Itinerary Feedback Please!

Hi everyone!

After reading lots of posts on here, I have finished my itinerary for our trip to Kauai in August (I know – so early – just so excited!) and would love your feedback.

Background:

My husband and I are from NYC, in our early thirties, and this is our “last hurrah before we have kids” trip. ;-) We have never been to Hawaii and have chosen to only go to Kauai on this trip because we are looking for a less commercial/touristy, more naturally beautiful Hawaiian experience. We’re staying in a condo at Hanalei Bay Resort. We have lots of energy and love to do active, outdoorsy stuff, but of course we also want it to be romantic and relaxing. Also, since we are scuba divers, we don’t need good snorkeling beaches and we aren’t into shopping.

THANK YOU!

8 days/9 nights on Kauai!

Thurs – Arrival day

- Fly all day from NY – get in 3:52pm

- Get car

- Check-in to hotel

- Have drinks and snacks at Happy Talk lounge

- Go to bed!

Friday – Explore Hanalei and enjoy hotel

- Watch sunrise on beach (6:20am)

- Eat breakfast at hotel

- Explore hotel grounds and beach

- Go to Hanalei Valley Lookout

- Explore Hanalei

- Pick up lunch at Hanalei Gourmet and head down to Hanalei Bay Beach for a picnic lunch

- Relax at pool and beaches in walking distance in area for rest of day

- Sunset dinner at Bali Hai restaurant

Saturday – Scuba Diving and play on South Shore

- Morning dive from Poipu with SeaSport Divers (back by noon)

- Lunch at Brennecke%26#39;s Beach Broiler or Taqueria Nortenos.

- Spouting Horn? (“not to be missed” in K.R.)

- Swimming at Poipu Beach (off Sheraton)

- 6:30 dinner reservations at Beach House

Sunday – Waimea Canyon and Helicopter ride

- Hike “Canyon Trail” in Waimea canyon and see Pu’u o Kila Lookout (about 3.5 hours)

- Late lunch at Waimea Brewing Company

- Take 3:55 55 minute helicopter ride with Interisland

- Watch the sunset at Polihale State Park

- Late dinner at Hanalei Dolphin

Monday – Hike Kalalau trail

- Hike Kalalau Trail from Ke’e beach (swim at Ke’e when return)

- Visit Hideaways and Queen’s Bath

- Dinner at Postcards

Tuesday – Dive the forbidden island

- All day scuba diving trip from Poipu to Ni’ihau with SeaSport Divers (leaves at 6am back by 6pm)

- Burgers at Happy Talk

Wednesday – North shore fun

- Breakfast at Wakeup Café

- Secret Beach and hike to Secret Lava pools to swim

- Kilauea Lighthouse and Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge

- Limahuli Garden and Preserve

- Princeville luau (I know this isn’t everyone’s favorite, but I think we’ll really like that this is walking distance)

Thursday – Lazy hotel day

- Hang out at hotel pool and walking distance beaches (If feeling like another beach, go to Tunnels)

- Outdoor massages at hotel

- Go back to a North Shore restaurant we loved

Friday – Wailau River, waterfalls, and say goodbye

- Checkout

- See waterfalls: Ho’opi’i, Wailua, Opaeka’a and Kipu

- Drive to Lihue for lunch at Kalapaki Beach hut

- Kayak the Wailau river

- Stop at Duke’s for last meal on the island

- 10:40 pm flight back to NYC

Itinerary Feedback Please!

You guys certainly are enerergetic! You are packing in most of the stuff people like to do.

My only comment is this: Do you really want to be that scripted? Allow yourselves some slack. Part of the Kauai experience is getting into that great laid-back mode. I don%26#39;t even like to wear a watch there. Chill.

Itinerary Feedback Please!

I agree with Kimocat....I know you want to do all these things but you have made me exausted!!!!!!!!! I remind you that Kauai is a very laid back Island. You are to go at a snails pace....I hope you get to do all these things. But I want to make sure that you take in the beauty of the Island for this is what you will surely miss when you get home.

So take the time to enjoy your surroundings relax and try not to be in a hurried state....

Enjoy your last vacation as a couple...........Aloha

Sounds like a trip with many memories and good times. I%26#39;m a planner like you and I like to have an itinerary. Yours seems jam packed with exploration and adventure. It seems realistic in terms of transportation as long as you miss the congestion of cars at different times of the day in different areas.

Everyone is different and relaxes in different ways. You sound like you relax when you are engaged in activities that don%26#39;t allow for idle thoughts. If that is the way you relax, then this trip should be wonderful.

If however, you see something you are interested in as you explore that area, don%26#39;t hurry along just to keep on schedule. If it%26#39;s a location that gives you sheer joy, stop and enjoy it without regards to the schedule. Take an afternoon off if that is what you you need to regroup.

What the posts are trying to say is that it isn%26#39;t just what you see visually that makes Hawaii...Hawaii. It is the culture, the laid back feel everywhere you go and the aloha. You%26#39;ll feel it regardless of how much you try to do. It has a way of sneaking up on you and then you say, ';Oh now I get it!';

Don%26#39;t kid yourself...you%26#39;ll be bringing the kids in tow if you are divers and this organized. You%26#39;ll get to enjoy the vacation seeing it through their eyes the next time you go...that%26#39;s a whole different vacation to cherish.

