Kauai is a must visit site!

Yes, golf is expensive in Hawaii, but there are creative ways to play golf at fantastic golf courses and play at reduced costs:

1) Play at multiple Courses. For $375 versus $530, you can golf at three of the best golf courses on Kauai. You play one round at each location. This is billed as the"Kauai Golf Challenge". Each of the three courses is "connected" with a fabulous hotel so you can make a day of golfing and beaching at the same time.
2)Play at one course the first day and play subsequent days at significantly reduced rates.
3)Sign up for a "tournament". For less than $60, I hit a bucket of balls, participated in a ½ hour clinic, golfed in a nine hole scramble, golfed the remaining nine holes with the foursome from the scramble, had chances at prizes, and had lots of fun. By the way, the golf cart was included in the $60.
4)Stay at the "connected" hotel so you get reduced rates for that course.
5)Take a timeshare presentation for free golf!
6)Play in the afternoon when the rates are greatly reduced.

Information about the three courses:
The Prince Golf Course, the number one rated golf course in Hawaii according to Golf Digest, is connected with the breathtaking Sheraton Princeville Hotel. I especially enjoyed this course since it was very well maintained. The views were spectacular and the greens were very lush!
The Kauai Lagoons Kiele course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, is in the top 100 Courses in America according to Golf Digest. It is connected to the The Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club. I especially enjoyed this course because of the proximity to the ocean. You are able to enjoy the breathtaking ocean views as you golfed (unless your ball finds the ocean)!
Po'ipu Bay Resort, home of the Grand Slam, is connected to the Hyatt Regency Kauai. This course has many challenging water holes. I especially liked golfing here because the scramble was lots of fun.

Click here For lots of information (including professional pictures) and to book tee off times .

There is a variety of beaches in Kauai. Some beaches are a short piece of land with beautiful white sand and calm water for ocean swimming. Many of the beaches have a connected park so visitors have a pavilion area for picnics and playgrounds for children in addition to the swimming area. Other "beaches" are more for walking along the water and taking in the beauty of the area (and swimming is not permitted or recommended). In addition, many beaches in Kauai are known by two names: one is the name that is used to define the long strip of beach areas and then each part of that one beach has a special name. My recommendation is to make an effort to visit many beaches rather than just the one at your doorstep.

During the week in Kauai, some are my favorites were:
1)The beaches known as Po’ipu Beach: This one beach is split into several sections, each different from one another. We spent many mornings walking along the ridge overlooking Shipwreck Beach. The highlight of the walks was seeing whales and sea turtles. As you might expect, you can't swim there since the waves crash among the rocks. Further along the area, the Po’ipu Beach County Park has picnic tables, grills, playgrounds, a food vendor hut, and a sheltered area for swimming. Many families congregate at this part of the Po’ipu Beach. In addition, there is the long sandy beach with moderate waves so you could swim as well as walk along the beach. The highlight of one of our walks along this section was coming upon a roped off area protecting the sleeping sea monks. What a sight!
2)Lumaha’i Beach: A completely different type of beach is Lumaha’i Beach. This is the beach made famous by South Pacific. It was beautiful to look at from the highway above, but we did not venture down the trail to walk along the beach. In January, the waters are too dangerous for swimming. However, the sight was breathtaking.
3)Ke’e Beach: This beach (and there are many similar ones on the North coast) was not crowded with tourists. Even though there were many signs forbidding swimming, some of the locals did venture in. The adjoining Ha’ena State Park had many people resting either before or after their hiking. This beach area leads to the Kalalau Trail along the NaPali Coast. While we were there, my wife was fascinated with the several peacocks that came right up to people.
4)Kalapaki Beach: While staying at the Kauai Marriott, we had this beach right on our property. My wife loved being able to walk from the room to the beach. The beach is about ¼ mile long and is similar to the beaches depicted in postcards: lots of white sand and beautiful blue ocean. The waves were moderate so we were able to swim.

There are many beaches; you just need a map and a desire to seek them out.

One of the most popular places to visit on Kauai is Waimea Canyon. This natural wonder is billed as the Pacific’s Grand Canyon. If you visit the site yourself, you should plan to spend most of the morning, if not all day, driving to the canyon and stopping frequently along the arduous 10 mile drive up the highway. If you take a tour, this stop will be the primary part of the tour. The actual canyon is huge and breathtaking. According to literature, the canyon is 10 miles long, one mile wide, and 3,500-feet deep! The colors are very vibrant from lush green to deep red clay, and various shades of browns and grays in between. If you drive to the top, the final lookout spot offers views of NaPali Coast. Along the drive up, there are many lookout points to view the canyon floor and walls.

