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| I took this picture somewhere along the main highway between Kapaa and Princeville |
Aloha, we're off to Hawaii. Kauai this time around.
I'm all packed and ready to go. He's almost finished packing.
Boarding Passes are printed.
House/Dog Sitter arriving soon (thank you Sue).
Ride to airport arriving soon too (thank you Jay).
Paul and I will be there for one week. Diane and Jay are joining us Monday through Thursday.
We've stayed at this timeshare resort previously and we liked it. The Cliffs at Princeville.
Weather is predicted to be rainy. That being said it pretty much rains everyday at some point in time in Kauai. There is also sunshine everyday so hopefully we'll have a mixed bag of balanced weather. Concierge said it's the wettest spot in the nation. She also said September is her favorite time of year on this island.
We shall see!
Nothing specifically planned yet. We have a couple of things on the to-do list when Diane and Jay arrive but nothing set in stone except some very welcomed R&R.
Tune in tomorrow for the rest of today's recap.
Sunday September 9, 2018
Our flight left right on time and thanks to tail winds we
arrived about 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
Typical in “hang loose” Country it took a while for the
luggage to come down. Thank you Travel Gods.
Rental car place was packed (typical from past visits here). Finally
on the road in Paradise.
The weather was
beautiful. We checked in, unpacked* and
off to the grocery store. We sat on the
lanai enjoying the beautiful view before heading out to dinner.
We stayed close and went to Tiki Iniki which
is in the shopping center where the grocery store is. Last time we were here we went to CJ’s (same
shopping center). Now it’s an Italian
restaurant!
Tiki Iniki was a great choice. I had an amAZing cocktail called Missionary’s Downfall. I have no idea what was in it and their cocktail menu isn't online.
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| Welcoming Committee - cute little redhead |
Tiki Iniki was a great choice. I had an amAZing cocktail called Missionary’s Downfall. I have no idea what was in it and their cocktail menu isn't online.
We split a
Caesar. I had Kataifi Wrapped Kauai
Shrimp and he had Cajun Hawaiian Ahi. Both were delicious. We skipped dessert.
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| Kauai Shrimp wrapped in finely shredded phylo dough, sauteed in grand marnier butter sauce with Angel hair pasta and garden veggies. |
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| Cajun Ahi with Jasmine rice and sauteed veggies |
*Unpacking – I went to take my luggage lock off and it wasn’t
there. The zipper was open about 6”. There was a TSA tag inside that my bag had
been searched for “security purposes”.
Thank you for making sure there was nothing dangerous in my bag, but you
could have at least given my lock back!
It was a good one too, TSA approved with the universal TSA keyhole on
the bottom so it’s not like they had to cut it off. I was not happy however if that’s the worst
that could happen, C Est La Vie.
Monday’s Agenda: we haven’t decided yet except someplace fabulous
for my Birthday Dinner.
Happy Birthday to Me!
It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Morning coffee on my lanai. One of my favorite vacation things! Once the sun came up we have a mix of grey
clouds, white clouds and blue sky, 78*. Chickens and Nene (Hawaiian geese) roaming the grassy area below.
Monday September 10, 2018
Monday was gorgeous and not one drop of rain (all the weather
apps said rain everyday). Some dark clouds were rolling in at sunset but they
must have just been strolling by. Talk of Hurricane Olivia about 750 miles off Honolulu. Hopefully it will move out to sea and skip the Islands.
We started off with Sunday Brunch at the Westin. We went there last time and I thought it was
just okay but Paul wanted to go back. On
Sunday they add crab legs and prime rib carving station plus desserts to
their typical breakfast buffet. The
normal stuff was okay and the crab legs were great.
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| I love when my food needs a tool kit! |
Its such a beautiful property.
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| I'm sure I took this exact same picture last time! |
We left there and went down to Hanalei. You know, where Puff the Magic Dragon lived
by the sea. We walked around the stores
for a while. Paul bought a straw hat.
He had bought one when we went to Palm Springs in June too. Apparently it’s his new vacation thing! Actually the PS hat fell apart when he wore
it to work in the Arizona sunshine. Anyhow,
we wandered around there for a while.
