Aloha! I found all of the trip reports to be super helpful and hope that my input will contribute to others reading the TA message boards for advice. I apoligize if I broke the review up without logic.
My husband and I decided to plan an anniversary getaway in May for Kauai. We had been to Maui twice (October 2004 and August 2006) and had wanted to check out another island. We had heard wonderful things about Kauai from several people and decided to make a go of it.
We left from LAX with a direct flight to Kauai on 8/25/08 and returned on a direct flight back to LAX on 8/31/08. While walking to baggage claim to retrieve our bag, I noticed a woman with lei’s and she had a sign with my name. I walked over to her and was greeted with the warmest aloha! My husband offered her gratuity, but she declined, stating that she does this “from her heart”. She even spoke with us for a few minutes while waiting for our bags. Nice start to our trip!
RESORTQUEST AT KAUAI BEACH, MAKAIWA: We had a wonderful experience at the Resortquest Kauai Beach at Makaiwa. The hotel was a great value, in our opinion. From start to finish, we received stellar customer service. We reserved our package through Expedia and wrote that it was our anniversary in the “notes” area on Expedia. Much to our surprise upon check-in, we were told that we were being upgraded (at no cost to us) from a garden view room to an ocean view room! What a nice surprise! We had forgotten that we even added that we were traveling to the note section! Later that evening, my husband surprised me with champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, and lilioki cake, which was delivered to our room a bit after check in. The rooms were tastefully decorated and clean, bed was comfortable, and temperature was great. The only shortcomings (which were easily overlooked by my husband and I) were the small bathroom (a bit bigger than a cruise bathroom- toilet almost hit door) and the Hospitality Suite smelled a bit like mildew- possibly because it is only used as a Hospitality Suite and people walk around carelessly wet.... which I was still happy to have available for use to clean up before our flight.
Before our trip, we were torn between the Islander on the Beach and Resortquest Makaiwa and I am sooo glad we made the decision we did! After checking out the ground and peeking into the rooms at the Islander, there seems to be no contest as to which is better updated- grounds, room appointment, etc....Resortquest hands down. This hotel was in a great location and overall it helped make our trip memorable.
KAUAI REVIEW OVERVIEW (FOOD AND DRINK REIVEWS LATER TOWARDS BOTTOM)
WEST- We loved Waimea Canyon and found it breathtaking. The Blue Book gave some pretty good info regarding the canyon, expect we (as well as other tourists) found the swamp hike to be more difficult that written about. The directions were confusing and the hike seemed longer and strenuous because of the steep inclines and consider myself to be in middle of the road shape. The most surprising part of our trip to the west was the discovery of the red rock waterfall on the left side of the road (going up Waimea Canyon Rd., I believe). No one was stopped there and it was a beautiful, small waterfall and stream along the side of the road. Keep your eyes out for it!
NORTH- Ke’e Beach’s parking is as bad as you’ve heard about. The beach was pretty nice. Later on that day after we had left, we heard about the black tipped reef shark sighting and evacuations. Queen’s Bath was a bit anticlimactic to us, as we found the Olivine Pools in Maui a better version of Queen’s Bath. However, Queen’s Bath wins the hike down, as the waterfall well before the bath was beautiful and refreshing. My favorite beach in the north was Lumaha’i. It was beautiful and felt a bit secluded. There was an adorable black lab swimming and playing catch with his owner there. We were disappointed that Bali Hai and Happy Talk were closed, but loved the Princeville for the exquisite views. The north is as good as everyone says!
SOUTH- Our favorite beach in the south was Poipu Beach outside of the Sheraton. A couple of years ago we stayed at the Sheraton in Maui and noted that Kauai’s Sheraton may not look as luxurious as Maui’s Sheraton, but their beach is better. The grounds of the Hyatt are amazing. If we ever go back to Kauai, we decided that we would stay here for at least part of our trip. The blowhole is worth a drive by, but we weren’t too impressed (maybe because we had seen a blowhole in Maui before?) and the Beach House did have the best sunset views in the South. Everyone does go crazy on the lawn for picks, though. In my opinion, it would ruin a sunset dinner for me to see the chaos out there.
