Trip Report Kauai/Maui 5/29-6/12/04
Jun 17th, 2004, 11:25 AM
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Trip Report Kauai/Maui 5/29-6/12/04
Just returned from another great trip to the islands. Left 5/29 out of Burbank on Aloha connecting through Honolulu with a short layover and then off to Lihue.
We reserved an economy car through Budget prior to arriving on Kauai. It was approximately $85 for 3 days. Picked up the rental car and drove to the condo. We stayed at the Kapaa Sands in Kapaa (east side of the island). We had a studio condo with full kitchen and a queen size murphy bed. The condo we stayed in was on the ground floor ocean front. The condos are located on a small bay. There were warning signs about swimming right in front of the condo but it looked like around the bay in front of the Kauai Sands Hotel people were swimming. Saw lots of turtles playing in the surf in front of the condo. Also, monk seals that like to sleep on that beach and each morning we were there, we saw one asleep on the beach.
Restaurants: Ate breakfast at Al and Don's in the Kauai Sands Hotel. Old Hawaii feel to it. Had fish and eggs and portuguese sausage. Pretty good. Ate lunch at the Hyatt bar-fresh fish sandwiches-excellent. Dinner at A Pacific Cafe-great dinner. Dinner at Bullshed. Very good--nice bar--steaks and restaurant is oceanfront.
Drove to Poipu first day and snorkeled. Next day went north to Anini Beach and snorkeled. Tried to get to Kee Beach but too crowded (Memorial Day).
Flew from Kauai to Maui on 6/1. Had to stop in Honolulu on the way. Rented economy car at Alamo. About $325 for 11 days. Stayed at the Makani Sands in Honokawai area.
Restaurants: Kimo's, Hula Grill, Sansei, Roy's Kahana Bar & Grill, Whale Watchers Bar at the Seahouse Restaurant in Napili, Big Wave Cafe in Kihei, Hailemeile General Store. Barbecued a lot here.
Went to Lanai for the day on Paragon catamaran. We were lucky as they had cancellations and only 10 people on boat including 2 crew. Saw a lot of dolphins on the way over. Snorkeled for an hour and then they take you to the harbor where they give you a picnic lunch and you walk to the beach. We ate at the beach which has a very nice picnic area, showers, etc. and then just hung out on the beach. On the way back, they put the sails up for an hour and a half or so and then stopped so we could swim. Then, back to Lahaina.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.
We reserved an economy car through Budget prior to arriving on Kauai. It was approximately $85 for 3 days. Picked up the rental car and drove to the condo. We stayed at the Kapaa Sands in Kapaa (east side of the island). We had a studio condo with full kitchen and a queen size murphy bed. The condo we stayed in was on the ground floor ocean front. The condos are located on a small bay. There were warning signs about swimming right in front of the condo but it looked like around the bay in front of the Kauai Sands Hotel people were swimming. Saw lots of turtles playing in the surf in front of the condo. Also, monk seals that like to sleep on that beach and each morning we were there, we saw one asleep on the beach.
Restaurants: Ate breakfast at Al and Don's in the Kauai Sands Hotel. Old Hawaii feel to it. Had fish and eggs and portuguese sausage. Pretty good. Ate lunch at the Hyatt bar-fresh fish sandwiches-excellent. Dinner at A Pacific Cafe-great dinner. Dinner at Bullshed. Very good--nice bar--steaks and restaurant is oceanfront.
Drove to Poipu first day and snorkeled. Next day went north to Anini Beach and snorkeled. Tried to get to Kee Beach but too crowded (Memorial Day).
Flew from Kauai to Maui on 6/1. Had to stop in Honolulu on the way. Rented economy car at Alamo. About $325 for 11 days. Stayed at the Makani Sands in Honokawai area.
Restaurants: Kimo's, Hula Grill, Sansei, Roy's Kahana Bar & Grill, Whale Watchers Bar at the Seahouse Restaurant in Napili, Big Wave Cafe in Kihei, Hailemeile General Store. Barbecued a lot here.
Went to Lanai for the day on Paragon catamaran. We were lucky as they had cancellations and only 10 people on boat including 2 crew. Saw a lot of dolphins on the way over. Snorkeled for an hour and then they take you to the harbor where they give you a picnic lunch and you walk to the beach. We ate at the beach which has a very nice picnic area, showers, etc. and then just hung out on the beach. On the way back, they put the sails up for an hour and a half or so and then stopped so we could swim. Then, back to Lahaina.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.
Jun 17th, 2004, 12:06 PM
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Beetlekat, thanks for your report! I'm interested in how your meal was at Hailemaile Gen. Store. My family's last two experiences were just okay, food good but too expensive for what we got, we thought. And how was Roy's, and did you get the chocolate souffle?
Jun 17th, 2004, 12:33 PM
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John D: The snorkeling at Anini was okay. I say it was just okay because I think the snorkeling is better in Maui. There were quite a few kite boarders in the afternoon and that made me a little nervous because they go really fast and I just kept popping my head up to see where they were! Otherwise, I thought the beach was very beautiful, a nice place to spend the day. A lot of families were there that day celebrating Memorial Day with a bbq.
