Kauai
Kauai Restaurant Reviews
In Kauai, if you’re lucky enough to win an invitation to a potluck, baby luau, or beach party, don’t think twice—just accept. The best grinds (food) are homemade, and so you’ll eat until you’re full, then rest, eat some more, and make a plate to take home, too.
But even if you can’t score a spot at one of these parties, don’t despair. Great local-style food is easy to come by at countless low-key places around the island, and as an extra bonus these eats are often inexpensive, and portions are generous. Expect plenty of meat—usually deep-fried or marinated in a teriyaki sauce and grilled pulehu-style—over an open fire—and starches. Rice is standard, even for breakfast, and often served alongside potato-macaroni salad, another island specialty. Another local favorite is poke, made from chunks of raw tuna or octopus seasoned with sesame oil, soy sauce, onions, and pickled seaweed. It’s a great pupu (appetizer) when paired with a cold beer.
Kauai’s cultural diversity is apparent in its restaurants, which offer authentic Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Mexican, Italian, and Hawaiian specialties. Less specialized restaurants cater to the tourist crowd, serving standard American fare—burgers, pizza, sandwiches, surf-and-turf combos, and so on. Kapaa offers the best selection of restaurants, with options for a variety of tastes and budgets; most fast-food joints are in Lihue.
Kauai Hotel Reviews
The Garden Isle has lodgings for every taste, from swanky resorts to rustic cabins, and from family-friendly condos to romantic bed-and-breakfasts.
When choosing a place to stay, location is an important consideration—Kauai may look small, but it takes more time than you might think to get around. If at all possible, stay close to your desired activities.
Time of year is also a factor. If you’re here in winter or spring, consider staying on the South Shore, as the surf on the North Shore and East Side tends to be rough, making many ocean beaches too rough for swimming or water sports.
Before booking accommodations, think hard about what kind of experience you want to have for your island vacation. There are several top-notch resorts to choose from, and Kauai also has a wide variety of condos, vacation rentals, and bed-and-breakfasts. The Kauai Visitors Bureau provides a comprehensive listing of accommodation choices to help you decide.
Kauai Nightlife
Kauai has never been known for its nightlife. It’s a rural island, where folks tend to retire early, and the streets are dark and deserted well before midnight. The island does have its nightspots, though, and the after-dark entertainment scene may not be expanding, but it is consistently present in areas frequented by tourists.
Most of the island’s dinner and luau shows are held at hotels and resorts. Hotel lounges are a good source of live music, often with no cover charge, as are a few bars and restaurants around the island.
Check the local newspaper, The Garden Island, for listings of weekly happenings, or tune in to community radio station KKCR—found at 90.9 and 91.9 on the FM dial—at 5:30 PM for the arts and entertainment calendar. Free publications such as Kauai Gold, This Week on Kauai, and Kauai Beach Press also list entertainment events. You can pick them up at Lihue Airport near the baggage claim area, as well as at numerous retail areas on the island.
Kauai Shopping
There aren’t a lot of shops and spas on Kauai, but what you will find here are a handful of places very much worth checking out for the quality of their selection of items sold and services rendered.
Along with one major shopping mall, a few shopping centers, and a growing number of big-box retailers, Kauai has some delightful mom-and-pop shops and specialty boutiques with lots of character. The Garden Isle also has a large and talented community of artisans and fine artists, with galleries all around the island showcasing their creations. You can find many island-made arts and crafts in the small shops, and it’s worthwhile to stop in at crafts fairs and outdoor markets to look for bargains and mingle with island residents.
If you’re looking for a special memento of your trip that is unique to Kauai County, check out the distinctive Niihau shell leis. The tiny shells are collected from beaches on Kauai and Niihau, pierced, and strung into beautiful necklaces, chokers, and earrings. It’s a time-consuming and exacting craft, and these items are much in demand, so don’t be taken aback by the high price tags. Those made by Niihau residents will have certificates of authenticity and are worth collecting. You often can find cheaper versions made by non-Hawaiians at crafts fairs.
Kauai is often touted as the healing island, and local spas try hard to fill that role. With the exception of the Hyatt’s ANARA Spa, the facilities aren’t as posh as some might want, but it’s in the human element that Kauai excels. Island residents are known for their warmth, kindness, and humility, and you can find all these attributes in the massage therapists and technicians who work long hours at the resort spas. These professionals take their therapeutic mission seriously; they genuinely want you to experience the island’s relaxing, restorative qualities. Private massage services abound on the island, and your spa therapist may offer the same services at a much lower price outside the resort, but if you’re looking for a variety of health-and-beauty treatments, an exercise workout, or a full day of pampering, a spa will prove most convenient.
Pages: 1 2
