STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

dc · Dooney & Bourke

Kauai tips... kealoha? anyone?

hotcocoa · Kate Spade

i am SO jealous of your trip to kauai. it is my favorite hawaiian island. it's been about 6 years since i've been there so i don't think i can give you any up to date restaurant suggestions... although one in particular stands out in my head... roy's in poi'pu. excellent!

i think i would rent a car at least for a day or so. it's a smallish, low-key island without much nightlife but tons in the way of natural beauty. the most memorable (athough kinda pricey) thing that we did was take a helicopter tour of the island. kayaking the shore is also a great way to see the amazing coastline. we did a kayak/hike combination trip and that was fun. make your way to one of the outfitters shops near where you are staying. i think the locals that work there are the best at educating you on the hiking, kayaking, siteseeing options.

ohmyGOD, have fun!

kealoha · Kate Spade

dc, I think you really should get a rental in order to do things you want. It'll be worth every penny despite the ridiculous prices of gas here in the state.

I was last on Kauai on business last year for an overnight trip. I met up w/a friend & he took me to dinner in Poipu. Off-hand I can't recall the name, but I think it was http://www.keokisparadise.com/. Definitely a casual vibe, but better than cafe food. Other than the resorts, upscale dining is @ a minimum. I don't know if Pacific Cafe is still in business (he shut down his Honolulu restaurant), but if so, you should check it out. http://www.apacificcafe.com/ http://www.explorekauai.com/pacificcafe.html http://www.frommers.com/destinations/kauai/D39535.html

As far as hiking goes, you NEED to hit up Kalalau valley. I haven't done it, but according to all of my friends, it's breath-taking & very moving. http://www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dsp/NaPali/na_pali.htm

Check out http://www.kauai-hawaii.com/ & click on the calendar of events to see if anything cool's happening while you're there.

I'll do a little bit of research & call my friend who lives there. Whatever I find, I'll PM you w/the info.

luckylily · Gucci

Kuaui is so amazing. You should definitely rent a car. Although, the Island is small, car is really the only way to get around. Also, despite the size of the island, it can take a while to get around because most of the roads are pretty curvy.

Kayaking is definitely a great thing to do, both on the coast and inland. There is also a million great hikes. All my good links are on my computer at work, I'll post them when I get back in.

LA Gal · Kenneth Cole

dc, you are a very lucky girl...kauai is an amazing place. i was there in august for 1 week for vacation and i fell in love with the island, it was so hard to leave after a week.

definitely rent a car - it's practically impossible to get around without one, and even though it's not a big place, things are pretty spread out and often there is only 1 road that will get you there.

i'm not exactly sure where the marriott is, although i think it's closer to the south side of the island. is that correct? we actually stayed on the north side of the island, so most of my recommendations won't be very helpful to you. but there are tons of restaurants on the south side of the island in poipu, near the hyatt, that are great. the only one we ate at there was roy's, amazing seafood. we also took a surf lesson on the beach near the sheraton (also on poipu) - it was a perfect beach for surfing lessons (small-ish waves and fairly calm).

if you can drive up to the north side of the island, definitely visit the town of hanalei. it's just past the princeville and it's only a couple of blocks of a main street but very cute, some adorable shops and a few great restaurants. we had the best meal of the week at postcards in hanalei.

as for hiking, definitely visit the kalalau trail. it's the only way to see the napali coast other than by helicopter and it's an amazing hike. breathtaking scenery and a challenging but fun hike. it's 2 miles each way, and you start and end at 2 beautiful beaches. it's also on the north side of the island, take the main road literally until it ends.

a few different people recommended this book to me, and it was VERY helpful:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0971727910/002-8098657-1302402?v=glance&n=283155&s=books&v=glance

It's written by 2 locals who make a point to write totally unbiased reviews about everything on the island. actually, if you want, pm me your address and i can send you my copy.

have fun!

dc · Dooney & Bourke

Wow - thank you all so much!!! I am really feeling inspired for my trip and plan to print all of this out. Yay!