Though the Big Island grows Hawaii’s most renowned Kona coffee, Kauai is actually the home to the largest coffee farm in all of Hawaii and the US. Kauai produces approximately 60% of Hawaii’s total coffee crop. Kauai Coffee Company on the southern side of Kauai grows more than 4 million coffee trees over 3,100 acres.

From my visit at Kauai Coffee Company, I had to ask what the difference between Kona coffee and Kauai coffee. I was told that Kauai coffee tends to have more fruit notes and slightly less acidity. The company representative then gave me a wine comparison that further explained the difference – Kona coffee is like a Cabernet while Kauai coffee is more like a Merlot or Pinot Noir.

At Kauai Coffee Company, you can take a self-guided tour , see harvesting and roasting equipment and, best of all, enjoy tasting the varieties that Kauai Coffee Company produces and roasts. Visiting and tasting is completely free. Though, if you are like us, after tasting some of the samples you’ll want to purchase Kauai-grown coffee to take back home.

Located in Kalaheo, Kauai Coffee Company is open every day from 9am to 5pm. (From June 1 – August 31 opening hours are extended to 5:30pm.) For directions, see this map.

I recommend a short stop into Kauai Coffee Company and have listed it as one of the best free activities on Kauai.

Have you tried Kauai coffee or visited Kauai Coffee Company?

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Here’s a fresh rainbow of news and deals from the islands of Aloha.

*  Royal Lahaina Resort offers a great Maui vacation value in their Royal Experience Package.  Guests booking this package enjoy Ocean View accommodations in the resort’s refurbished Lahaina Kai Tower, Daily Breakfast Buffet in the oceanfront Royal Ocean Terrace Restaurant, and evening sunset cocktail & dinner sail along the West Maui Coastline and an evening at the resort’s popular  Luau Show which includes an open bar and buffet dinner.  2012 Royal Experience package rates start at $265 per night.  For additional information or reservations  visit  www.royallahaina.com or call 800-222-5642.

*  You know we at Go Visit Hawaii love luxury for less and this deal from a luxe Kohala Coast resort on Hawaii’s Big Island is a steal. Book a 5-night stay at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel between October 12 and December 17, 2011 for less than $200 per night. You’ll also receive your choice of golf for two ($450 value) or luau for two (regularly $192).

*  Here’s some fun news from Kauai – Kauai Mini Golf opened on the North Shore. “This is not your typical miniature golf course. There are no clown’s mouths or windmills to shoot through. This 18-hole putting green style course is set amongst beautiful botanical gardens representing the different eras of Hawaii’s culture. Meanwhile, water hazards, pipe shots, and many other obstacles make for a fun and challenging experience. Along the way you will travel through Hawaii’s history, learning about the islands’ storied past and beautiful tropical flora.” For more information visit www.kauaiminigolf.com.

*  Do you love the tastes of Hawaii? Check out the Edible Hawaiian Islands iPhone and iPad app that’s free to download though October 31, 2011.

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My second trip to Hawaii occurred just 9 months after my first trip to the Big Island, when I headed to Lihue, Kauai for a small work conference – which of course, was more fun than work.

One of the attendees, an accomplished diver himself, arranged for most of the group to take an “Intro to Diving” course with SeaSport Divers out of Poipu early in the morning. The three certified divers in the group met them a couple hours later and we took over the boat for the day and headed towards the dive sites for the day. The boat followed a large pod of dolphins as we made our way there.

Diving Sheraton Caverns in Kauai

Sheraton Caverns is well known as one of the most popular dive sites in Kauai located several hundred yards off the beach in front of the Sheraton Kauai, although it is commonly accessed by boat, and several tour operations visit the area daily.

The dive site is suitable for beginners and enjoyable for advanced divers because of the abundance of Hawaiian green turtles living in the area, reaching various depths of 35-70 feet.

It boasts vibrant marine life community within the interesting lava formations and partial lava tubes blessed with wider channels and archways to swim through.

Still feeling like nervous and inexperienced diver myself, I was calmed by the fact that we were going to relatively tame dive sites and my experienced friend who had organized the trip was watching out for me. For the most part, I had an enjoyable set of dives that day.

As you can see in the video from our Sheraton Caverns outing, we were fortunate to spot several large eels and multiple octopuses (including a mating pair at 5:20).

