What a great week in Poipu Beach

One of the highlights of my stay in Kauai (versus other areas) was being able to go on relaxing and fun walks from my condo and seeing the whales, sea turtles, and sea monks as well as the ocean. Even though the condo was not convenient to shopping malls and the major sightseeing sites, I wouldn’t trade any of my morning walks for the convenience of being located elsewhere.

Our first walk started from the walkway from our condo and gave us a chance to view the ocean and landscape. After a few minutes, a person gave us a heads up that the whales were just offshore and, sure enough, we could see their heads as they came up for air. (This was done without binoculars and without spending time and money on a whale-watch boat). We continued on our walk and wondered why one couple was staring at a cave area--getting closer we discovered the sea turtles!And our pictures will always be a reminder of that great walk since the turtles are visible.

On another walk, also starting at the walkway from our condo, but going in the opposite direction and walking along the beach, we "came upon" an area surrounded by "tape." Getting closer, we found three sea monks on the beach--it''s against the law to come within 100 feet of the endangered mammal! What a sight just to watch them. I am especially proud of my pictures of three of these very rare sea monks resting on the beach!

Both of these walks were part of the Koloa Heritage Trail. See For more information.

There were other advantages to staying at Poipu Beach rather than other areas. One is the weather: in general, this is the sunny side (though since we visited in the winter, we did get a fair amount of rain). I am not sure how true my pictures are, but the skies are so blue. During the day, the scene was just as depicted in those beautiful postcards and while in the hot tub at night, you could gaze at the stars. And of course the sunrise and sunsets are really spectacular.

A second advantage of Poipu Beach is the proximity of great restaurants. We really had trouble choosing which restaurants to visit and which ones to skip. Not only is there variety in restaurant type, there is a good price range.

A third advantage had to be the condo itself. Embassy Resorts was one of my best exchanges. Even though it is not on the ocean itself, it has a great location.

And don’t forget about golfing at Poipu Bay Resort Golf Course, or water sports, or horsebackriding, or lots of other stuff.

Web sites for info:
General re Poipu Beach
Poipu Beach dining
Poipu Beach shopping
Poipu Beach FAQs.

See separate entries for Embassy, tennis, golf, and dining.

Quick Tips:

Pick up lots of literature at the airport, especially 101-things to do in Kauai. Or better yet, surf the web ahead of time and, on the LONG airplane trip, read about the area.

Since the temperature is constant year-round, most tourism information will say it doesn’t make a huge difference when you choose to visit Hawaii. However you should be aware that if you visit in the winter, the surf is huge on the north coast (which means you can’t do any boat trips along the famous Na Pali coast) and the waters are calm on the south side. In the summer, the situation is reversed.

Best Way To Get Around:

I would always recommend renting a car. You may not use it every day and you can walk to some restaurants but almost all sightseeing is accomplished via a tour bus or via your own car.

Best Things Nearby:
Beach and Ocean – behind the resort you can walk along the path to one beach and the ocean (where the Hyatt is located) or walk along a fork of the path to get to Poipu Beaches (various names for each strip).
Koala Town
Restaurants

Best Things About the Resort:
Amenities such as concierge service and managers’ cocktail parties (just about every evening).
Pool
Exercise facilities
Beautiful spacious rooms with balconies
Beautiful grounds
Washer and dryer in the unit.

Resort Experience:
The Embassy Vacation Resort (see web site here) is a beautiful condo that is perfect for vacations! This exchange was one of the best of the timeshare exchanges I have made in the last 20 years.

First thing I liked about this condo is the layout and the large spacious rooms. Our unit had a large balcony that overlooked the beautiful garden area, and beyond that was the pool area and in the distance the ocean. Having the two bedrooms on opposite sides of the condo leads to maximum privacy if you have two separate couples using the condo. The master bedroom had a king size bed, large closet, one of the biggest bathroom areas I have ever seen in an exchange, plenty of dresser space, and a large TV (with lots of cable stations). I used the other bedroom for my dressing room. It had twin beds, another closet, another TV, and plenty of dresser space. You also had access to the second bathroom, that is a private bathroom unless you have others sleeping in the living room. In between the bedrooms was the hallway with the washer and dryer (and two packets of soap), a fully equipped kitchen with lots of counter space and cabinets, a nice dining room, and a large living room with very comfortable furniture, including a large TV. From the living room, you accessed the balcony.

