Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Between the two interisland carriers,
Aloha Airlines
(
&
800/367-5250,
808/
245-3691, or 808/484-1111; www.alohaair.com) and
Hawaiian Airlines
(
&
800/367-5320,
808/245-1813, or 808/838-1555; www.hawaiianair.com),
there is a flight at least every hour to Lihue.
All of the major car rental companies have branches at Lihue Airport; see
“Getting Around,” below, for details on renting in Hawaii. If you're not renting
a car (although you should be), call
Kauai Taxi Company
(
&
808/246-9554
)
for airport pickup.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Kauai Visitors Bureau
is located on the first floor of the Watumull Plaza,
4334 Rice St., Suite 101, Lihue, HI 96766 (
&
808/245-3971;
www.kauai
visitorsbureau.org). For a free official
Kauai Vacation Planner
or recorded infor-
mation, call
&
800/262-1400.
The
Poipu Beach Resort Association,
P.O. Box
730, Koloa, HI 96756 (
&
888/744-0888
or 808/742-7444; http://poipu-beach.
org), will send you a free guide to accommodations, activities, shopping, and
dining in the Poipu Beach area.
KAUAI IN BRIEF
Lihue & Environs
Lihue is where most visitors first set
foot on the island. This red-dirt
farm town, the county seat, is a
plain and simple place, with used-
car lots and mom-and-pop shops.
It's also the source of bargains: inex-
pensive lodging, great deals on din-
ing, and some terrific shopping
buys. And there's a beach kids will
love:
Kalapaki Beach
. Next
door is
Nawiliwili,
the island's
main harbor.
The Poipu Resort Area
POIPU BEACH
On Kauai's
sun-soaked south shore, this is a
pleasant if sleepy resort destination
of low-rise hotels set on gold-sand
pocket beaches. It's a great place for
watersports, and a good base from
which to tour the rest of Kauai. The
only drawback is that the North
Shore is about 1 to 1
1
⁄
2
hours away.
Western Kauai
You must take your kids to one of
Hawaii's most spectacular natural
wonders,
Waimea Canyon
(the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific”);
and farther upland and inland,
one of its best parks,
Kokee State
Park
HANAPEPE
For a quick trip back
in time, turn off Highway 50 at
Hanapepe, once one of Kauai's
biggest towns. Founded by Chinese
rice farmers, this picturesque town
has unusual shops and bargain
restaurants. Nearby is
Salt Pond
Beach Park
, where the kids can
watch Hawaiians dry a reddish sea
salt in shallow, red-clay pans.
WAIMEA
This little coastal town,
the original capital of Kauai, seems
to have quit the march of time. This
was the spot where, in 1778, British
explorer Capt. James Cook dropped
anchor and discovered a sleepy vil-
lage of grass shacks.
The Coconut Coast
The eastern shore of Kauai north of
Lihue is a jumble of commerce and
condos strung along the coast road
named for Prince Kuhio, with sev-
eral small beaches beyond. Almost
anything you need, and a lot of
stuff you can live without, can be
found along this coast, which is
known for its hundreds of coconut
trees waving in the breeze. It's pop-
ular with budget travelers because
of the affordable hotels and condos
to choose from, and it offers great
.