The highlight of the dive (for me anyway) was my first swim with a very large male turtle, probably as long as 5’ (almost as tall as I am) – I stayed with him for quite awhile, beginning at 6:30 in the clip:

(Email subscribers: click here for the video link.)

Snorkeling in Kauai

On Kauai, we  also spent a couple hours snorkeling at Tunnels Beach, which came highly recommended, and based on some YouTube videos from the spot, I can see why – lots to see, even the occasional reef shark, but I got skunked the day I went, and had some rough waves to contend with while snorkeling.

Another afternoon brought us to Poipu County Beach Park, where we happily hung out right by the edge of the private beach at the Koa Kea Hotel, in the shade of a palm, and in close view of a resting Hawaiian Monk Seal.

Overall, I was not impressed with the main ‘snorkeling’ area on this beach – you can’t go out very far, it was overcrowded, and worst of all, the bay was so shallow that you would often scrape along the rocky / reef bottom by the waves. It was, however, plentiful with silver and yellow trumpetfish.

About the Author: Elisabeth Ostrander is an experienced travel journalist, although a past life saw her writing mainly about snow based activities such as skiing and snowboarding, she has slowly started to succumb to the allure of surf, sand & scuba … in between ski seasons, that is. 

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As a friend was planning her Kauai vacation, I reeled off a list of top Kauai attractions. After I mentioned, seeing the Kalalau Valley, my friend asked, “But, doesn’t that take a long hike to see?” Instantly, I detected that she thought that you had to hike the entire 11-mile of the cliff-hanging Kalalau Trail in order to see the Kalalau Valley. Fortunately, that’s not the case!

Getting to the view points for Kalalau Valley is easy. All you need is a car and a map that includes Highway 550, Kokee Road. To create your own directions, see this Google Map.

There are two Kalalau Valley viewpoints off of Highway 550 — at mile marker 18 and at the end of the highway. I think the viewpoint at the end of the road is the best one, but I encourage you to stop at both of them. Both viewpoints are wheel chair accessible.

There’s plenty of other great views so see around Kalalau Valley. See my post about Waimea Canyon and Kokee State Parks for tips and recommendations. For the outdoor adventurer, Waimea Canyon and Kokee State Parks offer excellent hiking trails, with Canyon Trail being one of my favorites.

Hopefully you can see how easy it is to see this beautiful valley. There’s no challenging hiking required. Please don’t miss it.

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With Kauai being the Garden Isle, you’re sure to find beautiful blooms throughout the island. The above pink plumeria photo was take near the Visitors Center for the Allerton Gardens and McBryde Garden, which are two of the three Kauai gardens that are part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden collection . Though you must pay an admission to visit those two gardens, there’s a lovely 10-acre garden surrounding the Visitors Center that’s completely free to visit. For more information about this garden, see this link.

Have you toured a Kauai garden? Which one did you visit?

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Kermit the Frog claims that it’s not easy being green, but I think this gecko (?) from Kauai’s Kalalau Trail would beg to differ.

For the bigger view from this famous Kauai trail, check out our Kalalau Trail video.

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Today, I want to share the different options of seeing the Na Pali Coast. I want to be able to give you a taste for each method to help you choose the best option for you.

By Land

Let’s start on land with a hike of the Kalalau Trail – a challenging 11-mile trail  that hugs the coastline. Seasoned backpackers tend to enjoy the entirety of this strenuous trail. Since I don’t fall into that category, I choose to hike the first two miles into the trail down to Hanakapiai Beach – a four to five hour hike that’ll have you earning your supper.

Along the way, the trail gives you an appreciation for all the nooks of the cliffs as well as all the trees, shrubs, ferns and flowers that make them so green.

To better understand this hike and the types of views you’ll see, check out our video. (Email subscribers: click here to watch our Na Pali hiking video.)

By Air

A helicopter tour of the Na Pali Coast is a must for your Kauai vacation, if your budget allows. The bird’s eye view from a helicopter provides views that will make you say wow. Each time your round a cliff, you’ll say wow again, as you see waterfalls carved between unexpected cliff formations.

Most of the helicopter tours start at Lihue and fly over Waimea Canyon to the southern end of the Na Pali Coast. The tours follow the Na Pali coast up to the North Shore. It’s a thrilling experience to slowly hover past 3000-foot tall cliffs jutting from the ocean.