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| Hangin' with the locals. Sign said Tiki of Health and Peace |
Paul asked if I wanted to go into
Kapaa. Sure! I need my first ABC Store fix. Support the local economy! We walked up and down the streets. We went to
use the restrooms and you need a code to get in. A lady was coming out and shut
the door behind her and then saw us and said 67670. Thank you very much. Good to know for when we go back this week,
unless they change it daily but I think it's a weekly thing. Paul got a
Hawaiian Shaved Ice, Cherry and the small was huge. The dome was about twice again as high as the
cup. It was really good.
We went back to the condo and I took a little
nap while he watched the Bear’s game.
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| Nice coconuts |
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| They've upscaled the huts at the swap meet since our last visit. Found out later they are actually shipping containers with roofs and siding added. |
Birthday dinner at the St. Regis Makana Terrace. We had a nice table at the rail outside on the
terrace. Great service by Stasha and his helpers.
I was super disappointed when I looked at the menu. No Lobster. I asked Stasha if they had lobster because it
was listed on their menu online. He said
that thing is so outdated but he’d ask the chef if they had any. He brought out complimentary Birthday champagne and said the
chef was still checking. We ordered the Crab Cake for an appetizer.
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| Crab Cake on Slaw topped with Scallop |
He came back and said YES, they had actually just caught
some lobster today so it wasn’t on the menu.
He asked what I wanted it served with and I said “chef’s choice,
whatever he wants to pair with it is fine with me, just no coconut”.
Just as we finished the crab cakes, Mother Nature smiled
down with an amazing Happy Birthday sunset.
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| Such a beautiful view |
The server’s assistant/food delivery guy brought over
another appetizer of pork belly and said “on the house, the lobster is taking a
little while longer”. Okey dokey
then.
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| Kahlua Pork Belly in Sticky Sauce with Pickled Cucumber |
The food came out and it was beautiful.
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| Chef decided on Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Asparagus |
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| Paul had Mahi Mahi |
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| For dessert they brought Mascarpone Cheesecake |
Tuesday's Agenda: Today Diane and Jay fly in.
Yay! Flight is scheduled to
arrive at 2:40-ish. Same flight schedule
we were on and our flight arrived early so we’ll probably go to the airport a
little early just in case. They are doing
carry on so no long ass wait for luggage to come down.
We have a few things we want to do while they are here but
no actually plan as to when. We always go to Brennecke’s for the BEST Fish and Chips.
That’s up around the other side of the Island past the airport. We’re a
40 minute drive the other side of Lihue.
Brennecke’s is upstairs and overlooks the beach. I’d like to go back to the Dolphin in Hanalei
where I had the best Fish Tacos last time we were here. One restaurant we’re going to go back to is
Postcards in Hanalei. Diane scoped out Best Things to Do and
discovered there is a Hindu Monastery and reviews say it’s a hidden gem. I think it was closed last time we were here.
I asked for info from the concierge. She gave me a flyer. They have self-guided tours daily from 9-12 and a 90 minute guided tour
at 9 a.m. Dress code (similar to the Vatican)
no exposed shoulders or knees. Unlike
the Vatican, they offer sarongs so you can cover up if you’re wearing shorts or tank tops. It says “the tour is free however the
monastery welcomes love offerings as donations".
Love offerings aye?
It’s 6 am and just getting light outside. Again a mix of white and grey clouds against
the blue backdrop. There is just the tiniest
bit of a breeze moving the palm trees. Its super quiet with only a few birds
starting their day with song.
Things change quickly here. In the 30 minutes it took me to post and add photos, the dark clouds are gone and there is the most vocal rooster right below our lanai who has a loudest story to tell this morning.
I love my lanai!
Tuesday September 11, 2018
Tuesday morning we went to the Wake Up Café in Hanalei for breakfast and it
was horrible. The server was
cranky. They have three tables outside
on the balcony. The center one was
empty. She pointed to a table for us to
sit at inside and walked back into the kitchen. The place was practically empty so it's not like people were waiting for the prime seats. We were still standing there when she came back so she said it was okay
to take the table outside. They have a
very limited menu. I was going to get
the French Toast which is topped with coconut so I thought they could just
leave it off. Nope. She told us their most popular items were and
asked if we were ready. I said I needed
another minute. She was back in 30
seconds. He got the Quesadilla which was
basically an omelet that they put on a tortilla and folded it in half. Not grilled or toasted so basically nothing was Quesadilla about it. I had the combo which was eggs, choice of
meat (I had Portuguese Sausage) and hash browns OR toast. Not both.