EAST- We didn’t notice the traffic that people have complained about in Kapa’a, however we are from California, so that may be why. We stayed in Kapa’a because it seemed like the best central place to stay for a first trip to Kauai. We were pleasantly surprised at the sights Kapa’a had to offer as well as the plethora of food options. We did the Wailua fern grotto river tour, which was beautiful, relaxing, and fairly inexpensive ($20 each). We only had 8 other people on our boat, which made it even better to us. Now that we have seen the river, we would do the kayak trip next time. We drove to both sets of falls, and my husband took the trail to the top of the Wailua “Fantasy Island” waterfall, encountering a family of pigs along the way. We had the waterfall to ourselves- I guess we beat the rush, starting our falls drives at 8 am. We also made it to the stadium farmer’s market, which was much different than our local farmer’s markets. They really do start selling at the official start time (after the whistle) and chaos did ensue! We bought some tropical fruit and got a coconut with a straw to drink chilled coconut water from. We were disappointed to only see fruits and vegetables and wanted to see more baked goods (e.g. banana bread, coconut candy) like in Maui.
The best thing about staying in the east was the sunrises! We woke at about 6 am every morning (thanks time zone change!) and walked down to our beach to watch the sunrise. We had one quick, hard rain before a sunrise, but were treated to a fabulous rainbow and amazing sunrise out of it. We were shocked to have the beach to ourselves almost every sunrise that we were at the Resortquest Makaiwa!
FOOD AND DRINK-
Highlights:
JAVA KAI (East)- We visited the Kapa’a location (3 times!) and loved the food, drink, and customer service, especially from the woman with beautiful blue eyes (can’t remember her name….). Don%26#39;t miss out on an Iced Maui Mocha (traditional mocha with coconut syrup), Aloha Bars (similar to seven layers bars- shortbread, coconut, chocolate chips, and macadamia nuts…and they were giant!) , and scrumptious muffins! My finicky husband loved their coffee cake muffins and blueberry muffins (with white sugar baked on top). We ended up buying 4 Aloha Bars on our last day to bring back as souvenirs! I read on Java Kai%26#39;s website that they are ';coming soon'; to Orange County, CA, I emailed them via the “contact us” area on their website and got a quick reply on the status of their OC location- they are still trying to find a beach location that would work for them (Java Kai would fit in perfectly in Seal Beach or Laguna Beach, in my opinion). I would say that Java Kai was a surprise hit on our trip!
PUKA DOGS (South): I went in not expecting much, which probably made my experience better. The bun was soft and yummy, but it was overloaded with sauces, which made for a very messy Puka Dog (leaving me with sticky hands). I would ask them to go easy on the sauce in the future. I am not a big hot dog person (I only eat a few a year) and found the polish sausage to be super yummy and not overwhelming. My husband loved the lemonade, while it was just OK for me. I would stop by Puka Dogs for lunch again.
KEOKI’S (South): We went to Keoki%26#39;s Paradise and had a great time. We ate downstairs. I had steak and pesto shrimp (ask for it over linguine instead of rice for no charge- our server suggested this and it was great). My husband had steak with teriyaki sauce and liked his food a lot- this coming from a finicky meat %26amp; potatoes guy. Great family and large party restaurant, but not as great if you are looking for quiet romance.
WISHING WELL SHAVE ICE (North): Best shave ice on the island for us. The syrup was stellar and the ice was a nice powder, not hard. My husband liked that they offered chocolate ice cream as an option instead of just mac nut and vanilla. Wasn’t too crowded when we were there, and staff was nice enough.
