Originally Posted By mousegrl Hey,all. I'm going to Kauai next month for a week, and was wondering if any of you have any suggestions for a first time visitor to Hawaii. I'm going with my son (9) and my hubby. (and a few friends) We're staying at a friends condo. A few questions. -How much is food? I've heard a lot. A gallon of milk costs.... -what is the weather like in October? Clothes I should pack... -What is a not miss thing to do or see? I'm pretty excited. I haven't flown since 9-11 and am a little nervous about that, however. We're flying out of SFO. Any flying tips? Thanks everyone!
Originally Posted By LPFan22 I know this is stating the obvious but in case you're not used to it... expect humidity. And... never turn your back on a wave. Don't ask me how I know that one.
Originally Posted By RangerPooh I've been to Kauai a few times as my grandparents live there. Have you bought the "Ultimate Guide to Kauai"? It's very informative!!! My suggestions are: Poipu is a lovely beach area (and very popular) as well as a sheltered cove. Snorkling is doable Legitt (sp?) Park has a nice sheltered area for children. My daughter esp. enjoyed this as it was warmer than Poipu On the north coast there's a light house to visit On the NW side is Wiamah (sp?) Canyon which is really neat! It's like the grand canyon but with more greenery. You can also hike this area. Rent snorle equipment at Snorkle Bob's as it's rasonably priced and ranked pretty high. There are multiple waterfalls to check out if you're interested. Food prices are comparable as well as you shop a real market. There's some in Lahui as well as a WalMart for your travel needs. Gas will be slightly higher than here on the mainland. As for clothes just bring a pair of pants to be safe as well as a sweatshirt. Obviously prepare for rain. And leave any white canvas shoes at home as the dust from the red clay will stain them. Most importantly pack your camera and have fun!
Originally Posted By mousegrl Wow. Thanks a lot, RangerPooh. We're staying somewhere on the east side of Kauai. I forget where, exactly. The friend we are going with owns a condo there, so we're kinda taggin along with him. We're flying out of SFO for 437.00 round trip per person. Is that good? We decided to drive to sfo (5 hours) rather than pay 867.00 per person from Nothern California. Yeouch. Painful prices. We taking the red-eye back and driving home that morning. Sigh. The things I do to save money and time. lol
Originally Posted By RangerPooh mousegrl- I don't think that rate is too bad. I've seen it lower as well as much higher. Was your other option to fly from in Nor Cal Arcata? Flying out of SFO isn't bad, or atleast it wasn't when I flew from there in 2001. I koved to Wa, so now I fly from Seattle. Since you're on the eatern side of Kauai you may see more rain there than if you were on the west side. But it if definately greener too. There's also a Safeway on the east side. If I had my book with me I'd check for you. But I do know that it you take the highway towards north shore in Lahuie (sp.) you'll pass it. Have fun! I was there in April and wish that I could return soon ºoº
Originally Posted By hawnmama I live on Oahu and went to Kauai last year. the island is very laid back. Great place to relax and kick back. visit the wet and dry caves that's always nice. the boat to the fern grotto is nice to and a must see. To save money you can eat at small food places instead of fancy resturants. Eat like the locals. Plate lucnes are the best. Don't forget to take home Kauai cookies! Aloha
Originally Posted By hawnmama oh one more thing. Like most people do! Don't over pack. Shorts, jeans, unless you go some where fancy you will be fine with light clothing. It has been raining off and on but it doesn't last long. Nice and sunny now. I leave to DL on Sunday. So enjoy Hawaii while I enjoy DL (hehe)
Originally Posted By mousegrl Yep, RangerPooh. The norcal flight was out of Arcata. A little too steep for my pocketbook. Thanks, hawnmama. Ooh, Kauai cookies! I'm intrigued. Have a great trip to Disneyland!
Originally Posted By wonderingalice Mr. Alice and I spent our honeymoon on Kauai in May this year and loved it! The island is very small and you'll be able to see anything you like with just a bit of driving. Hanalei and the drive to/from is absolutely GORGEOUS! There's some good shopping there... Nice little shops to browse for island goodies. If you'd like to visit a nice restaurant (still, it's a jeans and polo shirt or resort shorts-type place), in Kapaa, Coconuts has delicious food (the calamari is to die for, it's SO great)and has an excellent atmosphere. There's a Safeway grocery store nearby... Good place to shop for food and other necessities for your condo. Prices are higher than the mainland, but nothing 'painful.' Also in Kapaa, avoid Bubba's Burgers unless you stop in for just the T-shirts. *L* In spite of the place being packed constantly, we found them to have THE worst burgers we've ever eaten. *LOL* Dry, burnt... just yicky. Heh heh heh... Cute shirts, though! ;-) The drive to Poipu is another pretty one (the whole island is amazing for sightseeing) and the beaches there are good for swimming. There's an outdoor shopping center there that has the Puka Dogs (specialty hot dogs) place. We were too full from breakfast to eat there, but the smells were marvelous! And just a couple of weeks after we returned home, they were featured in a Travel Channel special on Hawaiian food... We were very disappointed we hadn't tried them. We did Smith's Luau and enjoyed it very much. It's touristy, but fun. And the ceremony surrounding the preparation of the pig (buried and cooked adjacent to the outdoor dining area) is really interesting. They also do a tram tour of their grounds and the drivers give good commentary. Great photo ops there, too! Saw our first avocado tree! *L* LPFan22 is right about the humidity. It's pretty much 80 degrees and about 60-70% humidity every day. NEVER go outside without your sunscreen! You'll burn to a crisp without it. The sun in Hawaii is more severe than any place in the U.S. (with the exception of - maybe - Death Valley). We're in Las Vegas and never feel our skin roasting the way it did in Kauai (and that's WITH sunscreen... it just feel HOT all the time). And if you don't want to mess with your hair, bring hats. It IS possible to make it look nice (our hotel had excellent air conditioning), but you'll definitely 'droop' within a couple of hours of being out in the humidity and strong breezes. And you'll come to truly appreciate those breezes! Have a WONDERful time... I know you will!
