Kaua’i is the oldest island in the archipelligo of Hawaii. It is the northernost and the greenest, mostly by virtue of the now dormant volcano, Wai’ale’ale (5,148 feet high) , the crater of which is the wettest place on earth, receiving an average 460 inches (1,200 cm of rainfall per year.
This being said, it is usually possible to find a sunny part of Kauai’i to enjoy, and if it’s raining in the north, it will most likely be sunny in the south, and since nowhere is very far away and petrol is a quarter of the price over here, there is little problem. What should be considered, however, is the cost of everything else, which at best is approximately double its equivalent in the U.K.
Bread, which also comes in pink, is of the cobweb type, very light and at $ 5 for a medium sized loaf (in 2008) very disappointing. Bagels are a better idea, being more substantial, but only slightly cheaper. What I did find, however, in Safeways, was delicious French sticks on sale for about $ 2.50 each. They were also good for up to 48 hours after purchase if the bag was tightly secured.
Walmart was reasonably good value for clothing, certainly much lighter on the wallet than the gift shops, and much of it very similar, but we also found a bargain tee-shirt shop selling 3 tees for $ 10 or high quality ones at $ 20.
By far the best place for everything else was Cost-U-Less, which sells high quality fruit, veg and an excellent range of grocieries as well as what you would expect at a larger type supermarket.
We stayed in the south of the island, at Poipu. Diamond Resorts own a large timeshare resort, which we chose for easy access to the pool via a sloping artificial beach.
The resort has beautifl landscaped gardens, and our appartment had a sea view to the side and pool view to the front. The first thing that struck us was the size and quality of the accommodation which would have easily slept 6 people if the sofa-bed had been put to use. We had 2 bathrooms, one ensuite to the master bedroom which had a walk-in wardrobe, its own TV, air conditioning and sea views. The second bedroom which also opened up onto the lanai, or verandah, had air conditioning plus a large fitted wardrobe and twin beds.
The main living area comprised yet more patio doors onto the balcony with sun-lougers, table and chairs, and inside there was a dining area with a very comprehensive and fully-fitted kitchen and laundry facilities. The lounge had a large TV in an attractive cupboard similar to the one in the master bedroom, and both connected to cable TV. We paid the extortionate $ 10 a day for Interenet connection, but limited access was available free in the lobby for those not minding queues and only requiring short time online.
We found the people of Kaua’i to be friendly and helpful and the general atmosphere was completely laid-back, calm and relaxing. No-one seemed to be in a hurry once they had settled in.
Due to the high cost of everything we limited our expense to just one luau at Smith’s Tropical Paradise Unfortunately for us, the rainy season starts at the end of November, and it decided to arrive on the one day we had booked for our big day out.
It started with a boat trip to the Fern Grotto, a beautiful cave entrance and gardens planted with exotic plants, and a waterfall where often a rainbow can be seen. Unfortunately for us, the river was brown with flood-water and we had to walk through torrential rain to arrive and depart our destination. We were entertained by the staff who told the story of how their business had evolved from one man and a small rowing boat, and also sang and danced for the soggy clientelle.
We squelched our way next to the tropical gardens and were transported around in one of several old-fashioned tram cars. Again, it was hard to appreciate the beautiful landscape and felt sorry for the poor dancers who cheerfully and in full fHawaiian costume greeted and entertained us in the pouring rain. We were glad to have chosen a venue under cover but outside, the dancers were undeterred and carried on as though the sun was shining. Even the staged volcano went ahead with fireworks and a good time was had by all.
The food was rather disappointing,especially the kalua pig, cooked in an underground pit. There was a good variety of dishes and desserts to choose from, however, and customers could go back and fill up their plates and glasses as often as they could manage. The favourite cocktail is called a Mai Tai which comprises rum mixed with pineapple and coconut.
Noticable on the island was the divide between the indigenous people’s homes and those of the more affluent immigrants. We saw virtual palaces in some areas, and broken down shacks in others. Clear lines could be distinguished between the two. And everywhere were the chickens, living wild. Various reasons were given for them but the most logical was that the chickens, domesticated by the Polinesians, escaped during a hurricane and bred in the wild. They are very attractive birds, shimmering blue and greens, and usually one cockerel in charge of half a dozen or so hens, but very little fighting was evident.
We drove up Mount Wai’ale’ale once during a heavy mist, and had to return, but the second time our efforts were rewarded with spectacular views of the green cliffs and mountains.
Would we go again? Yes, but not at Thanksgiving, since there were limited planes flying due to the National Holiday. Our flight itinerary was suddenly changed from one transfer of plane to four, with extended waiting times), and not without much, much more pocket money than we had budgeted ford.
A final note for fellow disabled travellers. Be prepared for your electric wheelchair to be unceremoniously stowed in the hold. It is up to the individual captains as to whether or not storage in the cabin is permitted. Even my tiny, lithium battery was cause for consternation and written documentation of its safety was required. Disappointingly, upon arrival at Lihue Airport, my precious wheelchair was damaged beyond use. At the time there were no electric wheelchair mechanics on the island, but eventually we managed to find an aeroplane engineer to repair the damaged wheel to a usable condition. We wasted at least 2 full days of our holiday trying to resolve the problem, and this caused us a lot of stress and frustration. Check directly with the Airline about such things and not your travel agent.
http://www.bukisa.com/articles/442410_kauai-the-garden-isle-of-hawaii
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