Frommer's Kauai - Jeanette Foster [169]
The Poipu Shopping Village offers free Tahitian dance performances every Tuesday and Thursday at 5pm in the outdoor courtyard.
Down the street at Sheraton Kauai Resort, 2440 Hoonani Rd. ( 80 8/742-1661), The Point, on the water, is the Poipu hot spot, featuring live music and dancing Friday to Sunday. Musical styles range from contemporary Hawaiian to good ol’ rock ’n’ roll.
3 West Side
For a romantic evening that will linger in your memory as the highlight of your trip, Capt. Andy’s Sailing Adventure ( 80 0/535-0830 or 80 8/335-6833; www.napali.com) has a Na Pali Sunset Dinner, a 4-hour cruise along the Na Pali Coast, $105 for adults and $80 for kids age 2 to 12 (see website for a discount). Your evening will include commentary on the history and legends of this coast, great views of the island from out at sea (turtles are frequently spotted), live music, and a sumptuous buffet dinner, catered by Mark’s Place and Gaylord’s Restaurant, offering Kauai garden salad served with sunrise papaya-seed dressing, Teriyaki chicken topped with diced pineapple, Pulehu beef with sautéed mushrooms and onions in garlic sauce, kaffir lime and lemon rice pilaf, and pineapple bars for dessert. It’s best enjoyed during the calm summer months, May to September, but they do have cruises during the winter as well.
In the old plantation community of Hanapepe, every Friday is Hanapepe Art Night from 5 to 9pm. Each art night is unique. Participating galleries take turns being the weekly “host gallery” offering original performances or demonstrations, which set the theme for that art night. All the galleries are lit up and decked out, giving the town a special atmosphere. Enjoy a stroll down the streets of quaint, historic Hanapepe town and meet the local artists. Also in Hanapepe on Friday night, the Hanapepe Café, 3830 Hanapepe Rd. ( 80 8/335-5011), is open for dinner from 6 to 9pm and has live music.
4 Coconut Coast
The Coconut Coast towns of Wailua, Waipouli, and Kapaa offer sunset torch-lighting ceremonies, music, and other evening entertainment, but the real action is in the Coconut Marketplace after dark. Every Wednesday, starting at 5pm, and every Saturday at 1pm, the Coconut Marketplace, 4-484 Kuhio Hwy. ( 80 8/822-3641), features a free hula show performed by local residents ranging from the hula troop of tiny dancers who still don’t have their permanent teeth, to lithe young women and men gracefully performing this ancient Hawaiian art, to grandmothers who have been dancing for decades.
Watch for the Green Flash
If you have been on the island for a few days, you’ll notice that people seem to gather outside and watch the sunset. After the sun has set, several people may call out, “Green flash!”
No, they haven’t had too many mai tais or piña coladas. They are referring to a real, honest-to-God phenomenon that happens after sunset—there is a “green flash” of light.
The romantic version of the story is that the green flash happens when the sun kisses the ocean good night. (Honeymooners love this version.) The scientific version is not quite as dreamy; it goes something like this: Light bends as it goes around the curve of the Earth. When the sun dips beneath the horizon, it is at the far end of the spectrum. So this refraction of the sun’s light, coupled with the atmosphere at the extreme angle of the sunset on the horizon, causes only the color green to be seen in the color spectrum just before the light disappears.
Here’s how to view the green flash: First, the day has to be clear, with no clouds or haze on the horizon. Keep checking the sun as it drops. (Try not to look directly into the sun; just glance at it to assess its position.) If the conditions are ideal, just as the sun drops into the blue waters, a “flash” or laserlike beam of green will shoot out for an instant. That’s the flash. May it be with you on your vacation.
The Hukilau Lanai Restaurant, in the Kauai Coast Resort,