Puff, The Magic Dragon Lived in Kauai, Hawaii, USA
Written: Oct 07 '02 (Updated Apr 01 '03)
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Pros: Gorgeous Napali Coast, great snorkeling, quiet, peaceful island.
Cons: none
The Bottom Line: There can be nothing not 5 star about Kauai. I loved the island. There is so much to do I wasn't ready to leave.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Kauai |
Note: The original draft of this review was 2700 words. With some guidance I have decided to review many sites separately and will note that so you will not wonder why there is a lack of detail on particular places.
Kauai was the second island we went to June 2002 during out 3-week visit to Hawaii. Also known as The Garden Isle, we were told that no building can be higher than a coconut tree. It is 550 square miles and is well known as being loved by Hollywood with Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park and dozens of other movies made here. (Frommer's).
The first thing you want to do after landing at the airport is pick up brochures. There will be dozens and most of them will come in handy. We stayed at a villa in Po’ipu which is a very popular resort and tourist area. It is on the southernmost top of the island on the ocean. We stayed at Hide Away Cove, a villa I would definitely recommend and will review. As I did in my Maui review, I will take you through our 5 days on Kauai. If what we did I would recommend I will say so and vice versa.
Day 1 found us getting used to the area. We walked to Po’ipu Beach Park which is the major center of beach activity on the south shore. Here you will find a wonderful beach with warm water, play areas for children and picnic tables. (This area will be reviewed.) If you aren't staying in this area I do recommend you visit this beach.
I took a lot of notes and commented that it rained 3 times on our first day in Kauai. I found this island to be the rainiest and at times the weather just wasn’t nice! I was surprised and kept saying “I thought Hawaii was always sunny and hot.” It is not, so be prepared for a variety of weather changes.
We had lunch in an open-air restaurant (Most everything in Hawaii is open air) called TomKats Grill. I am recommending it, in spite of the dinner we had another night that created some problems. In spite of that the food was great and the prices are terrific. Go for lunch, though, if you have a choice. You’ll find this in a town called Koloa which is about 15 minutes north of Po’ipu. Here you will find Old Koloa Town which has over 20 stores and restaurants (This is considered big for Kauai, a quiet, laid back island.) including TomKats Grill, Pizzetta, 5408 Koloa Road (for pizza and pasta which I wouldn’t recommend), Lappert’s Ice Cream (definite recommend and Island Soap and Candleworks which has some of the nicest soaps and candles I have every seen.
After visiting the south side of the island we found an IGA (supermarket) and some other smaller markets along with the Po’ipu Shopping Village which is a fairly upscale shopping area. This is all just 10 minutes from where we were staying. The name of the road which runs along the ocean in Po’ipu where you will find the market and stores is called Lawai Road. There is a nice gift shop there called Whaler’s General Store but hold off until you get to Wal-Mart – there are 3 in Lihue which is on the eastern coast (south east), or Hilo Hattie’s, probably the most popular store on the island to do souvenir shopping.
Brennecke’s Beach Boiler is very popular and a nice place to have drinks as the sunsets or just to people watch. It is directly across from Po’ipu Beach. There is a happy hour there and at about 5:30pm we didn’t find it crowded and got seats at the bar.
I already wrote a review on what we did on Day 2, which consisted primarily of our visit to Waimea Canyon State Park, a must see. Heading northwest on Route 50 we stopped at Eleele where we found Kalaheo Coffee Company, 2436 Kaumuali Highway, Kalaheo. It is a non-smoking establishment, which became our regular morning coffee stop even if it meant going out of our way. You’ll find the usual selection of coffees as well as delicious pecan rolls, short bread and macadamia cookies. It is a really nice place to sit down also if you like the feel of New Age with ads on the board for Yoga classes and Crystal stores. You will find this at the traffic light next to the Shell gas station.
On our way to the canyon we stopped in a town named Hanapepe, which it is said you will either find charming or run down. I found it a little of both! If it sounds interesting you can browse through shops and galleries which we did not do. If you have children (or don’t since we didn’t but we did go to this “sight") there is a "swinging footbridge" over the Hanapepe River. You will have to turn off of Highway 50 to get here, and I wouldn’t say it is a must see, but if you have the time and kids with you, you might enjoy it.
We also stopped at Fort Elizabeth, which is just before you get to Waimea. Some remains of a Russian fort built in 1816 by George Scheffer is here. I was not impressed with this sight and wouldn’t recommend wasting your time.
