Frommer's Kauai - Jeanette Foster [65]
Anini Beach This little-known residential district on a 2-mile reef (the biggest on Kauai) offers the safest swimming and snorkeling on the island. A great beach park is open to campers and day-trippers, and there’s a boat ramp where locals launch sampans to fish for tuna. On Sunday, there’s polo in the park and the sizzle of barbecue on the green. Several residents host guests in nearby B&Bs.
Princeville Princeville Resort is Kauai’s biggest project (and, some argue, a little out of place on Kauai’s wild North Shore). This 11,000-acre development sits on a high plain overlooking Hanalei Bay, and includes a luxury Sheraton hotel, 10 condo complexes, new timeshare units around two championship golf courses, cliff-side access to pocket beaches, and one B&B right on the golf course.
Hanalei Picture-postcard Hanalei is the laid-back center of North Shore life and an escapist’s dream; it’s also the gateway to the wild Na Pali Coast. Hanalei is the last great place on Kauai yet to face the developer’s blade of progress. At Hanalei Bay, sloops anchor and surfers play year-round. The 2-mile-long crescent beach, the biggest indentation on Kauai’s coast, is ideal for kids in summer, when the wild surf turns placid. Hanalei retains the essence of its original sleepy, end-of-the-road charm. On either side of two-lane Kuhio Highway, you’ll find just enough shops and restaurants to sustain you for a week’s visit—unless you’re a hiker, surfer, or sailor, or have some other preoccupation that just might keep you here the rest of your life.
Haena Emerald-green Haena isn’t a town or a beach; it’s an ancient Hawaiian district, a place of exceptional natural beauty, and the gateway to the Na Pali Coast. It’s the perfect tropical escape, and everybody knows it: old house foundations and temples, now covered by jungle, lie in the shadow of new million-dollar homes of movie stars and musicians like Jeff Bridges and Graham Nash. This idyllic, 4-mile coast has lagoons, bays, great beaches, spectacular snorkeling, a botanical garden, and the only North Shore resort that’s right on the sand, the Hanalei Colony Resort.
THE NA PALI COAST
The road comes to an end, and now it begins: the Hawaii you’ve been dreaming about. Kauai’s Na Pali Coast (na pali means “the cliffs”) is a place of extreme beauty and Hawaii’s last true wilderness. Its majestic splendor will forever remain unspoiled because no road will ever traverse it. You can enter this state park only on foot or by sea. Serious hikers—and we mean very serious—tackle the ancient 11-mile-long trail down the forbidding coast to Kalalau Valley (see “Hiking & Camping,” in chapter 7). The lone, thin trail that creases these cliffs isn’t for the faint of heart or anyone afraid of heights. Those of us who aren’t up to it can explore the wild coast in an inflatable rubber Zodiac, a billowing sailboat, a high-powered catamaran, or a hovering helicopter, which takes you for the ride of your life.
1 One Week on Kauai
I’ve outlined the highlights for those who just have 7 days and want to see everything. It’s a jampacked 7-day, 6-night itinerary; however, you might want to skip a few suggestions and just veg out on the beach, or substitute your own interests such as sailing, scuba diving, or golf.
One Week on Kauai
Day 1: Arrive in Kauai; Head for the Beach
After you get off the plane, head for the beach closest to your accommodations. Lather up in sunscreen, take sunglasses and a hat, and plop down on the soft sand of the beach. Enjoy a Hawaiian dinner at one of the luau offered (see chapter 6) to get into the spirit of your Hawaiian vacation. Don’t be surprised