DELI AND BREAD CONNECTION (East): I had a super tasty Lobsta Roll sandwich- quality lobster with onion pieces (I omitted the mushrooms), on toasted white bread, and broiled with swiss cheese. One of the best deals on the island. Great option for on-the-go dining, but be prepared to wait. I didn%26#39;t call in my order and waited about 20 minutes for it to be ready. Looked like it was mostly locals eating there. It was located right next to Macy%26#39;s. I would certainly go back, but would either call in my order or kill some time in Macy%26#39;s while waiting.
THE LIVING ROOM (North): We got there a bit before sunset and secured a prime spot on the lanai. Our server brought our drinks quickly and provided us with a pea/rice cracker/nut mixture. Absolutely wonderful place to catch a sunset, but the mosquitoes were out on the prowl (we heard because of the lack of wind). We decided to go inside and perch on a comfy, cozy couch and watch nature%26#39;s show from there after the sun hit the horizon.
*Interesting story about our visit to The Living Room- We perched ourselves on the lanai at a private, corner table in order to get some pictures of the sunset. We wanted to get a couple with us in the picture, so I was trying to set up my camera’s timer (I do it all the time). We were going to use our drink glasses as a tripod when a cute woman popped her head around the corner and asked if she wanted her to take a picture of us. My husband, not wanting to burden anyone, politely said no. I looked at the woman’s face, and noticed that it was Alyssa Milano!! Of Charmed! And Who’s the Boss! She was casually dressed in shorts and a t-shirt and had not makeup on, and still looked flawless! I told her that we would love for her to take our picture! My husband looks at her, then me, and quietly says “Wait a minute! Are you….?!?!” And she kind of smiled and whispered “yea, yea” in a sweet, acknowledging way. We kept things quiet, and she took 3 pictures, wanting us to check each one after she took it. After a few minutes, she walked away and we thanked her. What a sweetheart! I have lived in California my whole life and seen many high profile people, but my husband has only been in California for a half of his life, and has not seen anyone in show business like this. He grew up having a crush on Alyssa Milano, so it was cute to see him act the way he did. Needless to say, we are even bigger fans of hers now!
BUBBBA’S BURGERS (East): I liked my small teriyaki burger with onions, but it was small, like the size of a McDonald’s hamburger (the staff member warned us about the size, though). The sauce was pretty tasty, and I don%26#39;t like really meaty burgers, anyway. We also got the chili rice, which was disappointing. There was too much chili and the flavor was just ok. I would go back because 1) it was close to where we were staying in Kapa%26#39;a and 2) it was open until 10 pm, uncommonly seen in Kauai.
PLANTATIONS GARDENS (South): We went to Plantation Gardens to have a couple of cocktails. We sat outside by the ponds. What a creative drink menu! I ordered a Cucumber Mojito, which was nothing short of excellent and refreshing. I also ordered a Lavender Pina Colada, which was pretty interesting. We had fun listening to the frogs and saw one on the way out. The grounds were beautiful, oozing with orchids. The only downside was the fact that we ended up with a bunch of mosquito bites, so if you go to Plantation Gardens and sit outside, bring your insect repellent!
CAFÉ HANALE (North) I: We went to Cafe Hanalei for our anniversary dinner. Our initial reservation was for 6:30 pm, but we had such a good table on the lanai of The Living Room Bar that we didn%26#39;t want to leave. My husband went to the see hostess/host at Cafe Hanalei and they were great. They instructed us to come down whenever we were relaxed and ready! We made our way downstairs at about 7:30 pm and were treated to a table in a fairly private area on the ledge. Our server was very knowledgeable and accommodating towards my husband%26#39;s picky tastes. We went on a Wednesday night, which features a Prime Rib special for $33, which my husband ordered and liked. I went with the Three Course Dinner, choosing Chicken Sate Skewers as my appetizer (it was really great!), Anu (it was the fresh catch of the day and it was great as well....coming from a person who only likes shrimp, lobster, opakapapa, and opah), and Tahitian Vanilla Crème Brule for dessert (scrumptious! Came in a dark chocolate edible bowl!).The views from the restaurant are breathtaking! I did end up with a couple of mosquito bites, but it was worth it. Beware, this is fine dining and not fast dining. Although service was attentive, it was slow- which was to be expected by me, but my husband was getting antsy.
