5/30/2008 at 1:00 PM
Tags: Honky-Tonk-Surf-Towns, Surfing, Active Travel, Summer Travel, Beaches, Kauai Travel (all tags)
Hanalei Bay is a two-mile crescent shaped epitome of a surf town on the north shore of Kauai. It features a low-key attitude, great surf during the winter months and that all-important picturesque setting. There are even lifeguards to keep you safe after even the most gnarly wipeout. (Maybe that's why our readers love it so much?)
If you work up an appetite from all the surfing and sun, check out the nearby taro plantations. The starchy Hawaiian vegetable is a staple for islanders, though cooked up as poi, it doesn't always impress visitors.
The Hanalei Wake-Up Cafe has more mainland fare. The walls are covered with pictures of great and not so great surfers, and plastic chairs and an outdoor balcony make this place an ideal hole-in-the-wall breakfast spot. We recommend the Over the Falls French Toast, but get there early as the place closes by 11:30 am.
Finally, check out the Princeville Resort if you need somewhere to stay. Even when surrounded by stunning ocean views, who doesn't love an infinity pool?
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by kjb
9/11/2007 at 12:45 PM
Tags: Hawaii Travel, Waterfalls, Kauai Travel (all tags)
Adventure travelers already know that Kauai is Hawaii's best bet for waterfalls, and that it's blessed with copious rainfall (making Mount Waialeale one of the wettest places on Earth). But most of those waterfalls are on private property. And while waterfalls may be pretty to look at, they aren't necessarily as safe as plunge pools.
With guidebooks printing detailed maps for bushwhacking through private property to get to these waterfalls, Kauai's cataracts have gotten crowded and, according to the rescue workers in Kauai County, dangerous. The worst offender is probably Puhi Falls, a mild-looking waterfall just 20 feet high--that still manages to send one jumper a day to the local hospital.
The guidebooks have likely resulted in two off-the-beaten-path deaths already, albeit not at Puhi, after falling off a trail to some hidden cascades. County officials are incensed, as are private landowners, but that's not yet stopping the popularity of Kauai's plentiful falls.
Alex Salkever is the editor/founder of Hawaii travel blog Hawaiirama.com
Related Stories:
· Two Hikers Die on Kauai [Hawaiirama]
· Danger Lurking in Beauty [Star Bulletin]
[Photo: eNil]
by ASalkever
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