I encourage you to review my Hawaii helicopter tour tips to help you make a good tour choice. I also recommend that you book your tour in advance online for savings.

If you’re wondering what a helicopter tour of the Na Pali coast might feel like, just check out this video for a glimpse.

By Sea

Touring the Na Pali Coast by a catamaran, raft or kayak gives you the opportunity to soak in the views at a much slower pace. From the sea, you get an appreciation for cliffs’ magnitude.

We’ve toured the Na Pali coast with Captain Andy’s Na Pali Snorkel Adventure which was excellent despite the fact that the conditions didn’t allow us to snorkel. We’ve also taken a sunset Na Pali tour with Blue Dolphin. Both were excellent experiences.

Most boat tours of the Na Pali Coast leave from Port Allen on the South Shore. That means that you must sail for approximately 45 minutes before you start seeing the Na Pali Coast. It’s still a pleasant trip and view, but I just wanted to make you aware that if you see a tour advertised as a four-hour tour, not all of those four hours are providing views of the Na Pali Coast.

One day, I hope to tour the Na Pali at an even slower place with a kayak tour of the Na Pali. These tours set out from the North Shore. They’re only offered during summer months when the surf is relatively smooth.

Here’s a video we shot from our Captain Andy’s tour. As you can see, we didn’t have good luck with the weather that day, but the Na Pali Coast still impressed us through the mist and clouds.

Final Thought

From the Na Pali Coast tour options we’ve reviewed, you can see that each one offers a different perspective. If you have the time, energy and budget, I encourage you to try all of three ways. 

Have you toured the Na Pali Coast? What was your experience? Which methods have you tried?

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Prince Kuhio statue at Waikiki Beach

Prince Kuhio was the last reigning prince in Hawaii who became a politician representing Hawaii in Washington, D.C, decades before Hawaii became a state. In fact, he is credited for introducing the first statehood bill to U.S. Congress in 1919.

When you visit Hawaii, you’ll see buildings, parks and streets named after Prince Kuhio. If you’d like to learn more about this celebrated prince, you can do so as follows:

- Visit the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Oahu. This museum is an amazing place to visit to learn about Hawaiian history and culture.

- Visit his birthplace in the Poipu Beach area off Lawai Road in the Koloa, Kauai. The photo below shows the birthplace.

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As you’re making your Kauai vacation plans, make sure you get up to the North Shore to see Hanalei Bay. This bay is not only one of the most beautiful points  in Kauai, but also in Hawaii as a whole.

View Larger Map

Here, I love the rugged green cliffs framing in the many shades of ocean blue and white sand beaches surrounding the bay. Sure, Kauai has loads of beautiful beaches, but Hanalei offers a bit more for your eye to enjoy.

The mountains look like sculptures guarding Hanalei Bay and Valley.

As a former engineer, I often struggle to write well enough to adequately describe Hawaii’s most scenic places. (We engineers are notorious for being bad writers. ) So, I’ll let some of our photos do the rest of the talking for me.

Hanalei Pier

Panoramic view from Princeville of Hanalei Bay

Hanalei Beach is popular with both locals and visitors. Here's a "busy" Sunday afternoon view of the beach at Hanalei.

Have you been to Kauai’s Hanalei Bay?

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When you visit Hawaii, try to check out a lava tube, if you can. These cave-like structures are a amazing formations whether active or inactive for centuries.

What are lava tubes? They might be best described as pipes for underground lava rivers. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has produced a nice little video with an explanation of lava tubes. (Email subscribers, please click here for the video.)

Where can you find lava tubes on your Hawaii vacation? Here’s some top spots across the islands:

BIG ISLAND

- Thurston Lava Tube (the Hawaiian name is Nahuku) in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is one of the finest to explore as you can walk through a large section of the tube.

- When lava is actively flowing to the ocean a lava tube. Most likely, you will not be able to see the tube up close as the conditions are unstable and dangerous. You will, however, be able to see the effect of the lava reaching the ocean in the form of a plume of smoke and a red glow. For example, we were able to see both effects when we observed this lava flow to the ocean from a safe distance. back in 2008 (Email subscribers: click here to watch the video.)

MAUI

- There’s a fantastic lava tube at Wainapanapa State Park that’s off the Road to Hana. The photo below shows a view from the interior of this short tube. To see this tube go to the black sand beach at Wainapanapa. Once you are on the beach and facing the ocean, you’ll see an opening on the right side of the beach.