The Portuguese Sausage was good but just three little circles about the
size of a quarter. The eggs were dry and
the hash browns were greasy. Off the
list.
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| They did have a beautiful, albeit pricy view though. Pricy for bad food and service that is. |
We ventured up the road and accidentally discovered an hidden
parking area for Hanalei Bay. Beautiful
beach area and not too crowded. Accidentally
because the main road was closed so we had to detour.
Back to the condo and walked around the property and checked
out the pool. Lazy day waiting until
it’s time to head to the airport.
Their plane was scheduled to land at 2:49 so we left the
condo at 1:30. It’s normally a 40 minute
drive but I wanted to go early in case their flight arrived early. It did. 2:20 however we were still stuck in traffic
due to an accident. Super bad traffic
stopped and barely moved every five minutes. The main road is only one lane in each direction and one of those was obstructed! It took over an hour and a half.
We arrived at the airport at 3:03.
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| Finally! My Sis! |
We were going to go knock around Kapaa until the accident
traffic cleared. We went into the ABC
Store (but of course). By the time we
finished there the map app said it was normal traffic so we headed back to the
condo. When we got to the Shell Gas
Station app said 12 minutes to the Cliffs.
I told them it took us exactly one hour to get to the Shell Station on
the way up. Ugg.
They got settled in and we went down so I could show them around the property. There was a welcome
reception going on with mai tai’s, juice, Hawaiian meatballs (yum), edamame, carrots
with ranch, chips with bean dip. We sat
by the pool for little bit and then back to the condo and relaxed before
leaving for dinner. We decided on
Postcards for Lobster. I know, I had
lobster last night but it’s my happy meal!
And I’m on Vacation. And it’s was
Birthday Dinner #2. Enough
justification? Our server was
adorable. Postcards is fresh and local
so she told us the lobster came in from Honolulu this morning. Local to Hawaii but not local to Kauai. Fine by me.
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| Hibiscus Cooler Hibiscus Juice and Lemonade |
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| She gave us postcards of Postcards |
Wednesday's agenda: there will be a breakfast food truck on property at 9:00 a.m. We’ll check that out. Then we’re going exploring. First stop, the Kauai Hindu Monastery for the self guided tour. Then look for some road side waterfalls and Brenneke’s for the Best Fish and Chips.
Speaking of fish, Dolphins, where we going to go for the best Fish Tacos, is closed for repairs from the flood earlier this year.
And speaking of closures, the Tavern at the golf course that we enjoyed last time is out of business.
All things subject to change!
Wednesday morning and it’s a delightful 73* at 5:30 a.m. Hurricane Olivia was downgraded to a Tropical Storm yesterday and this morning it says she “weakens slightly as it closes in on Hawaii”. Weaken some more Olivia!
We walked
around the property and got rained on a couple of times.
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| We found the Sister Swing (aka Hammock) and had to recreate the she shenanigans from Maui |
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| We found the Bike Rentals |
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| And chairs on the cliff edge. Come on down |
Then to the Kauai Hindu Monastery for the self guided tour. It is
so peaceful and beautiful there. Upon
entry you can burn your troubles. All four us took that opportunity! Wouldn't you?!?!
We walked around the property and waited until the Temple was open to the public after their morning prayer
services. We all had to put on sarongs because
your legs can’t be showing (contrary to the info in the flyer that said knees). Nobody cared. I think we all looked great in our sarongs!
No photos
allowed in the Temple. Take my word for it, put this on your to-do list when
visiting Kauai. Use a map app to find it and don't think you're lost on the way in. It's at the end of the road on a residential side street. Hidden gem, just like they said.
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| Our troubles going up in smoke |
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| Ring the bell upon entering to announce your arrival |
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| Banyon Tree |
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| Lots of Hindu History |
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| They are building a new Temple |
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| Reflection Pond |
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| The Temple |
We left there and headed to Brennecke's for lunch, best fish and chips. Dang it, forgot to snap a photo! Brennecke’s overlooks the ocean so Diane and HAD to go down and put our toes in the ocean, opps that wave went WAY past the toes!
We left there and drove up to the blow hole. Check out the super blue ocean and sky. Magnificent.
Back to the condo then down to Hanalei to check out some of the
stores.