After a day in Waimea Canyon we stopped at the Shirt Shack at mile market 23 for some great buys on t-shirts. You will also want to stop at JoJo’s Clubhouse, almost next door, for the best shaved ice. The hardest part will be picking a flavor from the 60 available. You will also find a Big Save (Supermarket) at Eleele Value Center, 4469 Waialo Road, where you can pick up groceries. While we were here we made arrangements through HoloHolo Charters for a sunset cruise to the Napali Coast. There are many charter groups but we went with this one. (I will be reviewing this Charter.) If you want to see a timeshare there is no shortage of opportunities and you will get substantial discounts on charters among other things. This is one trip where we did not visit a timeshare.
Our third day found us at Po’ipu Beach which is the same beach I mentioned on our first day. We snorkeled here and it was among the best snorkeling I can remember and certainly at the top of our list for the Hawaiian Islands. Across the street next to Brennecke’s Beach Boiler is a store called Nukumoi Beach Surf Shop. You can buy clothes as well as rent equipment.
The sunset cruise to the Napali Coast was a 4 hour trip and a must do. Take Dramamine or Bonine, though, the trip there is fast, the trip back is leisurely.
We ate dinner at Brennecke’s, which also has a deli where you can buy sandwiches and other foods to go and a gift shop. I am recommending Brennecke’s. The food was good but expensive. We had a 2 for 1 which you can find out at my review listed below: Hawaii: You too Can Save Money. My Guide to Hawai'i on a Budget
Day 4 was a sightseeing day and one with no rain. We went to Spouting Horn Beach Park to start our day. This is just west of Po’ipu. If you have never seen a spouting horn it is worth the stop. Actually even if you have this is a bit different. I have seen spouting horns. This one, though, has a second hole, which causes the horn to sound like it is moaning so that was unusual.
We then headed east again to drop off our film at Kmart in Kukui Grove in Lihu’e. Some guidebooks say that the color comes out better when developed on the islands, but truthfully I didn’t see a difference. It was fun, though, to have our pictures of each island before we left. We had already bought the must have book, “The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook- Kauai Revealed” by Andrew Doughty and Harriett Friedman, but wanted the one for The Big Island in the series so we went into Border’s which is in this same plaza and bought it. Our day was to head to the North Shore of Kauai.
You will pass through Lihue again, Wailua, Kapaa until you reach Princeville and Hannelei. This was a wonderful day trip and I highly recommend it. Driving on Highway 56, you will enter Anahola where you will see from the highway King Kong’s Profile. This is a part of Kalalea Mountain that happens to look like his profile. Remember when looking at it that it is his profile you are looking for, not the front of his face.
You will want to stop in Kilauea where you will walk out to the lighthouse. This is a really beautiful scene and you’ll see some birds that you may not have seen elsewhere, the frigate bird to name one as well as Tropic Birds and Albatross. From here you can see the island of Molokai, which is a bird sanctuary.
Stop at Banana Joe's for a delicious smoothie. You can’t miss it. It is on the left right at the edge of the road. You are now approaching a very upscale area of Kauai so don’t gasp at the $3.00 you will pay for a small cup.
Find Secret Beach or its real name, which is Kauapea Beach. If you have Kauai Revealed you will find it, if not I will have to tell you how to get there. Turn right of the first (eastern) Kalihiwai Road, then right on the first dirt road you encounter. Take the trail to the bottom which is a 10-15 minute hike and slippery if it has been raining. Although nudity on the beach is illegal on Kauai, this beach is known for its because it is so secluded. When we went it was an absolutely gorgeous day and there may have only been ½ dozen people that were visible. There is a beautiful strip of beach, a pool of water that accumulates making it a lot of fun for children. There is a parking area which only became available, I have heard, because people were parking in front of houses. It is not illegal to park here, but remember the 15 minute hike. There are, of course, no facilities. The water is rough and the surfers were having a ball. This is absolutely gorgeous. If you can get there, go.
From there we went to Ke’e Beach which has facilities, showers with a background picture of the Napali Coast. In fact this is where the hike into the Napali Coast begins for those willing to spend some days hiking in an area that is so beautiful. I truly wished I could have just left the beach and started walking. The snorkeling here was good and very, very easy. It is very safe for children so it is very popular. The snorkeling at Po’ipu Beach was better though.
There are some caves on the way back that are worth walking into. There are both wet and dry ones. Waikapale’e Cave is wet, meaning that after walking in you will hit water which you do not want to go into. The dry one’s name is Manini-holo Dry Cave. It is worth the few minute stop.
