Just had three days to spend at Lihue

One of the advantages of my stay at this area of Kauai (versus other areas) was being conveniently located to some of the sightseeing sites. In fact, we saw a few that others would normally miss if staying at Princeville, Poipu Beach, or Coconut Beach areas. The one highlight was seeing Wailua Falls, which was spectacular. As we compared that fall to Opaekaa Falls, which most tourists see, I was glad we made the extra drive to Wailua Falls. The Wailua Falls are larger and more uncommercialized presently. But the real claim to fame for the falls is they were used in the opening scene from the Fantasy Island series. See web site at: www.kauai-hawaii.com/lihue/wailua_falls.html.

We also saw the Menehune Fish Pond. Again, this is something not usually seen. We actually had a little trouble finding the place (we drove by the lookout place at first). I liked the fact that this site, as most sites in Hawaii, had a plaque that gave you some background in the significance (and importance) of what you were gazing at. We had a clear day and I felt we could see to the bottom of the pond. In addition, the mountains are in the backdrop, which is quite a contrast. Web site: www.kauai-hawaii.com/lihue/menehune_f.html

Another highlight of our sightseeing was the Kauai Museum. At first, we weren’t going to pay the admission charge per person, but since it was raining outside . . . Well, we spent hours at the museum looking at all of the crafts. I personally wasn’t into the quilts, but even I found lots to enjoy, such as the feathered helmets and the beautiful wood bowls. In addition, there was a video of sights in Kauai taken from a helicopter. Since we didn’t arrange for the helicopter ride (very expensive and we had taken it last time), it was almost as good as taking the ride again--for ! The video lasted a little over 30 minutes and was well done. Web site: www.kauai-hawaii.com/lihue/kauai_m.html

And, of course, at Lihue, you are close to shopping (Hilo Hattie, Kauai Fair, Wal-Mart, Foodland, etc.), dining (Duke''s, among others), golf (at Marriott), and other sightseeing.

Web sites for info:

General re Lihue (from local author; it''s outdated since the hotel mentioned is now the Marriott but gives you the flavor): www.hshawaii.com/vacplanner/tour/kauai/tour_kalapaki.html

Another index of sites: www.kauai-hawaii.com/lihue/index.html

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.

If you are planning to go grocery shopping, Foodland and Safeway are the best buys, but they may be out of the way depending upon where you are staying. So plan to go to the grocery store on the way from the airport (in Lihue) to Princeville or the Poipu Beach area.

To save money on the attractions, you can sign up for a timeshare presentation (which I don’t recommend) or find coupons elsewhere. If you plan to buy some Hawaiian clothes at Hilo Hattie, go there at the beginning of your stay because with a purchase, you get some discounts.

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:
Golf club;
Sightseeing;
Restaurants;
Tennis club.

Best Things About the Resort:
Right on the ocean with an absolutely beautiful beach (Kalapaki Beach);
Huge free-form pool that was great for sunbathing and/or relaxing;
Pretty nice exercise club;
Absolutely beautiful and breath-taking grounds.

Resort Experience:
Instead of paying for a hotel room for three nights (between the end of my one exchange and the flight home), I decided to exchange for another condo (via Interval International). Unfortunately, while I did get accommodations at a wonderful resort, my "condo" consisted of two hotel rooms (with an adjoining door). The web site uses the words "luxurious accommodations and elegance of your villa," but these words weren't written by anyone who stayed at the rooms I was assigned!

To summarize, the resort was definitely fantastic but the rooms were not what I am accustomed to. I had to laugh when I paid the bill and was charged tax for two hotel rooms per night. In other words, I stayed at a hotel and not a condo!

Let’s talk about the positives of the resort since, after all, I didn't spend that much time in the rooms and that was the only negative about my stay.

The location--the hotel was situated along the ocean so I could walk out of my room (on the third floor), through the garden and pool area, and into the ocean! In addition, the hotel property was very large so you could walk (or jog) on the complex without worrying about traffic. Based in Lihue, which is centrally located for sightseeing on the island's east, west, or north side, the location was also great for shopping. Finally, it was only minutes away from the airport. In fact, if you were staying here the entire time, you could get away without renting a car since there was free shuttle to the airport, you could walk to golf and tennis, and grab a shuttle to go shopping and sightseeing.

The amenities--each morning, we received a newsletter that listed all of the classes or activities planned for the day. There were two exercise classes planned everyday (except for the day the fitness facility was closed for moving). The fitness center had several treadmills, a couple of recumbent bikes, a few weight machines, and other assorted equipment. There was also a lot of free weights available. However, I wouldn’t call it a health club since it was lacking a lot of essential equipment to rate that distinction. That said, a person could get a good workout. I must also mention the outdoor free-form pool, which was VERY big and had several spa areas. The interesting thing about the four spa areas is that two were accessible by swimming to them (which was too cold for us!).