There are several advantages to sightseeing the canyon on your own:
You can time your visit so you are there in the early morning when the views are the best.
You can do the sightseeing at your own pace.
You will be able to drive to the very top where the Kalalau Lookout has fantastic views and you can see the NaPali Coast.
You will be able to hike on the various trails (Koke’e Trail).
You will be able to visit the museum.

On the other hand, there are several advantages of taking a bus tour to view the canyon:
You leave the driving to an expert. Navigating along the ten-mile drive is very tricky (and maybe a little scary considering all of the erosion and poor shoulders).
The driver is very knowledgeable and has many stories (some very funny), which adds to your appreciation of the popular sight.
You actually get to see all of the highlights (and views)as the driver drives up the road. He knows the correct places to pull over to see the best viewpoints.

Which way would I recommend? Considering that I forgot that I had seen the canyon on a previous trip (when I did the driving and my wife did the sightseeing), I would recommend the bus tour (where we both got to see!)

Click here for great web site for pictures and information.

Everyone who goes to Kauai sees the major sights such as Waimea Canyon, Fern Grotto, Poi’pu Beach, etc. However, many other stops in the Garden Island are worth spending time on.

The best spot that few tourists see is the Kauai Museum. We stopped because the weather was iffy and ending up spending several hours at the museum. We spent over ½ hour in the "theater" watching a beautiful video of Kauai. Some of the footage (for instance of the beautiful NaPali Coast) was taken from a helicopter. Watching the waterfalls and other scenery was not as great as being on a helicopter myself, but it came close. And a $5 adult admission fee to the museum is a lot cheaper than $75 (or more) for the real helicopter ride. The narration of the video was very professional and informative. After watching the video, we visited the rest of the museum and enjoyed the exhibits. Anyone who loves quilts would love the large display of Americana quilts. Many photographs depict the history of the island. Click here for more information.

Another spot we visited that was totally deserted by tourists was Hanalei Bay. Many tourists stop at the Hanalei Center and Princeville but our walk along the Hanalei Beach was great. The black sand is very fine, the water is calm, and the entire area is so peaceful. While there, many local artists were setting up easels to paint the scenery. People also fish along the long pier. This beach is off the beaten path but just as nice as some of the more popular (and more crowded) beaches.

I would also suggest that you take the time to visit a "crafts" event. While we were in Kauai, we stopped at the Kauai Products Fair. Most of the vendor booths were selling art, jewelry, or food. The art was very unusual and very good. I was very tempted to buy some articles. My wife was absolutely fascinated by the jewelry and she did buy several pieces there. Each was handcrafted. Click here for more information.

One suggestion is to pick up the 101 things to do pamphlet and try to sample some of the lesser-known "attractions."

After doing some research (including reading lots of journals), I selected about ten different restaurants for lunch and dinner. The food was great in each restaurant and I was not disappointed at all. However there were three restaurants that had qualities to rate a "must return" for my next Kauai visit.

The excellent atmosphere of Duke’s Canoe Club (near Lihue) is the key reason I want to return to Duke's. This restaurant has few outside walls and since it is right on the beach, you get to watch the ocean view as you eat. Of course, you could also feast on the beautiful waterfalls right in the center of the restaurant (we requested a table right by the main waterfall). In addition, many memorabilia are part of the décor. You definitely feel like you are eating in a local Hawaiian restaurant. Local entertainment adds greatly to the atmosphere. And to top it off, the food is great. The menu had so many choices you could return many times and not be disappointed. The cost of dinner for two was $68. Click here for menus and other information . My photo doesn't do justice to how nice the restaurant is.

I want to return to Tidepools at the Hyatt because it is a very intimate and romantic restaurant. It is perfect for holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Anniversaries, or any other special event. This restaurant is a series of alcoves each with a separate table so you feel like you are the only table in the restaurant. The three walls of the alcove are really floor to ceiling doors. Of course, most of the time the doors are open so you feel that you are eating outdoors. The roof is thatched so you feel like you are in your own thatched hut. The floor is built over a series of lagoons. While eating you get to watch the carp swim in the lagoons, the beautiful waterfalls placed around the area, the beautiful gardens, and of course the ocean since it is built right on the beach! If your timing is good, you also get to watch a beautiful sunset. Again, the food was fantastic. The bill for two (including tax and tip) was $91.

The informal and local cuisine of the Hanalei Gourmet Deli is the reason I would return to this restaurant. The majority of the restaurant is a converted schoolhouse room. We chose to eat outside where we could watch all of the activities of the center of Hanalei. We watched tourists as they picked out jewelry or art at the outdoor vendor booths stationed just outside the patio of the restaurant. We could also see the people wander around shopping at the Ching Young Village Center, which was directly across the road. It was so peaceful sitting outside sampling great Hawaiian food. We felt like time was turned back. The bill for two (including tax and tip) was $26 (lunch). Click here for the restaurant’s menu.