Back to the condo and relaxed a while before head out to dinner at
Tahiti Nui. We ate in the bar because the restaurant was too noisy. Then the
bar got noisy with some very boisterous locals. BTW, I'm not a fan of paper straws. Just sayin'. Jay and I had pasta with shrimp, Diane had honey shrimp, Paul had macadamia nut crusted chicken. Not photo worthy. No dessert. We have popsicles and ice cream at the condo.
Tropical
Storm Olivia is still headed towards Maui. Storm warning is cancelled for Kauai
(TYJ). Praying for friends in the path of Olivia and Florence.
Thursday 9-13-18
Today we thought we'd go to Hanalei Bread Co. for breakfast but it's pretty much a giant coffee shop with limited menu and not much seating unless you go outside to a picnic table. Picnic tables were all wet from the rain overnight. Paul likes a regular sit down restaurant so we went back to the Westin for the buffet which Jay really likes.
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| Found an unmarked waterfall right on the main highway. There was no place to pull over so we went back when the traffic was light so we could slow down enough to snap a drive-by pic. |
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| We stopped to feed the piggies |
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| They call this the scrambled egg tree |
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| Tourists! |
Dropped off Paul at the condo cuz he wanted a beer and a jaccuzi. Diane, Jay and I went back to Hanalei and mowsied around the shops. We tried to get to the Hanalei Pier but the road was closed. We stopped into the Waioli Huiiag Church.
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| Love their stained glass windows |
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| Food Truck Park No Fish Tacos |
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| Fish Taco at Tropical Taco. Yummmm |
Back to the condo.
Back to Kapaa for dinner at the Bull Shed.
The Bull Shed was okay but I wouldn't put it on the list of restaurants to try. The salad bar was small and cramped into a hallway. Paul felt the atmosphere was like the Sizzler. Wish they would have had a Sizzler-esq salad bar!
Oh look, another ABC Store we haven't been to. One more stop!
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| When the lobster is only $2 more than steak, I'll pick lobster EVERY time! |
Oh look, another ABC Store we haven't been to. One more stop!
Thursday September 13, 2018
Diane, Jay and I went on an adventure for our morning walk. At the Westin we saw a sign that said Beach Access so we drove down there. The path is marked "CAUTION Dangerous Conditions" but we ventured in anyhow.
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| Jay's photo of the path. Doesn't look too scary. |
We started walking and it started raining. The path was beautiful. We got to a lookout point and it was getting steeper and steeper.
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| Diane at the overlook |
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| There was a pile of walking sticks leaning against a tree at the beginning of the path |
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| Diane and I chickened out but Jay kept going |
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| Here is his picture of his reward |
We walked in the rain back to the car (which was locked of course). We stood under a tree, then ventured to another tree, then up to the resort and sat on their patio chairs until Jay came back. He said it was steep and got a little slippery in the center of the path but the outside edge was okay. Steep and slippery. Em. No.
We had planned to hang out by the pool today so hopefully it will clear up enough.
Diane and Jay fly home tonight.
We had breakfast at the Kountry Kitchen in Kapaa.
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| A little out of focus, but a yummy BLT non the less |
Then we stopped at the beach to put our feet in the water. The water was surprisingly warm.
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| Yes I cropped it. The wind up my dress looked like I was smuggling a seal. |
Back to the condo and waited for the rain to stop before venturing down to Hanalei Bay again. We tried to go down to the Pier but the roads were closed and you could see big cranes moving mud. I think that was from storm damage in the Spring. We went down to the other end where Paul and I had found the beach access and walked long the shore. The water was surprisingly cold. No photos from that walk.
Back to the condo and out to the pool for a while. It's been raining off and on so we took advantage of a window of non-rain pool time.
Diane and Jay packed. More rain. We watched a movie and the rain stopped just in time to get their bags in the car and head up to Lihue.
On the way out of Princeville we stopped for gas and found this adorable Church on the side road heading out:
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| Christ Memorial Episcopal Church |
We had dinner overlooking the ocean at JJ's Broiler. Diane and I shared Fish and Chips. The menu said "Voted Best" but the REAL BEST Fish and Chips is at Brenneke's. No comparison. Jay had Fish Tacos and Paul had Grilled Prime Rib Steak with Teriyaki. After dinner we walked around the Anchor Shopping Center before heading to the airport.
