We spent three lovely weeks in Hawaii in January. The first 8 days were on Kauai where we stayed in a condo #118 at Pali Ke Kua in Princeville. We have returned to Pali Ke Kua for the last three years because the scenery is amazing. Pali Ke Kua translates to “Cliffs of Gods” and it’s an appropriate name. You have a spectacular view of Bali Hai that is the Makana mountain with its jagged peaks towers above the ocean. This amazing sight is the backdrop of many views from the north shore and, is where the movie “South Pacific” was filmed. Our condo was nicely furnished with updated stainless steel appliances and the kitchen was well equipped. We had everything we needed including beach chairs, beach towels and ice chests for the beach. We have stayed on the south shore, in the popular Poipu area when we first visited Kauai but we love the remoteness and beauty of the North Shore. We have favored this side of the island ever since we first saw it.

There is a nice two-mile pathway near the condos where you can walk or jog along the Princeville golf course and beautiful homes in the area. There is often albatross and wild chickens in the area as well as other native Hawaiian birds.

The weather was terrific during our stay and we were lucky with no rain this time. We have enjoyed day hikes on the Kalalua trail on the Napali Coast on previous visits. The trail starts from the parking lot at Kee Beach. It is a strenuous trail to tackle because there are lots of exposed tree roots and muddy areas but the beautiful scenery and tropical lush surroundings makes it one of things we like to do. However, Kauai had a lot of rain in the previous month so the Kalalua trail was too muddy for us this time. The trail starts with a sharp uphill climb over rocks so when we see that it’s muddy and slippery at the ascent we know the rest of the trail will be tough. We wanted to do some hikes on Maui so we forego the trail this year. I recommend bringing old shoes that you won’t mind tossing after you do this hike. Kee beach has a stunning view of the Napali Coast on a clear day.

On one our trips to Hanalei beach, they had a surfing competition one day so it was fun to watch all the surfers ride the waves. The beach has a spectacular view of the infamous Bali Hai and also the location where one of the episodes of “Lost” was filmed. Another beach I liked was Anini beach because of the large reef that surrounds it so it has calm and shallow waters.

I highly recommend going to the Hanalei farmers’ market. It is held on Tuesday afternoon (2-4) and Saturday morning. There is always a large crowd waiting for it to be open and you cannot beat the fresh produce and beautiful tropical flowers here. We loaded up on papayas, pineapple, apple bananas, jumbo avocados, rambutans (exotic red spikey fruit that you peel- like lychee), goat cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, homemade salad dressing, salsa/chips, and fruit bread.

The Limahuli Garden is one of the best tropical gardens in Hawaii to visit. It is located at the base of Bali Hai and as you walk along the garden’s path you have the best panoramic view of the jagged mountain peaks. It’s best to go in the mornings on a clear day so the sun will light up the lush Limahuli valley for your photographs.

We explored the luxurious St. Regis Princeville Resort that was only a ten-minute walk from our condo. We dined at Jean Georges’ new restaurant “Kauai Grill” and found the gourmet meal more appealing than his restaurant in New York City. The other fine dining restaurant located next door is “Makana Terrance“ and it shares the amazing view of Bali Hai and has outside seating. The lounge is also another spot to enjoy a drink and take in the view. There is a path to the public beach in front of the St. Regis Resort that has a stunning view of palm trees and Bali Hai in the backgroun. The resort has a poolside café “Nalu Kai Grill and Bar” which is next to the beach if you get hungry.

There are other good restaurants in Princeville and Hanalei that you can choose from. We think the best restaurant is Nanea at the Westin Resort (same street as the St. Regis). The food is fabulous, good proportions and we think reasonably priced. I had the “two way duck” and another time “mochong fish” entrees that are highly recommended. They have a nice outside seating area that is surrounded by tiki touches and has a nice view of their beautiful landscaped grounds and pool.

Another place we went for lunch was Mediterranean Gourmet at the Colony Resort. The interior wasn’t much but the food was great and you had a nice view of the water. A short path leads you to a gorgeous sandy (tunnels?) beach from the restaurant.

Other restaurants we like were Calypso, Hanalei Gourmet Café, Bar Acuda (tapas), Post Cards (limited menu) and Laperts Ice Cream in the Princeville Center (I know it’s not a restaurant) but it’s the best place for dessert.

Food Land Grocery store in the Princeville Center has a reasonable deli when we wanted to eat in. I recommend applying for a Makai card at the customer service counter as soon as you walk in the store. All you need to do is fill out a card with your name and address so you can take advantage of the sales prices.

While we were driving along the palm tree lined road we encountered a unique scene. Imagine seeing a smiling teenage Hawaiian boy riding his bike playing his ukulele! It was one of those times when you wished you had your camera ready! Wouldn’t this picture make a great postcard?

Hanalei Yoga Studio is one of the best yoga studios I have practice at. The studio is equipped with ropes on the wall to help with better alignment in your poses. The instructors are excellent here. Not all teachers use the ropes and there are quite a few classes to choose from.

