Songdoc's Kauai Writing Adventure Trip Report
Dec 26th, 2008, 06:34 AM
#1
Original Poster
Songdoc's Kauai Writing Adventure Trip Report
This is not your typical trip report because I went to Kauai to escape from what passes as the real world so I could work on a book with no distractions – unless you consider the soothing sound of the ocean, the lure of pristine beaches, watching for whales, and gasping at the miraculous beauty of breathtaking sunrises and sunsets to be distractions. It was my third trip this year – so it was not about sightseeing, restaurants, or activities.
I booked the trip at the last minute, only a few days in advance. Got a good price on airfare by choosing my own flights on Priceline: $666 RT from Nashville. I love staying at Sealodge in Princeville. The views are magnificent and I like having a full kitchen. Because this was last minute and I was going to be renting for three weeks, owners were willing to practically give the units away, rather than let them sit empty. I paid $85 a night for a two story, two bedroom unit with a view from every window that was so beautiful it almost made me sob with gratitude. (That was half the advertised price.) I rented from www.kauai-vacations-ahh.com. There were also many similar units available through VRBO.
I spent most days with my laptop on the lanai, writing as I looked up toward the Anini reef and lighthouse as albatrosses swooped down and Nenes wandered up, looking for a handout. On quite a few days I transported my office to Ke’e, Hanalei, or Anini beach and sat working in utter awe of the peace and the beauty. When I needed a break, I’d walk into the ocean, or walk the length of the beach.
The notorious North Shore weather was perfect for the first week. Each day was bright and sunny. That was followed by a gloomy week of dark, gray, cloudy skies that alternated with showers. It had its own beauty – but if I were there for a beach vacation, I would have been very disappointed that second week. (I spoke with some Canadians who were miserable and could hardly wait to leave because of the rain.) Several days were complete wash outs; others were mostly dry, but with only fleeting moments of sun. The final week was a mix of gorgeous sunshine, showers, and cloudy periods. It seemed the weather was quite similar on other parts of the island. When it rained in Princeville, it rained in Kapaa, Lihue – and yes, even in Poipu – but I know this is not always the case.
Most of my meals were on the lanai. There couldn’t be a restaurant with views to rival those. In many instances I bought prepared food from the Princeville Foodland and enjoyed roast chickens, salads, and more without much fuss. And yes, the prices are crazy compared to the mainland.
Every Thursday at 4:30 PM, I went to the Sunshine Market in Kilauea to buy freshly picked, homegrown, organic produce sold from the back of trucks. It was fantastic. But I had to make the trek to Hamura’s for saimin. So … I drove 45 minutes from Princeville to Lihue, but before I even parked I knew something was very wrong. There were no cars around – and there is ALWAYS a long line. Sure enough, the stove was broken and they were closed! But I returned another day for BBQ chicken sticks and a heavenly bowl of steamy wonton soup with noodles, pork, and all the other goodies. I arrived at the peak of the lunch rush and waited almost 40 minutes after I was seated. It had never occurred to me that each bowl is made individually with the noodles being cooked to order. FYI, those who arrived later had only about a ten minute wait. On the way back I passed an orchid sale at the Kauai Museum. The plants and arrangements were spectacular. It was more like a show that a sale.
I had my favorite broccoli with beef at Waipouli restaurant in the Waipouli shopping center. It did not disappoint. But as always, my favorite meal of the trip was breakfast at the Kountry Kitchen in Kapaa. Those macadamia nut pancakes are out of this world and MASSIVE. An unexpected delicious meal was a Kahlua pork burrito from the truck in the parking lots at Hanalei Pier.
The highlights of my trip were watching the sun rise and set each day and simply gazing out at the beauty as I walked the path next to the Princeville golf course, and the path above Kealia Beach. I loved my visit to the lighthouse and got several glimpses of whale tails and spouts. From the lighthouse I could see surfers surrounded by more than ten dolphins at Secret Beach. I thought about joining them, but after a nasty fall on the Kalalau trail last year, I’ve given up hiking down slick, slippery slopes. Similarly, I enjoyed Sealodge Beach, but my second attempt to walk down there, it was too slippery for me to feel comfortable. There are more than enough incredibly beautiful spots on Kauai that I don’t have to endanger my life to get to.