DUKES BAREFOOT BAR (East): We went to Duke%26#39;s Barefoot Bar two nights, with the second night being out of convenience because 1) there was a horrible fatal crash near our hotel and traffic was backed up for hours, so we decided to have a bite to eat in a relaxing atmosphere instead of with traffic in a car and 2) we were sure Duke%26#39;s was open late. Both times I had the fresh catch, which was Opah. It is prepared with a macadamia nut crust and served with a with a creamy lemon caper butter. The first night it was outstanding, while the second night (the traffic stop night) it was just good- not great or bad- just good. I made the mistake the second night of ordering my meal with an add-on caesar salad (for a couple of bucks more). The salad does not come before the meal, but with the meal on the entree plate. The white rice was served on a separate plate. Should have been done the other way around, as the rice would have been a much better partner for the excess sauce. I hardly ate the caesar because it got warm and just weird. I wish Duke%26#39;s had a larger selection of pupas though.
MIDDLE OF THE PACK-
JOJO’S Shave Ice (West): We both agreed that this was the 2nd best shave ice on the island, with Wishing Well coming in first. The mac nut ice cream on the bottom is a must. Blade needed to be sharpened, as the ice was a bit hard.
EGGBERTS (East): I got a short stack of banana pancakes and they were good enough. I didn%26#39;t like the coconut syrup they had, and I usually love coconut syrup. My husband got a pancake sandwich, and it was surprisingly served with a small piece of ham between two pancakes with a slice of american cheese on top. He knew that it was odd going in, and knew it wasn%26#39;t served with eggs, but I found it weird, as did he when he saw it in front of his face. We had nice enough service from our waitress (a little sassy and fun). The restaurant is sooo old school looking though. They really need to do some updating.
LOWLIGHTS-
SCOTTYS (East): Biggest disappointment, hands down. We went here because of the positive reviews from the Blue Book (should have seen the conflict of interest potential). Needless to say, we were beyond under whelmed. Let%26#39;s start with the good stuff. The view was pretty nice. About every table in the restaurant had a nice view of coconut trees and the ocean. My teeny pulled pork open faced sandwich was pretty good. My husband loved the hot BBQ sauce. Here%26#39;s the rest. The service was sloooow- not island time slow, but sloooower. By looking at other customer%26#39;s faces around us, we were not the only ones who felt this. Overall, the food was pretty bad. I couldn%26#39;t even finish my sandwich sampler. The BLT was weird tasting. The chicken sandwich had some sort of cleaner-flavored seasoning. The brisket was just dry roast beef. I knew that the sandwiches were open faced, but could they not afford to spare 4 tiny bun tops for the prices they were charging? My husband said his burger was almost fine. I also got the Macadamia Nut Ice Cream frozen cocktail. Not good. I love mac nut ice cream, but this was finishable only because I paid so much for it. We are not big BBQ connoisseurs (we live in CA), but we know bad BBQ when we taste it. Most overrated restaurant we came across during our trip. Would never go back.
BRICK OVEN PIZZA (East): I will start with the positives again....customer service was good and beer was available in a half pitcher size, which was nice. Other than that, nothing positive to say. We should have known better to try pizza on Kauai, but after reading reviews, I though it would be fair at worst. This was just, well...bad. There was no garlic butter taste to the crust. The cheese was bland. The sauce was thick and to us, was the worst part. We forced down one piece each, took the rest in a box and tossed it in the dumpster in the parking lot. Waste of time and money.
DUANE’S ONO BURGERS (East): We were fortunate enough to drive by Duane%26#39;s when there was no wait. The only good thing about the place was their seasoning salt you can add to your fries. Their staff was also nice. The burgers were small, tasteless, and messy. We both got teriyaki burgers (their #1 seller) and were not loving it. We didn’t like that the swiss cheese was shredded instead of slices. Not worth the stop, price, and especially the wait if there is one.