Bonniebroad: As for Hailemeile, we thought the food was pretty good but, yes, expensive! We had the sushi napolean which was $17. Then, I ordered the sashimi salad (I think that was the name) and that was about $16 and my husband ordered the chicken, brie, bacon sandwich which was really good but I think about $15. We had some beers too so the bill was more expensive than our dinner at the Bullshed in Kauai! It was a good experience but I don't think I'll go out of my way to go there again.
Yes, we had the souffle at Roy's! It was as good as ever! The waitress had asked if it was a special occasion and we told her it was our 15th wedding anniversary so they gave us an extra dessert and wrote "Happy 15th Anniversary from Roy's" on the plate with chocolate. It was a good experience. We had never been to the Kahana Bar & Grill, only Nicolina. When I made the reservations I thought I was calling Nicolina and when we got there, we walked in and gave our name and when they didn't find it, they asked if we were supposed to be next door. Apparently, Roy's Nicolina is now Riley's.
Bonniebroad: As for Hailemeile, we thought the food was pretty good but, yes, expensive! We had the sushi napolean which was $17. Then, I ordered the sashimi salad (I think that was the name) and that was about $16 and my husband ordered the chicken, brie, bacon sandwich which was really good but I think about $15. We had some beers too so the bill was more expensive than our dinner at the Bullshed in Kauai! It was a good experience but I don't think I'll go out of my way to go there again.
Yes, we had the souffle at Roy's! It was as good as ever! The waitress had asked if it was a special occasion and we told her it was our 15th wedding anniversary so they gave us an extra dessert and wrote "Happy 15th Anniversary from Roy's" on the plate with chocolate. It was a good experience. We had never been to the Kahana Bar & Grill, only Nicolina. When I made the reservations I thought I was calling Nicolina and when we got there, we walked in and gave our name and when they didn't find it, they asked if we were supposed to be next door. Apparently, Roy's Nicolina is now Riley's.
Jun 17th, 2004, 02:39 PM
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Thanks for the Anini snorkel info., too bad you did not get to Kee, I've found snorkeling here can rival what we've seen on Maui, though sometimes you have to wait a bit for a parking spot to open up.
Jun 17th, 2004, 02:48 PM
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Beetlekat, when my sister was just there at Hailemaile, she had that chicken/brie/bacon sandwich that your DH did. She said, while it was good, it was not worth the price, and that she was about through going there. Says there are other newer, excellent restaurants for much less money.... I wasn't that thrilled the last time I was there....... but it is a pretty restaurant........... just too pricey for what you get!
So glad you had a wonderful trip and a good anniversary! That Roy's never disappoints with the souffle!
So glad you had a wonderful trip and a good anniversary! That Roy's never disappoints with the souffle!
Jun 17th, 2004, 03:15 PM
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Beetlekat -
Thanks for the trip report.
We're debating now on taking either the Paragon or Trilogy trip to Lanai when we go to Maui in September.
Was the snorkeling good? Did you snorkel near the shore? Would this be a good experience for first-time snorkelers? Did you think the trip was worth the money?
Also, what did you think of Hula Grill and Sansei?
Amy
Thanks for the trip report.
We're debating now on taking either the Paragon or Trilogy trip to Lanai when we go to Maui in September.
Was the snorkeling good? Did you snorkel near the shore? Would this be a good experience for first-time snorkelers? Did you think the trip was worth the money?
Also, what did you think of Hula Grill and Sansei?
Amy
Jun 17th, 2004, 03:21 PM
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Right, thyme! Sorry, Beetlekat........ I forget and use these little abbreviations because I get tired of typing. I am also interested in how you liked Hula Grill. Our food was good, but I really went there for this chocolate-raspberry dessert I'd heard about, then I was a bit disappointed in it!
Jun 18th, 2004, 10:25 AM
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Thyme: We chose the Paragon because they advertise that their boats do "power sails" or something like that. We have been on the Mahana Nai'a (sp?), Pacific Whale Foundation and neither put their sails up for a long enough time in my husband's opinion. He wanted to sail for a longer period of time. We booked through Tom's Barefoot Cashback Tours because they had given us a good deal last Sept. on the Mahana Nai'a. They said that we would get a good sail and we did. Paragon v. Trilogy regarding going to Lanai: We saw two other Trilogy boats going back and they had a lot of people on them. However, when you get to Lanai, they have a "pavillion" where you eat lunch. Its like a big tent and they bbq your lunch. I've heard that their food is the best. Paragon gives you a cold sandwich, chips and a green salad (you have to tell them when you reserve what kind of sandwich you want). The food was good though and on the way back they give you champagne, wine, beer, sodas. Beer and sodas are served the entire trip but they ask that you limit the alcohol before snorkeling. So I guess it depends on what you want. The Trilogy pavillion is by the harbor and we got to take our lunches with us to the beach. That was nice. The price was about $150 pp. It was worth it. The boat was so empty with only 10 of us on board. The crew were really nice too.
