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Published: March 5th 2024
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We are off to Kauai. We signed up for a Hawaiian Airlines credit card and with the bonus points we had enough points for two people to fly round trip to Kauai. This is the second time we have signed up for the Hawaiian Airlines credit card. We sign up for the card,, charged the amount needed to earn the bonus points then booked our trip. We will cancel the card and wait at least two years before trying it again. We came for warm weather we are not fans of winter.
Northern Kauai town of Princeville is our first stop. We rented a car using Costco Travel. I always use Costco if they rent cars at our destination.The rental car prices are good and a second driver is included at no additional cost. We stopped and shopped for meals on our way to Princeville. We booked an Airbnb in Princeville. The unit is a studio located across the street from Hideaway Beach. The unit has everything I need to cook. Day one we check out beaches and explore the area.
Today is a hiking day. Our hike is in Ha’ena State Park. This hike takes advance planning. You
cannot enter the park without advance reservations. Start on the GoHaena.com web site. You can reserve parking and entrance or shuttle and entrance on the web site. Reservations are available 30 days in advance. The parking and entrance reservations sell out immediately so we reserved a shuttle and entrance ticket. The cost is $40 per car. We meet the shuttle at Waipa Park and Ride. There was no rain predicted today but it is raining as we wait for the shuttle. At the park we are given an orientation talk, most important do not miss the last shuttle back to the park and ride. We brought our hiking poles and they are really needed on a hike like this. The hike is strenuous, steep incline, half of the trail or more is rocks not dirt. There is a stream that takes some effort to get across thanks to the young man who helped me whenI got stuck half way across. Also thanks to another young man who helped me get up when I fell towards the end of the hike. My legs were giving out. Most of the hike is along the ocean with beautiful views. This hike is not
recommended for small children because of the hiking over rocks. There is a bathroom and water at the start of the hike but no services once you get on the trail. We brought lots of water and lunch which we enjoyed at Hanakapia Beach which was our turn around spot. We saw some backpackers heading out for long overnight hikes. After our hike we relax at Ke’e Beach which is located in the park. i made dinner in our Airbnb.
Beach day, we are off to Lumaha’i Beach. A scene from South Pacific was filmed here. It was the location of the nurse‘s quarters. Mitzi Gaynor sang ‘I’m Going to Wash that Man Right Out of my Hair” on this beach. We brought our snorkel gear and we see turtles in the ocean. Our Airbnb has beach chairs, beach towels and a beach umbrella for our use. The Airbnb also has an ice chest and snorkel gear for those people who did not bring their own equipment. I made sandwiches for our lunch. There is no place to eat near the beach, The internet says the beach is not a safe place to swim. Lumaha’i River flows into the
ocean at Lumaha’i Beach. The river is a safer place for children to play in the water. There were plenty of snorkers in the ocean and we did not experience any undertows. We spent the whole day at the beach reading our Kindels when we were not in the water. We stopped for good ice cream at Pink’s Creamery in Hanalei and it was deliciou. Dinner in our Airbnb again tonight.
Another beach day but different beach. AninI Beach is 6.5 miles south of our Princeville Airbnb. It is a popular beach for windsurfing and snorkeling. We snorkeled in the lagoon area and saw turtles. The windsurfers were further out. The park has picnic tables and bathrooms. We brought our lunch because there is no place nearby to buy food. Nice relaxing day at the beach.
Today we checked out of our Airbnb and traveled south toward Poipu and the Sheraton Kauai Resort. We stopped for lunch at Kaua’i Beer Company in Lihue. We had good beer and good fish tacos. We are staying for free at the Sheraton with points from our AMEX card. We still have to pay the resort fee $40 per night. We are
in Kauai celebrating our 46th wedding anniversary so tonight we have reservations at Rum Fire restaurant which is on the Sheraton property. All of the tables have a view of the ocean. The food is good and we will come back.
Beach day again but at Poipu Beach. This beach is one of the most popular beaches in Kaua’i with its white soft sand. There are lifeguards who are always reminding people to not go too far out. The left side of the beach is best for children because it is shallow. The beach has a grass area, picnic tables and bathrooms. There is a free public parking lot across the street from the beach. There are also two places to eat across the street. Brennecke’s Beach Broiler is where we picked up fish and chips and clam chowder for lunch. The bartender gave me a free glass of wine while I waited for my order. We snorkeled here and we saw turtles. We had dinner at the cafe next to the pool at the Sheraton.
Scuba is on the agenda for today. We booked a beach dive with Dive Kaua’i the dive is at Koloa Landing just
a three minute drive from the Sheraton. Dive Kaua’i asked about our height, weight and shoe size before we arrived. They had all our equipment ready to go a full wetsuit, fins, mask, B.C., weights and tanks. There were four of us and the dive master. We suited up and walked down a hundred year old ramp into the ocean. We saw multiple turtles and lots of fish. We dove to the right first, came out took a rest and had snacks then returned to dive on the left side. Mark and I both prefer boat dives but as beach dives go this was pretty easy. After our dive we’re headed to our hotel pool and beach for a relaxing afternoon.
Poipu Beach is on the agenda again today. We rented beach chairs from our hotel and walked to the beach. Lunch again at Brennecke’s but the same bartender was not on duty and no free wine. It is our last full day in Kauai and we have embraced what Italians call dolce far niente or the sweetness of doing nothing. We had another great dinner at Rum Fire.
I took a yoga class on the lawn facing
the beach at the Sheraton this morning. It reminded me of how much I like yoga and will start taking classes again when I get home. I need yoga to help with my balance. Mark and I take a walk before packing up to head to the airport. We stopped at Puka Dog across the street from Poipu Beach for Hawaiian style sausages. We took our dogs across the street and ate at a picnic table. We enjoyed our last view of the ocean and chickens. I forgot to mention the chickens they are everywhere and they are noisy.
Goodbye Kaua’i!
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