- Also off the Road to Hana is Kaeleku Caverns.

KAUAI

The most impressive blowhole in all of Hawaii is Kauai’s Spouting Horn in Poipu. Ocean water enters the ancient lava flow tube until enough pressure builds to forcefully spew out the water. This next video shows Spouting Horn in action.

- There are several sea caves and lava tubes along the Na Pali coastline. If you’re very fit and adventurous, see them by a kayak tour. For the less fit, a catamaran or inflatable speed boat tour will give you great views of the coast, plus a possible glimpse of a lava tube. (I’ve toured with Captain Andy’s and Blue Dolphin). With a catamaran tour, you may want to mention to the crew that you’d like to see an old lava tube so they can point one out to you.

OAHU

- The only lava tube example that I know of is the Halona Blowhole which is off HWY 72 just past the Hanauma Bay entrance as you’re heading away from Waikiki and towards Kailua.

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Have you seen any of these lava tubes or others on your Hawaii vacation? What did you think of them?

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I had begrudgingly gotten up at 2am in order to make the two-ish hour, winding journey up to the top of Haleakala before sunrise. (My traveling partners and I had erred on the safe side so we wouldn’t miss the sunrise.) When I reached the summit, I saw the sky loaded with stars – layers upon layers of stars from horizon to horizon. Any sleepiness I had from the abrupt 2am wake-up call was immediately exchanged with wide-awake-amazement.

Keck-2 telescope on Mauna Kea. Photo credit to Paul Hirst.

As you are making plans for your own Hawaii vacation, I’d encourage you to check out the night sky. On moonless nights, you’ll see the most stars and planets. If your vacation happens to fall when the moon is shining, you won’t see as many stars, but the view of the moon is quite nice, too.

Since my Haleakala star encounter, I’ve learned that Hawaii is a hotbed for astronomy, because of the low light pollution and access to tall summits like Mauna Kea on the Big Island and Haleakala on Maui. Another very intriguing draw to Hawaii for astronomy is Hawaii’s latitude. At 21 degrees North Latitude, you can see both the Northern Hemisphere and most of the Southern Hemisphere. Hawaii the only state in the US where you can see both the North Star and the Southern Cross. Of all the stars that are visible from the planet Earth, from Hawaii, you can see over 80% of them!

For your planning, here’s a list of articles and resources that will help you plan in some Hawaii stargazing:

*  Astronomy calendar of celestial events. This calendar lists all the events, including moon phases. It can be useful for your Hawaii vacation planning, as well as what you might see from your home town.

*  I was able to interview the Maui Astronomy Club President, Becky Sydney. I’d encourage you to take a look at that Stargazing Q&A with a Hawaii Astronomy Expert.

*  On the Big Island, you can find tours that take you to the summit of Mauna Kea for sunrise and then to a lower elevation for good visibility and warmer stargazing with a telescope. See my article: Advice for Mauna Kea Sunset and Stargazing Tours.

*  In Hilo on the Big Island, there’s the Imiloa Astronomy Center. (I haven’t been there yet, but I definitely have it on my Hawaii vacation to-do list.)

*  On Oahu, the Bishop Museum has a great planetarium. Their website is useful too, for finding night sky events in Hawaii.

*  There’s loads of information for the astronomy-inclined at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy.

*  If you’d like to see the stars from Haleakala, like I described, see my article with Haleakala sunrise tips, making sure you get there early on a moonless night.

*  Some hotels offer stargazing programs from their rooftops. For example, you can find a stargazing experience at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort in Kaanapali. I believe there is still one at the Sheraton Maui, as well. (UPDATE: I checked with Sheraton Maui and they are not currently offering the stargazing program.) Ask the concierge at your hotel for stargazing tours and/or advice.

*  Over the years, I’ve come across a few websites of catamaran tour companies that offer stargazing from the ocean for special night sky events. If that sounds of interest, I suggest you google for those kinds of tours.

If all else fails and you want to see the stars, finding a dark spot from a beach or in the upcountry, is easy to do. Just try to get outside the main towns are resort areas for best viewing.

Have you had an eye-opening stargazing experience in Hawaii? Please share in the comments.