Beautiful grounds--no expense was spared when this resort was designed! (When we last visited the complex, 12 years ago, it was a Westin property.) Not only was the pool area nice, but abundant waterfalls and garden areas made this resort a lovely place to stay. Hopefully my pictures will do it justice! The resort property included a lot of walkways and interior roads that led to the tennis facility, golf courses, and an abandoned shopping center. In walking around the grounds, we got to see the ocean from different vantage points.

You can access the web site for lots of other information.

Note about the recommendation: I may not want to return to the resort (if I had other choices that gave me a condo) but for many, the resort is definitely worth a return visit.

Pictures to follow.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Very Good
• Amenities: Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Good
• Family Friendliness: Very Good
• Service: Very Good

The photo gallery on Duke's web site doesn't do justice to the restaurant!

The restaurant has two levels (the lower level is open for lunch or light dinners), is right along the beach (next to the Marriott), and has an open-air design. You have a choice of seats that are close to the ocean, or you can choose seats close to the waterfalls or, of course, in between, where you can relax and enjoy both the ocean and waterfall views! Most early evenings feature a Hawaiian band that plays as you eat. We enjoyed one evening of drinks and appetizers (with a couple that Bob had played golf with in the Poipu Beach area).

The upper level is for dinner and has open sides but a more enclosed feeling. You can choose a seat along the ocean or a seat where you can overlook the downstairs waterfalls. Again, the atmosphere is very relaxing.

This was our last evening out and instead of choosing a fish dinner, I was torn between two of the entrées listed under "island favorites": Big Island pork ribs (I love ribs!) or the combination ribs with Huli Huli chicken--the waiter steered me towards the ribs and they were delicious! They were cooked just right and the sauce was not overly powerful but managed to make the difference between ordinary and great ribs.

The waiter was very friendly as he explained to my husband (who was choosing one of the fish selections) that the menu had two parts: the first was deciding which fish you wanted (mahi mahi, opah, a’u, etc) and the second involved deciding the preparation (baked, roasted, coated, etc.).

Both meals included the salad bar, which had lots to offer, including delicious sourdough bread (which I loved), muffins (which I found so-so), and Caesar salad that actually had anchovies; I was in heaven, since most Caesar salad skip the best part--the anchovies! We had enough food left over to reheat for dinner the next night, and the food was still great the second time around.

The cost of dinner for two (including a couple of beers, sodas, but no dessert, tax and tip) was $68.

See for menus and other information .

At the Marriott resort, you have easy access to two golf courses since both were on the property, yet not part of the Marriott. A shuttle was available to drive you just up the internal road. Bob chose the "better" and more expensive of the two: the Kiele course. After golfing, he received a coupon to play either the other course or the same course again for a fantastically reduced rate.

Before Bob even played, I was in awe of the pictures on the web and what was said about the golf course. I knew that it was one of top 100 courses. During some of our walks, I got to see some of the golf course and even though I am not a golfer, it appeared to me that the course did indeed have spectacular views and the ravines, ocean holes, cliffs, and beautiful landscaping, just as the course was described.

Some of the pictures were taken by Bob’s golfing partners; others were taken on one of our many walks on the Marriott grounds. By the way, Bob was able to get a tee off time quite easily by calling up a few days ahead, saying he wanted a morning tee off time for a single, and he preferred to be put with another group. For those who want to see some professional pictures (instead of my amateur ones), see the following scenes from the web golf views . See 18th hole. See 13th hole.

We decided to stop at the Kauai Fair (even though I wanted to get to the beach) and I was glad we had made the stop. Of course, my husband, who wanted to stop, ended up watching as I looked over all of the jewelry for sale. I settled on a beautiful necklace, which was very unusual (but so me!). There was lots of jewelry to choose from and only half are similar to the "beaded" items shown on the web site; the other half were either what I call "creations" or fine gems (I am not a gemstone person).

I always look for the creations: jewelry by artists who design unique necklaces, earrings, rings, etc. I especially liked the fact that I was able to browse without being pressured by vendors. Therefore, I could walk around and look and touch and "find" the perfect necklace!

There were also wood bowls, beautiful candles, paintings, etc., but since I wasn’t interested in buying anything other than jewelry, I only quickly perused those things. In a quick glance, I think shoppers interested in that kind of stuff would be very happy with the Kauai Fair.

See for more information.

We also stopped at Hilo Hatties since Bob wanted to buy a couple more Hawaiian shirts to accompany the one he had already bought on the Big Island. There are racks and racks of shirts of all styles and different types of fabric. You can get a good-quality man’s shirt for $30. And, of course, while Bob was checking out the shirts, I was checking out the jewelry. I found two pairs of very unique wood earrings (designed in Hawaii but made in Philippines) that were perfect. I did have a problem with one pair (the post fell off but I used superglue and re-attached it). I didn’t look at too many of the women’s fashions but it didn’t appear that there were too many T-shirts or bathing suits for sale, which is what I might have been interested in.

The store was quite close to our condo and, in fact, provided free shuttle service from our condo to the store! You can buy via the web but the items offered online are only a small portion of what's available at the store itself.

One comment: if you intend to shop at Hilo Hattie, do so early in your stay, since a purchase at Hilo Hattie entitles you to a variety of discounts.