We dropped off our Enterprise rental car at Kauai’s airport. Their location is not far from the rest of the rental car places but we had to drive to the airport to ask them where the drop off was when we couldn’t find it. We flew to Maui and rented another car from Enterprise. This was the first time we rented from Enterprise and they had the friendliest helpful staff I’ve ever experience. I made the reservations about two weeks before we left and couldn’t believe the rates at other car rental places so settled with Enterprise for having the lowest rates. Next year, I will have to make them farther in advance.

We stayed in Hana at the Hana-Kai Maui Resort for a three nights so we drove directly from the airport. We stopped in Paia and had a late lunch at Mama’s Fish House since it was on our way. It doesn’t look much from the outside but it’s nicer when you get inside. We were seated near the open windows and enjoyed the great view of the breaking waves on the beach. The food was good but service was slow. For such an expensive place, service should have been top notch.

The drive to Hana from the airport is about 3 hours. We had stayed in Hana many years ago and vowed to stay over again. We have made the daily drive to Hana on previous visits but it’s not the same. It was so nice to really take your time and explore the area. The scenic drive is very lush and full of vegetation.

Our 2nd floor condo at the Hana-Kai Maui Resort had a balcony that overlooked a black sand/pebbly beach. We enjoyed having our breakfast on the patio and watched the local fisherman on the beach looking for his dinner. The fisherman would stare in the water for hours before he threw out his net. We looked on with amazement to see he had caught several small fish in this old traditional way.

The Hana town is very small and if you drive too fast you’d probably miss it. Your dining options are very limited. We ate at the Hotel Hana and found it to be the best choice. The food was terrific and service attentive. There are a couple of small grocery stores “Parker Ranch Store” and the old “Hasegawa” store. We found the prices a bit lower at the Hasegawa store and maybe a wee bit more of a variety. Both stores are tiny.

The most aromatic scented air came from the beautiful tropical flowers. It made walking around the small community a delight because the warm scented air smelled so wonderful.

We also discovered Hana Fresh Produce - a tent like stand that we found near the roadside that offered fresh produce, home made salads, pastas and wrapped sandwiches that we picked up to eat at the beach.

There is a short hike to a red sand beach (Kahalulu Trail) nearby. We did this hike many years ago when the trail was fully intact and I thought it was the scariest trail I had been on. The part of the trail that was the scariest has washed away and now you walk along the beach (during low tides) to reconnect with the rest of the trail. It is a very short hike about 10-15 minutes to get to the red sand beach that is in an old cinder cone. With the low tide, there is a rock line that divides the small cove, so the water was calm when we reached it. There was a couple of people swimming and reported that they could see many tropical fish in the water.

Another good place for swimming was at the Hamoa beach. There is a public walkway from the road that leads you down to the beach.

There wasn’t as much water at Seven Pools this time like other visits. We were told they haven’t had much rain lately. We hiked to the Waimoka Falls (4 miles RT) on a well mark trail that is mostly in the shade that was nice. The trail has a boarded walk through a thick bamboo forest for about a mile and half. It was a beautiful hike that ending with a rewarding 450 feet Waimoka Falls in the background.

We went to Waianapanapa State Park that has a black sand beach and freshwater caves. On our previous visits, we have never seen anyone swim at this beach because of the strong currents, riptides, man of wars and jelly fish in the waters. Despite all the signs warning people not to swim, we did see a crazy thrill seeking tourist, dive from one of the sea rocks into the water. He swam from one sea rock to another taller sea rock (resembled rabbit ears) and climbed the highest point before he dived into the water again. I was in disbelief that someone would take such a risky and dangerous move. All the tourists watched as he swam back and then he couldn’t find a way to climb onto the first sea rock where he left his girlfriend waiting at the top. He disappeared into the sea cave below the sea rock and we didn’t see him for what seemed like long minutes. By now, the girlfriend is now worried as she can’t see him anymore and so are we. He finally emerges at the top by climbing up the walls of the sea cave. There are stories all the time about how tourists die during their holidays. He was very lucky.

When we left Hana we checked with the park service to make sure the road that goes all around Maui was open. We like taking this route instead of backtracking the same route. The scenery is
different as we continue to drive along the Pi’ ilani Highway to Kihei. It’s a beautiful drive with some of the road being gravel in some spots but it eventually ends with a paved road. We encountered a couple of cows or bulls that had escaped from their pasture on the road. Cowboys on three wheelers would ask you to stop so they could direct the cattle back to the ranch. Somehow the cows knew their way back and didn’t need much prodding so the wait was only a few minutes.

We stopped at the Tedeschi Winery where we had a picnic lunch on their beautiful landscaped grounds. The small winery offers wine tasting and gift store you can enjoy.

