Underway at Kauai
Kauai - Hawaii
...a short remark in advance...
As already mentioned on the overview pages, we visited the Hawaiian Islands in 2000. At the time these pages are created (February 2020), our visit will be almost 20 years ago. Although we have fond memories of our three weeks on the islands, all of our assessments are based on 20-year-old memories. Even though the locations we describe here still exist, the circumstances have certainly changed. We ask you to keep this in mind. All opening hours and entrance fees are as of February 2020.
Opaekaa Fall
Description: Opaekaa Fall is formed by Opaekaa Stream, which plunges 151ft here. The waterfall is located in Waimea River SP and is one of the few waterfalls on Kauai that can be seen from the road. Since several people died in 2006, all trails to the waterfall are closed. Officially, you can't reach the edge or the basin below the waterfall.
Our rating: The waterfall is very beautiful to look at and easy to reach. If you are on Kauai you can see it without much effort. The waterfall is also not seasonal and can be admired all year round.
A variety of highlights on Kauai
Description: The island is quite small and offers many small highlights which all are worth a stop. There is no road leading around the island, because Waimea Canyon and the Napali Coast are not built up. That's why you should plan your stay in order to minimize the time wasted traveling back and forth.
Our rating: Kauai was by far our favorite island. With the exception of Oahu, life on Hawaii is relatively chilled out anyway, but here on Kauai you really had the everywhere propagated Hang Loose Gefühl. Wer es eilig hat, sollte der Insel lieber fern bleiben. Kauai würden wir bei einem Hawaii-Urlaub auf keinen Fall auslassen.
Smith´s Tropical Paradise Luau
Description: A luau is a traditional Hawaiian festivity that combines hula performances and traditional food. In preparation for the vacation, it was read everywhere that you should definitely take part in such a feast once.
We attended the Smith's Tropical Paradise luau. The luaus start at 4:45pm or 5pm, depending on the season, and cost $108/person. Included are a tour of the grounds and botanical gardens, the luau followed by a meal and a hula show.
For the GPS: 3-5971 Kuhio Hwy, Kapaʻa, HI 96746
Our rating: We quite enjoyed the luau here on Kauai. It was interesting to see how a pig is cooked in an earth oven and to learn something about traditional ways of preparing Hawaiian food. Overall, the food was also very tasty, even if one or the other tasted a bit strange for a Central European tongue. The hula demonstration at the end was great we enjoyed it very much.
