Kauai - July 29, 2019
The decision to head to Hawaii was an easy one. We wanted to go somewhere to relieve some stress and we only had a week to do it. Hawaii was the obvious choice. We had been to Maui several times so we decided to try Kauai.
Planning
We decided against our usual strategy of having everything planned for each day of our trip. After all, this was supposed to be a relaxing trip, so we decided to “wing it”. We started going through Tripadvisor, looking for hotels, and VRBOs looking for rentals that looked good. We weren’t set on any one area to stay so the number of choices seemed pretty daunting. We decided on a VRBO rental that was about 15 minutes north of Lihue airport. The studio condo was actually part of the Aston Islander on the Beach resort. Our VRBO price ended up to be much cheaper than a similar unit listed directly from the resort. This seemed like a great compromise to staying at the more expensive Poipu Beach, and was only about a 30 minute drive to the more popular Poipu section of Kauai. The condo’s centralized location would also be more convenient for us to explore other parts of the island.
Our Trip
The flight to Kauai was uneventful, which is always a good thing. We rented our car and drove the 15 minutes to the Aston Islander. There was plenty of parking in the lot and check-in was easy. Even though we were renting a condo, we were still able to check in through the front desk as if we were hotel guests. It was around 8:00pm which is pretty late for things to be open on Kauai. We asked if there was anywhere close where we could grab a bite to eat. We were pointed to the ABC store that was in the shopping mall across the parking lot. We took the short walk over and found that the store was still open, and even though their kitchen was closed, they had a huge assortment of pre-made food. We were thrilled when we realized that we had a handy source of food, snacks, souvenirs and anything else we needed and it was just a 5 minute walk away. We ended up using the ABC store kitchen more times than we should admit to, but it was really convenient.
The Sites
Napali Coast Tour
Let’s jump right in and start with the “must do” activity if you’re in Kauai. We had our heart set on taking a boat tour along the Napali coast. Unfortunately, we had a hurricane near the islands which threatened to cause dangerous waters on the day that we wanted to book our tour. Many tour companies didn’t bother to book on that day, but we found one, Capt. Andy’s that was still taking reservations. They let us know that if it was too dangerous, they would cancel the tour and refund our money. We decided to take the chance.
The NaPali Coast tour started before sunrise from Kikiaola Small Boat Harbor
I’ll start with the only negative from the entire excursion. The Capt Andy excursion starts at the Kikiaola Small boat harbor which is about an hour away from our hotel. It had a 7:00am launch but you needed to be there to check in at 6:30. So, we were up, packed and out the door by 5:30am. Good thing we were still feeling the effects of the 3 hour time difference from California.
The Kikiaola harbor is easy to find, and is right off the main coast highway. There is a large open lot right across the street from the harbor to park. There is a very clean restroom and a covered area that was used for the group to check in. Our boat was a 24′ Zodiac. It had a covered center area for the captain, and all the passengers sat on the pontoon around the edge of the craft. Yes, seriously. There were 3 seats in the back of the boat for anyone who wasn’t comfortable sitting on the edge. Shoes were not allowed on board and dry bags were provided for your shoes and any other items that you didn’t want to carry. As we got settled we were told to hang onto the ropes that were secured onto the pontoon. More importantly, there was a rope secured to the floor that you could anchor your feet with. We felt pretty safe as we sped out of the harbor.
We had worried about the approaching hurricane up until we boarded the boat. As it turns out, the ocean was calm and the skies were clear. The crew told us that nearby hurricanes actually had a calming effect on the water near the island. In general, the early morning tours have much calmer waters than those in the afternoon. We were glad that we woke up early to make the morning tour. The Napali Coast was just beautiful as we cruised up the coast line in our Zodiac.
The next 3 hours were amazing. We saw a pod of dolphins twice during our trip. Our captain brought our boat right into the middle of the pod. If you have a GoPro with an underwater case, you should definitely use it. We put the Gopro under the water using an extension, and got several great videos of the dolphins swimming along side of us only a few feet away.
The cliffs of Napali were amazing. Our small craft was able to get into several inlets and caves that would not be possible with a bigger boat. We threaded through a couple of caves and came out the other end. Some of the caves had waterfalls inside of them.
Our small pontoon boat was able to steer into the caves
This was a great trip, and we agreed that it was one of the best excursions that we have ever taken. The rough waters never materialized. The waves that were present were expertly negotiated by our captain so that we cut through them instead of bouncing off of them and getting drenched. The ride back to the harbor was relaxing, and we even stopped to check out another pod of dolphins. We were exhausted as we drove away from the harbor. We were also starving so on recommendation from the captain, we stopped at Gina’s in Waimea for a gigantic plate of Loco Moco.
