This was our third trip to Kauai, and there are still things we haven’t seen! It was just a quick little five-day jaunt, but we were both in pretty dire need of a vacation so it was nice to have.
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Hotel
Koa Kea
This is a relatively new (opened in 2009) boutique hotel on Poipu Beach. When I say “boutique,” that’s Hawaiian standards. It still has 121 rooms, but compare that to the Hyatt (565) or Princeville (252), and it is on the smaller side.
I think the location of this hotel along Poipu Beach is fantastic. Having stayed at both the Sheraton and Hyatt, we liked being more central. There’s no beach right in front of the hotel, but the beaches just to either side of the proeprty are great. You’re also walking distance to the Poipu Shopping Village (Roy’s, Whaler’s General Store, Puka Dogs), which is very handy.
We didn’t see much evidence to the contrary of the hotel’s reputation of catering to couples. There were two couples with one kid each (a baby and a girl of about 7) while we were there, so it’s not like it was Hedonism or something, but it seems like there are really no services for children (no kids club, kiddy pool, kids menu). I thought this might be because of the time of year, but we ran into a friend staying at the Hyatt and she marveled at the number of kids there.
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We were in a garden view room on the ground floor of the wing to the right of the pool. Normally I don’t like ground floor rooms, but these do have an advantage. The rooms on the upper levels have a small table and two chairs on their lanai, but the ground floor rooms also have a chaise. And on the garden view side (we were facing landscaping separating the property from the Kiahuna Plantation next door), our lanai had an extended brick patio, which the ground floor rooms facing the pool did not. We also had more privacy than those rooms. The ocean front rooms at this place are indeed really close to the water. However, the ground floor ocean front rooms are pretty close to the public walkway running along the waterfront, so they really lack privacy.
The rooms themselves are super nice. Very modern but still cozy, gorgeous marble bathroom, no mini-bar clogging up the fridge, and L’Occitane products for the shower. The maids did a great job and our room was usually clean by early afternoon, and you get two bottles of Fiji water every night at turndown.
There’s not much to the grounds of the hotel. There’s the pool, a hot tub, a pool bar, and beach/water sports shack. The pool is a good size for the number of guests, and it’s salt water filtered. It’s fairly private, set way back off the road, and the nearest units in Kiahuna Plantation must not be too close to the property line because we never heard a peep from over there. The parking is mandatory valet, but the car was always waiting for us after we called before leaving the room and it was a quick walk up there. There’s a small store if you’re desperate for aspirin or overpriced shirts with the hotel’s logo. They do have a spa, but I didn’t use it.
The restaurant, Red Salt, is open for breakfast and dinner (the pool bar serves lunch). We had breakfast there once (mac nut waffles!), and one dinner there. I, uh, got pretty drunk at dinner, but my husband assures me it was very good. They also have coffee set up in the morning in the lobby and coffee makers in the rooms. Well, technically the machines are espresso makers that use those little single serve cup things. You get six, then you have to buy more.
The cost per night is on par with the other nicer hotels on the island. There is a resort fee of $15 per day, which includes the valet parking and wi-fi. However, if you’re a Hawaiian resident, their kama’aina rate is a very good deal.
Food
Roy’s
They’re never as good as the one in Hawaii Kai on Oahu, but the food is still good. The one in Poipu is much more casual (as far as atmosphere) compared to others, so no need to dress up when you go.
Keoki’s Paradise
Also in the Poipu Shopping Village. Decent bar type food and live music. My husband’s mai tai was not good, but it’s his fault for not getting Kona Brewery beer on tap while he could!
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Pizzetta
We came here on our last trip and liked it, so when we wanted something casual we headed back. Good pizza, a nice waiter, and pitchers of Fire Rock. You can also get a $5 off coupon in almost every coupon book available.
Puka Dogs
Meh, I don’t get the hype. The Polish dog itself was good, but everything else was just OK (not much flavor from the relish, no heat from the lemon spicy stuff, too much bread in the bun, weak lemonade). Maybe I’m just mad because I got a huge glop of relish on my skirt.
Hamura’s Saimin
Noodle bliss. It’s not every day two people can eat at a Beard Award-winning restaurant for $12.
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Activities
Blue Dolphin Charters
On our first trip to Kauai we tried to see the Na Pali Coast by boat, but that’s not so easy to do in March. So getting a boat tour of it in this trip was an absolute must. I chose Blue Dolphin because the reviews on Yelp seemed to mention getting seasick less than other boats. We chose the morning Na Pali snorkel tour. The crew was fun, not too many people got sick, and breakfast and lunch were simple but tasty. My husband was annoyed at himself for forgetting our snorkel gear at the hotel, but honestly the stuff on the boat was very good. Probably among the best gear I’ve seen provided by a boat.
I took Non-Drowsy Dramamine when we checked in at the office and was fine. It wasn’t too rough so I don’t know that I needed it, but better safe than sorry. There’s a Big Save and a Longs at the turn off from the highway to Port Allen, so you’d think if you forgot Dramamine you’d be safe. BUT I couldn’t find it at the Big Save and the Longs doesn’t open until 9, so get it the day before (I found it at the Sueoka store in Koloa, which is worth a stop anyway). They do sell Bonine at the Blue Dolphin office. The crew can’t give you anything on the boat other than ginger ale and sympathy.
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Pihea Trail
Since we did the Hanakapi’ai Trail last time, I wanted to do a Waimea Canyon trail this trip. Unfortunately we got a late start and it was hot as heck, so not ideal hiking conditions. Also the whole point of the trail is that you get amazing views of the Kalalau Valley, and it got socked in by clouds half way through our hike. Still, a very nice hike with good scenery. Not terribly difficult, but the ground is very smooth and I think parts of it would be nasty in the rain.
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Trail from Maha’ulepu Beach
So you get to this beach by driving past the Hyatt to the end of Poipu Road where it turns to dirt, continue to the four corners where the only way you can go is right, go down another dirt road that very well could pop a tire on your rental car, and park in the lot (going off a paved road will violate your rental car contract). You can also turn left from the lot to get down farther along the beach. We just parked in the lot and walked along the beach to pick up the trail along the coast. We had tried to hike to this beach from the Hyatt on our last trip, but it was really windy and we felt like we were being sandblasted so we stopped. This is a stunning hike. Beautiful scenery and only saw other people occasionally from a distance. Bring bathing suits because there are a couple of places to swim. It ended for us when we ran into a fence that went down to the cliff’s edge, and I don’t trespass. The earlier you go the more likely you are to have the beach/trail to yourself.
Zipline
We didn’t do this because I waited too long to make a reservation and the slot we wanted was full. But since I did the research I figured I’d share what I learned. So a lot of the ziplines are “adventures” or “tours” and involve lunch and tubing, swimming, etc. These take 4-5 hours. Since we were going for such a short trip we weren’t really interested in all that, we just wanted to try ziplines. I found Just Live. This appealed to me because it’s closer to Poipu and they have a “Wikiwiki” tour, which is 2 hours and three ziplines.
That’s it! As this was our third trip to Kauai, we probably won’t be going back anytime soon. I wasn’t fond of it after our first trip, but it’s really grown on me and I think it’s a wonderful choice for a trip to Hawaii.
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