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On our most recent trip to Kauai, we kayaked up the Wailua River and then hiked to Sacred (Secret) Falls for a swim and lunch. While we were there, Andy captured this video of the waterfall as he was swimming at the base. Hopefully, it will give you a glimpse into the experience of swimming at a Hawaiian waterfall.

(Email subscribers, please click here to access this waterfall video.)

Have you experienced swimming at the base of a waterfall in Hawaii? How would you describe your experience?

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Mahalo to Kamila Ceslar of London, England for sharing her Kauai vacation photo of Kilauea Point. It’s a beauty, isn’t it?

When you visit Kauai, I hope you’ll make plans to see this lighthouse and wildlife refuge for yourself. Beyond this beautiful view, when you visit, you might also see sea birds, dolphins and maybe even a humpback whale during the season (peak months are January – March).

There’s a free lookout point to enjoy this view, but if you want a closer look at the lighthouse, you must pay a nominal fee. To see Kilauea Point on a map, click here.

For other posts about Kilauea Point see:

• Outstanding Kauai Views at Kilauea Point (with a video)
• From our 50 facts about Hawaii series – Kauai’s Historic Kilauea Point

Have you been to Kilauea Point? Would you agree that it’s definitely one of the best free things to see and do on Kauai?

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At first you might think that this tour is daunting. I want you to know that you don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to enjoy this adventure. On our tour there were kids of all shapes and sizes with ages ranging from about 8 to somewhere in their 60’s. There was one family spanning three generations in our tour group. The kayaking is pretty gentle and the hiking doesn’t require extreme elevation changes that get you huffing and puffing.

At the south fork of the Wailua River, where the kayaking adventure begins

After the logistics of checking in, the adventure launches at the south side of the Wailua River. What a beauty this river is! The river edge is surrounded by all sorts of thriving greenery from the river’s edge up to the surrounding mountain tops. I was particularly enamored with the twisted thickets of Hau trees lining the river.

A view from the kayak on the Wailua River

After the two-ish mile (or approximately 45 minutes) kayak up the river, you put out the kayak to begin the hike into the depths of a Kauai forest. The hiking portion is approximately one-mile long and as I mentioned, it’s not particularly strenuous. Along the way, we enjoyed the seeing the native trees and hearing the sounds of the waterfall and river.

Just one of the many pleasant views from the hike to Secret/Sacred Falls.

Your hiking is rewarded by arriving at a natural pool feed by a 100-foot, bridal-veil waterfall. The waterfall’s Hawaiian name is Uluwehi, but it commonly called Sacred or Secret Falls. Here, you can choose to take a swim in the refreshing waterfall-fed pool or you can park yourself on a boulder to be mesmerized by the waterfall. We opted for a little of both. Our tour included an excellent picnic lunch at the waterfall with wraps, chips, cookies and freshly sliced pineapple.

Uluwehi Falls is also known as Secret and Sacred Falls

After the dip and rest stop at the falls, you hike back to the kayaks and paddle back down the Wailua.

What to Know When You Go

• Based on our excellent experience, I can recommend Kayak Kauai’s tour. The cost is $85 for adults and $60 for kids 12 and under. I felt like the quality of the stable kayaks, tour guide, and lunch were at a high standard in comparison to what I saw from other companies. By the way, the folks at Kayak Kauai “invented” this tour in 1988 per their website. Their guided tours are 5 hours long.
• Wear sunscreen and a hat or visor.
• Bring a swimsuit and towel if you plan to swim at the waterfall.
• Kayak Kauai provided a dry bag to store our towel and camera.
• Bring a camera that’s waterproof.
• Wear shoes or sandals that are designed for hiking in wet areas. For example, I wore these shoes and they were perfect. I never had to take them off, even when I went swimming.
• Do be careful with your footing over roots and rocks on the trail and the slippery boulders in the pool.
• I asked our guide if he thought there was a better time of day to go on this tour depending on the season. He seemed to think that in the winter, the afternoon tour tends to be better and dryer. In summer months, he said the morning tour might be the best choice as it’s slightly cooler.
• Here’s a link to a video from a Bay Area show with scenes from this tour.
• I’m “borrowing” the map shown below that indicates all the key points of this tour.

Have you been to Kauai’s Sacred/Secret Falls? How was your adventure?

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Isn’t it an amazing capture?

Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret. It’s not real. Here’s the pictorial explanation of how Andy perfectly captured the shot.