Snorkeling
Our favorite activity to do on the islands was snorkeling. We found a couple of great spots while we were in Kauai. First was Poipu Beach Park. Poipu is known for having the best weather on the island and our day at Poipu Beach park didn’t disappoint. There is plenty of grassy area off the beach for having a picnic or just relaxing. There are bathrooms and plenty of public parking across the street. You can snorkel, or even walk along the rocky path that juts out into the water to see the fish right next to the rocks.
Poipu Beach Park was a great place to snorkel
We also spent an afternoon at Lydgate Beach Park which was just south of our condo. Lydgate is a great place to bring kids to swim or snorkel since there is a rock barrier that completely encloses the snorkeling area. There is also a smaller pool, created by the same rocks just to the left. This pool provides an even safer area for smaller kids. As with Poipu Beach, there is plenty of green space and picnic tables, along with parking and bathrooms to make this an easy snorkeling destination.
A completely sheltered snorkeling area at Lydgate Park
Waimea Canyon
We made another drive to the other side of the Island to visit Waimea Canyon. We took this similar route when driving to Kikiaola Harbor. Again, taking highway 56 to Highway 50 then turning onto Waimea Canyon Drive. After about a 30 minute drive you’ll get to Waimea Canyon State Park. There are several turnouts but we stopped at the Waimea Canyon lookout. There are several parking spots available (although they fill up fast) and a scenic view of the canyon just above the lot.
Beautiful views of the Canyon from this lookout point
The Fern Grotto and Boating up the Wailua River
As you travel south on 56, make a right turn just after the Wailua Bridge. On the right, you’ll see a set of buildings along the river. This is Smith’s Fern Grotto Tours. They have a number of docks with several boats that will take you up the Wailua river to the Fern Grotto. The ride only takes 15 minutes, and from the docking point, it’s about a 5 minute walk to the Fern Grotto. The site is beautiful, and a number of people choose the spot to hold their weddings. On the boat ride back, you’re entertained by Hawaiian music and dancing. Its a good way to spend an afternoon if you’re looking for a low exertion activity. If you’re looking for some exercise, there were plenty of kayaks and stand up paddles that we saw along the same river.
Waterfalls
A couple of waterfalls were very close to our condo so we made the short drive to visit them. The Opaeka falls are a short 10 minute drive up highway 580. There is a turnout with several paved parking spots. There is also a walkway that follows the highway and provides a protected walk closer to the falls. At the end of this walkway, there is a crosswalk to the other side of the road leading to a lookout. At the bottom of the valley below is the Kamokila Hawaiian village. You’ll see several grass shelters that represent an authentic Hawaiian village. You can also rent kayaks from this location. It’s a popular tourist spot, but we didn’t have time to check it out on this trip.
We also took the 20 mile drive to Wailua Falls. It’s located at the end of highway 583 about 10 miles out of Lihue. There are fewer parking spots here with some angled slots right off the road on one side, and parallel parking in the dirt on the other. You have a much closer vantage point than you do at Opaeka falls and the surrounding area is beautiful. Someone said that there is a trail down to the falls but it was dangerous and possibly closed. We didn’t bother to look into that option.
Wailua Falls
Allerton Garden
We went to the gardens to see the beautiful landscaping and the famous Jurassic park tree. We ended up on a tour that also explained the history of the gardens. Drive to the visitor center off of Lawai road. We mistook the surrounding area to be the actual gardens until we walked into the souvenir shop. There, we found out that we needed to pay for a tour and a shuttle would take us up to the actual gardens. We signed up for the tour which took about 2 and a half hours including a 15 minute shuttle ride to and from the gardens.
Famous Tree from Jurassic Park
Food
As we find on all of our trips to Hawaii, the best food is served up from small local places that no one has ever heard of. Check Yelp and go with the small highly rated places with local dishes. Our one exception to this was Merrimans, which was a restaurant in Poipu that was recommended to us by friends. Specifically, they said to try the Merriman’s Mai Tai with Lilikoi foam. The food, atmosphere and the Mai Tai did not disappoint. The meal was well worth the price for our “Night out”. Note also that Merriman’s has a more casual cafe downstairs. It’s a nice option when you’re in casual attire after a day on the beach.
Great food and the signature Lilikoi foam Mai Tai
It was a great trip to Kauai. The hurricane, actually two, that threatened to ruin our vacation decided to instead veer off harmlessly into the pacific. The Napali Coast Tour was one of the best excursions that we have ever taken, and we were glad that we decided not to cancel it. It was a great week!