Some of us on this board joke about the horrors of Kauai. There were indeed mosquito bites, crowing roosters, and a couple of colossal cockroaches. But I actually did experience a real trauma. I had just gotten out of my rental car at Hanalei Pier when I was attacked by a big, vicious dog. It was totally unprovoked and I had not even noticed the dog. The owner had to beat the dog with a leash to get it off of me, but I was already bleeding. I didn’t need stitches and the owner was profusely apologetic, bringing me antiseptic wipes and antibiotic creams. I learned there are no incidences of rabies anywhere in Hawaii, so at least that wasn’t a concern. But I did limp around for a few days and my thigh still looks like purple hamburger. Not nearly as dramatic as if I had been attacked by a wild boar, but it was more drama than I needed.
But dog attack aside, the trip was utter bliss. Leaving felt like being cast out of paradise. I cried when a spectacular rainbow spread across the sky to say goodbye as I was leaving. I would LOVE to live there but alas, DP’s idea of paradise is cool and looks a lot more like Northern Ireland than the North Shore of Kauai.
But I did read lots of real estate brochures and go to an open house where I fell head over heels in love with a dream condo. It seemed like a steal. 2 bedrooms and a drop dead view for a mere $1.5 million. There are affordable options – but not where I want to live – and certainly not with those views. So until I hit the lottery or write a NY Times best seller I am grateful to enjoy paradise renting a little piece of paradise a few times a year.
I booked the trip at the last minute, only a few days in advance. Got a good price on airfare by choosing my own flights on Priceline: $666 RT from Nashville. I love staying at Sealodge in Princeville. The views are magnificent and I like having a full kitchen. Because this was last minute and I was going to be renting for three weeks, owners were willing to practically give the units away, rather than let them sit empty. I paid $85 a night for a two story, two bedroom unit with a view from every window that was so beautiful it almost made me sob with gratitude. (That was half the advertised price.) I rented from www.kauai-vacations-ahh.com. There were also many similar units available through VRBO.
I spent most days with my laptop on the lanai, writing as I looked up toward the Anini reef and lighthouse as albatrosses swooped down and Nenes wandered up, looking for a handout. On quite a few days I transported my office to Ke’e, Hanalei, or Anini beach and sat working in utter awe of the peace and the beauty. When I needed a break, I’d walk into the ocean, or walk the length of the beach.
The notorious North Shore weather was perfect for the first week. Each day was bright and sunny. That was followed by a gloomy week of dark, gray, cloudy skies that alternated with showers. It had its own beauty – but if I were there for a beach vacation, I would have been very disappointed that second week. (I spoke with some Canadians who were miserable and could hardly wait to leave because of the rain.) Several days were complete wash outs; others were mostly dry, but with only fleeting moments of sun. The final week was a mix of gorgeous sunshine, showers, and cloudy periods. It seemed the weather was quite similar on other parts of the island. When it rained in Princeville, it rained in Kapaa, Lihue – and yes, even in Poipu – but I know this is not always the case.
Most of my meals were on the lanai. There couldn’t be a restaurant with views to rival those. In many instances I bought prepared food from the Princeville Foodland and enjoyed roast chickens, salads, and more without much fuss. And yes, the prices are crazy compared to the mainland.
Every Thursday at 4:30 PM, I went to the Sunshine Market in Kilauea to buy freshly picked, homegrown, organic produce sold from the back of trucks. It was fantastic. But I had to make the trek to Hamura’s for saimin. So … I drove 45 minutes from Princeville to Lihue, but before I even parked I knew something was very wrong. There were no cars around – and there is ALWAYS a long line. Sure enough, the stove was broken and they were closed! But I returned another day for BBQ chicken sticks and a heavenly bowl of steamy wonton soup with noodles, pork, and all the other goodies. I arrived at the peak of the lunch rush and waited almost 40 minutes after I was seated. It had never occurred to me that each bowl is made individually with the noodles being cooked to order. FYI, those who arrived later had only about a ten minute wait. On the way back I passed an orchid sale at the Kauai Museum. The plants and arrangements were spectacular. It was more like a show that a sale.