Sorry, I haven't been doing a good job with the food porn the past few days.
Friday September 14, 2018
Diane updated that they breezed through Agricultural Check and Security and their flight left on time. Yay.
A beautiful morning is brewing. A mix of white and grey clouds in front of the blue sky. Slight breeze. This has been the norm. Roosters crowing and birds singing. The Nene are out picking the grass looking for breakfast.
Not sure what we're going to do today but I'll be sure to let you know!
We drove down and had a light breakfast at the Hanalei Bread Co. He had a ham and cheese croissant and I had pan chocolat (chocolate croissant).
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| Not as good as I wanted it to be. |
We walked back to the store where Paul found a shirt he liked earlier in the week. The (dark hair) sales lady was not very pleasant and didn't seem to want to help us. The (blonde) sales lady today was very nice and helpful. He got his shirt and we chatted a little while she was ringing us up. I asked when they expect to re-open the pier. I told her we saw cranes down there the other day. She said that's clean up from the storm they had in April. Three houses floated right into the ocean! Yikes! She said buffalo and cows were in the canal. Oh my, I can't even imagine. The Dolphin Restaurant was all but destroyed and damage to the art gallery right next door to it. Those are the first businesses as you drive down into Hanalei. There are single vehicle bridges at both ends of town. She said the County wants to widen them but the residents and business owners keep petitioning against it because they don't want "the Japanese Tour Buses coming in". She said if that happens, Hanalei will look like Waikiki. BTW, they haven't released a date for the reopening of the pier. And that's your update from the locals.
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| The Tiki God of the Ocean and of Sailing. Hoping he blesses us with smooth sailing on our flight home tomorrow. |
We ended up going to the Kilauea
Lighthouse. Again. Nothing has changed since our last visit four
years ago, except it was incredibly windy.
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| Mandatory pic at the Visitor Center |
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| Mandatory pic of Paul reading the signage |
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| Hold on to your hat! |
Super Windy!
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| Nene Crossing |
I went into the grocery store to
buy a mug. It rang up $2.00 more than
the tag on the shelf. I told the cashier how
much it was supposed to be and she said “not this one”. I said there was a whole row of them and the
tag matched the description of the mug.
She actually left her register and walked over to the shelf with me. When I showed her the tag where the double
row of mugs were she said “that tag is wrong” and removed the tag off the
shelf. She adjusted the price at the register.
As we were walking out Paul was laughing at me. He said “Jay would have just paid the extra
two bucks!” I said “yes he would have!” He would have been so embarrassed that I questioned it! It wasn’t the two bucks. It’s the point. Quit trying to rip off tourist by posting one
price and charging another. Savvy
shopper! I bet a lot of people don't even notice, especially if they have a larger order.
Back to the condo for pool
time! The pool was too cold and the Jacuzzi
was too hot. Goldilocks couldn’t find a
happy water spot. I did find a private and lovely
hut to lay under though.
We both Ono. It was completely delicious. Those oblong things are Polenta Fries. I gave mine to Paul.
It was good but difficult to cut into. He gave us spoons but forks might have worked better.
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| Found this spot behind the adult pool . So peaceful. |
The food at Piazaa was very
good. The service was very average.
We split a Caesar Salad which was
really good. The lettuce was super
fresh, the croutons were extra crispy and the dressing was flavorful.
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| Parmesan ribbons are my favorite |
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| Pan Seared Ono with Lemon Caper Sauce |
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| Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart |
They need to bump up the service
to compensate for their prices. We had
to flag our server down for pepper for our salads (no pepper on the table). When
he took our salad plates he took our forks and said he’d bring us clean ones. He brought our entrees and we waited at least
five minutes for him to come back (again had to flag him down) so we could ask
for forks. We were half way through our
meal and someone brought over a huge salad and said “your salad is ready”. I said we already had our salad and he or she
(not sure) said REALLY!!!! Turned around
and huffed off. Same thing happened to
the people at the table next to us. They
were eating dessert and the same server/assistant person brought two big salads
to their table. Again huffed off when
the lady laughed and said “we’re eating dessert now”. Get your service together people because the
food was great.
Saturday is my least favorite day
of the trip. We have to check out at 10
a.m. and our flight doesn’t leave until 8 p.m.
