USVI-On-Line

Well after watching airfares we have decided to skip STJ for spring break this year, airfares to STT were ridiculously high and we ended up getting air from DTW-LIH (Kauai) for $30 more than to STT.

This is our first time to Kauai, does anyone have ideas and suggestions for us? We found a great villa, thankfully prices are very inexpensive for lodging and car rental, the villa ia a little less than half of what we pay in STJ for our favorite villa, and the car rental is running about $15 per day.

Any ideas or tips are welcome!

Luckily we will be back on STJ for Carnival this year, over the 4th of July.

Thanks!

We went to Kauai in 2008... it's a GORGEOUS island and fantastic for hiking!!!!

Went about 3 years ago!

We had a great time....really enjoyed helicopter tour and zip lining!

You will absolutely love Kauai - it is heaven on earth to me. There are so many gorgeous trails to hike. We really enjoyed ziplining in Princeville, helicopter ride (DOORS OFF), ATV ride, and NaPali coast tour. Annini beach is a great place to watch the kite surfing. PM me if you have any specific questions or need more information. TripAdvisor has a lot of great information.

Yo...You are gonna love Kauai. We almost moved there! There are great coupon books at the airport when you land. Get two! Princeville is a must visit. If you are in Rotary the local Princeville club gives special tours for a donation to their charity. I gave $50 and it was worth five times that! Go to the end of the road to see the Thron Birds cottage and watch the sunset. It is good snorkeling as well. There is so much eye candy. Grand canyon of the Pacific. Take a helicopter ride. You will be glad you did. On one of our 5 trips I did an Easter sunrise service at Hanalei Bay...very special in the memory banks. If you scuba there are some great dive sites. Check the local farmers market days. Bought a great fresh fish right from the cooler of the fisherman. If you like ice cream go to Lapperts. Coconut flavor a favorite. I could write for hours. Get in the car and explore. Ask the locals where to go. ...God bless...Bill

Hope this helps:



Trip Report Hawaii August 2010

Hubby and I wanted to take a special vacation this summer to celebrate five years of marital bliss and our 50th birthdays. Deciding on a location proved to be more of a challenge then expected, but we absolutely made the right choice.

The trip began in Honolulu where we spent 4 days on Wakiki. Frankly not our scene. Even for two New Yorkers the crowds were overwhelming. Hawkers everywhere, some very aggressive, one I had to go "street on" to get him to back off after multiple polite "no thank you" did not dissuade him, the same shops selling the same junk, and please, can anyone tell me just how many ABC Stores are located on Wakiki. That being said, the beach is passable, when one considers it was actually man made. The best part was floating on a cheap $3 air mattress one afternoon for what seemed like hours. I enjoyed the city most in the early morning hours before it really came awake.



On balance glad I went, but would not do Honolulu again. Spent the better part of one day at Pearl Harbor going to the Arizona Memorial, Missouri, Bowfin and Pacific Aviation Museum. Obviously not to be missed. Really enjoyed the drive we took around the island. The Northshpore is much more our vibe. Shrimp Shacks, lovely vistas around every corner. Plopped down on Waimea Bay for a few hours in late afternoon, it was magical.

Hiked up to Diamond Head, everyone is right, go early, the trail is less crowded and you will have more time to enjoy the view from the top.

Food costs were very high. The first night we planned on heading for Duke's bar to have a drink and eat at the bar, (a more economical alternative to the restaurant) but got turned around and ended up at Shorebirds. We got a table and the waitress told us it was grill your own night, I figured you would go up to the grill and a chef would take over... no it was actually cook it yourself. Needless to say we had a great laugh. I must be married to the only man who does not grill, so there I was on my first night of vacation... standing over a hot grill cooking!

Loved the bar at the Westin Moana Surfrider, bartender Craig mixes a mean Mai Tai and there was live music over looking the beach. One restaurant recommendation, is "Town" about 5 -10 minutes off Wakiki in a funky newly trendy area. The food was wonderful.

