Delayed Trip Report: May 24th - May 30th

First I%26#39;d like to thank everyone for helping us with our second trip to Kaua%26#39;i and apologize for the delay in the report. After fighting with jet lag I had to help get my husband ready for another deployment and once he was sent off my uncle ended up in ICU. Hopefully, everyone can understand why there was a delay.

May 24th

Departed from Atlanta on Delta and the flight was uneventful. Always a good thing! Arrived in Honolulu around 1:30 pm to find our flight on Aloha has been delayed. Turns out this morning Aloha had 2 or 3 jets break before taking off, which delayed everyone%26#39;s flight. We were fortunate to only have a 2 1/2 delay and arrived in Lihue just before 5. After retrieving our luggage we headed off to Budget to pick up our car, then off to Moloa%26#39;a Bay and the Pole House. The car did NOT drive well at all. Something appeared to be wrong with the steering, but we didn%26#39;t want to turn around. The Pole House is a great home!!!! We absolutely loved it and the setting. Explored the bay then off to bed.

May 25th

Up early due to the time difference. Watched a beautiful sunrise from the lanai and strolled the beach. The bay was a little rough, but still very lovely. This morning we decided to visit Queen%26#39;s Bath. The Bath was very calm and I even spotted a turtle from the rocks above. We enjoyed swimming in the bath all morning.

Had lunch at Bubba%26#39;s Burgers. Then spent the afternoon swimming in Hanalei Bay. The Bay was extremely calm and lovely. There was hardly anyone on the bay which took me by surprise. This was one place we didn%26#39;t make it to last year and I don%26#39;t know why we passed on it.

May 26th

Still not quite used to the time difference and because of that we were able to enjoy another beautiful sunrise from the beach on Moloa%26#39;a Bay. Last year we missed every sunrise and that was a mistake. I almost think the sunrises are better than the sunsets, but they%26#39;re both special in their own right.

Today we headed south with the hope of ';bumping'; into a seal or turtle and we actually did! I was so excited! (I know...you see them all the time, but I don%26#39;t so it was exciting for me.) On the drive along the south shore in front of the Beach house lay a seal. He was resting peacefully and we didn%26#39;t bother him, but observed from a safe distance.

After enjoying our time with the seal we decided to head to Polihale. Another place we didn%26#39;t get to visit last trip. I DO NOT EVER want to go back. Don%26#39;t get me wrong the beach is beautiful, but for me the drive is NOT worth it. It took us 40 minutes to go 5 miles and I think my husband intentionally hit every pot hole (not really...just felt like it) and the steering seemed to get much worse on the drive out there. We should have NEVER taken this car on this road. We spent about an hour walking the beach and enjoying the beauty of it all. On the way back out we decided to make the turn at the Monkey Pod Tree and visit Queen%26#39;s Pond. The ocean was a little rough, but hubby was still ok out there enjoying it, while I sunned. It was Memorial Day weekend and we found this area to be the local hangout. After another hour an half or so we decided to head out and find a late lunch. The real reason I don%26#39;t care to go back is this....on the way out we got a flat tire. Urgh! Oh well...a another family was behind us and they stopped to help my husband change the tire. Thank you, thank you!

Once off the dirt road we had to get our tire fixed. We stopped at every gas station/service station in hopes someone would help. Everyone was either closed or their equipment wasn%26#39;t working. After being turned away for about the 8th time I had to get something to eat. We stopped at Brick Oven Pizza and I know I%26#39;m going to upset some people on this forum, but we don%26#39;t know what the fuss is all about. We did not like it. If you want great pizza...skip this place and head to Waimea. There%26#39;s an amazing pizza place called Pacific Rim and Pizza next to Wrangler%26#39;s Steak House.

After our very late lunch we got back on the road and continued to stop everywhere we could. We ended up in Lihue before getting help. In Lihue we stopped at a car dealership and they refused to help us because our car was not what they sell. What kind of service is that? They sent us to Sears who turned us away because it was a rental car. Finally we stumbled on Midas....we LOVE Midas!!!! They helped us without any questions and they were happy to do so!

The steering on the car was still bad so after our tire was fixed we headed to budget to get a new car. Fortunately, my hubby had called Budget the day we recieved the car from our rental home to tell them about the problem. They took the car without any questions and gave us an SUV (Subaru Forrester) at no additional charge and apologized profusely for the problem. This vehicle drove so much better than the first.

Now it was time to go home and rest from our rough day. We swam in Moloa%26#39;a Bay....off the right in the protected area and were able to watch the sunset behind the hill over the Bay. Very lovely.

May 27th

This morning we decided to explore Secret Beach. Another very lovely beach. We found the beach big enough for everyone to feel like they could have it all to themselves. And it was Memorial Day weekend! We loved spending our morning here.

For the afternoon we headed over to Hideaways. Personally I found the trail to Hideaways easier than Secret Beach%26#39;s trail. Maybe I%26#39;m crazy, but the rope and stairs helped me feel like I wasn%26#39;t going to fall. Hubby enjoyed snorkeling here, but since the beach is so much smaller it was crowded. Still very lovely. I think you%26#39;re better off going here first thing in the morning to avoid everyone else. Then again with it being a weekend and a holiday that may have played a part in how many people were enjoying this beautiful beach.

If I have to choose....I think I like Hideaways better. At least based on today. Secret Beach was too rough for swimming and Hideaways was much calmer.

