Need Kaua'i Vacation Advice!

[slinkedog]

Hello all you wonderful ladies! My husband and I are going to Kaua'i in August for our 10 year anniversary. WOO HOO! Our 4 wonderful children are staying home with my mom and dad.

We would love to hear from all of you who have been to Kaua'i and would like to share your loves/hates regarding the island. We want to do some snorkeling and kayaking, but we've also heard that the helicopter tour is amazing. However, because of limited $$$ we need to choose... kayaking and snorkeling tours or helicopter trip and do the kayaking/snorkeling on our own. We have kayaked before but have never snorkeled. Recommendations?

Thanks!!
Shannon

[Veronica]

Snorkeling is easy and can be done right from most beaches. We did a kayak tour and the helicopter tour. The helicopter tour was amazing - get the one with no doors. You're strapped in, so it's safe.

Come ride Calaveras with us tomorrow and I'll bring you a guide book.

V.

[Flybye]

We would love to hear from all of you who have been to Kaua'i and would like to share your loves/hates regarding the island. We want to do some snorkeling and kayaking, but we've also heard that the helicopter tour is amazing. However, because of limited $$$ we need to choose... kayaking and snorkeling tours or helicopter trip and do the kayaking/snorkeling on our own. We have kayaked before but have never snorkeled. Recommendations?

Hello - Yeah for you!! We did not go to Kaua'i, but Maui, and I therefore feel qualified to give you my whole $0.02 worth of advice!!

As far as the snorkeling goes, it is AMAZING- I would recommend getting your own snorkels and get Dry Snorkels - these kind of snorkels have a flap that covers the top of the snorkel so when a wave goes over the top of your head, no water gets in the snorkel tube. These differ from dry top snorkels because the dry top snorkels have a baffell system in the tube that is supposed to keep the water out of the tube. It really doesn't. If you rent from a snorkel shop on the island, they generally carry the second kind. I was amazed at the difference in the snorkels - I could stay out much longer than others. With the Dry Snorkel, you can also dive for shells without getting water in your tube. We purchased our snorkels at a dive shop before we left. I think they were $60 each but rentals are about $15 - 18 a day, so that's four days snorkeling and you get to keep the snorkel. You'll need fins and a mask, too.

You don't need a guide to snorkel. Any shop can tell you what beaches have the best snorkeling. You can also google top or best beaches on the island that you are going to. We went (paid) to Molikini, which is a crater in the middle of the ocean and snorkeled, but honestly, it really wasn't that much better than the beach.

Our condo had kayaks available for free. Might check with your hotel/condo.
My parents went on a helicopter ride and would only advise it again if the day is crystal clear. It was so cloudy that they really didn't get to see too much of the island and were therefore disappointed.

I was disappointed with the luau that we went to b/c it was very commercial - done at a Hilton. It wasn't a bad experience or anything, I just expected something more traditional or small scale.

Also, and I know this might sound ridiculous, I purchase souveniers (can't spell that one) before I go and then pick up a T-Shirt on the Island for the kids. For example, the dollar stores here sell shells that are the same ones you would get in Hawaiian stores. So, that's where the shells come from. All were happy and no one knew any differently. They have ABC stores on Maui and perhaps on your island as well that are very inexpensive for shirts.

We bid for a car on Priceline.com's name your own price and were able to get a minivan for 2 weeks for $18 a day. Best deal we ever got Whoever registers for the car is the driver for the whole trip. I didn't realize that and got stuck driving everywhere. It costs more to add a second driver.

Also, to save $$ we had a kitchenette and bought food at the supermarket.

Prolly more that you want to know, but I hope this helps. Have fun. What an amazing experience.

PS - take dramamine if you do go out on a kayak or boat because sea sickness happens, trust me

[pepe6599]

Coming from someone who lives hawaii, the best way to see of the hawaiian islands is by city bus or moped. Not to mention it's the cheapest way. theres my two cents.

[slinkedog]

Thanks for all of your awesome responses! V, I wish I could come tomorrow. Okay, I could come, but I wouldn't make the whole trip. My saddle time has been very limited this year. Hope to be stronger later in the summer!

I think we will settle for renting or purchasing snorkel gear on our own. I'm mainly nervous of all the talk of rogue waves and rip currents that I see on all the sites about the beaches on Kaua'i.