Next on to Kauai, and it was love at first sight. This must be the most beautiful place on earth, it quite literally takes your breath away. Stayed at a northshore condo, Ali'i Kai 4101, the owners were great to deal with, they gave us an excellent price and pretty much a free day since we had no check out time, "leave at your leisure" was how she put it. It's a great condo and highly recommended.

First day, Anini Beach, set up on the far left near the camp grounds, from here you have a wonderful sweeping view of the bay. What a change from Wakiki, felt like only a handful of people. Hubby did a little snorkeling, saw a great big turtle but the current was running very strong that day as the Trades were up. But the wind kept the beach beautifully cool, so it's a trade off.

It was our anniversary and my husband booked a reservation at The Beach House. It was a long drive down to Poipu but what a perfect meal we had. We arrived just before sunset, our waiter Justin was a doll, and the restaurant sent over a special dessert and a card signed by the whole staff. Nice touch.




Day two we went kayaking on the Hanelei River, rented the kayaks from an outfitters set up directly on the banks. Nice folks but very laid back, after we set off we realized we got no information about the river and no PFD's. Not to worry I don't think it was deeper than 3 feet.

I think we went past the point where the maps tell you to turn back. The most strenuous part is fighting the wind, but we floated slowly back. Learned that my shoulder problem now makes kayaking very uncomfortable so we had to cancel the second trip we had planned up to Secret Falls. Not too many people on the river, for much of it we did not pass anyone else. Grabbed a fish taco from the truck on the east side of Hanaeli Bay and headed for the beach. Set up near the pier, the water was much calmer and had a nice relaxing float. It was a Sunday so the beach was full of lots of families and BBQ's I would have loved to wrangle an invite, the food looked amazing.

Day Three I planned a surprise for my hubby, a flight on a small ( emphasis on small) fixed wing aircraft. Wings Over Kauai, also a great operation, lovely people. Bruce the owner and pilot is my kind of guy, not afraid to let his geek flag fly. He let my No.1 geek take the copilots seat and hubby was grinning like a kid. Most of the aerial tours are helicopters. They can get much lower and closer, but we really enjoyed the fixed wing. It was more quiet and slow, and Bruce was so knowledgeable about island history. The hour just flew by.



Since we were all the way back to Lihue we drove to Waimea Canyon. Spectacular, we drove all the way to the end of the road stopping along at each lookout. The final lookout has the most amazing view, awe inspiring. There are many hiking trails along this park, one which I wanted to try, but never made it back was Phea Trail, starts from the last lookout and goes out to an overlook about 1 ½ miles out. We got there too late and didn't have the proper shoes anyway.

Day Four dawned cloudy and rainy, not bad since the first two days was a little too much sun. We headed to Kilaeau Lighthouse and Wildlife Refuge. Very cool and a nice way to spend a morning. After that stopped by the town and cruised the shops, some very nice stuff and a welcome change from the same old same old found in Honolulu. Picked up some lovely watercolors by a local artist, and a loaf of delicious sourdough bread at the bakery.

Next stop was Secret Beach it was overcast but that was fine, we walked over to the lava pools, got some great pics. On the way back picked up some fresh avocados from a roadside stand, made fresh guacamole and enjoyed it with a frosty beverage on the lanai overlooking the vast Pacific! It doesn't suck!

On the fifth day I took hubby on the Batan Death March of Hikes. The initial part of the Kalalau Trail from Ke'e Beach to Hanahaplai Beach. Not really so bad, we took it slow, although many 20 somethings passed us running the trail. Frankly a waste in my view as they were missing the best part, the fabulous scenery and sounds of the forest. But youth is wasted on the young, so they say. We took about 4 hours to do this part of the trail including about 30 minutes on the beach.




Once finished my hubby parked under a tree on Ke'e Beach and fell asleep. Ke'e by the way is a great beach, parking is tight, but that's pretty much the deal all over the northshore. In the evening we went to a Luau at the Hanelei Colony resort. Its very small, only 80 guests. We were wait listed but the manager offered us seats at the bar for a discount and we grabbed them. The bar tender Deanna was a doll and we had a great time chatting with her and another couple at the bar. Pierce Brosnon was supposed to be there but apparently he never showed up. Trust me I scooped the place pretty good for him. The luau was rally sweet. I was a little hesitant to go to one of the big shows, too campy for my tastes, but Hanalei Resort put on a nice show, dancers, musicians and the customary finale of the fire dancer. It was intimate, the food was very good and we didn't have to drive to the other side of the island.

