Post #806293 by bamalamalu on Sat, Nov 5, 2022 5:36 PM

Hi, SouthSeas! Sorry for the delay in responding - I saw this thread a little while back but have been so busy I forgot to come back to post.

For the Kauai portion of your trip, this thread has some trip reports from me and other folks - I did update it after my November 2021 visit, so scroll down toward the bottom for more updated info (sadly, some good places have closed since my earlier posts):

https://tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic_id=44613&post_id=802454&start=0#post-802454

I will have more updates after February 2023.

4 nights is quick, but generally for Kauai I'd say the top things to do are a Na Pali Cruise, see the North Shore/Hanalei, and Waimea Canyon. It's a great island for a helicopter tour, if you're up for that, as much of the island can't be viewed any other way.

Since you mentioned your mom wants to see a botanical garden, I recommend Limahuli Gardens. It's a rare chance to get up into the valley a bit and has great views of Makana ("Bali Hai" mountain.) Do use the mosquito repellant if they tend to like you. Kauai also has 2 other National Tropical Botanical Gardens, Allerton & McBryde - all three are detailed on this site: https://ntbg.org/gardens/limahuli/

There's also Na Aina Kai (https://naainakai.org/) , which I haven't been to. The Wai Koa Loop trail goes to a surprisingly nice area with a big stone dam.

Personally, I love walking around Smith's Tropical Paradise (https://www.smithskauai.com/) It's not as fancy a garden, but I love the setting. They also do a luau here; I haven't been to the luau in ages, but enjoyed it many years ago. Now we usually just go during the day to walk around and feed the birds. Another Kauai luau that I've heard recommended a lot is the Luau Kalamaku at Kilohana Plantation. Although, for luaus, the Old Lahaina Luau on Maui tends to the most highly recommended overall, so you may want to do that activity there (again, I haven't done it in close to 30 years, but it was impressive.)

If you're interested in the old Coco Palms hotel, you can still arrange a tour with Bob Jasper - the grounds are sadly in ruins, but Bob is full of stories and I'll always go to the tour again. https://www.facebook.com/groups/98320760038/

As of our last trip, Mamahune's was still our best "Tiki" experience - hopefully you'll be there when Tom is working, it makes a big difference. Tahiti Nui is a must see and the food is decent - and go ahead and have a "mai tai" even though it's not a Vic or Donn version. Tiki Iniki is there, so you may as well stop, but ask them in advance not to top off your drink with soda or just stick with rum, neat. The Mahiko Lounge at Kilohana Plantation does a decent Mai Tai using Koloa rum (who also have a tasting room on site) and fresh pressed sugar cane juice. There's a "rum safari" here too, it's OK - you get to see more of the plantation and try rum drinks, with a side of cheesy jokes. Oh - an unexpected place where we found decent drinks is The Cabana at the Poipu Beach Club - it's not far from KĀNEIOLOUMA (https://www.kaneiolouma.org/about) hopefully the Ki'i will be back in place by the time you arrive.

Oh - and if you can swing it, contact Bill Collins and arrange to pick up a custom Tiki from him! Not sure if he checks in over here anymore, but he's on facebook.

Let me know if you have any specific questions; we go as often as possible, so happy to help. I'll try to remember to come back and post anything else I think of.