That’s a long ass day with nothing to do. We’ve done about everything there is to do
except the coffee plantation. We’ve done
that before and it’s nothing special.
They have tons of samples and a ginormous gift shop.
I checked with the front desk to
see if we could get a later checkout and she said to call at 8 and she’d check
with housekeeping for their schedule. She said
the latest would probably be 11 but we’re welcome to stay on property and enjoy
the amenities after we check out. I’m
sure we’ll find something else to do!
We left there and went to
Kalapacki Joes for an early lunch since we had skipped breakfast. Skip this place when in Poipu. My burger sounded and looked great but was cold and
dry. Paul ordered Pulled Pork Sandwich which
was mostly bun.
Then we drove up to Kekaha and on
a back road we discovered an old abandoned sugar mill.
It was originally built in 1898, rebuilt
in 1954, closed in 2000 when the sugar industries died in Hawaii. Mr. Google said they are still trying to find
something to resurrect the building and bring tourist into the little town.
We had a couple of coffee samples before
getting on the road again. I was getting
cranky by then and my crankyness (I don’t think that’s a word) was rubbing
off. I wanted to just call it a day but
Paul wanted to have dinner at Duke’s.
There is no parking there so we parked at the Anchor Shopping Center
which had plenty of empty spaces. They
have signs all over that say ASC parking only, others will be towed. He said it was fine. I was a nervous wreck that we’d come back
after dinner and the car would be gone.
It was there. Duke’s has a
great reputation but I don’t think the food is that great. I had the salad bar and Paul had a
Chicken/Steak Kabob with a fancy name. We had great service and a beautiful view.
We gassed up the vehicle, took
the car back and shuttled to the airport.
Their process is a little different in Hawaii so I'm just throwing this in there for reference. You have to put your bags that you’re
checking in through the agricultural check scanner. Then go to the ticketing kiosk and enter your info. Then they call your name and tag your
bags. Then you take your bags to a bag
drop pod. Then thru the security and the
gates. TSA Pre-Check was mostly
closed. The lane was open you we didn’t
have to wait in line as long. They only
had one security guy so he was alternating the lines. Pre-Check lane was closed so they gave us a
bright yellow card to show when we got to the scanner. The only thing we didn’t have to do was take
off our shoes. Everything else was strip searched. Finally to the gate but not before another agricultural check for carry on bags. We only had a 40 minute wait until boarding time.
Our flight was packed and left right on time. Normally I don’t have any trouble
sleeping on a flight but I couldn’t sleep.
I had a guy behind me that I didn’t think would ever stop talking, a
lady next to me who kept gravitating to my seat as she was sleeping and a lady
in front of me who kept trying to push her seat back further than it is capable
of going. Told you I was cranky! We landed 30 minutes early but had to wait 20
minutes for a gate to open. We waited
about 15 minutes at baggage claim but as soon as it started up our bags come right down. Jay was waiting for us. When I told him about my seat surroundings I
said “when we go to Paris we need to upgrade to first class!”
Saturday September 16, 2018
I went to the front desk and
the best they would do for late checkout was 10:30 so we didn’t bother. We packed up and headed out about 8:30 a.m.
First stop, Old Koloa Town. Just
as we parked it started raining. We walked
around the shops dodging rain drops a little while.
 |
| Hangin' with the locals. Hey, he had a puppy. How could I resist?!?! |
On the way out of Poipu we saw Ke
Kahua O Kaneiolouma which is a restoration of an old village with a bunch of historical
placards. There is no place to park so
Paul pulled over as far off the road as he could and I waited in the car. While he was researching the signage it started raining
again so he came back to the car and we went to Kakuiula Shopping Center,
walked around, then stopped for an ice cream at Lappert’s.
From there we ventured up to Port
Allen. That’s were the snorkel, scuba,
and tour boats leave from. The first time
we went to Kauai eons ago we were with our friends Mike and Janet. Mike and I (being the early birds in the
group) went down to the orientation at the timeshare and won a catamaran snorkeling trip for
two. We bought two more tickets and had
a fun day on that unexpected excursion.
You could lay in the net between the cats and the dolphins would swim
under as if they were trained to do so.
After snorkeling they pulled into a cove and served lunch. Great memories!
We drove through Hanapepe.
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| The famous Flower Truck |
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| Paul on the Swing Bridge |
From there we swung through Russian
Fort Elizabeth which is all but gone now.
