I recently returned from an amazing trip to Kauai. I went
there by myself, without actually knowing a soul. This is the second time that
I’ve traveled alone and I highly recommend it! However if you are a woman traveling
alone you must be extra alert. There are things I do differently when I travel
alone. I always carry my cell phone with me. I do not go out alone after dark.
I do not go anywhere with men I do not know and if you are lying alone on the
beach you will most likely be approached by men and asked out. I always say no.
If you want to chance it, do not go back to their home – only meet them in a
public area. Do not meet them on a secluded beach after dark!
I also highly recommend asking your friends if they know
people in the area you are going to travel solo. More likely than not, your
friends will know someone personally. If they do not they will often know
someone else who knows people in the area. Before I left I put out a call to
all of my friends asking if they knew people in Kauai and I was given the name
and email of a woman there. Through her I met dozens of other amazing women and
was invited to hang out with them every night I was there. But for the traveler
that has no contacts, the local youth hostels are great places to meet people.
I met 2 women there and spent one day with them going to beaches, laughing and
being silly. I feel like they will be friends for life. I thoroughly enjoyed
their company and we got to explore the lighthouse and “secret beach” together
and even stop by the side of the road to pick passion fruit.
I think there are at least 3 hostels on Kauai. One of them
is not recommended. In order to find the one I stayed at I did a lot of online
research. At first, the one that comes up is the International Youth Hostel but
the reviews are scathing and I did end up talking to quite a few travelers who
had gone there and they all had negative experiences. It is said that the owner
is very difficult. He also makes his guests do housework, in addition to paying
for their accommodations. He is creepy towards women. He is mean to everyone
and refused to turn down his blaring music at a guest’s request. These are the
experiences that were told to me first-hand. The reviews online are much more
graphic but it is through them that I found the youth hostel that I stayed at
(The Beach House) as someone recommended going there in their review.
The Beach House (http://www.kauaibeachhouse.net) has a
lovely atmosphere. The owner’s son, Brian, is a sweetheart and made my stay
enjoyable and pleasant. You cannot beat the location as it’s right on the water
with a spectacular view. The kitchen is airily open and the cardinals (birds)
that stop by to eat food out of the sink are adorable. I stayed in the women’s
dorm room. The first mattress I chose was old and the springs stuck out a bit
but the second bed/mattress I chose was fine and comfortable. The women’s dorm
is comprised of 4 queen-sized bunk beds and couples are allowed to stay in them
too. They have curtains around each bed for privacy. The staff at the Beach
House are nicer than nice and helpful too! My only complaint would be
cleanliness and I am a stickler when it comes to that. The upstairs women’s
bathroom was not that clean, nor was it that dirty either – it was somewhere in
between. The carpeting in the women’s dorm room was old and dirty and I would
think that wood floors would be much more sanitary and easily maintained.
However, that said, I had no allergies or negative health reactions.
Another alternative is to look on craigslist for people
renting out their condos. I talked to one gentleman who rents a studio condo in
Lihue for $35 per night, fully furnished – which is the same price I paid per
night to stay at The Beach House. The advantage to staying at a hostel is that
you do get to meet people, so if you’re a social person and traveling alone,
the hostel might be a better bet. If you’re traveling with a friend or spouse,
I’d recommend a condo.
My goal, in other words, the phrase I told my friends when
they incredulously asked, “what are you going to do there?” was “lie on a beach
and read my book”. And that is exactly what I did. I decided to go to a
different beach each day. When I was on the Big Island this was not possible since
they only have a couple of sandy beaches and the rest are black rock. I
personally, prefer sandy beaches. Kauai has tons of sandy beaches putting me in
absolute sandy beach heaven. The first day I walked to the beach near my hostel
and watched kite surfers and swam. The kite surfers were amazing. There was one
woman learning how to kite surf in her 60’s. It looked really hard but also
really fun.
As the long/short days went on I managed to hit Secret
Beach, Annini, Moloa’a, Polihale, Hanamaulu and others I can’t remember the
names of in Kapa’a, Hanalei and Kilauea. I spent most of my time on the East
and North side of the island driving between Hanalei and Lihue.
In order to save some money I didn’t eat at any restaurants.
The hostel had a kitchen and I ate my usual fare which is peanut butter
(sunflower seed butter actually) and jelly sandwiches, salads and fresh
tropical fruit. For breakfast I grabbed cereal and hazelnut milk. I found the
farmer’s markets and the health food stores (Papayas and Hoku Whole Foods).
Eventually I discovered Poke, which was very reasonably priced and absolutely
delicious!! In case you don’t know what Poke is – you can look it up here -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poke_(Hawaii)
It can be found in supermarkets, health food stores and even at some gas
stations. I tried it from the supermarkets and gas stations and it was always
fresh and superb!
The farmer’s markets are a great place to grab organic local
produce at reasonable prices. There is one every day at a different location.
You can stock up for the week or go back every few days. It’s also fun to try
local in season fruits that you’ve never tried before. I had one, the name
eludes me now, that tastes exactly like maple syrup. I also discovered passion
fruit and found that the kind that are sweet, as opposed to the tart ones, were
my absolute favorite! And the fresh coconuts abound. You really can’t go wrong
at the farmer’s markets. You can ask your hotel or hostel for a list or check
online. (http://realkauai.com/FarmersMarkets)
If you are looking to rent a car I highly recommend looking
in the phonebook for some more reasonable alternatives to the “big companies”.
I spent quite a bit renting from Avis for 10 days. I think it was $300 or close
to that. However some of the people at the youth hostel rented from a place
called “Island Rentals” and got a clunker for less than half the price I was
paying. Here are some numbers for less expensive car rentals: 808-822-3656;
808-246-6000; 808-632-0741. You can also try hotwire or priceline for both car
rentals and hotels.