There were many other things I liked about this condo that I will list (not necessarily in order)
The location - the condo was situated along the ocean, so it took only a few minutes to walk from my condo (on the second floor) through the garden area and the pool area and onto the walkway to various beaches and ocean front. The condo was also in Poipu Beach, which is the sunny part of Kauai.
The amenities - first is the fact that the resort staff went out of their way to be friendly and helpful. I was very relaxed at the resort and the resort didn’t have a hotel feel at all, more like a family reunion feeling. There were many activities available (most free but some had a reasonable fee associated with the activity). We participated in one island orientation breakfast. The first one is free but you can opt to attend EACH morning for a breakfast and/or orientation (breakfast had a charge). In addition we attended one managers’ party (free beer, wine, soda, and munchies) and one party where you paid for the drinks and the munchies (called pupus) were free. I believe something is planned each evening, but we only attended two. And I can’t forget the outdoor pool. The pool was VERY big and free form with a sandy "beach", rock formations, a spa area, lots of entry points, etc. Finally there were other amenities such as an adult hot tub, an exercise room, barbecues for use, book exchange, etc.
Beautiful grounds - No expense was spared when this resort was designed! Not only was the pool area nice, but also the abundant waterfalls and garden areas made this resort a lovely place to stay. Hopefully my pictures will do some justice to the resort!
Misc – I liked the fact that I was able to park my car near the unit so I didn’t have to lug all of my stuff a long distance (I never realized until recently how this is a nice perk).

Pictures to follow.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

We picked the newly opened Poipu Broiler for a relaxing and relatively inexpensive place for a light dinner. Sitting at the bar we had great seats for the Sunday football championship game and the picture quality was great since it was a HDTV! For customers who selected one of the tables in the dining room, they had a good view of the ocean. The bar/restaurant is very informal and has a homey atmosphere.

Since margaritas were part of the happy hour ($3.50), I wanted to order one--but I wanted a strawberry margarita rather than the traditional drink. The waitress was happy to make my margarita as requested! We ordered three happy-hour appetizers (called pupus) to split between the two of us: the chicken sticks were very good, the pork won ton was ok, and the calamari was not what I expected. Instead of the thin strips of calamari (fried) that we're used to, the calamari came in large coated pieces that were undercooked for my taste. But, we liked the chicken sticks so much that we ordered another round, and we also ordered the shrimp cocktail, which included six large shrimp. That pupu became our favorite!

The waitress was very friendly and announced when it was last call for happy hour. The place was perfect for watching the game and having some food and drink.

We had enough food that the mix of appetizers was our dinner for the evening. The bill for two (including numerous drinks and pupus as listed above, tax and tip) was $31.

We had a hard time picking a restaurant for our expensive night out. We finally selected Roy''s Poipu Bar and Grill at the Poipu Shopping Village. We had received several recommendations for this restaurant including our own positive experience at the Roy’s in the Big Island).

The menu had two parts: nightly specials and house specialties. I chose mahimahi in a cream sauce, which was quite good. My husband’s selection was even better: swordfish in a ginger sauce. We also ordered a bottle of wine. The restaurant had a very extensive wine list but we are not wine experts. We selected the secondo rosso, $29 a bottle, and it was excellent.

As we did in the Big Island, we ordered the dessert special--chocolate soufflé--which has to be ordered when you receive your main courses. It was GREAT! For a chocoholic, I give it a thumbs up.

The waiter was very friendly and I think it was the chef or maybe even the manager who came out to the dining room to make sure that all was OK. This was indicative of paying attention to detail but not being intrusive.

The bill for two (including bottle of wine, desert, tax, and tip) was $120. A little expensive but par for the course for that type of restaurant.

We had reservations, but there were very few diners when we arrived (around 6:30pm) so you could probably get away without reserving ahead. Of all the restaurants we went to in our two weeks in Hawaii, this had the worst view--but the food was good and I had no regrets.