We are leaning toward doing the helicopter tour. It really does look amazing! V, do you remember which company you went with?

Also, V, did you do any hiking in Waimea Canyon? We'd like to do some hiking while we're there and the canyon looks amazing!

[Veronica]

You should come with us tomorrow anyway. The whole thing is an out and back, so it would be perfect to push yourself until you're done and it's a pretty easy ride back to Sunol.

We used The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook to plan our trip. Our helicopter trip was with InterIsland. We got some awesome pictures. I'll post a link to where they are on the website later, when Thom gets home. They haven't been migrated to the new site yet.

We did two hikes, one was about ten miles on the Nu'alolo Trail and back on the Awaa'awapuhi Trail

Another day we hiked part way out the Kalalau Trail to Hanakapi'ai Beach.

Both were stunning.

V.

[Jacki]

Thanks for all of your awesome responses! V, I wish I could come tomorrow. Okay, I could come, but I wouldn't make the whole trip. My saddle time has been very limited this year. Hope to be stronger later in the summer!

I think we will settle for renting or purchasing snorkel gear on our own. I'm mainly nervous of all the talk of rogue waves and rip currents that I see on all the sites about the beaches on Kaua'i.

We are leaning toward doing the helicopter tour. It really does look amazing! V, do you remember which company you went with?

Also, V, did you do any hiking in Waimea Canyon? We'd like to do some hiking while we're there and the canyon looks amazing!

Hi Slinkedog, we went hiking in Waimea Canyon. Just wanted to tell you it was spectacular! The views are breathtaking, especially the view of the coastline - i think it was called the Kanapali Coastline - i hope you get a chance to do it! - j.

[Veronica]

Here are a couple of links to some of our Kauai pictures.

The Na Pali Coast

http://tandemhearts.com/kauai-04/nap...ast/index.html

Waimea Canyon Rd.

http://tandemhearts.com/kauai-04/red-falls/index.html

V.

[aka_kim]

Wow. Some of those photos are absolutely stunning. Thanks for sharing V!

Slinke, where are you staying? I've stayed in both Poipu and Kapaa, and I think overall I preferred Kapaa and the northern side of the island - much more peaceful.

[Veronica]

Thanks Kim.

We stayed in Lihue, since it was central. I thought next time we'd stay in Poipu for the snorkeling. Since we tend to go in the winter, there's less surf worries in the south I think.

V.

[Zen]

Give me the tickets and you won't be faced with these nerve racking decisions

[7rider]

How did I miss this thread???

When I want to Kauai - eeks, 10 years ago, now - I rented a car and kind of drove myself around - doing some short hikes in the Canyon and checking out the sights. I was there only a few days, and ended up meeting someone and going mountainbiking (and excercise in futility - the tire kept gunking up with red mud and stopping me cold every 20 feet when there was too much to pass through the fork!).

I did do one "touristy" thing - and that was take the Captain Zodiac boat ride around the Na Pali coast. It was spectacular. And the really cool thing was that they had a hydrophone on board, so we cut the engine of our boat and drifted and put the 'phone in to listen for whales. It wasn't prime whale season, but there were a few critters around that we could hear. Was very neat.

Have fun when you go and take lots of pictures!

[slinkedog]

AMAZING photos, V! Thanks so much and sorry it took me so long to get back to you. We are preparing for a trip and I've been insanely busy between that and end-of-the-school-year stuff for all the kids.

Kim, we're staying in Poipu at the Sheraton. It's right on a nice beach, I guess. Regina, the boat trip sounds cool! We're thinking of doing a bunch of stuff and need to make some decisions when we get back from our camping trip.

Thanks again, you wonderful women!!
Shannon

[Brandi]

Oh you are going to have so much fun! We found out on the big island that shopping in the hawaii section at wal mart was key as far as gifts. They had the same stuff as the airport but much cheaper. And I mean that when we went to the airport they had the same placematts, cups, frames etc.... If there is one on your island I highly suggest you check it out. unless you are looking for something different. Have a great vacation.
Oh I got a coconut lotion from wal mart and my neighbor saw it. She had bought the same lotion on line from some hawaiian gift site and paid twice as much as I did! She did not like hearing I got it at Wal Mart. Funny huh?