01-25-2006, 03:43 AM
My wife and I just went there in November for a much delayed honeymoon. It was fabulous.
We stayed on the South side of the island-less rainy. Where you are may be a bit rainier, so think about heading south for sun. There are a couple of nice beaches there.
That Napali hike is fairly strenuous. If you hike regularly, you'll enjoy. I don't, and I was sore for a couple of days. Of course, it was raining off and on. The views were pretty good-cliffs and ocean.
A much easier and nicer hike is off Shipwreck Beach, on the south side, heading north towards the golf course. COuld take 45 minutes to an hour,one way. Really gorgeous ocean views, but no mountain views.
THE guidebook to get is Ultimate Kauai-absolutely the best. http://www.wizardpub.com/kauai/kauai.html
The helicopter rides are supposed to be wonderful, but were a bit pricey for us-over $200 per person.
Many good restaurants. We really liked the Beach House, again on the South side of the island. Go there either for food or for a drink, and get there just before sunset-spectacular!!!
The boat cruises are excellent. We took one, can't remember the name, maybe it was a catamaran? Definitely not the inflatables-those really give you a beating from what I hear.
And the Waimea canyon is AMAZING! Mark Twain called it "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific" and he is right, only it's the Grand Canyon with waterfalls. We didn't hike it at all, but just looking at it from the viewpoints is totally amazing-worth the trip by itself.
Toi's Thai restaurant was the best Thai food we've ever had. A bit of a hole in the wall, and not near where you're staying, but if you do the cruise from the south/west side of the island, stop here for lunch or dinner:
4469 Waialo Rd, Ele'ele Shopping Ctr, Ele'ele, HI 96705 ยท 808-335-3111
Go with the Ultimate guidebook, and you will have a superb time.
And if you're a big hiker, get a good hiking guidebook.
We stayed on the South side of the island-less rainy. Where you are may be a bit rainier, so think about heading south for sun. There are a couple of nice beaches there.
That Napali hike is fairly strenuous. If you hike regularly, you'll enjoy. I don't, and I was sore for a couple of days. Of course, it was raining off and on. The views were pretty good-cliffs and ocean.
A much easier and nicer hike is off Shipwreck Beach, on the south side, heading north towards the golf course. COuld take 45 minutes to an hour,one way. Really gorgeous ocean views, but no mountain views.
THE guidebook to get is Ultimate Kauai-absolutely the best. http://www.wizardpub.com/kauai/kauai.html
The helicopter rides are supposed to be wonderful, but were a bit pricey for us-over $200 per person.
Many good restaurants. We really liked the Beach House, again on the South side of the island. Go there either for food or for a drink, and get there just before sunset-spectacular!!!
The boat cruises are excellent. We took one, can't remember the name, maybe it was a catamaran? Definitely not the inflatables-those really give you a beating from what I hear.
And the Waimea canyon is AMAZING! Mark Twain called it "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific" and he is right, only it's the Grand Canyon with waterfalls. We didn't hike it at all, but just looking at it from the viewpoints is totally amazing-worth the trip by itself.
Toi's Thai restaurant was the best Thai food we've ever had. A bit of a hole in the wall, and not near where you're staying, but if you do the cruise from the south/west side of the island, stop here for lunch or dinner:
4469 Waialo Rd, Ele'ele Shopping Ctr, Ele'ele, HI 96705 ยท 808-335-3111
Go with the Ultimate guidebook, and you will have a superb time.
And if you're a big hiker, get a good hiking guidebook.