As the sun rose, the ocean glistened like a many faceted
jewel. The light of the orange orb playing on the surf I noticed how everything
looked different there. Like my friend Andrea recently told me about Brazil.
The colors, she said, are brighter there. I told her that’s how Hawaii looked
to me but she disagreed since she was recently in Hawaii as well. And though I
cannot speak for Brazil because I haven’t been there yet I do know that for me,
the daylight in Hawaii looked like magic hour back home. Magic hour is the
first hour of sunrise and the last hour of sunset, when the light is “perfect”.
So while the colors weren’t overly saturated as Andrea says they are in Brazil,
they were “perfect”. The flowers were succulent and grew unabashed throughout
the streets. In Kauai I felt like Charlie in Willy Wonka’s backyard.
The sunsets are incredible and the lush vegetation in the
north east, near Kilauea is stunning. You cannot drive around the island as the
Napali coast in the north is rich with foliage. If you are driving up from the
east, you have to stop at Haena State Park and hike in. In order to hike all
the way around, it is about 27 miles on the Kalalau Trail (http://www.kayakkauai.com/na_pali_by_backpack.html).
Otherwise you can drive from one side of the island around to the other in a
horseshoe shape. That will take you quite a bit of time (about 7 hours). On one
of my day trips I drove from Kapa to Port Allen, went on the Napali Coast boat
ride and then drove up to the beach at the very end of the road on the west
side of the island – Polihale, which is Kauai’s longest white sands beach stretching
17 miles. Polihale is also very hot as there are no trees for shade here! You
have to drive on a dirt road for about 5 miles. (http://www.kauai-hawaii.com/destinations.php?53)
I like to challenge my fears, not all of them and certainly
not all of them at once but when I can, when the opportunity presents itself I
am known to take the bull by the horns and ride, ride, ride. For some, unknown
reason, surfing has always been one of my greatest fears. I have all the
reasons in the world why. I am afraid of getting hit in the head with the board
and either being knocked out or needing stitches. I am afraid of being tumbled
and tossed and turned under the ocean and not being able to find my way up. I
am afraid of sharks. I am afraid of being hit by another surfer. I am afraid of
being carried out too far. I am afraid of hitting the rocks. And I could
probably find more things to be afraid of but I’m running out of steam here.
So maybe that’s why, when my friend Tali walked toward me on
the beach with her surfboard I said, “I want to try too.” She pointed down the
way a bit and told me to go rent one from this guy she knew so I did. He told
me to carry it on my head. This was another fear I had, carrying my own board.
I was sure it was far too heavy for me to even lift it, let alone carry it!! I
was wrong. They’re not heavy at all. In the end I carried it back under one arm
J
And so that’s how it started. I got out on the board and paddled all the way
out to where the other surfers were. I found out later that was impressive
because paddling is one of the hardest parts. I didn’t know. I just knew they
were out there and I wanted to find Tali and she was out there too. So without
thinking about it at all I paddled out. I watched some people and taught myself
how to sit on the board, how to paddle properly, how to get out of other
people’s way and even how to catch a wave without standing up. It was enough
for me to want more. I stayed out until my fingers went numb.
A few days later I decided to take lessons for real and was
referred to a great guy, named Cliff who is reasonably priced, patient and
knowledgeable. Cliff took me to a beach with very very small waves. He taught
me how to stand and there I was, standing every time. He gave me a lesson for
about 2 hours and I felt confident and was having a lot of fun until I got
tired and decided to spend the rest of the day lying on the beach reading my
book. Oh, and I was the ONLY person on that beach all day long = absolute
paradise.
Tali told me if there was one touristy thing to do it would
be to take the Blue Dolphin Charter boat to the Napali Coast and so I did (http://www.kauaiboats.com).
The boat trip was grand and I’m glad I got to see the Napali Coast. Scuba
diving or snorkeling is part of the package but the place they took us was
sub-par. There were only a couple of colorful fish and some dingy looking
reefs. I am spoiled since I went snorkeling last year on the Big Island and it
was literally like being in a technicolor aquarium! The staff on the boat were
friendly and lunch was included. Also, for those who drink alcohol, that was
included as well. I’m glad I did it but I probably would not do it again. On my
next trip to Kauai (this November) I will drive up the coast to Ke’E beach and
do some hiking into the Napali coast (http://www.gohawaii.com/kauai/plan/things_to_do_on_kauai/attractions/points_of_interest/napali_coast).
However, seeing the entire coast from the ocean side was indeed a sight to
behold.
I did not get to the famous Waimea Canyon though I hear
that’s spectacular (http://www.hawaiiweb.com/kauai/html/sites/waimea_canyon.html).
There was only so much I could do and this particular trip was all about
R&R, which I happily achieved.
I love the feeling of Kauai, it’s so laid back and slow. All
of Hawaii is slow, but Kauai is even slower than the Big Island. The population
is small and there are not a lot of tourists here. Often times I was alone on a
beach or with just a couple of other people. There’s not as much to do touristy
wise but there is a lot to do outdoors including: hiking, swimming, surfing,
kayaking and snorkeling. I am told that the best snorkeling is in Poipu (http://www.bestplaceshawaii.com/tips/10_best/snorkeling.html).
So whether you’re looking for adventure, outdoor delights or
just plain old rest and relaxation – Kauai, in my opinion, is one of the most
spectacular places to go.
Kauai Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=kauai+map&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Kauai,+Kalaheo,+HI+96741&gl=us&ei=2ryjS67fCYyENunm2MoI&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CA0Q8gEwAA