JOJO’S ANUENUE SHAVE ICE (West): This review is for the original Jojo’s off the main street, tucked away in a white building . We went to the little store first and were helped by an unfriendly girl. The flavors we tried (all 6 of them between my husband and I) tasted either artificial or like cleaning products. The texture was more like a sno cone than shave ice. Sharpen that blade! We promptly threw both out and walked over to other Jo jo%26#39;s to give it a try and were glad we did, as the Jojo’s in the red stand off the main road was superior to this Jojo’s.
Whew! Long enough?!? Hope this helps someone doing research. We had an amazing trip! Mahalo, Kauai!
Kauai Trip Report 8/25/08-8/31/08 (a lot of dining reviews)!
Great report, thanks.
That is kind of weird about Duke%26#39;s, we have been going there for years and they have a salad bar with nice, fresh cold tossed to order Ceaser salad on nice cold plates. Never heard of it being served with your entree.
Kauai Trip Report 8/25/08-8/31/08 (a lot of dining reviews)!
We ate at Duke%26#39;s Barefoot Bar downstairs- less expensive, so food is probably not on par as upstairs. The salad bar upstairs I have heard nothing but good things about.
Great report! It makes me want to go back to Princeville one more time before it closes..sadly that won%26#39;t happen!
Brick Oven was recently bought out and I have heard that quality and taste have changed, and not for the better. Truthfully, I am a costco/pizza hut person (shamefully, no??) and don%26#39;t really care for Brick Oven to begin with, so I can%26#39;t vouch for this theory!
Thanks for your great report! Love all the restaurant details. Lavender Pina Colada- never heard of that, was it really lavender, how did it taste, what is in it? Great your DH got to meet Alyssa Milano, so nice of her to stop and take a pix of you 2. Ok, those Aloha bars sound sinfully good, I will have to definitely grab a few- Java Kai sounds fab-, yum, how big are they and how much? Happy anniversary!
I believe that the pina colada from Plantation Gardens was a lavender infused rum. It was a nice change from your typical pina colada- not that I got sick of those, either!
As for the aloha bars at Java Kai, I cannot remember the price- I%26#39;m thinking a few dollars? They were pretty big though- about the size of what you would consider two to be. When I brought one home to my sister, she thought she had two because her bar broke in half in the bag, making it look like two ';normal'; sized bars.
And Costco Pizza is fine with me, too. If Brick Oven Pizza tasted like Costco pizza, I would not have minded as much. Interesting about the possibility of new ownership. It%26#39;s a shame because the servers were so nice, but the sauce did us in.
Thanks for sharing.
We actually enjoyed our pizza at Brick Oven. The price was a bit high but we (4 of us) thought the pizza was good. We did have garlic butter on our crust...maybe they forgot to add it to yours.
fluffatu,
Thank you for your trip report. Can you tell me what the Blue Book is that you mentioned using during your travels? Is this the Kauai Revealed book, which has a blue cover?
Thanks!
Hi Fluff,
Great report. I’m on Kauai now. Today is our last day.
I agree with you on the Resortquest that you stayed at. We went to check it out because some friends were staying there and it is very, very nice! Much nicer than Islander on the Beach (you reading this Pattie?).
We loved Scotty’s! Great view and we loved our Pulled Pork sandwich. My son had the ribs and loved them too. We’ll return there today.
I agree with you on Jojo’s. To say unfriendly girl is to put it nicely! Geez! What is their problem? We went there yesterday and they were very rude. We had ice cream at the bottom and they would not even give us a spoon. She told us that the straw has a spoon at the bottom (not!). I asked for a sprinkle of Li Hing powder and I was charged $2.50 extra. Next time we are going to the JoJo’s on the main street too.
Our best meal has been at the Plantation Gardens. Those drinks are great and creative and the food is the best!
Thanks for posting a great trip report!
This will be very helpful for our trip next week.
princes00-
Yep! The Blue Book of which I speak (well, write!) is Kauai Revealed. Very useful.
Have a great time!
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