Stuff I Liked on Kauai

I recently spent five days on the island of Kauai as a guest of Hawaii tourism. The first two days of my trip I was on a pretty tightly managed itinerary, for the remainder of my time, I got to wander about on my own with no particular requirements to be anywhere. This is my favorite way to travel. I was lucky enough to have a local friend give me a day of her time, too, she took me to some places I’d not have made it to on my own. Just so it’s clear, I’ll indicate which stuff was sponsored but there’s no way I’d tell you about these things if I didn’t think they were great.

Hanaelei Colony Resort: [Sponsored] This was my second stay at HCR and it’s just as nice as I remember. It’s far up the north shore, not quite at the end of the road, so it takes a while to get there from the airport but once you’re there, you kind of don’t want to leave. The roar of the ocean is so loud here, you can’t hear anything else and once you’ve become used to it (and it takes two or three days) you miss it when it’s gone. I’ve recommended this place to lots of friends and they’ve come back saying, “Yup, just what we needed.”

Ishihara Market: I’m crazy for poke (the Hawaiian dish made from raw tuna) and oh, look, Trip Advisor has Ishihara’s listed as the source for the best poke on Kauai. It’s a smaller island supermarket in Waimea — with all that entails (including the high prices that you get everywhere on the islands) but along the back there’s a deli counter where you can get nine (or is it twelve?) kinds of poke and, oh, get some seaweed salad too. It’s a deal, a plate of poke in a restaurant will cost you twice as much and you won’t get the selection. I got crazy from the wasabi poke and one night, that’s all I ate for dinner, wasabi poke with tortilla chips. What? It was delicious.

JoJo’s Shave Ice: When you walk inside this place you think it can’t be legal, it’s a chewing gum and plywood kind of structure, and maybe the hippie kid behind the counter is awake, but maybe not, maybe he’s in a blurry haze from getting up super early because the surf was up that morning. As if this isn’t reason enough to stop at JoJo’s there’s the shave ice, which is ridiculously sweet, and rainbow colored (or should be if you’re doing it right) and comes with the option of including a giant scoop of mac nut ice cream underneath everything. No, you do not need all that sugar. What’s your point? The hours are tricky, but if there are people out front eating shave ice and watching the traffic roll through Waimea, it’s open.

Kamoa Ukulele: It’s kind of a miracle I made it out of here without a new uke. I played nearly every model in the store and I kept coming back to the 500 Series Concert for the sweet true sound and the way it felt when I played it. Sam and his crew are friendly, no pressure types, and he’s some kind of ukulele savant — if you’re lucky you’ll find him just noodling around with his ukes at the store in Kepa’a. There’s a shop in Poipu too, if you’re down that side of the island. He makes a nice starter uke, (please don’t buy yourself a junk souvenir, you’ll never play it) and I got a little crazy from his vintage soprano. That thing sounds and feels like a nice vintage pawn shop uke I own — it’s funny to pick up a brand new uke and go rocketing back into the 1920s with a few strums.

Live Music: [Sponsored] The group I was part of attended a fundraiser for Kauai’s lifeguards (an important cause on this island, particularly) and we got to see a handful of Hawaii’s big name musicians — Henry Kapono, John Cruz, Kalapana… these names may or may not mean anything to you but just take some generic advice and try to catch a show while you’re on the island. Hawaiian music is best served live when you can hear the musicians talk story between songs, when you can feel the sound of the ocean underneath the vibe of all those shiny guitars and harmonies. Check The Garden Isle’s entertainment section for what’s on while you’re there.

Polihale State Park: Let’s be clear — it will cost you bank if you bog your rental car down in the sand and have to call them to rescue you. I asked at the rental car place and they said that it’s off road and as such, not covered by your insurance. If you’re going to violate your contract, take it slow and easy and stay off the sand, for the love of god. If it’s an option, do what I did, get your friend with the 4WD truck to take you. It’s a gorgeous beach, stunning, there’s big surf, and at this end of the Na Pali cliffs, there’s a po, a notch in the face of the rock where spirits jump off into the next world. When  you stand there looking up at the red cliffs on one side and the great gray blue ocean on the other, you might think (like I did) that this seems the right place from which to depart.

Tiki Tacos: When is the last time you bit into a taco and thought “What is HAPPENING with this tortilla?!?!” Yeah, never, right? But good lord, they make their own tortillas at Tiki and that turns your taco, which is already stuffed with excellence, into a Whole New Thing. It’s a super unfancy place, all chalkboard menus and screen door that kind of slams but doesn’t stay shut and plastic baskets for your tacos and oh, it’s delicious. Go hungry. You can order off the menu, but I kind of wish I’d just asked the owner what to get after I heard him advising the folks who came in after me. (Props to the folks at Kamoa, they sent me here.)

Waimea Plantation Cottages: [Sponsored] I loved this place from the moment I set foot in the lobby and looked through the open porch out across the lawns and down to the ocean. I didn’t expect to love it, the beach isn’t great and let’s be honest, Waimea is kind of a funky local town. But this resort embodies the (possibly imaginary) spirit of old Hawaii and every minute I was there, wandering under the big trees listening to the birds or sitting on my cottage porch playing my uke and drinking iced tea or just lying in bed with the curtains blowing in the breeze I thought, “This is perfect.” There’s one caveat (besides checking your wallet, it’s not cheap): Roosters. They will wake you. I hear you get used to them, but I was not there long enough to confirm or deny this.