In the above photo, Captain Trent holds a toy humpback whale to stage the perfect shot for a fellow passenger on the Na Pali Snorkel Sail with Capt Andy’s. As I mentioned in that review, we had a blast on this Na Pali sail. I suppose you can see why, with this photo showing the captain’s witty antics.

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Hiking Kauai’s Kalalau Trail is a challenging, yet very rewarding experience – even when you’re only hiking the first two miles of this 11-mile long cliff-side trail.

On our recent visit to Kauai, we decided to hike the first two miles in of this trail for a second time. Andy captured video clips along the way to create a video that provides a great overview of Kalalau Trail and what you can expect to encounter.

(Email subscribers: click here to view the Kalalau Trail video.)

Have you hiked  Kauai’s Kalalau Trail? How would you describe it?

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Na Pali Coast by helicopter

Mr. Kieth Robinson surveys his Kauai wildlife refuge

On our recent visit to Kauai, we booked the Kauai Refuge Eco-Tour with Safari Helicopters. In addition to an outstanding scenic flight, this tour also included a remote landing on a wildlife refuge owned by Keith Robinson of the famed Robinson Ranch family.

Note that this private landing with Safari Helicopters is the only legally authorized scenic tour landing on the island of Kauai.

Mr. Robinson comes out to greet the helicopter tour visitors subject to his availability. We were honored that Mr. Robinson did come out to meet our tour group. What a fascinating fellow he is! From a tour around his preserve, I quickly gathered that this self-taught botanist has a passion for land conservation and preserving native Hawaiian plants. At this wildlife refuge, he has established a garden of rare Hawaiian plants that are dangerously on the verge of being extinct. Mr. Robinson goes to great extents to preserve these plants as he  even hand carries water to them.

Movie buffs and Jurassic Park fans might be interested in knowing that the site of the remote landing was one of the Jurassic Park filming locations. Mr. Robinson mentioned that producers from Pirates of the Caribbean had been inquiring about filming here, too. I wonder if any scenes have been shot there since our visit.

A view of Olokele Canyon from the secluded helicopter landing site.

After the remote landing (40-60 minutes), we boarded back in the helicopter to continue the scenic flight. The afternoon light on the Na Pali Coast was fantastic. Though I’m sharing photos from the visit, I have to say that the photos do not do justice to the actual scenery.

Our barefoot pilot, Gardner, provided excellent commentary and history as we flew over Kauai. His knowledge and calming voice enhanced our tour.

Here’s an amateur video summary of our tour. We were just using a hand camera, so the scenes will appear shaky at times.

(Email subscribers, please click here to view the video.)

What to know when you go:

• When choosing a scenic tour, safety should be one of your top considerations. Safari Helicopters has a very impressive safety record with no air tour accidents in 20 years. I certainly felt safe in their hands.
• Safari Helicopters offers significant savings (up to $70 per person) on Kauai tours by booking online. See this link for more information.
• You will have to be weighed when you check in their Kauai office. Don’t take offense, your weight will not be shared publicly. Your weight is needed so that the helicopter can be balanced for safety.
• You can purchase a DVD of your exact flight. In hindsight, I wish I had purchased a copy as the commentary was so good, I’d love to hear it all over again.
• You can’t take any bags with you on the flight, but cameras are fine. A locker is provided at the office.
• Please review my 6 tips for choosing a Hawaii helicopter tour.
• See all the photos we snapped from our tour here.

Have you taken a Kauai helicopter tour? How was your experience?

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This luminous green field of taro is quite a beautiful sight that you’ll find at the Hanalei Overlook on the North Shore of Kauai. Please don’t miss this view on your Kauai vacation.

Taro is a very important plant in Polynesian and Hawaiian history and culture. The root of the plant produces a starchy, purple vegetable that’s similar to a potato. In Hawaii, you’ll find tasty taro chips and bread. Of course, you’ll also find taro in Hawaii’s famous sauce, poi.

Please enjoy this green slide show of the Hanalei taro fields.

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This Allerton Home is Snuggled By Tropical Plants

Allerton Gardens are managed by the National Tropical Botanical Garden. From their website, they describe the heritage of Allerton as “a garden paradise, transformed through time by the hands of a Hawaiian Queen [Queen Emma], by a sugar plantation magnate, and most significantly by an artist and an architect.” Robert Allerton was the artist and his adopted son, John Gregg Allerton, was the architect. Together, their combined talents designed a unique garden concept of outdoor rooms.