Had one other possible celebrity sighting, Im quite sure I saw a shirtless Harrison Ford filling up his car at the service station in Princeville. The Kauai message boards were ablaze all summer with celebrity information. Several large movies were being filmed, including the latest installment of Pirates of the Caribbean. But most of the movie work had cleared out by the time we arrived.

Day 6 dawned pretty cloudy as well. We headed out early to Queens Bath. Having read all the cautions about this place we approached with some trepidation, but we hit it on a good day, early before the winds picked up, when the tide was down and the seas were calm. The rock formations are very interesting although it was crowed, a little like having too many people in a hot tub. The weather was not cooperating so we headed back to the condo. Later in the day we drove out to the overlook at Wailua Falls and hit the Farmers Market in Kapa'a, scored some great fresh herbs and fruits. Possibly the best pineapple I've ever tasted, we really gorged ourselves on it.

By Day 7 we finally made it to the famous Tunnels Beach, the snorkeling mecca of the northshore. The beach is a long stretch with very limited parking access which keeps it feeling uncrowded. I packed a picnic, we parked at the neighboring Han'ea Beach Park and walked over. Tunnels has a two reefs, inner and outer. When calm the outer reef is very doable. I didn't bring my gear this trip but hubby said the snorkeling was pretty good, lots of fish in many varieties but the reef itself was pretty barren, not a lot of coral variety and almost no soft corrals or fans. Must be related to the ferocity of the wave action.

The forecast for weather the next day was not favorable to set out for the sunnier south shore. We visited the Kauai Museum in Lihue, small but the staff truly loves this museum and had such enthusiasm for the collections, it was infectious. They also have a really nice gift shop where the cashier makes jewelry from shells from the forbidden island Ni'ihau.His work is really beautiful. I got a pair of earrings and rosary beads for my Mom. We tooled around the south shore a bit, hit up Borders for some new reading material, late lunch at Kalipaka Joe's, and back to the condo for cocktails on the lanai.


The next day we headed back for Tunnels and scored one of the coveted parking spots! This time I brought my $3 float and the day just seemed to pass in a relaxation haze. Dinner that night at Kalypso, actually we had two meals there. The guide books don't love this place but we had two very nice meals there. After dinner a movie was shown across the street out in the town square so we grabbed some chairs and watched.

Sunday arrived, our last day. We tried a new beach, Kahalahala beach. The guide book was absolutely right one about this one. If its calm its like the clearest swimming pool you've ever been in. We literally had to drag ourselves out of this spot, but we did have to think about packing up.



Grabbed a late lunch at The Hanalei Gourmet, packed, cleaned up the condo had a last drink on the lanai and headed for our 7:00PM flight to Honolulu. Trip back was long, two layovers in Honolulu and SanDiego, the later to pick up hubby's Mom who stayed the two weeks with her niece ( another long story) and then back to NY. Turned out to be a 36 hour day, and that was with no delays.

Final thoughts. Kauai is a true paradise. The island has so many variations in climate its constantly interesting. You can have a very active vacation or just kick back on anyone of a number of stunning beaches. It is truly the most beautiful place I have ever seen. The people are uniformly warm and inviting. I felt as if I was being treated as a guest in their home, instead of a tourist. It is a place to which we will return, even given the travel hassles from the east coast. I only wish I was eloquent enough to give this place its proper due, but I think its someplace everyone should see once in a lifetime.




!

We're going in June to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary...Can't wait.

Just a quick question about your car rental...which company did you rent from?

Thank you so much for all of the great information about Kauai, now I am REALLY excited to be going! The trip report was fantastic, I copied down some of the places you mentioned.