A couple of signs and a public restroom are all that’s left.
We weren’t going to go to the
Kauai Coffee Plantation but we had time to kill so we stopped in.
Home Sweet Home. So glad to see my munchkins. Sue (the house/dog sitter) took great care of
them.
I took a little nap before
getting back to reality: unpacking, laundry, grocery shopping, cooking dinner.
Not sure where our next vacation
will take us. We’re going to Paris in
June but Paul wants to take another vacation prior since that’s nine months
away.
I desperately need a Girls Trip
SOON.
Here's some random Hawaiian flower pics I took with my ole Sony Cyber-Shot and my Droid. I used both but transferring pics from my phone is a PITA. I also think I need a new digital camera before our next trip.
Recap
Although we had a mix of rain and sunshine, this was the
rainiest we’ve experienced in Hawaii.
Not as bad as it could have been if Olivia would have built strength
instead of weakening, so there’s that.
Food wasn’t fabulous this time around. Most meals were average although a few were
great.
Best Fish and Chips – need I say it? Benneke’s, of
course. You can’t beat Beer Battered Ono
and they do it perfectly. We’ve eaten
there every time we’ve been to Kauai and it’s always been excellent, therefore
they also get 5 stars for consistency!
Best Dinner I’m going to have to say was Postcards with St.
Regis a very close second. The St. Regis
has the amazing view if you go early enough. Honorable
mention was Piazza because the food was excellent but the service needs major improvement.
Worst Meal is almost a tie but would have to be breakfast at
the Wake Up Café in Hanalei with both bad food and bad service. Second place would be lunch at Kalapacki Joes
in Poipu. Bad food but decent
service.
Best “Things to Do”, I’d have to say the Kauai Hindu Monastery. We all really enjoyed that.
That being said the weather was not conducive to any of the
boat tours or we might have done a dinner cruise. Also, there are many activities on the Island that we don't partake in like zip lining, hiking, golf, and snorkle/scuba tours.
Accommodations. This
is a tough one because I would go back but Paul won’t. The Cliffs at Princeville is a beautiful
property. As far as timeshares go, the
units are substantially better than most timeshares. The property well maintained and Units have been upgraded.
Beds and sofa were comfortable. They have a great floor plan with plenty of space and two lanais,
front and back of the unit. We had a one bedroom with loft, two bathrooms. The loft area was large and had two queen
beds. They do not have air conditioning but most places in Kauai don’t. We were
on the third floor so we left the sliders open at night and all the fans
on. It was almost chilly! They don’t have elevators, also typical unless
you’re in a high-rise. Being on the third
floor dragging luggage up wasn’t fun but we managed. Staff was helpful, except I think they could
do better at accommodating a later checkout.
It’s not like they can clean every room at 10 a.m. If they extended some until noon, they could
still get them cleaned by the 4 p.m. check-in.
Why wouldn’t Paul go back? Their new no-smoking policy. He's a cigar smoker. No place allows smoking indoors so that’s a
given. He doesn’t smoke indoors at home
either. However, he’s always been able
to smoke on the patio/balcony/lanai wherever we vacation. We always scope out
somewhere that has a patio. Part of his vacation relaxation routine is to sit out on the patio
and have a cigar with his morning coffee while perusing the internet catching up on the news and looking
for things to do for the day. In the
afternoon he’ll go out for a few puffs and a beer. Same after dinner with a beer or glass of wine. When we checked in we found out they no longer allow
smoking on the lanai. They have a few designated
smoking areas around the property that you can go to. He is not a fan of this new policy. In fact he was pissed about it when he found out. It's outside. The lanais are private as opposed to some places we've stayed where they are shared. So, from this point forward, when making
reservations, it is no longer enough to make sure they have a patio. We need to make sure they allow smoking on
the patio. I don’t see him giving up
cigar smoking, so that’s not an option.
That being said, I’ve told him they don’t allow smoking on
the balcony on the Viking River Cruise we’re taking to Paris in June. They do have a smoking area on the upper
deck. He said okay at the time but now
it may be a deal breaker. I may be
looking for another traveling companion to Paris!
Thank you for traveling along with us.
BTW, I hope you enjoyed the two little video snippets. They are a pain to get from my phone to my
blog but I finally figured it out.
~ALOHA
