Final days on Kauai

First, let me say that if you are looking for days one and two, I just realized that I posted those on the wrong forum- they are under Hawaii....sorry. Still getting the hang of this computer stuff.

So now we are winding down to our last days on Kauai and feeling a little sad about it.

We had tried to rent a kayak, but were too late to get one for that day, and we had tried to arrange for a helicopter or plane tour of the island, but were too late for those too. Lesson learned- when visiting the islands, plan ahead and make prior arrangements for your activities. What with our visit coming after the holiday weekend and school having begun we thought it would be a snap to arrange anything we wanted at the last minute, as the ';spirit moved us'; as it were. WRONG!! People visit the island all year and the smart ones plan ahead!!

Saturday, and our last day for exploring, we wanted to take a trek over to the west side and see Wiamea before heading back to the Poipu area to let a timeshare vendor have a little of our time so we could enjoy their facility for the day. OOPS! We were in town and attempting this feat when there was a funeral in...oh rats, I forget the name, but I think it was Kahalo??? sorry If I%26#39;m way off there- anyway, the person must have been very well known and well loved because the funeral snarled traffic in both directions on the highway for many hours. We were caught in in briefly going to Waimea...long enough to prevent us from having time to go up to the canyon, but not long enough to prevent us from stopping in at The Banana Patch to see some of the wonderful locally produced wares that they offer. Definitely worth the stop in Hanapepe.

We were held up for at least an hour trying to get past the funeral events, so we were late to Poipu and then that took longer than promised, so our day was pretty messed up overall time-wise. But, we did enjoy a little over an hour at the Poipu beach located at the Marriott facility. We did snorkel a little, and saw some great fish, too, but the water was too cloudy to get good photos with our disposable underwater gear.

The Poipu Marriott facility was quite nice, but this is being marketed as a time share venue, so it does not have the panache that the Lihue venue does. Still, it is plenty nice- the grounds are well kept and the pool areas are comfortable. There was a fitness center on site and there is a bar at the pool. I do not beleive that there is a restaurant here. Rooms offered are all exactly alike, according to the guide- 2 bedrooms/2 baths with a living room/dining room/kitchen combo. One bath has a shower/tub, the other has a spa tub which is actually in the bedroom and a separate shower. I think he said the living space is around 1000 sq. ft.

I am not sure if they offer hotel rentals at this time or not- since they aren%26#39;t sold out, I suspect that this option exists.

We had reservations at The Beach House, so we had to get back to the hotel in Lihue and then come back for our dinner.

The Beach House was great. Loved the atmosphere, our food was very good- we both had seafood: mine was the signature dish of hazelnut crusted ahi and the DH had a tuna dish I believe. 2 things to know about this restaurant- it is not air conditioned, and you are not allowed to take alcoholic beverages on the lawn to watch the sunset, so get there early so you can have a seat if you want to enjoy a libation during the sunset show. It is easy to understand how this place has garnered such a reputation as a sunset-viewing location...even though you don%26#39;t see the ';splashdown';, its lovely.

Sunday was our last day- and we read our schedule wrong so we nearly missed our flight out...Lesson learned: be sure that you note your KAUAI departure time and not your HONOLULU departure time when planning your exit....the DH looked at the wrong flight time and we almost had a serious problem. Of course, come to think of it, that might not be a bad problem to have- ';stuck'; on Kauai for several hours, or days.....:)

Those of you who live on Kauai are indeed very lucky folk. I have been following your concerns regarding development and I hope with all my heart that you are able to find a way to blend new and old in a way that allows the island to be forever an Eden. It will be a difficult task, as figuring out how to accommodate the tourist industry and maintain the environment which creates the desire to come is a struggle for all sides at best. Best of luck to you in your efforts, as you are truly living in paradise.

Again, Mahalo to all who helped us with information to plan our trip. And good luck to those of you planning your vacations- its gonna be great! But please, tread lightly!

Aloha-

Footloose

Final days on Kauai

Thanks for sharing. I%26#39;ve enjoyed reading your reports. Seems that unfortunately you learned the hard way a few lessons that we%26#39;ve learned over the years, too:

- You must have a car in Kauai. There is no other dependable way to get around the island.

- Although we don%26#39;t plan a whole lot so that we can just relax most of the time, major excursions such as helicopter trips, boat trips, zipline, etc. need to be booked ahead of time, just about any time of year, since they tend to fill up quickly.