The snorkeling was not done too close to shore. They anchored in a bay where it was deep--clear but deep. You had to swim over to the side of the cliffs to really see anything. I think it would be okay for beginning snorkelers if it wasn't too rough and maybe they could take a noodle with them. When we went with the Pacific Whale Foundation it was very, very rough and not too much fun.
We had checked out Rainbow Chasers which is a catamaran (smaller though) that takes 4 couples (adults only, no kids) on a trip to a couple of snorkeling spots but they say that each couple has their own "stateroom." Not sure why you would even need that--I want to be outside when I'm on a trip like that. They advertise the "privacy" and the no kid thing. Also, they claim their food is really top notch. That was more like $200 pp and it wasn't even all day. Paragon leaves at 8:30 am and you get back to Lahaina around 4 pm. A full day of fun.
Re Sansei and Hula Grill. We thought Sanset was really good although we had a really trippy waiter and we could not understand what he was saying! I don't have my notes or I would tell you exactly what we ordered--we did order two appetizers and the Japanese udon noodles. The noodles were very bland and we didn't care for them that much but I think we just ordered the wrong thing. The appetizers were really good. It didn't seem too expensive either. After dinner, a baby gecko came to visit us at our table! The waiter took him outside and put him in a plant.
Hula Grill: Well, we just have so many fond memories of this place, we are compelled to go there every time we go to Maui now. I think the food is good, not too expensive but the best is to just sit at that barefoot bar with your feet in the sand. We ordered the crab wontons and some sort of eggrolls (can't remember except I think they had corn and chicken maybe?) and a salad. The wontons and salad were really good but I personally didn't care for the eggrolls although someone else might.
We really wanted to go to David Paul's but never made it. Next time perhaps! I've read so many good posts about it.
ggrtist: Kauai overall was very beautiful and had an old Hawaii feel to it. The only obstacle was that we didn't know exactly what we wanted to do and only had a couple of days. When we go to Maui, we've been there so many times, we don't really make any plans--we just go and every day decide what we are going to do (which is mainly snorkel and go to the beach) but we know where to go, how long it takes to get there, where to park, etc. I was really smart in that I bought the Kauai revealed book and read it and then left it at home! I kept saying "wish I'd brought that book!" the whole time we were there!
Hope this answers your questions and thanks for filling me in Bonniebroad on the DH! Makes perfect sense to use the abbreviations!
The snorkeling was not done too close to shore. They anchored in a bay where it was deep--clear but deep. You had to swim over to the side of the cliffs to really see anything. I think it would be okay for beginning snorkelers if it wasn't too rough and maybe they could take a noodle with them. When we went with the Pacific Whale Foundation it was very, very rough and not too much fun.
We had checked out Rainbow Chasers which is a catamaran (smaller though) that takes 4 couples (adults only, no kids) on a trip to a couple of snorkeling spots but they say that each couple has their own "stateroom." Not sure why you would even need that--I want to be outside when I'm on a trip like that. They advertise the "privacy" and the no kid thing. Also, they claim their food is really top notch. That was more like $200 pp and it wasn't even all day. Paragon leaves at 8:30 am and you get back to Lahaina around 4 pm. A full day of fun.
Re Sansei and Hula Grill. We thought Sanset was really good although we had a really trippy waiter and we could not understand what he was saying! I don't have my notes or I would tell you exactly what we ordered--we did order two appetizers and the Japanese udon noodles. The noodles were very bland and we didn't care for them that much but I think we just ordered the wrong thing. The appetizers were really good. It didn't seem too expensive either. After dinner, a baby gecko came to visit us at our table! The waiter took him outside and put him in a plant.
Hula Grill: Well, we just have so many fond memories of this place, we are compelled to go there every time we go to Maui now. I think the food is good, not too expensive but the best is to just sit at that barefoot bar with your feet in the sand. We ordered the crab wontons and some sort of eggrolls (can't remember except I think they had corn and chicken maybe?) and a salad. The wontons and salad were really good but I personally didn't care for the eggrolls although someone else might.
We really wanted to go to David Paul's but never made it. Next time perhaps! I've read so many good posts about it.
ggrtist: Kauai overall was very beautiful and had an old Hawaii feel to it. The only obstacle was that we didn't know exactly what we wanted to do and only had a couple of days. When we go to Maui, we've been there so many times, we don't really make any plans--we just go and every day decide what we are going to do (which is mainly snorkel and go to the beach) but we know where to go, how long it takes to get there, where to park, etc. I was really smart in that I bought the Kauai revealed book and read it and then left it at home! I kept saying "wish I'd brought that book!" the whole time we were there!
Hope this answers your questions and thanks for filling me in Bonniebroad on the DH! Makes perfect sense to use the abbreviations!
