Kauai Recap
We aren’t gone yet, but a recap seems in order since I haven’t written about our visit since arriving.
We had no real plans other than a few dinner reservations on a couple of nights, so its been a relaxing, low-key visit. Considering this is our fifth trip to Kauai, there aren’t too many must-see sights, so most days we’ve slept late and slowly made our way out to a beach or into town.
Ke’e Beach was as pretty as ever. After being pummeled by sand and wind on Maui beaches, it was refreshing to visit this scenic beach. It never gets old. We also visited SeaLodge Beach which you must hike into. The hike was relatively easy, but still served to reduce the number of visitors. We were two of twelve on the beach at any given time. It was a small beach, but delivered huge returns for its beauty and privacy. And today, we drove the quarter mile or so to Kepuhi Beach which is the beach we were married on, though we were probably a mile East of the exact point. Its a nice beach to read, listen to the surf, and watch the crabs do what they do.
We’ve had mixed luck with our restaurant excursions. Postcards in Hanalei was completely forgettable — extravagantly priced, but unremarkable food, lackluster service with no personality. The Mediterranean had phenomenal food, but our waiter was largely unattentive. We went to Sushi Blues last night, but didn’t think we needed reservations. As a result, we found ourselves sitting at the bar with some of the locals and listened as they told disparaging stories about the tourists they had served earlier in the day. The food was good, but the experience would have been better out on the floor. We also sprinkled in Tropical Taco (Hanalei) and Olympic Cafe (Kapa’a). The former is a favorite of mine and remains so. The latter was a new place we found and it had good food and service.
We visited the Hanalei Colony Resort Day Spa on Monday to enjoy a beach-side couples massage. It doesn’t get much better than that! The only thing disappointing about it was when it was over…and maybe when paying for it — such luxuries are never inexpensive.
When we arrived, it appeared that it had been pretty dry for a while, however since arriving its rained quite often. We are enjoying a nice shower right now and its very relaxing to hear the rain as it finds its way through the trees. We’ve also become reacquainted with Chu-Chee, the cat that considers this property home. When we first arrived, she kept her distance, but has become friendlier by the day. At this moment, she’s on her fifth hour curled up in a ball on the loveseat. She reminds us of our own kitty who is surely dearly missing us.
We have had our disappointments with the River House this year, but those have mostly to do with its management. Its still a beautiful place to stay, but there are reasons why we will probably not stay here again. If anyone is contemplating a stay at the River House, email me and I’ll tell you why this is the case. In part also, we know of more consistent alternatives, so these weigh in when all things are equal.
Still a couple of days left, so the vacation is not over just yet!