The third restaurant we visited was Tidepools at the Hyatt. I highly recommend this restaurant. Since it will be hard to describe this very unique looking restaurant, try to visit during the day if you don’t go there for dinner. (I really wished I had pictures of this restaurant)

My best description would be to imagine a series of individual rooms (some with one table and some with up to six) that sit on a slab amidst the hotel's lagoons. The walls of the rooms consist of large floor-to-ceiling doors that are opened to the outside air so it is like eating outside. The roof is some material that looks like thatched bamboo to resemble a thatched hut. As you are eating, you look at lagoons filled with Koi fish (there was a feeding frenzy when we were there), or at the ocean, or at the surrounding gardens, or at multiple outdoor waterfalls. Depending on the time of your dinner, you also can see the sunset. So, even if the food was terrible I would have liked this restaurant since the views were so spectacular!

But the food was very good and plentiful. I chose the macadamia nut-encrusted fish (I forgot the name of the white fish), which was good, though the breading was a little too fine and a little too much like plain breading. My husband chose the white fish (ohpa), which was in a mushroom cream sauce and had asparagus. His meal was delicious! As in our past experience in Hawaii, the waiters were very attentive yet not intrusive. We skipped dessert this time because we were full.

The bill for two (including tax and tip) was $91.

One final note on how I selected this restaurant: I had asked a bartender at one of the beachbars for his recommendation if I could only go to one restaurant the entire time in Kauai. He said if only one, Tidepools.

There were no tennis courts at our condo, but we were given a list of three places for playing tennis. Bob and I played at all three.

The first one (Poipu Kai Tennis Center) was the cheapest at $10 court/hour, and we played for one hour. The court was within minutes (driving) of the condo. I believe there were seven courts available for use. Each court was in great shape and had amenities such as water cooler, roller for rolling out water (and yes we had to use it), high fences that contained the errant balls, and a regulation net in good condition. To use the courts Bob and I just showed up and paid. The "attendant" was very friendly. At the "hut" there was some merchandise for sale and I did buy a tank top for a reasonable price. There are several round robins scheduled during the week but rain prevented us from playing while we were there.

The second tennis facility I used was Kiahuna Tennis Club. These courts are a little further away but within a ten minute drive of the condo. I signed up for women’s doubles. Again the courts were very nice and again the weather was not so nice. In fact, it rained a bit to stop play several times and then after about 45 minutes, it poured so hard that the round robin was cancelled. I had a good time meeting everyone and enjoyed the play even though my partner I received was a little too silent for me. And you can't beat the cost: only $1 and it is a great way to meet people if you want to play again. The cost for other matches is $20 an hour. One tip: The club is undergoing construction so I had a hard time finding where the courts were and I believe they are only available in the morning presently. Based on pictures I saw, when the club fully reopens, it is a great facility (with swimming pool) for the entire family.

The third tennis facility was at the Hyatt. A person, who Bob had met in California in October, recognized him and invited him to play with him. The cost for a non-guest of the Hyatt is $20 an hour per court. Again, the courts were well maintained. You can either drive to the Hyatt or walk (the resort is next door, but since resorts are so large walking may not be an option for some). I believe the Hyatt will match you up with partners (but I am sure hotel guests get preference).

How do the three clubs compare? Well obviously if cost is your first concern, then Poipu Kai. If you don't have a partner, I believe Hyatt would be the place to pick. But I had the feeling that to meet alot of local players, Kiahuna Tennis facility would be the place to select.

Bob was fourth on the waiting list to play in the scramble and was nicely surprised that he actually did get to play. The $55 cost included hitting a bucket of balls, a half-hour clinic, a 9-hole scramble, playing an additional nine holes, and a cart. Since Bob got there too early, he got to hit an extra bucket of balls. So his first comment about Poipu Bay Golf was that he really got his money's worth!

His group consisted of three people, instead of the usual four, so they got an extra shot each time. Bob had a good time, and Gene and Shirley, the other couple, were very friendly. Bob's group only missed "winning" by one shot. We got together with Gene and Shirley several times after the golf scramble, so this activity led to some other social activities . That's another plus.

As far as the course, it had a few holes along the ocean. You can see from the pictures that it did indeeed have sand traps. You can also see, from one picture, the beautiful landscaping on the couse. Bob only lost one ball which also added to his enjoyment of the course. Even though the course was not an extremely difficult course, he was glad he played. Bob also had bragging rights that he played where the Mercedes championship is played! In addition, the PGA Grand Slam is played there. You can view Bob's first picture that shows the billboard publicizing that event.

One note about the time: since they started playing at 2pm, the setting sun became a factor when trying to see the ball properly. That information may be a factor when deciding between paying full price for golf or reduced price for starting later in afternoon.

See For more information.