From here, we went into the town of Hanalei. If that sounds familiar but you cannot put your finger on it, I will tell you why. “Puff the Magic Dragon Lived By the Sea and Frolicked in the Autumn Wind in a Land Called Hanalei.” After searching for a Puff anything (shirt, bumper sticker, stuffed animal) I finally found out that Peter, Paul and Mary still own the rights to Puff so nothing is made of him.
Hanalie is an eclectic mix of burger stands and fancy restaurants. We had happy hour at Zelos and it was wonderful. You can’t miss it. Get one Pupu- it is big enough for two people unless this will be your dinner.
We then crossed Hanalie Bridge and pulled into Hanalie Lookout for a great photo op of the area where most of the Taro is grown. It is worth the stop.
More people drown in Hawaii every year than in any other state in the United States. Our next stop was one where just a couple of weeks ago a couple of people did drown. We were told Queen’s Bath in Princeville was closed but we had to see for ourselves. It was getting dark and our biggest mistake was not taking flashlights. It was light going in but almost dark leaving. Any later and we would have either been crawling up the slippery slope or sleeping on the lava rocks for the night. It is very difficult to find even with directions and our book because it is in a residential area. A parking area here also was made because people were parking illegally. After passing a couple of warnings you will hit what you think is Queens Bath. But that isn’t it. You have to walk on the lava rocks until you hit what is a large pool the size of several swimming pools. It was carved by nature into a lava shelf with an inlet from the ocean for fresh seawater to flow. (Kaui Revealed). You won’t see it as special if the tide is too high, so you’ll just have to take your chances.
One problem I have with this book is that very dangerous areas are called Real Gems. This is a gem, but it is extremely dangerous no matter how pretty it looks in the pictures. So be careful. I can’t stress that enough. I can’t stress that enough on all the islands, but some areas are more dangerous than others are. I found this one to be the most dangerous of them all.
Our final day took us to Seattle’s Best Coffee Shop (skip this one) and go into Borders which opens at 9:00am and is literally next door. We were not going the way of our favorite coffee haunt so we had to settle for not the best coffee. We spent the day in Wailua River State Park, which also deserves its own review. where we rented a kayak and went to Fern Grotto, a very popular place in which to get married and a place I would recommend you going to if you are in the water. You can also take a boat tour if you do not want to kayak the river yourself. I will save the specifics for a review of this State Park but just want to say that Wailua Falls wins the award for the most breathtaking waterfall in the Hawaiian Islands according to my award system.
Heading back still you will pass the Sleeping Giant which is hard to see. It is one of Kapa’a most notable views. I was able to see the outline. (He is lying down.) The real name for the Giant is Nounou Mountain Train and you can hike it. There are folklores surrounding The Sleeping Giant about which you can read in the guidebooks. We spent some time in the town of Kapa'a. This would have been our second choice of places to stay. There is a strip with cute stores and coffee bars, and many new age crunchy, hippie “wannabes” in this area. The one ice cream shop has food as well as ice cream, tables and chairs outside and I recommend taking a break and having a treat here.
In summary:
Kauai is a wonderful island. It is very different than Maui. I said I wouldn’t compare them, but it is hard not to. Kauai is so low key there really is no nightlife or strip of any sort. Go for the wonderful beaches, hikes and amazing scenery. If it is Hollywood worthy, you can imagine (Well I couldn’t imagine until I was there.) how breathtaking the Napali Coast is and how wonderful kayaking a river to Fern Grotto could be or, of course, the amazing Waimea Canyon.
Please, if you have any questions, feel free to leave me a comment or e-mail me. There is so much to see and do on this island I can only list what we did. If you want more information, I have it and will be glad to share it.
Make sure you have all the brochures because they will give you ideas about what else to do and also you’ll find coupons in them. Make sure you have lots of sunscreen and a hat. And make sure that if you go hiking you are not wearing your best clothes. Enjoy
Feel free to leave me a comment or ask any questions.
Other Hawaii reviews you may be interested in:
Traveling to Hawaii on a Budget
The Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel
Aloha Airlines
Garden Gate Bed and Breakfast in Maui
Maui
LahainaTown Maui
Hana Highway in Maui
Haleakala National Park in Maui
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Hawaiian Airlines
Puff the Magic Dragon Lived in Kauai
Waimea Canyon on Kauai
Poipou Beach Area, Kauai
Na Pali Coast, Kauai
Hideaway Cove Villa, Kauai
Royal Kona Resort,The Big Island
The Island of Hawaii - The Big Island
Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park on the Big Island
Oahu
USS Arizona Memorial on Oahu
DiamondHead State Monument on Oahu
Polynesian Cultural Center,Oahu
Wailua River State Park in Kauai, Hawaii
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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