Kauai Trip Summary: Suggestions/Reviews

All:

Just got back from 3 weeks in Kauai. Had a great time. We stayed North Shore (Haena) for 1.5-weeks, then down south (Poipu) for the final 1.5 weeks. Definitely lots of fun, and we learned a LOT. Thought I%26#39;d pass along some suggestions (I know I was looking for some before my trip):

-The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook is what everyone suggests to use. It has great maps and very good detail on how to park/walk to unique beaches etc. However.... EVERYONE seems to use this book. I would walk around and see all tourists with this book open and looking through it. Thus, as you can imagine, if they say something is good (or was good when it went to print), the place is FLOODED with tourists. If they downplayed something, it was normal pace. So my suggestion: Don%26#39;t follow the specific suggestions (especially for dining and different shops) of the book. Use it for the great/detailed maps and descriptions, and make up your own mind about places.

-Surprising Dining: Mermaids Cafe, Pizzetta in Poipu, and Hanalei Pizza. They all got so-so reviews from the book, and were VERY good. Beach House and Cafe Hanalei rock, but were quite expensive.

-Surprising Dining: Bubbas was par, but nothing that great. Hanalei Dolphin was also ok, but nothing terrific. I think the biggest letdown was Lapparts Ice Cream. People seem to love it, but we thought it was overpriced and nothing special. Instead, try buying a 1/2 gal of Rosalani-brand ice-cream from Big Save, Foodland, etc. It%26#39;s one of the more expensive store-brand ones, but made in Hawaii, and is some of the best I%26#39;ve ever had. Save the $7 from buying a cone at Lapparts, and buy the Rosalani, store it at your place, and enjoy it all week...

-Cooking: For us, we got sick of burgers/pizza after ~4-5 days. Needed to have some normal meals, and ended up shopping at Big Save, Star Market, Foodland, etc. Couple of tips: It didn%26#39;t seem like any one of these was the ';cheapest';. All were pricey, but would have sales that rival those on the mainland. Keep an eye out, and you can get a better deal. Our advice: Just buy what you want. It%26#39;s going to be more expensive than the mainland. Get over it, you%26#39;re on vacation. Lemons were nearly $1/each, and tomatoes were $3/lb. Yes, it cost me double that of home, but my home-cooked meal was still less than pizza out, and much better.

Have a fun time, and explore (without using the Kauai Guidebook). Ask around and talk w/ people while you%26#39;re there and you%26#39;ll have a great experience!

-Jacob

Kauai Trip Summary: Suggestions/Reviews

Yessss! Totally agree that Roselani Ice Cream from Maui is tops! Thought I would give it a try when I saw the half-gallons of tropical mixes (coconut, pineapple, mango, papaya, etc.) and the chocolate, carmel and macadamia nut combinations. I haven%26#39;t been the same since and, by way of comparison, Haagen Das and Ben %26amp; Jerry%26#39;s have lost their charm. Agree that Lappert%26#39;s is overrated and, to my taste buds, Coldstone is way too sugary.

Next visit, if you did not do it, do yourself a favor and hit the farmer%26#39;s markets for a break on FRESH produce. Out in the country there are lots of banana, mango, papaya, citrus and avocado trees and here and there you will see stands out in front of houses. On the road to Kilauea a couple years ago, there was a sign that said ';FREE'; and so I slammed on the breaks to find a bushel basket full of avocados. Picked out a few had great guacamole with limes sold along the roadside.

Before I got to know the island, I felt blessed to have the ';blue book'; to read on the plane. It gave me a kick-start guide and saved me precious time...and gas.

Kauai Trip Summary: Suggestions/Reviews

tomatoes are hard to grow here. so prices are high. The fruit flys wear you out unless you use screen or spray. Lemons at $1 is a crime. Most of us have trees just dumping them on the ground.....

Keep your eyes open for the side of the road honor system stands. No need to get ripped off too much at Safeway. same prices are fine. Otherwise, welcome to Hawaii. We always find the mainland really cheap these days.

Couldn%26#39;t agree more re Lapperts. Why bother. Give me a tub of Haagen Daz.

