Frommer's Kauai - Jeanette Foster [168]
1 Lihue
The former plantation community and now county seat, Lihue is a place where local residents live and work. For action after sunset, music, dancing, and bars, the hotels and resorts are the primary players. There are a few local places, but generally all is quiet in Lihue after dark.
The Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club, 3610 Rice St., Nawiliwili ( 80 8/245-5050), has a host of nightlife activities. Kukui’s Restaurant has a sunset torch-lighting ceremony on Thursdays. Duke’s Barefoot Bar ( 80 8/246-9599) has live traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music on Wednesday through Friday nights that really stirs up the joint. Friday nights, tropical drinks go for $6 from 4 to 6pm.
It Begins with Sunset . . .
A must-do on your Kauai vacation—take the time every day to stop and enjoy the sunset. You can watch the big yellow ball descend slowly into the blue waters of the Pacific anywhere, from Poipu to Polihale State Park to Kee Beach to the entire Na Pali Coast. Some insist on viewing the sunset with a locally made tropical mai tai. The entire day can be built around the sunset—shopping for the mai tai ingredients, checking the angle of the sun, and swimming with the knowledge that your big, salty thirst will soon be quenched with a tall, homemade mai tai on one of the world’s best beaches. When the sun is low, mix your tropical drink using fresh lime juice, fresh lemon juice, fresh orange juice, passion-orange-guava juice, and fresh grapefruit juice, if possible. Pour this concoction on ice in tall, frosty glasses, and then add Meyer’s rum, in which Tahitian vanilla beans have been soaking for days. (Add cinnamon if desired, or soak a cinnamon stick with the rum and vanilla beans.) A dash of Angostura bitters, a few drops of Southern Comfort as a float, a sprig of mint, a garnish of fresh lime, and voilà!—you have a tropical, homemade mai tai, a cross between planter’s punch and the classic Trader Vic’s mai tai. As the sun sets, lift your glass and savor the moment, the setting, and the first sip—not a bad way to end the day.
On the other side of Lihue, the Hilton Kauai Beach Resort, 4331 Kauai Beach Dr. ( 80 8/245-1955; www.hilton.com), has a dinner theater, which currently is showing Rogers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific every Wednesday night. The 3-hour dinner show includes a dinner buffet, and the show for $85 for adults and $45 for children age 12 and under.
If you are looking for a neighborhood bar, Rob’s Good Time Grill, in the Rice Shopping Center ( 80 8/246-0311), is a terrific place to have a beer, shoot some pool, watch the big-screen TV, and display your talent at karaoke. This down-home bar is not fancy, with its Formica tables, but the crowd is friendly, and it’s a great place to meet local folks.
If you are up for a movie, the Kukui Grove Cinemas, in the Kukui Grove Shopping Center, 4368 Kukui Grove St. ( 80 8/245-5055), features the latest films at prices a lot cheaper than those in a big city.
For arts and culture, local residents flock to the plays put on by the nonprofessional group the Kauai Community Players. Call 80 8/245-7700 to find out what the latest production is and where it will be performed. It’s not Broadway (or off-Broadway), but it is energetic community theater at its best.
2 Poipu Resort Area
The south shore, with its sunset view and miles of white-sand beaches, is a great place for nightlife. At the far end of Poipu, Stevenson’s Library at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, 1571 Poipu Rd., Koloa ( 80 8/742-1234; www.kauai-hyatt.com), is the place for an elegant after-dinner drink with live jazz nightly from 8 to 11pm. Dress in casual resortwear (no tank tops or flip-flops) for this wood-lined bar with comfy, overstuffed chairs. You can be mesmerized by the fish in the big saltwater aquarium, or engage in activities like pool, billiards, or chess. For those so inclined, tickle the ivories on the grand piano.
Also in Poipu, Keoki’s Paradise, in the Poipu Shopping Village, 2360 Kiahuna Plantation Dr. ( 80 8/742-7534), offers live music Monday through