Kauai

[zibazinski]

I am taking my aunt to Hawaii for a week the end of February. The island of Kauai to be exact. Any advice on car rentals and/or places to see/eat?

[mmhmm]

See Waimea Canyon, drive the North Shore, and see the botanical garden (can't for the life of me remember the name of it). If I think of other things, I'll update here. Love, love, love Kauai!

There's a big mansion on Kauai (again, I've forgotten the name) that has a fantastic restaurant. There's also an old lighthouse and a wildlife sanctuary at Kilauea Point on the North Shore. The South Shore is more developed and touristy, but it has a neat water spout kinda thing. Spouting Horn, I think it's called.

[zibazinski]

I'm excited because she got an all clear from her cancer scare and since mom never got to Italy, I'm not putting off any trips with my senior relatives anymore.

[Jaguar]

Here's Wiki's Link ~

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kauai

[mmhmm]

So happy for your aunt having gotten a good report and NO CANCER! Yay!

[Jaguar]

Dec 29, 2012 21:39:47 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

So happy for your aunt having gotten a good report and NO CANCER! Yay!

So very TRU DAT

[zibazinski]

I'm so relieved. Losing one senior member was enough for the year. DF and I love my aunt to pieces!

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Kauai was my favorite of the islands that we hit.

One thing you might want to do is take a drive to see where scenes from South Pacific were filmed. It poured the day we went, would have loved to spend more time there, but we were getting drenched.

[zibazinski]

That's great to know. We both love the beauty of that movie. Is there a trail, so to speak?

[Deleted]

I agree the Na pali Coast is beautiful.

Be sure to swim with the turtles at Poipu beach. Magical!

[zibazinski]

I'm thinking the water will be too cold to go into. It's the end of February.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

We went in early March and the water was ok.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

We went to Maui in February - and the water was warm enough.

[zibazinski]

;D

[tcu2003]

We used either National or Avis when we were there last January. I'm thinking Avis, but I could be wrong. Either way, if you have a late flight in to the island, make sure you note what flight you're supposed to arrive on. Our flight ended up being a bit delayed, and it was one of the latest ones in, so we were the last rental they were waiting on, and they closed up right after we got our car.

You might be able to still see whales in February. When we went to spouting horn, we had some great views of the whales while there - so awesome!

[tcu2003]

The helicopter tours are supposed to be amazing - I really wish we had gotten to try that, but I was pregnant when we went, so we opted not to.

Waimea Canyon - awesome hiking, with beautiful waterfalls. There are also waterfalls you can drive to, so this might be a great option since you're traveling with an elderly aunt.

Kilauea Light House - birdwatching, more whale spotting, and an awesome view.

Kauai Coffee Company - if you like coffee, definitely worth a stop. We don't like coffee, and it was still pretty cool. And bonus - no entrance fee and free coffee tastings.

Wailua falls & Opeaka'a Falls - beautiful waterfalls.

Hanapepe Swinging Pedestrian Bridge - Loved this - I thought it was so neat! There are also neat shops in Hanapepe - including a great spice shop right by the bridge that we loved.

Kauai Kookie Company - yummy! This was a must stop for me (one of my college roommates is from Kauai and her mom would always send us these cookies in care packages). They give out free samples, and I needed to stock up to take some home.

[zibazinski]

Cannot wait! Hate flying and the flight but so ready to go!

[tcu2003]

Okay, food. We didn't try all of these due to time constraints (we were only there a couple of days as we were had to get to Honolulu for DH's work trip), but these were all recommended to us.

Duke's (at the Kauai Marriott) - known for their Hula Pie

Tip Top Cafe (in Lihue) - this was recommended for their Banana Macadamia Nut pancakes, though I was underwhelmed when I tried them. DH's breakfast was delicious, though (I think he just had one of the omelets or something like that). Forewarned - if you try it, this place totally looks like a dive.

Kalaheo Cafe & Coffee Co. (in Kalaheo) - we had breakfast here, and it was delicious! Very busy place in the mornings.

Scotty's Beachside Bbq (in Kapa'a) - oceanfront casual restaurant

Lappert's (3 different locations, we went to the one in Poipu) - delicious ice cream!

Kilauea Fish Market (in Kilauea, north shore) - A small take-out place with nice outdoor seating and specializing in fresh fish

Hee-Fat General Store (in Kapa'a) - serves the BEST shave ice around; the ice is shaved so well, it's like fluffy snow, and the flavors are so yummy! They serve it at a counter at the back of the store. I love shaved ice, so this may have been my favorite thing...

Ono Family Restaurant (in Kapa'a) - was told they have very friendly staff, busy popular place, large portions

Hamura Saimin (in Lihue) - we didn't try this last year, but I do remember trying it when I went to visit my roommate in 2003 after college; very popular, but it sort of reminded me of ramen noodles...

Merriman's (in Poipu) - supposed to have incredible food, very tasty, but a little pricey. Nice ocean views from the verandah, go at sunset.

Keoki (in Poipu) - delicious seafood and fresh fish! we had dinner here with friends, and had great service and fantastic food www.keokisparadise.com/menus/dining-room

[zibazinski]

We are staying in Kapa'a.  Thanks for any and all help. Something called The Beach Boy?

[zibazinski]

We are doing the helicopter tour tomorrow. We did a day trip to Oahu which just about killed my aunt which is scary to me.
we ate at kountry kitchen and I had fruit salad but the others had omelettes and just loved them!
is the lighthouse and botanical gardens worth it?

[tcu2003]

I don't think I went to the botanical gardens, but I did love the lighthouse. You can also sometimes see whales out there. Totally worth it, IMO.

[zibazinski]

Saw whales when we were there.