Wow.....agree with Kimocat. An awful lot packed in here. I think once you get there you will see it%26#39;s more time consuming than you think, getting from one spot to another.

The thing that stands out the most to me is that you%26#39;re staying on the north shore and you%26#39;ve only got 7 full days, but you%26#39;ve got 3 long days of south shore activities. Which isn%26#39;t all that bad, but you%26#39;ve got 2 dive trips arranged out the south shore on two different days. If I read that right. I think I would try consolidating some of those south shore activities. Three days of driving back and forth from there is gonna end up with a lot of time on the road and in Kapaa traffic.

Example: On Sunday, you%26#39;ve got a 4:00 helicopter ride, then you say watch the sunset at Polihale and then dinner back up in Hanalei. Whew! Rush. Rush. Polihale is not a simple drive or hike over the dunes to the beach. How about picking up a romantic picnic dinner and watching the sunset at Polihale that way?

One of your south shore days also has lunch at possibly Taqeria Nortenos. I%26#39;d certainly save yourself some time on this busy schedule and nix that off the list. Not sure what you heard about it but it sure isn%26#39;t worth cramming into a busy schedule. IMO. Your alternate of Brennecke%26#39;s restaurant is better but I would really consider consolidating these 3 full days of driving to and from the south shore locations.

Like Kimocat suggested, leave yourself open and best not to plan so much that you feel committed to.

I don%26#39;t want to gang up on you, because some people feel better (and I know NYC runs a faster pace than Kauai), when things are scheduled....but...why don%26#39;t you play it by ear, except for scheduled reservations you must make? Weather may be a factor on some days and part of the allure of Kauai is taking off your watch, shutting down the laptop and cellphone and just BEING.

What better place to BE but on your lanai sipping a drink with your loved one and watching the sunset over Bali Hai? Have a wonderful time together in August!

Sunday seems the tightest to me. Hiking Waimea, Lunch, Helicopter tour, Polihale and dinner in Hanalei may be too much especially with the drive time to and from the north shore.

Thanks, everyone!

I appreciate your advice. And definitely am able to go with the flow. I just like to plan stuff out (my nature) so I don%26#39;t miss anything great.

What would you suggest I eliminate so that I have more chill time?

Napaguy - LOVE your idea for a picnic dinner at Polihale! Thanks!

We have been to the islands several times Kauai last time. WE will be there for 10 days in July with the kids which are actually a blast to bring

My opinion is the following

1. Regarding driving around. Much of the main road is just 1 road, so I would make sure you leave enough time for the slower pace of traffic. Not there is much but you don’t want to rush. Also if the Beach house is the one I recall this is the barbeque shack somewhere between poipu and the canyon. Since you are staying in Hanalei, you may want to bring clothing changes with you as going back and forth on the Island just to get ready would be frustrating for me.

2. Queens Bath….get there as early as possible as I recall there’s only about 8 parking spaces.

3. Kauai is a also a great place for kids so just keep things in mind for the future

4. Roy’s, Roy’s Roy’s, I am shocked no one has mentioned this. This is one of the best restaurants around. We went to the original on Maui on our honeymoon, second honeymoon and the 3rd time in Maui. If you are in poipu I would suggest this place and defiantly order the small chocolate soufflés

Here’s the link and the poipu info

http://www.roysrestaurant.com/

Roy%26#39;s Poipu Bar %26amp; Grill

(808) 742-5000

Have fun

I%26#39;ll be the lone voice of dissent here. I think your plan is very doable. I also like to plan a lot of things each day, I feel that this might be my only trip to visit here, (you never know what the future will bring) and I don%26#39;t want to miss a thing. My wife and I are actually far more active on our vacations then we are in everyday life.

A couple of suggestions: Get to the canyon as early as possible and do the lookout first. Clouds roll in here during the day and the best chance for a clear view is early in the day. We walked up to the lookout and had a great view, but by the time we returned to the lower lookout, clouds had rolled in and obscurred the view. Do any driving that will go through the Lihue area VERY early in the morning or later in the evening, the traffic through here is ridiculous. We made the mistake of returning from the North Shore one day around 5:00pm and it took us over an hour to go a couple of miles. I see on Sat. you plan on spending the day on the South Shore in the Poipu area and then going to the Beach House. This is a fairly upscale restaurant and you will need to wear decent clothes, not the kind of place you can just walk in off the beach. Don%26#39;t know if you were planning a place to shower and change or not.

I agree with the dress code comment for Roy%26#39;s too. While not LA or NY dress up, it%26#39;s a bit more than shorts.

Also, regarding cleaning up onthe south shore while staying in Hanalei ....now understand this is a suggestion that we saw a lot, we were staying on the south shore last time so we could go back to our place and eat on the south shore eateries. But I would have done it

A lot of folks took advantage of the showers at Poipu beach. If it were just me and the wife, staying in Hanalei , and going to Roy%26#39;s or another south beach. I would rinse off at the Poipu showers and save the time of driving all the way back.

But I am a guy and that%26#39;s my 2 cents