I had my favorite broccoli with beef at Waipouli restaurant in the Waipouli shopping center. It did not disappoint. But as always, my favorite meal of the trip was breakfast at the Kountry Kitchen in Kapaa. Those macadamia nut pancakes are out of this world and MASSIVE. An unexpected delicious meal was a Kahlua pork burrito from the truck in the parking lots at Hanalei Pier.
The highlights of my trip were watching the sun rise and set each day and simply gazing out at the beauty as I walked the path next to the Princeville golf course, and the path above Kealia Beach. I loved my visit to the lighthouse and got several glimpses of whale tails and spouts. From the lighthouse I could see surfers surrounded by more than ten dolphins at Secret Beach. I thought about joining them, but after a nasty fall on the Kalalau trail last year, I’ve given up hiking down slick, slippery slopes. Similarly, I enjoyed Sealodge Beach, but my second attempt to walk down there, it was too slippery for me to feel comfortable. There are more than enough incredibly beautiful spots on Kauai that I don’t have to endanger my life to get to.
Some of us on this board joke about the horrors of Kauai. There were indeed mosquito bites, crowing roosters, and a couple of colossal cockroaches. But I actually did experience a real trauma. I had just gotten out of my rental car at Hanalei Pier when I was attacked by a big, vicious dog. It was totally unprovoked and I had not even noticed the dog. The owner had to beat the dog with a leash to get it off of me, but I was already bleeding. I didn’t need stitches and the owner was profusely apologetic, bringing me antiseptic wipes and antibiotic creams. I learned there are no incidences of rabies anywhere in Hawaii, so at least that wasn’t a concern. But I did limp around for a few days and my thigh still looks like purple hamburger. Not nearly as dramatic as if I had been attacked by a wild boar, but it was more drama than I needed.
But dog attack aside, the trip was utter bliss. Leaving felt like being cast out of paradise. I cried when a spectacular rainbow spread across the sky to say goodbye as I was leaving. I would LOVE to live there but alas, DP’s idea of paradise is cool and looks a lot more like Northern Ireland than the North Shore of Kauai.
But I did read lots of real estate brochures and go to an open house where I fell head over heels in love with a dream condo. It seemed like a steal. 2 bedrooms and a drop dead view for a mere $1.5 million. There are affordable options – but not where I want to live – and certainly not with those views. So until I hit the lottery or write a NY Times best seller I am grateful to enjoy paradise renting a little piece of paradise a few times a year.
Dec 26th, 2008, 09:45 AM
#2
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 879
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
How pleasant to read of your latest Kauai trip on this cold, snowing day in Oregon. Which unit did you rent? Your reviews of SeaLodge have me re-thinking my April reservatiion at Kaha Lani in the Kapaa area. I've not had very good luck with weather on my North Shore sojourns, but I've never had a place with these sublime views, either. Do you use the pool at Sealodge? That's important to me, just in case the ocean conditions aren't favorable for swimming.
Dec 26th, 2008, 04:26 PM
#3
Original Poster
I was in unit D-1. It was great -- but wouldn't be my top choice of location in Sealodge -- only because it's set back 6 - 8 feet farther from the cliff's edge than some of the other units -- but it was still terrific and being a few feet back was not a big deal.
Re: the pool ... it's small, but it's fine -- and very few people seem to use it. My sister used it during the summer and there were rarely more than one or two others out there.
You can see my pix by cut and pasting this link into your browser:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLan...localeid=en_US
Barbara -- I have a feeling these views might sway you
I wouldn't stay anywhere else.
Re: the pool ... it's small, but it's fine -- and very few people seem to use it. My sister used it during the summer and there were rarely more than one or two others out there.
You can see my pix by cut and pasting this link into your browser:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLan...localeid=en_US
Barbara -- I have a feeling these views might sway you
I wouldn't stay anywhere else.
Dec 28th, 2008, 08:40 AM
#5
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 9,285
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What a great trip report and gorgeous pics! Makes me want to go back. Is the Kodak gallery website free and does it allow specific albums like this? I use Flickr and for free, I can only have three albums.
Jan 1st, 2009, 09:29 AM
#7
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,286
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Songdoc, I am extremely concerned about the dog attack you experienced. You do not have to respond to me but I hope that you reported this attack to the police. If a dog will attack a full grown man, think what it could do to a child.
We will be in Kauai in May so enjoyed reading your report.
We will be in Kauai in May so enjoyed reading your report.
