As many of you may have noticed, Shmee.me has been silent as of late, and that is because I have been on vacation, and as you may have seen in the title I was/am in Kauai. It has been a great trip to the Garden Island, and I am going to give you some “Best of”s.
Best Snorkeling: Ke’e Beach
Ke’e beach is great (pictured above)! Tons of sand and shade, plus it has a large protective reef around it, so it is safe to swim in. The reef is full of fish and coral, and for the most part is only waist deep, so being a strong swimmer is not necessary. The fish are used to people, so they come right up to you and beg for food like dogs, but sadly for them, I am cheap and never brought any food.
Fun story about one of our trips to Ke’e. We went there on stormy day and there were twenty foot swells beyond the reef, but some ocean kayakers decided it would be a good place to come in at, and like most times when you make a mistake: you pay for it. They got pummeled against the reef, but luckily they paid for their ignorance with cuts and bruises and a good story, but they gave the life guards a good scare.
The beach is easy to find since it is literally at the end of the highway. Just head north and when the road stops you are there.
Best Adventure: Princeville Ranch Adventures: Zip and Dip
This was my first time zip-lining, but it probably will not be my last. It was a blast! There are nine zip-lines, and towards the end there is a nice swimming hole to cool off in with a small ledge to jump off.
The guides were a ton of fun, and kept everyone in good spirits. The views as the guides put it are Jurassic Park, and Tropic Thunder, but after the long hot day of hiking and zipping, the lagoon to swim in was the best part.
Best Fish Taco: Happy Taco
Happy Taco is a truck in Kapa’a, but their fish tacos are wonderful. With big chunks of ahi tuna, and some sort of sauce all for $3, and if you get two, you get free rice and beans!
Best Restaurant with a View: The Beach House
The view from The Beach House is unreal, and all the surfers coming in with the sun setting it doesn’t get more Hawaii than that. Duke’s was in the running and it may have had better food, but if you want a view with your expensive tropical drink (well expensive everything really), there is none better than The Beach House.
Best (And Only) Luau: Smith’s Family Luau
This award isn’t fair since it is the only Luau we went too, but food was really good, and they put on a decent show. I only wish that they had better seats for the show because the padded bleachers get uncomfortable real quick, especially after I stuffed myself on the all you can eat buffet and bar.
Best Surf: Hanalei Bay
The surf in Hanalei is perfect. The waves keep coming in just like clockwork. Not to big, and not to small. Though every now and then a monster wave would come in and destroy me, but it is part of the fun, and a good way to prove the worth of my Waviator floating sunglasses! The rip tide can be strong here, so don’t go too far out in to the water unless you are a strong swimmer.
Best Tourist Trap: Hanalei Town
My wife loved it there and it is easy to see why. Cute shops and restaurants all framed in by Kauai’s famous giant cliffs. My wife would love to spend our next trip to Kauai exclusively in this little town. I have no objections (my wallet might).
Best Hiking: Everywhere
HA! I have no reviews on Kauai’s legendary hiking because if you know me, you that hiking is not a thing that I like to do, but if you are a hiker you will have fun in Kauai, but I would rather be snorkeling, but to each their own I suppose (but I am in the right here).
It was a wonderful trip, and it saddens me to leave it tomorrow, but as they say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I just hope that it is not a long absence.
