Kauai: The South Shore

Warm sunshine and sandy beaches - that's what the south shore of Kauai is known for. The themes of this second chapter of our trip were: relaxation, food, and following your heart. (If you missed my previous post about our first few days spent on the north side of the island, check it out here.)

Kalapaki Bay

Hard to believe, but we still had a WEEK left of our time in Hawaii, and for that we stayed at a great cliffside condo overlooking Kalapaki Bay. Kalapaki Bay is also home to the Marriott Resort and we were able to take advantage of the many amenities they have to offer while still escaping to our quiet balcony at the end of the day. We made a point to not over-plan this trip and just take each day as it comes. Most days we woke up around 7 AM and spent a leisurely morning drinking coffee, eating a simple breakfast of cereal or fruit and toast, and reading on the balcony while the world left behind the quiet early hours and began to buzz with activity. The Marriott was just a few minutes' walk from our condo and we were able to enjoy the beach, the pool, and the hot tub; we walked the trails around the golf course and the beautiful grounds, we went paddle boarding in the bay, we ate at Duke's, and we watched many sunsets over the bay and the mountains beyond.

The view from our balcony with the Marriott Beach Resort on the right and the shops and restaurants of Lihu'e across the way.

Poipu

Poipu Beach Park is the most popular beach on the south side, with multiple resorts, vacation rentals, and shopping centers in the surrounding few miles. On average, it is sunny and 80* at Poipu with fairly calm surf, making it a prime location for beach lovers everywhere. We tried to get a well rounded experience of it with plenty of beach chair lounging (you can rent chairs at some of the nearby surf shops for a few dollars a day), snorkeling among the calm reef just off-shore, and admiring the large sleepy creatures on the beach who didn't seem to be bothered by their many human admirers. We also took surf lessons! The waves weren't ideal that day but the sun was warm and we were both successful in getting up on our boards and riding them in toward the beach.

Waimea

One of the incredible things about Kauai is the diversity of landscape and weather around the island. While the north side is vibrantly green and wet, the west side is perpetually dry and sunny. It hosts the Waimea Canyon, called the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific". Driving the road through Waimea Canyon State Park brings you up 4000 feet in elevation over about 18 miles with a few lookout areas along the way. The landscape is characterized by rugged cliffs in hues of red, brown, and green.

Pihea Trail

There are many hiking trails within Waimea Canyon State Park. We chose to spend a couple of hours on Pihea Trail. It starts at the very end of the road, from the Pu'u O Kila Lookout. We started off into a heavy fog with a light mist in the air. We had been warned that the trail could be muddy, and it didn't take long to realize we were just going to have to embrace the mud if we wanted to make it any distance on this hike. It was slippery and squelchy for the first mile or more, then finally we reached the portion of the trail that is covered with a narrow boardwalk and our pace improved dramatically. Two miles in we came to a fork in the road - we could go left for another 2 miles to the Kilohana Lookout, straight for another 2 miles to where the trail looped back around toward the road, or right for another mile on the Alakai Swamp Trail. Not knowing what the conditions of the trail ahead would be and finding that we were losing daylight, we had a quick snack and then turned back the way we had come. As we got back nearer to the trailhead we were treated to grand views down the valley to the Napali Coast as the fog finally lifted and the sun burned through.

Polihale

Polihale is as far west as you can go on Kauai. It is a beautiful sandy beach stretching for 17 miles and separated from the much more lush Hanalei area (where we spent the first few days of our trip) by the rugged and beautiful Napali Coast. It's a rough drive on a dirt road to get there (made more "adventurous" by the fact that we were in a hurry to make it to the beach before the sunset) and was sparsely populated. We did not spend much time here but we were fortunate enough to catch a sunset after a day at Waimea. It would certainly be a place worth spending at least half a day, it was just too late into the trip before we realized it.

