Our third day was also spent at the resort- turns out the DH had only gotten a car for our last 3 days! Not sure that I would recommend that, as by this time I was ready to ';get out there';, even though there is plenty to occupy you here.
We spent the morning at the pool, had wraps at the grill, and then went shopping at Anchor Cove which is right next to the hotel...just walk toward JJ%26#39;s Broiler and you%26#39;re there.
An aside here- for you mainlanders...an ABC store in Hawaii is NOT a liquor store!! It is a sundries shop similar where all types of necessities are sold, including liquor, food, clothing, souvenirs, film, etc.
Anchor Cove is a shopping venue for the cruise ships that come into the bay, so it can get crowded, but we enjoyed a day after the cruisers were there and it was not bad at all. There are all kinds of stores there to visit- it was a fun way to spend an afternoon. Across the road is the Harbor Mall- a large green colored building with a couple of restaurants and a shop or two and the offices of some tour vendors. Kalapaki Joe%26#39;s restaurant is located here, and several folks that we encountered raved about this restaurant. We didn%26#39;t eat there ourselves, but it apparently was a big hit with several visitors staying at the Marriott as well as a few staff members.
We had dinner at Dukes- the downstairs venue- and thoroughly enjoyed this restaurant for the ambience and the novelty of the decor. We were seated pond-side, so enjoyed watching the children feeding the koi while we waited for our meal. I had ahi and the DH had a burger. We both enjoyed our meal.
This is an open-air venue, so keep that in mind when you are preparing to go- light weight clothing is definitely called for.
Friday we FINALLY had a car, and after retrieving it at the airport, off we went on our all-day adventure to the north shore and ';the end of the road';.
We set our fairly early and made several stops along the way including Lydgate Beach, where we saw folks enjoying the ';pool'; areas, Wailua Beach, Coconut Marketplace, Kauai Craft Fair, Kiluea Lighthouse- where we saw amazing vistas of the coastline and lots of photographers enjoying the antics of the birds, Anini Beach where we tried snorkeling but saw NOT ONE fish! ( bummer), Hanalei Bay, the Dry Cave, and Ke%26#39;e Beach. It was a great tour and we wished afterward that we had planned for more time to spend on the beaches.
Just a note for those who want to go to the beach- we were having terrible difficulty finding the beach access points along the way and then learned that beach access is indicated by a pole/pipe with a yellow band at the top- its about waist high; so look low, not high for signage as we were.
We eased our way back to the hotel stopping at several ';vista points'; along the way, and then had dinner at the Prime Rib and Crab Buffet offered at Kukui%26#39;s on Friday nights. This is a regular event apparently and seemed to be well known and appreciated by local families as well as hotel guests. Again, a well prepared fare which included a prime rib carving station, a crab station, a chicken dish, shrimp, potatoes, rice, 2 vegetable offerings, bread, 2 or 3 salad offerings, chowder, small fish fillets, 2 dessert stations and the option of champagne for your beverage for an additional $7 charge- this was kept filled during our stay, not just a one-glass offering.
If I were going to do this day over, I would have spent less time shopping along the way and made sure that I had a better understanding of how to get to the beaches and how to tell which one was which. Signs are in short supply for the beach areas that aren%26#39;t in parks- not a problem for local folks, but a little harder for visitors. I probably didn%26#39;t use my guidebook as thoroughly as I should have when planning the day.
Definitely recommend the trip to the end of the road at Ke%26#39;e beach however- it is an experience worth having.
Kauai visit continued- days 3 %26amp; 4
When we were first visiting Kaua`i I carried specific instructions for getting to the various beaches, which really helped.
Kauai visit continued- days 3 %26amp; 4
And that is what people should know to do, I think, pzp.
I had bought one of the travel guides which has very good instructions, but did I think that I would actually NEED them, oh no....:}
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