An example of One of the outdoor rooms designed by the Allertons. Most rooms included a water feature.

A guided-tour ($45 per person) leads visitors through garden rooms while explaining the room design, significance to the Allertons, and the types of plants and trees that were chosen. The guided tour includes a 10 to 15-minute tram ride to and from the visitors center to the Lawai Valley and Allerton Garden. The views along the way are truly fantastic and almost worth the visit alone.

Lovely Lawa'i Bay

In addition to the excellent Lawai Valley views and exploring the garden rooms nestled by the peaceful Lawai Stream, we also enjoyed seeing Queen Emma’s colorful wall of bougainvillea planted by Queen Emma herself.. She retreated to Lawai to morn the loss of her husband and her son.

Bright bougainvillea planted by Queen Emma

What to know before you go:

• Guided-tours (2.5 hours duration) are offered daily at four set times (9am, 10am, 1pm, 2pm.) .See this link for more information making reservations to tour Allerton Gardens. I might suggest that you take the 9am tour before the sun warms up the valley too much.
• Beyond the set tour times, there’s a special sunset tour offered on Thursdays and Saturdays. It’s a little pricier at $60 per person  but it includes pupus (hors d’ouevres) tours of the Allerton’s home.
• Wear sunscreen, hat, mosquito repellent and comfortable walking shoes. I wore long hiking trousers and I was glad I did as they protected my legs from mosquito bites.
• Bring water.
• We had a little trouble finding the entrance to the National Botanical Garden Southshore Visitors Center. But, if you know this, it will be easy for you – the entrance is directly across from the Spouting Horn parking lot.
• Don’t miss meandering around the Hawaiian Garden at the Visitor’s Center. It’s free and well worth the visit. It’s open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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Garden Spa Treatment Hale

Anara Spa’s setting is amazingly blissful. Stone paths lead you past tropical gardens filled with blooming ginger, palms, ferns, and plumeria. Your mind is put at ease by the sounds of waterfalls cascading over lava rock walls and tropical birds. You’ll enjoy sipping fruit-infused, chilled water while waiting reclining in an open-air, thatched roof hale (bungalow) before your spa treatment. It’s fantastic!

A dreamy and sighful “aahhh” comes to mind when I recall my recent experience at Anara Spa. I loved it! If you are looking for a special spa experience on your Kauai vacation, I highly recommend you check out Anara Spa.

Anara Spa offers a wide range of spa treatments from massages and body treatments to facials. Treatments are offered either in “indoor-outdoor” rooms with a little bit of an open-air element or in the garden spa area with thatched roof hales. I opted for the 50-minute Hawaiian Lomi Lomi Massage in an outdoor private hale ($160). The massage was excellent.

Before your spa treatment, you can take advantage of the spa’s unique amenities spread across this 45,000 square foot spa. The spa offers a lap pool, whirlpools, outdoor lava rock wall showers (see my iphone photo) , soaking tubs, sauna, and steam room. They even have a 12-head shower that’s fun to try. It’s like being in a car wash. After my visit to Anara, I told my husband, Andy, that I’ve probably never been cleaner in my life with all the different showers I tried.

I loved soaking in the sounds and garden scenery at this Relaxation Hale

Some spas have snooty staff, but you won’t find that at Anara Spa. Anara’s staff is very helpful and welcoming. I was warmly greeting when I arrived and led to the women’s locker area, where I was given an orientation to the spa and facilities.

What to know when you go –

• Review Anara Spa’s website which describes their spa services and prices.
• Anara Spa is located at the beautiful Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort in Poipu (Koloa) at 1571 Poipu Road. If you are not a guest of the hotel, you can self park in a large parking lot on the left near the entrance of the resort. Valet service is also available.
• Aim to arrive at least 30 minutes before your appointment to take advantage of the steam room, sauna, whirlpool, lap pool, showers, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed the Relaxation Hale, so make sure you leave time for that.
• Bring a swimsuit if you’d like to take advantage of the lap pool, whirlpools, etc.
• Want a deal at Anara Spa? Who doesn’t! Check the Grand Hyatt Kauai twitter stream or their facebook page for the latest spa deals.

Have you been to Anara Spa? How was your experience?

Photo Credit: Anara Spa at Grand Hyatt Kauai

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