such as Sicily, Costa Rica, Istanbul, Prague and Buenos Aires, you never know when some old favorites such as France, Italy, Portugal (and now Hawaii!) might jump to first place on the list.

MelissaHI

I hear ya, hikerboy. I want to see so many places, but certain ones fill my vacation days every time. Still, there are worse fates in life than being addicted to Hawaii! Ahui hou!

makai1

Mucho mahalos bruddah!!


Excellent photos too! Was able to check them out this weekend... felt like I was there! One of my favs was the shot straight down from Diamond Head... excellent view!
Aloha!!

hikerboy

MelissaHI, you are lucky to live there, and you have the whole world out there, waiting to be explored. And when you come home from your peregrinations, where are you? Hawaii!

Do you think you love Hawaii as much as the obsessed mainlanders who frequent this board? (and I'm starting to realize I'm one of them).

makai1, you've got the aloha spirit working for you! (and that's a good thing!)

MelissaHI

Hmmm! Not sure if I love it as much, but I do love it enough to not want to move away. We have a saying here, and maybe you heard newscasters say it every so often: "Lucky you live Hawaii."

The Hawaii office of the ad agency Ogilvy & Mather had a special postage meter stamp that read, "Ho hum. Just another beautiful day in paradise."

yvomasser

hikerboy, since you have been in kailua, do you know anything about the enchanted lake area?

rabever87

Hikerboy,
WOuld you recommend having Kailua as your center? Sounds like it worked for you. I just looked at Paradise Palms last night - would you recommend it? How far is it to the beach from there?
Thanks.

Laoghaire

Hi hikerboy'

I am glad rabever has revived this thread! Hope you are still around to answer the question re Paradise Palms. Husband and I leave Monday, the 5th for Oahu, and we are booked into this BandB. Have read good reports, but there is nothing like a first hand report.

Hopefully, you are still on Fodor's!!

Helen