Aloha from beautiful Anini Beach!

Aloha, everyone! I%26#39;m finally getting a few moments to post a bit about our trip so far. Suffice it to say - y%26#39;all were right, this place is GORGEOUS! : )

We are staying in the Honeymoon Cottage (vrbo #29257) at Anini Vista, with a beautiful view of Kalihiwai Bay. The cottage is lovely and very clean - no bugs, yeah! (Plenty of skitters outside, though.) It%26#39;s one large room with a small kitchenette off to one side and a half bath. That%26#39;s right, a HALF bath. The shower is outside off the bath, in a secluded spot but it did take a bit of getting used to at first. lol! Not a big deal but I do think the owner should have disclosed this fact in advance. So if anyone is considering this cottage, you%26#39;ve been warned!

Some places we%26#39;ve eaten so far and enjoyed were Bubba Burger in Hanalei (love, love, love Hanalei!), Kilauea Bakery and Pau Hana Pizza, and Hula Girl in the Coconut Marketplace. HuIa Girl was excellent! I had the sea scallops in garlic/butter sauce with the macadamia nut rice pilaf - drool, drool, drool! It was so good! Hubby Mark had linguine marinara with Italian sausage. He says, ';that%26#39;s what I had the first time I went, and I%26#39;m going to have it the next time we go and again, and again . . . '; : ) He is completely void of Italian blood but the man could eat Italian food every day.

We ate at the Dolphin last evening and neither of us were overly impressed. The host who sat us couldn%26#39;t find his smile but our waitress was very nice and my pina colada was yummy. The fish was a bit over done (mine) and under done (hubby%26#39;s). I had the grilled Opah, Mark had teriyaki Ahi. Mark says his pasta was ok but my rice was so dry and sticky I had to use the melted butter for the fish to soften it up and make it palatable. I kept wishing it was the rice at the Hula Girl. I doubt we%26#39;d go back for a second try. Ah well, we will try the Bali Hai either tonight or tomorrow.

Activity wise, we spent Sunday exploring the beach nearby and swimming in the ocean. We hadn%26#39;t done that in forever and had a good time. We did the Blue Hawaiian heli tour on Monday and were blown away. It was beyond spectacular. I got the honor of sitting between our pilot, Chad, and hubby. I feel I had the best seat in the house. ; ) The ride was very comfy although the safety gear can be a little cumbersome. Then again, once you%26#39;re up in the air and gliding up and over those incredible ridges and canyons, all thoughts of cumbersome safety gear disappear. No one got sick although Mark said he felt a bit queasy toward the end, and one of the gals in the back definitely looked pale when we landed. Any longer and who knows. Me, I was fine and am ready for Jack Harter and doors off. lol!

Afterward, we drove up to Waimea canyon and I have to say, it was a bit anti-climatic after seeing it from the air. Still, we were glad we made the drive up and hope we can come back another time to do some hiking. We also stopped at Salt Pond Beach - very pretty and much drier than the north side. I could immediately feel the difference in the air. It was not nearly as moist and the winds were much warmer.

Yesterday we did the Princeville Ranch Zip Express, just up the road from where we%26#39;re staying. O!M!G! That was soooo much fun!!! We had a very fun group, too, 12 of us, and we all came through it with all our fingers and toes intact, thanks to the awesome instruction and care of our guides, Rhonda and Mike (yes, we tipped them). We got some great pics and small video clips which I will put a link to when I get a chance. I don%26#39;t know when, though, because I just may have to do this zipping thing AGAIN! : ))) If anyone is considering doing it, just DO - you will not be sorry and it%26#39;s not at all scary. Ok, one gal did have a really hard time on the suspension bridge but she made it and we all made sure she knew how proud we were of her.

Today we%26#39;re heading out to the beach again. We%26#39;re going to go check out Tunnels and see what we can ';see'; of the Na Pali coast. No hikes, though. Seeing that little foot trail from the air was enough for me, thank you very much. ; ) We%26#39;ve had some rain on and off, mostly in the morning and late evening the last two days. It doesn%26#39;t last long and is very refreshing.

Ok, gonna go take one of those outdoor showers. Ah, only in Hawaii. I%26#39;ll report back when I get a chance, or maybe not. Y%26#39;all will understand, right? ; )

Diana

Aloha from beautiful Anini Beach!

Aloha from Kaua%26#39;i!

Sounds as if you are off to a great start Diana!

Glad that you are having such a good time!

I love the Hanalei Dolphin myself mostly because I like the kind of retro atmosphere and I%26#39;ve always had good luck with my meals there. Also you might want to try putting shoyu (soy sauce) on your rice when you have it -- usually makes it a lot less dry!

Hanalei town is wonderful isn%26#39;t it? If you get a chance - go to Yellowfish Trading Company across from Ching Young Village -- they have such cool Hawaiian collectibles and even antique fabric sometimes!

Keep having fun - altho%26#39; I guess that%26#39;s a given!

Malama Pono,

Janet

Aloha from beautiful Anini Beach!

Diana - you%26#39;ve got to hike the Kalalau trail, at least go to Windy Point - will take an hour or less. Picture postcard views all the way. Was one of the highlights of our trip. The part you see from the helocopter is alot more severe than the first part to Windy Point. Windy Point is not marked but believe me you will feel it when you get there. We hiked to beach but best views were first part. Please do this and report back - you won%26#39;t regret it!

Mahalo

Thanks for posting that, it was very informative! My husband and I will be there in May, I can%26#39;t wait. I am planning to take the Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour, so it was good to hear that it%26#39;s so spectacular. And that no one actually got sick (this is my fear!).

Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip!

Great trip report.

Yes, now you know why so many of us rave about the North Shore (and specifically about Anini). Not only is it great fun up there, but it gives you a little taste of why the South Pacific islands (as opposed to the North Pacific islands of Hawaii) - specifically French Polynesia (Bora Bora, Moorea etc) and the Cook Islands (Rarotonga/Aitutaki) have such a draw for people who have been there. The North Shore of Kauai is the most like those islands of any place in Hawaii (at least of the islands I%26#39;ve been to (Oahu,Kauai %26amp; Maui). Those idyllic lagoons add a whole different atmosphere to the locales (as opposed to the open beaches of say, Maui). They create a backdrop that is just magically exotic.

Love, love, love the North Shore of Kauai.

Now, just imagine whole collections of islands like that, with barrier reefs that extend all around the island so that nearly every beach is similar to Anini. Ah... lagoon environments - gotta love %26#39;em.

Have a great time!

Ken

PS -

If you want to understand what all the oohhhing and ahhhing are about, take a look at this picture of Anini Beach:

hestara.com/photos/source/e2-706/view2.jpg

If you save it, it makes a great desktop.

Ken

Glad you%26#39;re enjoying yourself. Great views from up there and the cottage looks nice from the websight. Outdoor showers are the best! Everyone seems to LOVE the Princeville ziplining - got to try that sometime!

Lordbalfor, Nice photo! Is that picture from Sealodge?

BeyondNback -

Yup. What a view eh?

Ken

Lucky you!!! DH and I stayed in that cottage almost one year ago and loved every second of it! We still call it ';Our Cottage';. As for the outdoor shower, we had an idea it was the only one and ended up loving it. We kept trying to find a place at our home that we could build one, so enjoy it while you are there!

Aloha Diana! Ah, this was so great to read first thing in the morning . . . . now you know why some of us can%26#39;t shut up about the Northshore . . . and lovely little Hanalei. I almost have to pinch myself when I am there . . . hard to believe any place can be so beautiful! Can%26#39;t wait to hear about how the rest of your trip goes. Mahalo for sharing! :)