Scenic Adventures in Kaua’i Hawaii
Posted in Romantic Locations, Scenery, Shopping, Travel | By Shelley Gillespie | Tags: Hawaii, Romantic Travel, Travel
Dramatic cliffs, tropical scenery, gorgeous sunsets and beaches, pop culture and great food – that’s Kaua’i. Although we don’t usually go on tours, we signed up for two in Kaua’i: A movie tour, where you could see places where movies had been filmed and pop culture came to visit.
Elvis filmed here - Coco Palms Hotel
And, a boat tour showing us the breathtaking cliffs of the Napali Coast, which is the only way to see the coast, since there are no roads leading to the Napali Coast. We spent several days in Kaua’i and wished we could have stayed longer.
Napali Coast
Staying in a rental
Since we wanted to avoid the pricey hotels, we found a small cottage to rent for three days in Old Town Koloa, near the southern coast. It was nestled in a tropical “bower” and accessed by a tiny road that passed a neighbor’s goats. The cottage had one bedroom, a kitchen/ living room area, a porch overlooking the terraced yard and a washer and dryer underneath the house. (The house was perched on “stilts” and was entered from above.) The humidity and no air conditioning were a slight problem for us, as we’re used to the dry climate of Arizona, but the nights were comfortable with cross breezes.
Wake up call
We didn’t need to worry about getting up early enough. In Kaua’i, there are many roosters who announce the dawn. Purportedly, a major storm several years ago disrupted the hen and rooster coops and blew them all over the island. Every morning, the roosters herald the dawn with a hearty ”Cockadoodle doo!!” Don’t expect to sleep late if you’re not used to the roosters crowing!
Shopping and sightseeing in Old Koloa Town
We poked about in the row of shops in Old Koloa Town. Our favorite is a candle and soap shop, “Island Soap & Candle Works,” where there were many varieties of candles and soaps in numerous fragrances. We solved where to buy our gifts and souvenirs right there! (There are other locations and you can order online.) http://kauaisoap.com/ The roads in the area wind about, with lush greenery at every turn. When driving, beware of curves because they come on you suddenly on the narrower roads. The grasses can be quite high so it can be hard to see, especially at night. Highway 50 is a fast road, but that doesn’t go right to the coast. The whole idea is to kick back and relax, so do that and forget about the hectic traffic back home and rushing to get anywhere – except back to the airport for your flight home.
Poipu
We walked the beach area in Poipu and settled in at a restaurant where our wait staff was more educated than most of the diners. Our server had a Masters degree and found her restaurant job more lucrative than those in her field! The open air dining had some beggars – birds – that wanted to share our seafood dinner. We shooed them away and enjoyed the views and the people watching. More to come on our movie tour, Napali boat ride, and more on the glorious island of Kaua’i…
Tags: Hawaii, Romantic Travel, Travel