Originally Posted By mousegrl wonderingalice- Thank you so much! Wow. What valuable information! I'll be sure to bring plenty of sunscreen. I'm pretty fair skinned so I appreciate the info. I'll probably wear my hair in a ponytail since the humidity is so high. I usually don't curl it or anything (except with a roller brush and hairdryer), and the ponytail should prevent frizzies. I wanted to ask if a luau was worth the money. I kinda feel like since I'm in Hawaii, I need to go to a luau! Coconuts and Puka(really?lol) Dogs, here I come! Thanks again!
Originally Posted By wonderingalice You're so very welcome, mousegrl! Mr. Alice and I are both fair-skinned and we wore a great sunscreen (non-heavy) - Neutragena 45 SPF - and didn't tan, burn or anything. Worked great! My hair's too short for a ponytail, but oh how I wish I could have done that! *L* I looked like a droopy dog most days... *L* Puka Dogs have these cool buns that are baked in the shape of a cylinder, but with a hole in the middle (closed at the bottom, I believe) ...Then they have a bunch of different exotic relishes to choose from... Sounds very yummy! I would definitely go to a luau... Check the Ultimate Guide to Kauai (we used that too... awesome book) to choose the one that sounds best to you. Meant to mention that the after-dinner show at Smith's was a lot of fun. More theatrical than traditional, I understand, but the variety of entertainment (especially the dancers) was great! If you think of questions you might like to ask, feel free to use the e-mail address in my profile. warpdrvr (another LP'er) and I exchanged messages before his recent trip, too... His family stayed at the same resort we did. He'd have some good input for you too.
Originally Posted By FiveBearRugs The Puka Dogs were featured on Food Network... or was it Travel Channel?? You will find that Kauai is VERY quiet compared to Maui, or let's say, hee-hee, Oahu. It's very beautiful and green, but it rains all the time. Make sure to shop at ABC and CrazyShirts, and get some delicious Hula Pie at...at... oh curses... it was either Keoki's Paradise or Duke's Kauai. Okay, Hula Pie is this HUGE ice cream dessert served at this chain of restaurants in California and Hawaii. Here's the main link: <a href="http://www.tsrestaurants.net/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.tsrestaurants.net/i ndex.html</a> And here's the link to the ones in Hawaii: <a href="http://www.tsrestaurants.net/hawaii.html" target="_blank">http://www.tsrestaurants.net/h awaii.html</a>
Originally Posted By mousegrl You guys are so awesome. Thank you, thank you! If I have any more questions, I'll definitely E-mail you, wonderalice. Thanks again. Hula Pie....sounds yummy!!!
Originally Posted By FiveBearRugs Hmmm... if I can remember it... Hula Pie looks like a fat shark's fin. It's macadamia nut ice cream with a cookie crust and the whole thing is covered with chocolate syrup and more macadamia nuts. The latter is known to mess up Stitch's body and shut him down. Aha! Hula Pie! <a href="http://www.tsrestaurants.com/hulapie.html" target="_blank">http://www.tsrestaurants.com/h ulapie.html</a>
Originally Posted By wonderingalice Ooohhhhh! I want my Hula Pie... I didn't know anything ABOUT Hula Pie! Waaah! *L* Next time I guess... I'll just pout until then! ;-) FBR, I think it was the Travel Channel. If I remember right (and I could definitely be wrong) the focus was on the Hawaiian islands and not just food. Could have been either one... Wait a sec... A GOOGLE! (I love the Internet! <a href="http://www.pukadog.com/PUKADOGONTHETRAVELCHANNEL.htm" target="_blank">http://www.pukadog.com/PUKADOG ONTHETRAVELCHANNEL.htm</a> Wheeeeeee!
Originally Posted By mousegrl Hula Pie = Heaven Sigh. That may well be the best tip I've received so far. lol I'll tell you all how it was when I get back. Anyone want me to bring them a piece?