Golf at Kukiolono

When you're ready for a little more activity (but I mean, not TOO much activity... let's not get crazy...) there's always golf! Kukiolono in Kalaheo is a great option, especially if you're like us and your golf skills are, well, not really skills at all. The land was donated by the late Walter McBryde (of sugar plantation fame) as a gift to the people of Kauai and he is now buried in the Japanese garden at the 8th hole. A cool $10 will get you around the simple 9 hole course, plus a few dollars extra for club or cart rental. Of course if your golf skills are ACTUALLY skills, and you've got a couple hundred dollars to spend, there are several other very beautiful courses around the island.

Food

One of the things we really enjoy when we travel is getting to eat a variety of good food. And we don't discriminate - great street food and high class dining are equally appreciated. The options for dining out near our home in Palmer, Alaska are few, and the quality often leaves something to be desired. There are more good options in Anchorage but that is an hour's drive from home and we don't get there very often. While in Hawaii we enjoyed probably more than our fair share of good food. Here's a run-down of some of our favorites. And if you take us up on any of these recommendations for your next trip to the islands, don't be put off by long lines at some places because it's true what they say: good things come to those who wait.

PUKA DOG: We wouldn't normally opt for hot dogs as a first choice for lunch, but Puka Dog was highly recommended in the travel book we had and was walking distance from the beach. It was exceptionally good for a hot dog (they also have a veggie dog option) but I think the novelty of the menu was what made it special: the sausages come in a bun that has been hollowed out to form a tube which also holds a variety of delicious sauces including a garlic lemon secret sauce with your desired level of spice, a tropical fruit relish, and a mustard.
KAUAI JUICE CO: This was our saving grace - our detox from places like Puka Dog - and we came back again and again. It is a juice company (as you may have gathered from their name) which sells its products in some of the local marts but which also has a shop within walking distance from Poipu beach. They serve local, organic, cold pressed juices and kombuchas which are delicious and refreshing and something you can feel good about putting in your body. I wish there was one down the block from us in Alaska...
DA CRACK: Again, this one came highly recommended in our travel book and it did not disappoint. It's a literal hole-in-the-wall serving a variety of tacos, burritos, and bowls packed full of flavor and served with a smile. With a name like "Da Crack", it had better be good!
PIETRO'S PIZZA: Pietro's is a great little Italian joint just across the street from the Marriott Resort and within easy walking from our condo (you may have noticed we like to live the "walkable" life whenever possible - unfortunately that's not often a thing in Alaska, due to both distance and weather). Here you have options: you can go inside and enjoy a more upscale sit-down menu of pizza, pasta, appetizers, and wine, or you can get pizza by the slice from the window outside. Both are delicious, I know because we tried.
DUKE'S: A local tourist favorite set on the campus of the Marriott Resort with open air beach side seating and drinks served in pineapples. Plus, Taco Tuesday deals. I mean COME. ON. What a way to spend an afternoon at the beach.
TIDEPOOLS: Reservations recommended. Luckily we were able to get some for an evening of dressed-up dining. Tidepools is one of several restaurants at the Grand Hyatt Resort in Poipu. The thing that makes it such a special spot is its location near the beach with tables under thatched roof and over large koi ponds. Dim lighting, cool ocean breezes, tasty cocktails, and fancy seafood dishes. Did someone say island dreams??
RAINBEAU JO'S: Ahhhhh Rainbeau Jo's. If I could spend all my Saturday mornings with you I would be happy forevermore. It's all your coffee, bagel, organic breakfast dreams come true and served up by the most perpetually cheerful couple you'll ever be lucky enough to meet. We only discovered it on our second to last day in Kauai, but we made sure to squeeze in another visit the next morning before heading to the airport.
LUCKY BELLY: A special bonus! We had a long layover in Honolulu on our way back home and decided to leave the airport to find one last good dinner before leaving the islands. We landed at Lucky Belly in Chinatown and were treated to the coziest bowl of ramen you could dream of before settling into a cramped seat for an overnight flight.

Rainbeau Jo's cheery food/coffee truck set inside a classed up industrial garage.

Here's to a world where Hawaii exists - a place where it's sunny and warm most days of the year, just waiting to be your escape. And here's to being responsible humans so that we can preserve this island oasis.

Far