For the car rental, I found out that if you go onto Hawaiian Air's website and click on car rentals, they have several different coupon codes for different car rental companies--the rates were literally half of what was on Expedia or other big sites. I reserved ours through Avis. No charge up front, just the reservation. I also learned to keep checking the reservation so that if the rate goes down, you just cancel the old reservation and make a new one!

I'm so happy for you! Kauai is crazy beautiful.

I did a trip report for the trip we took there about 3 years ago:
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... ight=kauai

Some other resources:
We used the book Ultimate Kauai for info on hikes, beaches, etc. Very helpful.

Check the website http://www.wizardpub.com to see info about resorts. After you click once to get into the site, click on Ultimate Kauai at the upper left, then the tab labeled "Resort Aerials and Reviews". Scroll down to the map and click on the resort names. This helps you see how a resort and its buildings are situated in relation to the beach. (If a resort is across the highway from the beach, its website probably won't tell you that.)

There's also good info on http://www.kauaiexplorer.com/ ... hikes, beaches, etc. One thing I checked was the link on the right called "Seasonal Surf Trends." It's handy for knowing when the surf is safest and when it can be really high (in general, the advice is stay south in the winter, north in the summer.)

We also got some very good information from the Kauai forum on Trip Advisor. Just like this forum, there are folks who live on island who contribute to the forum and answer questions, and I find that information really valuable.

Have fun and be sure to do a trip report!

OK more... (I started looking at some of my Kauai pictures and had some more thoughts.)

Favorite hike: Canyon Ridge Trail. (There's another, more serious hike on the North Shore that we didn't get to due to heavy rains up north during our trip.)

Favorite treats: Jo Jo's shave ice, Puka Dogs.

Tip: before we did a sailing trip, we took some Dramamine the night before, then another about an hour before the trip. This was a tip from the concierge who said taking some the night before helps it get into your system. I don't know if it made a difference, but none of us felt icky on our sailing trip.

Tip: the trails can get really muddy and the red dirt is very stubborn! Bring old gym shoes or shoes like Keens that you can rinse out. And mostly, bring a pair of flip flops ('slippahs' to the locals) to wear on the ride home from the trails, and keep some plastic bags in the car for your muddy shoes. Old towels might be handy too.

We ended up throwing out DS's gym shoes at the end of the trip and got him some new ones at the Costco there. There was no saving his shoes from that red mud!

We went to Kauai 7 years ago for our Honeymoon and loved it. We went to a restaurant (don't know if it's still there) called Coco's on the main road on the east side of the island. To this day, we still think of that meal as the best we ever had.
One word of advice: buy a bug trap for your car (we bought at the KMart). I've said this before in regards to Kauai and Maui on this forum, but we had cockroaches in our rental cars on each island, and we rented from a major company. My husband still will not tell me how many roaches he found in the trap, but it was more than a dozen and they mostly were active at night. Don't mean to gross you out, but better to be prepared than surprised.
The one thing I regret not doing in Kauai was taking a sailing tour of the Napali Coast.

We've been to Hawaii twice. First trip was to Maui and Kauai. Second trip was to the Big Island and Kauai. If we go again, we'll probably spend the whole trip on Kauai. I really love it, particularly the north shore.

The Caribbean islands are certainly beautiful, but it's a gentle beauty. Kauai is spectacular in that Pacific island way. Jurassic Park was filmed there. It wasn't computer generated. I remember being a little disappointed at first when we left the airport, but as we headed north the island became more rural and the mountains became more astonishing. It gradually became mythological.

If we go again there are many places we'd like to see , but there are several that we'll do every time. The Kalalau Trail on the north shore is just magnificent. On our first trip we took it up to Hanakapi'ai Falls. On the second trip we were quite satisfied to just go as far as Hanakapi'ai Beach. Our trend seems to be do do less every trip and take longer to do it. Both of our trips have been in September, so at the end of the hike we'd cool down at Ke'e Beach which is the start of the trail and the end of the road. Part of the year the surf on the north shore is much too rough to get in the water. It's fine in summer into fall, but I don't remember when it calms down in spring.