We to looked at prices Bananas were close to $1 lb and then at end dropped to 68/lb but what a difference in taste. Pineapples were the disappointment we paid $4 and $12 when a super sweet at home was $2.98 at sams or costco. Also disappointed in Lapperts, enjoyed but expected more. Thought I has heard that there were hydroponic tomato gardens on Hawaii???Thankful to the forum posters on farmers markets mentions.

3 weeks in Kauai - lucky you!! That alone sounds fabulous!! Glad you had a good trip.

Okay folks - did you have to share about good ice cream??!! That%26#39;s all I need . . . now I%26#39;ll have to try that on my next trip.

I need to take more advantage of the Mom %26amp; Pop roadside produce . . . that sure seems the way to go, but here in Alaska we pay very high prices for produce, so Hawaii seems to be about the same as here - nice to go somewhere that there isn%26#39;t sticker shock, though we don%26#39;t usually pay tax, so that throws me a bit for a day or two.

Mahalo for sharing with the rest of us! :)

coalminer...I hear you grow your own shave ice up there!

Jacob, thank you for your trip report. We loved Roselani%26#39;s ice cream, which we discovered on Maui, so we%26#39;ll definitely be stocking that in our condo on Kauai come November. Good info on the restaurants.

Thanks for sharing your Kauai experience!

We are looking at camping a couple of nights and doing a cottage for a few nights on our first trip there in December. Would you happen to have any suggestions as to which beaches would seem to be appropriate for camping? From my research so far, Anini Beach and the Na Pali coast seem like top contenders.

Tom %26amp; Libby

I went camping last week with my dad for 5 nights in Kauai. We camped at Camp Sloggett (Koke%26#39;e State Park/ Waimea Canyon), Polihale Beach Park, Salt Pond Beach Park and Anini.

Couple things about camping on Kaua%26#39;i. Be prepared to deal with local hobo%26#39;s (drinkers disturbing the peace all hours), homeless, don%26#39;t think of camping as getting out in the wilderness, and most importantly, be prepared to deal with chickens, particularily roosters. They crow not at just daybreak but hours before and for hours on end. However there were no mosquitoes%26#39;, but some roaches (salt pond).

You have to get permits. I would get them once you arrive in Lihue, because Dec. isn%26#39;t tourist season and doing all the mailing, getting cashier checks, waiting, time difference, etc. is a lot to deal with.

Anini I wouldn%26#39;t camp there in Dec. because it will POUR on you endlessly, and never stop. We were there last week during the %26#39;off%26#39; rainy season.. and winter is suppose to be worse. Dealing with rain isn%26#39;t so bad, but packing up a wet tent in the rain and going to the bathroom at 2 am.. mm not fun.

I would camp at Polihale for sure. It is hot and dry but shouldn%26#39;t be to bad in the winter, and it even cooled off nicely at night in the summer. It is remote and there weren%26#39;t many there... you can also camp on the beach (bring a 4 wheel drive in order to get right to your site, but NOT needed to get to the camping area). You%26#39;ll feel privileged when others have to do the long bumpy drive (30 minute pot-hole unpaved drive) home to the hotel, when you have a spot right there to also watch the moon come up over the mountains. Try to arrange the camping around a full moon, WOW we did that and it was awesome.

Koke%26#39;e state park camping is closed, so that is why we did camp sloggett. Again, no hotels up there, so it was great walking home after hiking or after eating at the lodge. But in Dec. it probably gets even cooler.. it was 54 at night!

I wrote a review on all the camping we did. Have fun!!!

liz

thanks for the report!..well written and informative..will be there in 2 weeks..will be reporting back after oct 7

We do enjoy Lappert%26#39;s, more for the unusual tropical flavors than for exceptional quality. And it does cost. One of our prize discoveries on this last trip was the Melona ice cream bar. Looks like a popsicle, but it%26#39;s ice cream on a stick and it%26#39;s good. Saw three flavors---melon, lemon and strawberry. We greatly preferred melon. And----only $.99 in Hanalei.