Kauai Travel Tips - Things NOT to Do
This is part 2 of my travel tips from our recent trip to Kauai. To find out what you should do while you're there read my previous post.
What Not to Do
- Despite the fact that this is the ‘most untouched’ island of the group, don’t expect to be living an episode of ‘Lost’. You may be disappointed as you leave the airport to find a Walmart just down the street, followed by a McDonalds, Taco Bell, Burger Kind and of course, Starbucks. In the other direction you will find a Costco, K-Mart and Borders Book shop.
- Expect to get from one end of the island to the other quickly. Kapa’a is a major bottleneck, no matter what time of day you head through it, and it can often take up to 45 minutes to get from one end of Kapa’a to the other. Nope, there is no avoiding it. There is only one highway on the island and it goes right through Kapa’a. The speed limit is generally 35 mph and some of the roads are patrolled by laser (whatever that means) so speeding isn’t much of an option either.
- Eat Christmas dinner at Gaylord’s (the plantation restaurant / attraction in Kilohana). Enough said.
- Assume that the diving is no good because Kauai is not listed in the ‘Top 10 Dive Sites of the World’. The diving off the south shore is actually quite good with excellent visibility. I’m told the day trips to Ni’ihau are even better, but they are only run during the summer months due to conditions. Don’t, however, expect that this will be a cheap day. It is some of the most expensive diving I have ever paid for.
Take your new running shoes on the hikes. Kauai is home to the wettest spot in the world (at Mount Waialeale) and there is no avoiding the fact that it rains a lot here. Rain on the dirt hiking trails means mud – everywhere. Granted, it was wintertime when I visited, but the woman in the Koke’e Museum told me that the hikes were very dry (she was being serious) and I was up to my ankles in mud for about 4 miles of a 9 mile hike. But it's well worth it for views like these.- Fall for the old ‘Secret Waterfalls’ marketing trick. Anything that is called ‘secret’ in Hawaii is likely to be anything-but. That being said, the kayak to the secret waterfalls is a fun excursion – just don’t expect to enjoy it on your own. This same thing goes for the ‘Secret Beach’ and anything else the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook has printed.
- Just because the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook proclaims ‘this is a great hike!’ doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a great hike. In fact, you may find yourself sliding through mud for 4 hours to see a great viewpoint (which is what I call a shitty hike that leads to great scenery).
- Order the local beer because it sounds exotic – it’s not, it’s just bad.
- Buy salmon from the guy selling it out of his truck if you are looking for a ‘local specialty’. It’s actually frozen from Alaska.
- Feel bad for the chickens. They are everywhere and they are annoying. They seem to have missed the lesson about how they are supposed to make noise at sunrise – they can be heard throughout the night and they are loud. They also outnumber islanders 2:1.
Ignore warnings about the tides – they can be incredibly strong. Hawaii’s drowing rate is twice as high as anywhere else in the US and Kauai is the primary contributor to those deaths. Check out www.kauaiexplorer.com for frequently updated reports from the lifeguards stationed around the island. The site features 16 of the most popular beaches on the island and includes information on activities and hazards. - Leave it to the last minute to rent a car. When I looked over a month ago the prices were half what they were when I finally got around to booking 2 days before we left for our trip.
Be sure to check out the What To Do in Kauai on my earlier post.
LOL - you aren't kidding about the mud!
I do like the the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook, but it can sometimes send you on a wild goose chase only to see something that wasn't worth the effort.
Another source for checking beach safety is this site that was just launched by the state of Hawaii in May:http://oceansafety.soest.hawaii.edu/?i=kauai
Posted by: Sheila @ GoVIsitHawaii | July 29, 2007 at 07:30 PM
LOL - you aren't kidding about the mud!
I do like the the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook, but it can sometimes send you on a wild goose chase only to see something that wasn't worth the effort.
Another source for checking beach safety is this site that was just launched by the state of Hawaii in May:http://oceansafety.soest.hawaii.edu/?i=kauai
Posted by: Sheila @ GoVIsitHawaii | July 29, 2007 at 07:28 PM