Tunnels is another astonishingly beautiful beach. I dearly love Hanalei Bay. It might be the most gorgeous place I've ever seen a sunset. I think I could just sit there forever. The Hanalei Valley overlook is also magnificent. We'd stop every time we went by. Hanalei town is a wonderful place to hang out for a while and eat, drink coffee and marvel at the beauty of it all.

Waimea Canyon is quite remarkable. What is it doing on Kauai? We hiked the Canyon Trail down into the canyon to Waipo'o Falls. It was a pretty wonderful day. We might try out a different trail if we go again, but not because it was at all disappointing. And there's a magnificent view at the top of the canyon--the Kalalau Lookout. But there's an even more wonderful lookout a distance beyond--the Pu'u o Kila Lookout.

Helicopter tours of the canyon or the Napali Coast are popular, but we like to hike and experience the beauty step by step from ground level. We also love the quiet. We did take a sunset cruise in Hanalei Bay which was lovely. We've never gone to a luau and don't think we've missed out on anything that we'd enjoy. We tend to stay away from touristy stuff.

We did a lot of our research on the TA/Kauai forum which is very active and very helpful. We also had a couple of books that were very useful:
"Kauai Revealed" and "Snorkel Kauai"

We're really captivated by Kauai. We'd go more often but we're east coasters and it's a grueling and rather expensive trip. I'm very grateful that we have been there, though. Kauai touched something in me that had never been touched before.

Once again I am impressed by the information and insight I get from this board - whether we are talking about St. John or not. Thank you so much for the additional tips - I have a great list going!

Lex, you described exactly how I feel about Hawaii--we went to Maui for my 50th last summer and I was overwhelmed by the power of the earth and water. The cliffs, the immense waterfalls, the canyons...wow. I could not believe how you can be in a barren, desert like landscape on a black lava flow one minute, then in a stunning lush green canyon with waterfalls the next. When we went to the summit of Haleakala for my birthday to watch the sunrise, I was in tears--I had never seen anything like it (and I've seen a lot of sunrises in my time! ) When we got back, friends kept asking 'how does it compare to St. John?' and of course the answer is 'It doesn't.' Both places are beautiful and wonderful in completely different ways. Hawaii has so much majesty--every vista is more breathtaking than the last, and the place challenges all of your senses--whether walking steep muddy trails or dodging giant waves. At the end of every day I was completely exhausted, in a good way! I have never experienced such lush, intense jungle and forest, and I will never forget the smell of the air--intense with flowers. For someome who grew up with images from 'South Pacific' and 'Blue Hawaii' as my fantasies, Hawaii is a dream come true!

We also concur on the luau, we did buy tickets for the luau at the Hyatt on Maui--we walked up to the line of hundreds of people stretched out in the hot sun, shook our heads and gave our tickets to a honeymoon couple! I am sure it was a fine event, just not for us!

Also just fYI for anyone who doesn't like the long trip from the east coast to Hawaii, we are trying something new--we used ff miles to get to the west coast, and are taking an evening flight into San Jose. We are spending the night at the airport then heading nonstop to Kauai the next morning, arriving at 11:00 am. Breaks the trip in two, and Alaska and Hawaiian Air have some awesome deals--we got nonstop air from San Jose for $48 rt. In comparison, airfare for our dates from Detroit into STT was over $700! So there are good deals to be had to Hawaii. Last summer we paid $540 rt from DTW, connecting in Chicago, straight into Maui on United.

Good stuff everybody. Much thanks from me too - Tracie and I have exchanged PMs as we are also going to Kauai in May instead of STJ for a lot of the same reasons and with similar logisitics - we have 3 night stopover in San Francisco on the way back. Their trip is early spring so I will be able to pick her brain after she gets back

We are really looking forward to getting our island fix in Kauai (not to mention the photo opps) and having our college age daughter get a taste of one of the great cities of the world. We have already been east to wine country and up north to Point Reyes+ and south to Monterey+ on previous CA trips so we may not even rent a car. There were some great HD shots of SF last night on that mind numbing TV show The Bachelor (thank God for the fast forward functions of DVRs)