May 28th, Memorial Day

Hubby really wanted to snorkel at Tunnels so off we went. We parked at Haena State Park and along the beach to Tunnels. However, before we got there I spotted a pod of dolphins in the ocean. I was so enticed by there show that I didn%26#39;t make it to Tunnels and found a nice shady spot to sit and watch. (It was about half way there.) Hubby continued to walk and enjoyed his snorkeling. The dolphins put on there show for almost 2 hours. I loved it! In fact, when hubby came in he asked me where they were because he said while snorkeling he could hear them. He found that to be really amazing. We really enjoyed this!!!!

Tonight we had a reservation for the Surf to Sunset Luau at the Sheraton. So, after cleaning up from our beach day we headed south. We were a little early so we headed to Spouting Horn. So glad we did. While there we saw 3 turtles surfing the waves. After watching them for about 30 minutes we decided we needed to head over to the Sheraton. We loved this show!!! The food was amazing....especially the steak!!!! Both hubby and I would highly recommend this show. It was a fabulous time!

May 29th

We slept in today after the late night. Then we decided to head to the Canyon. (We had planned on visiting the Canyon after Polihale, but the flat tire changed our plans.) On the way to the canyon we stopped at the Wailua River (marina) and something caused us to take the Smith%26#39;s Boat to the Fern Grotto. Please pass this up. We found it boring and a waste of time. After the boat tour we ate at the restaurant. That was very good though. Then a tour of Smith%26#39;s Tropical Paradise. If you do not go to the Smith%26#39;s Luau, please find the time to visit their garden. We really enjoyed strolling through the grounds. Pass on the boat tour and take the Tropical Paradise Tour.

After our stroll through the garden we continued our way to the canyon. We did not stop at any of the lookouts on the way up since it was late and we were praying that the last lookout wouldn%26#39;t be fogged in. Plus we spent a lot of time in the canyon last year, but since the road to the last lookout was closed we didn%26#39;t make it there. I had my heart set on getting there this year though. Much to my surprise the road was open....I was instantly filled with glee! We drove up, got out of the car, walked up the pathway only to see the most amazing sight I have ever seen......FOG! Urgh! After waiting an hour we still saw nothing. We couldn%26#39;t wait any longer because I had to use the restroom so we headed back down the canyon and stopped at the lodge. Then we decided to go back up and see if it had lifted. We got there and it was slightly clearer, but still couldn%26#39;t see much. After waiting another 40 minutes the fog lifted!!!! Wow!!!! This is breathtaking! Granted the fog did sit on top of the mountain so it wasn%26#39;t completely clear, but still I was glad we were blessed with what we got. I will definately be back here next time and early in the morning.

May 30th

Our time on the island is nearly over. We enjoyed another sunrise from the lanai and spent the early morning swimming on the left side of Moloa%26#39;a Bay this time. After our swim we cleaned up and packed and said goodbye to the Bay and our Pole House. Tears filled our eyes as we drove away. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 1 so we headed to Lihue and did a little shopping, ate lunch, and turned in our car. Arrived in Atlanta on the 31st at 6 am.

We had a lovely 2nd trip and I can%26#39;t wait to return! Again, I apologize for the delay in posting this.

Delayed Trip Report: May 24th - May 30th

Great report, aforcewife! Thank you for posting it, delay or no delay!

Delayed Trip Report: May 24th - May 30th

Aloha from Kaua%26#39;i!

Thanks for the very interesting report!

Sorry that you had so much trouble going out to Polihale -- altho%26#39; it is one of the most beautiful places on this island, the road really isn%26#39;t meant for rental cars (and I think that some car agencies specifically mention not taking the car out there) -- but for those who do persevere and/or have the right kind of vehicle -- it is always spectacular -- I%26#39;m sure Queen%26#39;s Pond was absolutely jam-packed on Memorial Day weekend -- I was going to go that weekend myself but bagged the idea because I didn%26#39;t want to deal with tons of kids and just lots of people! Usually it is a quiet, pretty private place that is generally safe to swim and float.

Sorry also that you didn%26#39;t like Brick Oven Pizza -- still usually picked the No. 1 favorite on the island (and definitely so in my book!) -- been around forever and a day and for a good reason! The

garlic-butter brushed crust is to die for!

Glad you liked Wailua Marina Restaurant and Smith%26#39;s Tropical Paradise, but sad that you felt the ';Fern Grotto'; tour wasn%26#39;t any good.

The Smith%26#39;s have been running the same flat bottomed boats up the Wailua River since sometime in the 1950%26#39;s and while some folks might find it corny, I love that something still exists in pretty much the same form (and with the same music, jokes, etc.!) for so many years. The same family runs all 2 venues (and the Lu%26#39;au) and it doesn%26#39;t get more ';local'; than that!

Glad that overall you seemed to have a good time though!

Malama Pono,

Janet

I loved your report, thank you:)

Mahalo for your report. Must say the rental car problem did not sound like fun. Glad you were able to get it exchanged. Will also keep Midas in mind for car service.

Thanks for the report, aforcewife. It makes me hope that we can go again soon.

aforcewife, thanks so much for posting your report. I loved reading about your adventures and had been wondering about your trip and your stay at the Pole House. I still hope that we can stay there on one of our trips. Sounds like things have been crazy fo you since your return. Keep those Kauai memories cose. I hope all is well now with your uncle and am praying for the safe return of your deployed hubby.