Kauai: Kapa’a & Kilauea

Kapa’a

During your trip, it is probable that you will drive through Kapa’a, a small oceanside town just north of Lihue, and it would be a shame not to stop. There are great spots in the walkable downtown and it’s also the home of the Kapa’a Beach Shop, where we rented snorkeling gear for the week and, one morning, rented bikes to ride on the easy Kapa’a Trail through the town’s beaches. The couple who own it are memorably helpful (we especially appreciated their recommendation that we spend our first morning in Kauai at Anini Beach so that we could snorkel with sea turtles) and the snorkel rentals were cheap- $15 per person for the week.

Before the honeymoon, Drew joked that he wanted to eat so much seafood that he would get mercury poisoning. To that end, we found ourselves at The Sleeping Giant Grill less than an hour after picking up our rental car at the airport. It’s located in a small strip-mall near one of the many hotels in Kapa’a), and the mochi ono fish tacos were delicious.

We also spent one of our first nights at the Smith Family Luau. We knew many people who had attended a luau on a Hawaiian vacation and like them, we were interested in watching dancing, trying food, and learning more about the island and culture from the show. This one was well-reviewed and really organized- a quick ride through the grounds with narration about Kauai’s history from a guide, walking through the gardens, unlimited mai tais from the bar and all-you-can-eat food (very good!) from the buffet, music during dinner, then dancing in their open-air auditorium. It’s expensive, at about $100 a person, but any lingering hesitation I have in recommending it isn’t the price. It’s run by multiple generations of a family who takes great pride in it, and there were dozens of employees. The price is fair. It’s just the things we were ambivalent about in deciding whether to go to a luau were confirmed here- of course the audience is all tourists like us, so we felt a little cheesy, and all that organization meant that everything ran smoothly but also felt a bit mechanical, soulless. The dances were really entertaining, but some leaned on caricature and cliche (I’m especially thinking of one performance about Asian influence on the island) to an extent that we felt uncomfortable. However, while we wouldn’t consider it a must do, as we drove home, our takeaway was that it had been a really nice evening.

Online, it’s interesting to read reviewers’ passionate loyalties to specific shave ice spots on Kauai, and I remember thinking that it was unlikely there would be too much difference between the options. However, we did think the shave ice at Hee Fat General Store was the best we had on the trip. The real fruit syrups were so good and as strange as it sounds, we were glad we hadn’t ignored the option to add a scoop of macadamia nut ice cream to the bottom of the “cone” (our order was called the “Lava Flow”).

We knew we couldn’t afford the massages (or any spa services) at our hotels, so we each booked 30 minute massages (for $50 each) at Ola Massage. It’s pretty modest in appearance and decor, but the massage was perfect. Throughout the rest of the trip, whenever we were at a crossroads of what to do, we joked that we should just drive to Kapa’a to get massages again. April was our masseuse, but we’d read great reviews online for many of the employees at Ola, so it seems like you can’t lose.

Finally, I loved the macadamia nut latte at Java Kai, an adorable but very busy place.

Kilauea

Kilauea is smaller than Kapa’a but is similar in that it is full of reasons to stop. The main draw for many is the Kilauea Lighthouse- a great photo opp surrounded by cliffs and the blues of the sky and water. Beyond this sight, we came to town several times during the first half of our trip for practical reasons- there is a gas station as well as store where we bought wine and beer to have a the hotel. However, for being so small, Kilauea also has so many gems:

Banana Joe’s Fruit Stand sells (really expensive) fruit as well as outstanding (affordable) frosties. The frosty is literally just blended frozen pineapple and I would gladly have one every day.

We had a great time playing mini golf at the Anaina Hou Community Park and Gardens. The combination of simple pleasures like the golden hour lighting, great plants, and a quick activity after a beach day made it a worthwhile stop, though it was probably the most expensive game of mini-golf I’ve ever played.

Palate Wine Bar primarily features its flatbreads in its advertising, but we enjoyed the sampler board of charcuterie more. We asked for an affordable white wine loved the vinho verde the waitress suggested.

The Kilauea Fish Market was packed with locals and tourists when we came and it was worth the long wait on their patio for the excellent seared ahi tacos. Kauai Juice Company is next door, and while we enjoyed it, we preferred Akamai Juice Company in Hanalei. The store Hunter Gatherer is also nice to poke around in while you wait for lunch.

One of the most memorable places we’ve stayed while traveling

The Palmwood

I had spotted this bed and breakfast on Instagram and was immediately drawn to the lush green property, valley views, pool, and decor- it’s the kind of place you just want to move right in to. We stayed our first three nights here and it was perfect. We loved reading books in the hammock, soaking in our hot tub (the two rooms on the lower level- the east and west rooms- get their own hot tubs; we stayed in the west room), using the outdoor shower (we had a full bathroom en suite as well), and enjoying the outstanding breakfasts each morning, all of which came with fresh fruit and great local recommendations from Anna, who was hosting us while the owner was away.

We woke up early our first morning, still adjusted to Wisconsin time, and drove to Larsen’s Beach and Moloa’a Beach just after sunrise. Neither beach is great for swimming (type them into Google and news stories of drownings pop up) but they are beautiful. Larsen’s is interesting because it’s right below the huge property owned by Mark Zuckeberg and his wife Priscilla Chen. It’s been interesting to hear about the legal disputes over the land.

The Palmwood was a great place to start and come back to each day, but we also made sure to spend an entire afternoon just laying around and using the pool rather than filling the day with other plans. It’s about 30 minutes away from the airport in Lihue and close to Kapa’a, but we liked that it was on a quiet road off the main highway.

Kapa’a

Kilauea

The Palmwood

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