kauai

[jaap1]

Deze info hebben wij gekregen van een vriend die op Hawaii woont. Misschien hebben jullie er wat aan:

Carol Yotsuda puts out an events list twice a month. You can find it here http://www.gardenislandarts.org

The mid October list will have information about early November.

Kapaa is a nice location for walking and also for biking along the coast. The only problem with that town is traffic. It gets congested making it time consuming to go anywhere from Kapaa downtown. There is a bypass road but your hotel is located in the middle of the area that is bypassed so the bypass will not help you.

I do not think there are any really good restaurants on Kauai. But I do like Verde located in a strip mall just a little south of where you are staying. Verde is in the same mall as Big Save. Big Save is a supermarket chain that has decent hot Hawaiian plates. Further south from Kapaa on the left near Wailua is a nice Japanese restaurant and another Mexican place that I have not tried. It is supposed to be good but I just drive past it and go to Verde. Parking lots for both the Japanese and this second Mexican place are always full.

Trees Lounge is in Kapaa near the Mariott Courtyard and Longs Drugs in the coconut plaza towards the back. Live music local bands. http://www.treesloungekauai.com

So going north from Kapaa try to stop at Anini Beach. http://www.kauaiexplorer.com/kauai_beac ... _beach.php

The beach road is around the 26 mile marker. It is a pretty beach if you drive to the end past the area with restrooms. It is also a safe beach for swimming. You can also see Kilauea Lighthouse a little south of Anini Beach. http://www.kauai.com/kilauea-lighthouse

Further north you pass through Princeville into Hanalei. Hanalei town is just after the first one lane bridge. My wife and I like Tahiti Nui. http://thenui.com It is popular because of George Clooney and the film Descendants. There is live music weekends. We try to get there between 5 and 6 to get a table. The place is small. Usually the band is slack key guitar. If you make a right turn right at the first corner past Tahiti Nui the road takes you to Hanalei Bay. Beautiful beach and views.

There is one historical place of interest in Hanalei, the original missionary house. http://grovefarm.org/waiolimissionhouse/

Now is where I should mention luaus. I have been to the luau at Tahiti Nui and liked it, Authentic. But small scale. I have also been to the Las Vegas style luaus at Smith’s (near you in Kapaa) and Gaylord’s (further south just past the Mall). If you prefer a big production – Gaylord’s. Their food is better than the others.

http://www.gaylordskauai.com http://luaukalamaku.com

You will definitely want to drive further north. Be careful on the one lane bridges. This is seven miles of slow going. Stop frequently. BUT ALWAYS LOCK YOUR CAR IN THIS AREA. There are many botanical gardens on Kauai. My favorite is near the end of the road because of the views.

http://ntbg.org/gardens/limahuli.php

On the south shore another nice garden near Spouting Horn is really two associated gardens – McBryde and Allerton.

http://ntbg.org/gardens/mcbryde.php

You can hike twelve miles from the end of the road on the north to the end of the road on the west side. It’s too rigorous for me.

Oh, a nice boat/scuba ride to see the Napali Coast leaves from Anini Beach https://fareharbor.com/napaliseabreezetours/items/4962/

It is a family business. I like them, and so do the tour books, because they are located near the Napali coast so you do not waste a lot of tour time getting to it. Other tours leave from Port Allen on the south shore. That is where you go if you want a tour that includes scuba off Nihau, the forbidden island.

Ok, so now we are back in Kapaa and I will talk about the south and the west sides.

I am very partial to the Grove Farm Museum tour. It is history orientated. It is a couple hours long and you should reserve at least two weeks in advance https://grovefarm.org But if you do not want history it is boring.

It is located in the only mall area on the island, Kukui Grove. Costco has the best gas prices. Macy’s is in the mall also and the only decent movie theater is nearby.

This is just south of the museum. So is the Lihue harbor. http://www.kauai.com/menehune-fishpond

If you continue on the road that Menehue is on you go past the area where Indian Jones was shot. But the area where they filmed the big stone coming after Indiana is shut down. Too many people drowned I guess.

Back to Costco. If you have a Costco bard it is the best place for guide books. Gaylords is across the street. Besides the luau they have a nice happy hour in the bar.

Heading west you will see a fork to the left that takes you through the avenue of the trees into Koloa and eventually to Poipu and The Spouting Horns area. Lots of hotels and places to eat.

You should see Shipwreck Beach: http://www.kauaiexplorer.com/kauai_beac ... wrecks.php

Take the hike to Mahaulepu Beach http://www.aloha-hawaii.com/kauai/beaches/mahaulepu/

(Take water. Do not give up when you get to the golf course. Keep walking. The best is still ahead of you.)

Spouting Horn is nearby. Drive past the parking lot and up the hill until it dead ends into a gate for nice views.

http://www.gohawaii.com/kauai/regions-n ... ting-horn/

There is a strip mall at the traffic circle on the way to Spouting Horn. Merriman’s is nice. Also Lappert’s ice cream. There are farmers markets someplace everyday. The one here is on Fridays and there is usually live outdoor music.

We like to go to the Hyatt sometimes and just get a drink in the lounge overlooking the ocean.

So to go west you have to go back to highway 50 through the Avenue of the Trees. Many people bear left after Kalaheo and go to Kauai Coffee Plantation to sample coffee and take the tour. Going further west you pass through Hanapepe. Friday night is art night downtown. You have to get off 50 to the north to find the downtown. It’s no big deal. Don’t schedule yourself around Friday art night. There is a bookstore. Going further west you pass the Russian fort ruins and the place where Captain Cook first landed in Hawaii. Not much to see.

You can drive to Waimea Canyon from either Waimea or from Kekaha. The two roads meet eventually. Gas up before leaving 50. http://hawaiistateparks.org/parks/kauai ... tate-park/

The food in the lodge is good but they close at 4 pm.

Drive all the way through Waimea and on through Kokee Park to the end of the road for great views.

My wife and I think the best way to see Kauai is from helicopter. But helicopter is not for everybody. I recommend Jack Harter in Lihue.

http://www.helicopters-kauai.com

Here is a noisy video



Be careful at the beaches. There is a brochure about safe beaches as you get off the airplane. Oh, and lots of brochures. Grab a bunch as you come through the baggage area. Lots of discount coupons.

Drivers here are very courteous. But they expect it in return. They expect that you will let them make left turns in front of you. They expect you to let them out of driveways. It takes a little time to get used to the effects of politeness. This is not Italy but in an odd way can be just as surprising.

[lauravanderklugt]

Dankjewel Jaap. Ben net met planning Kauai bezig en daar zijn we 12 jaar niet geweest, dus ben hier blij mee.