Kauai

 Kauai

We got a bit tired of Maui (groans) so we went to Kauai in March. Flew nonstop to Honolulu and then short flight to Lihue in Kauai. We picked up a rental car and were off to Poipu, on the southern coast of the island. We had learned from previous trips that if you want some sunshine, go to Poipu. In addition Poipu has a few very nice swimming beaches. Kauai doesn't have the beaches of Maui but then what place does (okay Anguilla).

We stayed at Koloa Landing Resort at Poipu, Autograph Collection Hotel/condo, https://koloalandingresort.com/?scid=bb1a189a-fec3-4d19-a255-54ba596febe2&y_source=1_Mzg5MDA5Mi03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24ud2Vic2l0ZQ%3D%3Dpart of Marriott. The resort has around eight 4 story buildings with studio and 1,2 and 3 bedroom units. We booked through Marriott and stayed in a studio unit. It had a small kitchen with 2 burners stove, microwave and refrigerator. Not a place for cooking but useful for takeout. We had a spacious lanai / terrace with great views of the ocean and sunsets. The hotel is across a road from the ocean but a beach is a 10 minute walk down the road. The resort has 3  pools. One is a large pool complex with slides and waterfalls. A second is a nice good sized pool to relax by. The third is an adult only tranquility pool. There are gas grills around the grounds.

The hotel only has one restaurant -Holoholo Grill. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is outside by the main pool. Some tables are under cover and there is a small bar. The restaurant was great. The breakfast had taro bread French toast and the usual stuff. Prices in the restaurant were very reasonable. There is a happy hour in the afternoon 3-5. Takeout was a breeze and we ate several nights on the lanai with great sunsets and good wine from Costco. Salads were very good as was the poke, and fish of the day. The restaurant made life easy. Restaurants at Poipu are very crowded and can be very expensive.

We explored Kauai from Poipu. There is basically one main road that goes around most of the island. Beware of supposed shortcuts as they create additional traffic issues when they rejoin the main road.

 Traffic is a big problem on the island. The main road going south from Lihue can be backed up for a mile as 2 lanes merge into 1. But the worst spot is around Kapa'a which is on the way to Hanalei. On our way to Hanalei the traffic jam in the opposite direction continued for at least 10 miles. Going home the traffic around Kapa'a was terrible. They actually have a Kapa'a bypass but it just creates another traffic jam when it returns to the main road. The traffic can make the trip from Poipu to Hanalei unbearable. Expect it to be a full day trip.

There are farmer's markets all over the island. There is a good sized one in Lihue on Saturday.

We also went to Waimea Canyon. On our previous trip we could not see it due to fog. This time we had clear weather. We  drove to the end of the park road where there is a lookout to the Na Pali Coast. Roads do not go entirely around Kauai. See map below. The end of the road to the Waimea Canyon is as close to Hanalei as one can get from the other side of the island. The only way to see the Na Pali Coast is to hike or take a boat ride.

Lookout to the Na Pali Coast and the ocean.

We took Holo Holo Charters https://www.holoholokauaiboattours.com/ on a snorkel boat ride  to the Na Pali Coast. The trip was fun but the way up the coast line was quite rough. Winter trips encounter rough going but you get to see whales. Basically a good portion of the passenger were seasick. My wife and I did not get sick which made for a much better experience.

Another day we visited a blowhole near Popiu.

Another day we explored some beaches near the Grand Hyatt in Poipu.

People dive off this cliff.

You can see a diver swimming to shore.

On our last day we drove north to Hanalei and stopped at the Kilauea Point lighthouse

We stopped at Anahola Beach park. A very long and pretty beach that had some nice places to swim.

We stopped in Hanalei.

My wife found an organic shaved ice shop. Organic was important for the shaved ice flavors as most shave ice shops use artificial flavors which I don't like. This shaved ice was awesome.

Taro fields.

Farmer's market; Papayas were cheap and plentiful at the farmer's markets. They were also very good.

Sheraton Beach in Poipu.

Restaurants on the island were very crowded. The one expensive restaurant we went to was the Beach House. It was crazy expensive and the food was nothing special. The fish we were served was the not fish on the menu. The food came out faster than at McDonalds. Pretty restaurant that is right on the beach. It is run by a Peter Merriman company. Not one of their better efforts.

We went for happy hour to Merriman's Poipu Kauai restaurant and that was very good and happy hour is reasonable. Great service and  good ambiance.

But the best food  we had was from Kiawe Roots https://www.eatatkiawe.com/menu It is on the main road 50 at Lawai . We did take out and everything was packed beautifully and delicious. Reasonable too.

Enjoy.

Happy New Year

Best of 2021

Travel - Kiawah Island, South Carolina - Great beaches, golf, food and it is quite reasonable.

Food- Vacchiano Farm meats

Wine - Wines from Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Tablas Creek, Denner and many wines from Tuscany. A bit of prejudice as I get wines directly from these wineries.

Bakery- Breadstand, Maplewood, NJ

Breweries -Untied, New Providence, NJ and Maui Brewing Company, Maui

Pizza in an exotic location -Hana Farms pizza, Maui

Best new dish - Taro Hummus at Hana farmer's market

 Trends for 2022

According to CellarTracker, California wines were by far the most consumed wines by people on Cellartracker. I have noticed that I have gravitated to California and Oregon wines over the past few years. Lately I have made an effort to buy more Bordeaux, Burgundy and and Italian wines. The pricing on the European wines looks good compared to the better California wines.

In 2022 I will be more conscious of the alcohol content of wines and trying to keep the abv 14% and under. That being said I don't want to be too dogmatic on the issue as there are plenty of enjoyable wine over 14%. Checkout Denner wines.

Another thing that bugs me these days is the elitist attitude of most wine critics. When I discuss expensive wines I can be considered in that group but does anyone get impressed about vertical tastings of $1000 bottles or all of these fancy wine dinners for thousands of dollars. Vinous is getting very annoying in that regard. Their latest series of 3 dinners and tastings for La Festa Del Piemonte 2022 is $3250 per person. End of story.

Wineries have no shame either. Cliff Lede has a wine Poetry 2018 that has gotten excellent reviews. If you want it you must buy 6 bottles for $1860. Eric Asimov in the NYT has the right attitude . Search for wines that are made by smaller companies that are not taking shortcuts in trying to make a good wine. Not all small wineries make good wine but follow your nose just like you would try to find a good restaurant. A neighborhood pizzeria or Olive Garden.