Trip report 2/11-2/15

Day 1

Well, I%26#39;m still a little fuzzy-brained, but I will do my best to re-live -- uh, I mean recap my time in kauai.

After four nights in Oahu (Hilton Hawaiian Village, ProBowl - fun time!) we were off to Kauai. Flight short and sweet. Arrived and got to Alamo to rent our convertible. No hassle, no wait. However, as I read online, they will try to get you to pay for the second driver even if your contract says no charge, so make sure you have your paperwork with you. Once they saw it, it was no problem. Out we went on a beautiful sunshiny day in our Mustang convertible. Whee! (note - all the convertibles we saw were kind of a little banged up looking, nothing serious, just not perfect looking - no biggie).

We drove the 10 or so minutes to the Islander on the Beach, checked in to our unit in the Ni%26#39;ihau ? building right on the water. Very, very lovely view of the water. Nice private balcony. Nice enough place if you%26#39;re not too picky about the little things (like pidgeon poop on your balcony, dusty air-conditioner vents, an occasional bug).

We rented through a private owner and were very happy with our $129 a night rate for this prime spot in a great location. This unit is on the top (3rd) floor, so the view is fab, but there are no elevators. So if carrying luggage up three flights is a problem for you, you would do very well with a ground floor unit. Some of the other buildings on the property don%26#39;t have the direct ocean view, but the grounds are beautiful and very well kept, so I think just about any view from any building would be a good one.

I had read that these units are very tiny, so I was pleasantly surprised to find it to be more than adequate for the two of us. Just don%26#39;t be expecting a condo with a kitchen. It%26#39;s really like a hotel room, but definitely not cramped at all. There is a microwave, sink, and little fridge (no freezer section though).

There was also a nice CD player, so I%26#39;m glad we brought along some Iz to listen to. We also bought more CD%26#39;s at the stand in the marketplace. The pool/bar/hot tub area is very relaxing. All in all, we were very pleased with our stay at the Islander. (one bad note though. We did one load of wash, and the clothes came out with black marks all over them. Luckily, it was mostly just underwear! Beware of the dryers there!)

Walked around the Coconut Marketplace a little, then off to Foodland for supplies (get the card - it%26#39;s quick and will save you a few bucks). Back to the Islander to chill at the pool for a while. Then it%26#39;s a shower and a nap before dinner - only we don%26#39;t wake up till the sun comes up the next day!!

Day 2 next...

Trip report 2/11-2/15

Thanks Suzy, very interested in any other comments about the Islander nearby restaurants etc. as we will be staying there in June

Trip report 2/11-2/15

Thanks for the report! Do you have a link to the private owner%26#39;s site?

Eastco:

As far as restaurants in the immediate area, I can recommend two places. Eggberts for breakfast (in the Coconut Marketplace) and the Hukilau Lanai for a nice dinner (at the Kauai Coast Resort next door).