Just got back from Kauai, writing down some notes
Context
The hurricane ended a while ago. Some things have recovered, some haven't. I'm mainly recording what I experienced.
p2 is pregnant, so a lot of activities had to be dropped.
In October, Hawaii local time: sunrise 6:30 AM, sunset 6:15 AM
Combined with the time difference, we basically got up at dawn and went out to play, came back to the hotel at sunset to rest, and were asleep by 8–9 PM.
Day 1
Flight: Flew Alaska to LIH airport. Both of us are Silver members, not a single upgrade — not even to premium economy.
Rental car: Have Avis President status. They upgraded our sedan to a Jeep — very happy. But the car had quite a few scratches. I recorded a video before pickup, hoping they won't give us trouble.
Lunch: Went to Konohiki Seafoods. The poke was okay, everything else not so much.
After lunch we went to the supermarket for supplies. First went to Times Supermarket — total garbage, absolutely do not go. I went years ago and had a good impression, but this time it was completely different: fruit not fresh at all, things extremely expensive. Milk that's $3 at Walmart was $9 here. Switched to Walmart — fresh fruit, fair prices.
Hotel: Checked into Grand Hyatt. Arrived at 11 AM, room was ready by 12. Used a GOH, confirmed 4 PM late checkout. They said we were upgraded to ocean view, but it felt like pool view.
The two most important things about this hotel right now: 1) The Saltwater Lagoon is still under repair and temporarily closed!
- The club lounge is closed, and they compensated with breakfast — I'd say we came out ahead, the breakfast is very good.
Since the Lagoon was closed we could only use the pool. The pool is decent — I'd give it 6 out of 10. Main issue is it's relatively small; after half an hour it gets boring.
All things considered, we spent 45k Hyatt points. The experience was good, but we'd never come back — not worth it. Would recommend Koloa Landing instead.
After the pool we went back to the room and slept a bit, took a walk in the tropical garden, then headed to Poipu Beach Park to snorkel.
About snorkeling: I bought my own goggles, snorkel tube, and water shoes.
You absolutely MUST wear water shoes.
Poipu Beach is especially good for snorkeling because the entire underwater area is reef. And more reef means more fish. The trade-off is that without water shoes you simply can't do it — it's very easy to cut up your hands and feet. I didn't wear them, and my hands and feet got all cut up. There's one particularly deep cut on the right side, and I couldn't walk normally for the next few days.
Saw sea turtles. Note the ring of reef in the distance — this is the area specifically for kids to play in the water. Very shallow, no waves, perfect for beginners, but again it's all reef underneath, so water shoes are still recommended.
Day 2
Due to the hurricane, the best part of Waimea Road is closed. You can still see part of it along the way.
If you're short on time, consider skipping it and waiting until it fully reopens.
Went back to Poipu Beach to snorkel again. Truly worthy of being Kauai's #1 snorkeling spot. Today the weather was good — sunny, no wind or waves — and we saw tons of fish, colorful and abundant. Very satisfied.
Lunch at Living Food: daily catch + salad, pretty good.
After lunch we walked a bit on the Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail.
Back to the hotel to sleep and rest, then soaked in the pool a bit more. At 4 PM we drove to the next hotel, Hilton Garden Inn.
The beginning of a nightmare.
The room was a bit small, but the view was decent.
That day was Sunday and there was an event with live music. At check-in we were a bit worried, so we went to the front desk to ask for a room change. The front desk said the event would end at 7 PM, so we didn't switch. But it didn't end until after 8, and afterward people kept walking past our door. It wasn't fully quiet until almost 9 — and we usually go to bed at 8.
Day 3
Roosters started crowing after 4 AM, right next to the room, extremely clear. Couldn't sleep any more at all.
Before coming, AI said the hotel offers 2-hour bike rentals. Asked the front desk — that was 3 years ago and no longer exists.
After breakfast we drove to Wailua Falls overlook. The view was so-so, mostly blocked by vegetation.
Lunch at El Rey del Mar: octopus taco was delicious; fajitas locas was a huge portion, filling, flavor was just okay.
After lunch we went to Lydgate Beach Park, right next to the hotel, walkable. There are two artificial seawater pools enclosed by rocks — calm and perfect for swimming.
Don't bother snorkeling here — no reef means no fish.
Got bored after a while, drove back to the south shore. First went to Lawai Beach — the road is under construction, don't go unless you have an SUV. That day the wind and waves were especially strong, so skip it.
Went to Poipu again. On the way we bought a coconut from a Chinese couple, $20 each.
Seeing they were Chinese, we didn't haggle.
But they gave us a bad one and insisted it was good.
We got angry and asked for a refund, and only then did they give us a new coconut, which was fine.
The first bad one was brown — clearly very old. After we got angry, the second one was green — clearly fresh. Felt like the owner sizes people up. Ugh.
Swam at Poipu Beach for 40 minutes. Clear sky, no wind, lots of fish schools, colors especially vivid.
Afternoon: Smith's Fern Grotto River Cruise → full of people with kids. Don't go if you don't have children.
Opaeka'a Falls overlook → **absolutely not worth it, just a tiny trickle.
We chose these two only because p2 is pregnant and there wasn't much else to do. Same reason we cancelled rafting.
Recommendation: just do the kayak + hiking tour to the bottom of Wailua Falls — should be a lot of fun.
Day 4 North Shore
Breakfast at The Musubi Truck Kapaa — felt just okay.
Kīlauea Lighthouse: seabird sanctuary, white lighthouse on a cliff.
Hanalei Valley Lookout: taro fields — green terraces with mountain views.
Hanalei Bay: gave up after a long traffic jam due to road construction. Right now lots of roads on Kauai are under construction, one-lane alternating traffic, very easy to get stuck.
1 Hotel Hanalei Bay restaurants: ate there to enjoy the terrace view, then went to the adjacent Puu Poa Beach.
Heard the water is great and there are lots of fish. I wasn't wearing a swimsuit at the time and thought it was too much hassle to go back and change, so I skipped it. If you want to try it, consider wearing your swimsuit there.
Afternoon: Checked in at Koloa Landing. Asked the front desk — no late checkout, ends at 12.
Experience at Koloa Landing: huge pool, top ten in the US. Loved the pool, full marks.
Only photographed part of it — it's actually enormous. Played for over an hour.
The room is also especially large.
Of all these hotels, this one has the best hardware.
Day 5
Breakfast at Little Fish Coffee — this place always has a long line. Ordering on site plus waiting for food can take 40+ minutes.
Went snorkeling at Poipu Beach again.
Back to Koloa Landing pool.
Lunch at Zumo Sushi: ordered sashimi bowl and sushi.
Then home. Upgraded to two first-class seats. The beef was pretty tasty. Alaska Silver really is great!
You need to be careful about cutting your feet on the reef—pregnant women already have limited mobility, and a wound that isn't treated properly can cause even more trouble.