We have been coming to Hawaii for years and stay at Kihei Surfside. The condo is located on the border of Kihei and Wailea. We stayed in unit #405 and had a great ocean front view of West Maui and Molokini. The condo is located across from the Mana Kai Resort and the other side of Kihei Surfside is surrounded by State protected land so there is no other construction in your view. There is a walking path on the right that goes along the Kama’ole Parks 1, 11, 111 beaches. On the opposite direction, there is a six mile (r/t) pathway that we like to walk every morning that takes you along Keaweakupu Beach, through the luxury resorts and beaches of the Wailea Beach Marriot, Grand Wailea, Four Seasons, along the paved pathway of million dollar homes at Wailea Point, and Fairmont Kei Lani and end at Polo beach (if low tide). The views are stunning and you can usually spot humpback whales, large sea turtles and even some dolphins along the walk. There are three public restrooms/showers along the route. You also can check out the great restaurants/art at these resorts. Often local artists display their talents throughout the lobbies.

Makawao is a great little town in the upcountry that is fun place to spend the day. It has a lively arts community with galleries, unique boutiques and cafes. There is a glass blowing studio at one end of the street where you can watch the local glassblowers in action.

We drove to Haleakala on a clear sunny day. It’s a beautiful drive to the 10,000 summit. It’s wonderful to be higher than the clouds as you make your way up. We had perfect weather with no wind. We hiked the Sliding Sands trail (at the lower parking lot) and had a clear view of the crater below. The elevation drops about 2,000 feet and going down the trail is not hard. However, climbing back up can be more difficult due to the lack of oxygen in the air. Very little grows inside the crater except for the silver sword plants. The landscape resembles what I envisioned what Mars would look like. It is a very unique place to hike.

Hawaii is a magical place to visit.

Mucho Mahalos <blue>portobelloB<black> for the great T.R.!

How were the ocean conditions on Kaua`i, did you do any snorkeling

I love Paia and Makawao. I always bought some new T-shirts at Sherri Reeves store. I even ordered some from her on line a few years ago. I may do that again before summer since I won't be back to Maui soon. It's been awhile and I miss it. Nice report, thanks.

Very nice report! Your details on the trails and back roads were especially useful.

Glad you had a good time. Thanks for reporting.

Taking me back to Hanalei Bay: thanks so much.

portobello, great trip report! I have a question -- can you give out the conact information for the Kauai condo? From whom did you rent it? Thanks very much!

Thank you everyone for all your kind replies. Sheri Reeves store in Makawao is always a favorite of mine, too. I bought some beautiful painted tiles this time.

I didn’t do any snorkeling so I'm not able to give any feedback on conditions. There were some people snorkeling at Hanalea beach near the pier and more at Anini beach where it’s protected by the large reef.

We went through ReMax for the #118 condo at Pali Ke Kua in Kauai. The website is http://booking.remaxkauai.com/site/O...0/default.aspx and if anyone is interested in the Kihei Surfside http://book.maui-vacation-rentals.co...FRKiagod71oylg Click on the image of Kihei Surfside #405 for more pictures.

We have stayed in various units at Kihei Surfside and feel #405 is really exceptional. The condo is well equipped with gourmet cooking equipment and supplies, stainless steel appliances, large flat plasma TV screen with blue ray DVD player.

Thanks so much for the information!

What a great trip report! Thanks so much for sharing...I'll be going to Kauai for 10 days in May and am taking notes.

Excellent report portobello!
We are so excited because we are in escrow for a home in Kauai!
Aloha

Loved your report. Glad to hear you like Kihei Surfside; just made my reservation for a 2 bedroom unit there.
I've stayed at most of the So. Kihei oceanfront complexes, but this will be my first time at Surfside. Their lawn/pool area looks very inviting, and I look forward to strolling over to Five Palms at Mana Kai.

Thanks for your report! What a wonderful trip.

Thanks for the recommendation for the Kihei Surfside. It will be on our shortlist when we return to Maui sometime soon.

How nice that you were able to spend some time in Hana as well. It is my favorite spot in all the islands. Next time go see the very talented ceramics artist Arabella Ark who has a workshop and studio out of town towards Kipahulu. The Hana Coast Gallery at the Hotel also carries her work. Her work is inspirational.

Excellent report. I think the location of the Kihei Surfside is ideal. Enjoyed a lovely dinner at next-door Five Palms in January. Love the beach and the beautiful lawn there, great place to sit and do nothing!

Maui News Feb 17 2010. Activity, restaurant prices are hurting Maui visitors

A tourism executive said, "We haven't seen such revenue, reservation and visitor declines in Maui since we've been keeping records."

A fresh sign of the woes are being unleashed by a Maui economy mired in boom-time pricing marketing and the Great Recession.

Those vacationing on Maui are, unfortunately, not finding ways to reduce their restaurant and activities expenses once here. Visitor confidence in finding reasonably priced activities and restaurants in Lahaina/Kaanapali is exceptionally low.

Next year will not be any better than this year if the needs of visitors cannot be met.