Trip to Kauai

[Minstrie]

Yeah, I know it's rainy, but have any forum members done any riding there? We'll be mainly kayaking, but wondered about bringing my travel bike. Any recommendations on where on island to stay, and things not to miss?

Thanks.

Minstrie

[cookietom]

Hanalei Beach is the best. Riding road bike is not really safe there. My parent lived there for 32 years. Kayak is great there! Depends on the time of the year. Rain season and rough sea until May in north shore.

[malbecman]

I agree with cookietom. There's really just 1 main highway around the island (just goes 2/3rds of the way, you can't go all the way around) and it's heavily trafficked with minimal shoulders. Now, mtn. biking could be a good option....

Enjoy the beautiful scenery, the beaches and the water sports, that's why you go there. :)

[ERGOPOWER]

The ride north above Hanalei is the best. Much less cars/tourists. More vegetation. It rains on Kauai almost everyday, but it's actually quite nice.

[goonster]

I would not go out of my way to bring a bike. That said, the climb from the south shore, up Rt. 550 to the top of Koke'e would be a very nice ride.

Hanalei is nice, but it is also very much worth it to seek out some of the "local" beaches (psst, Rock Quarries). All beaches in HI are public, although access is sometimes tricky. With kayaks, you might be able to get to some very special places, e.g. by the Allerton beach house in Lawa'i bay.

[maunahaole]

The ride up the canyon to Kokee would be the checklist item. The start at the base of the canyon and most of the way up will be hot and sun exposed. I agree on the other comment about safety and traffic. Kauai has a small permanent population. That traffic is rental cars driven by folks who are not paying attention.

[johnmdesigner]

You can rent pretty decent mountain bikes on the island. The road riding doesn't look too good. The canyon road would be a beautiful ride though.
Get this book - really it's excellent.

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Kauai-Guidebook-Andrew-Doughty/dp/0963942948

[cookietom]

Yeah, I know it's rainy, but have any forum members done any riding there? We'll be mainly kayaking, but wondered about bringing my travel bike. Any recommendations on where on island to stay, and things not to miss?

Thanks.

Minstrie

Question is when are you going?

[mgm777]

Princeville. Absolutely beautiful. The Princeville Resort is gorgeous. Na Pali Coast side. Yes, it can be rainy, sometimes, but it won't inhibit your enjoyment of the environment. Stunning locale. Highly recommend. My favorite HI island. St. Regis hotel is fabulous, but pricey.

[Seramount]

road biking there seems like a really bad idea...the main road would be seriously sketchy.

go snorkeling and hike the Na Pali coast trail instead.

[mgm777]

road biking there seems like a really bad idea...the main road would be seriously sketchy.

go snorkeling and hike the Na Pali coast trail instead.

^ Truth.

[bironi]

I've been several times. Rented mtb (no road bikes were available a few years back) and rode on roads north of Kapaa and some off road. I did the Waimea canyon road a couple times. Some of the small roads heading into the mountains from Kapaa are nice. I never felt at risk. Beautiful island.

[bikingshearer]

I was there once and rented a road bike from a shop on the east side of the island. As others have said, you are largely limited to the main peripheral road. Most of it has an okay shoulder, but it still is not great riding, and I wouldn't do that again. The one place that would be worth road riding, if you don't mind climbing, is Waimea Canyon, which is a must-see however you get there.

As for rain, it rains all the time in much of the interior of the island (the big mountain with the unpronouncable name averages almost an inch per day), but the shore varies greatly. The north coast is the wettest. The south coast is significantly drier, especially as you go west toward the military base where the road ends. Waimea Canyon can be dry and clear or foggy or misty or rainy pretty much any time, so be prepared for anything.

[Lugger]

+1 more for the ride up Waimea Canyon. Absolutely spectacular.

Princeville (north side) is a bit too staid and with a standard Golf Resort kinda vibe. Hanalai is a super cool town, but its small. not sure I'd want to spend a week there.

Poipu beach on the south side is the best from my experience. Nice mix of resorts and vacation houses. Good mixture of new resort shopping and old town (Koloa). More sunshine overall. And its several miles off the main island road which gets congested. But beware....most of the resorts at Poipu do not have direct beach access. Some are quite a long hike to the beach. Within the Poipu area, I could see renting bikes just to get around (shopping, eating, beach, etc.), but it would not be for putting in serious miles.

As noted in other posts, the main road circling most of the island is definitely not cyclist friendly.

If you're looking for somewhere really quiet, Anini beach on the north shore is beautiful. Its a long protected beach that offers vacation houses, but no major resorts. So you can walk out your front door and do some serious snorkeling and have the place pretty much to yourself.

Oh, and finally, definitely hike at least part of the Napali coast. Another spectacular experience.

Have a great trip! I'm jealous.:)

[pdmtong]

By now you get the idea that riding the one main road circling the island is not a good idea. Pedaling along while tourists are looking up going 60mph in rental cars not a good idea. Same thing with riding up the canyon. no shoulder. dangerous.

Get yourself a good guidebook. Like this one. [edit...I see it was also mentioned in another post]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981461085/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Why this one? well, when you land, and go get supplies at Costco, you will find a palette of them. Its been vetted and is a good choice (I have one)
A friend of mine who's husband grew up there told me all the secret spots she likes for beach and eating. Those spots are buried in the book.
Easy to read. Comprehensive. Have a great trip.

Take a surfing lesson in hanalei bay. this is probably the best spot in the world to try it. waist deep. gentle on shore rollers. the instructors can literally stand beside you and coach.

If you can afford the helicopter ride, do it. if you can't then take the boat/zodiac trip to see na pali cliffs from the water. Breath taking,

[Minstrie]

Question is when are you going?

end of next month. Kind of a sudden decision after plans for Costa Rica fell through.

[cookietom]

end of next month. Kind of a sudden decision after plans for Costa Rica fell through.

Stay away from north and stay at Poipu which is drier and great waves for surfing.

[Minstrie]

I'm starting to get excited….

[henry14]

There's cave tubing and ziplining if you're into that.

[daker13]

Amazing place--I was there on my honeymoon about 12 years ago. So pretty much nothing I say is relevant. There was some pretty good mountain biking there, but it had a strong 'locals only' flavor. And when we rented mountain bikes at the shops (Maui, Kauai and the big island), they were always a little taken aback that we actually wanted to take their bikes off-road. Much preferred to rent them to tourists puttering around the streets. In retrospect the hiking was better than the biking. Have a great trip, I'm sure it'll be fantastic!

[malbecman]

Do be sure to at least go to the north end. Hanelei Bay and Ke' e beach at the beginning of the Na Pali coast are amazingly beautiful......

[bikser]

Echoeing what everyone else is saying road biking would not be ideal, limited roads to do it. I've heard there is good mountain biking there. Relaxing would be the best thing to do or, hiking Na Pali coast. We honeymooned at the Grand Hyatt in Poipu, perfect resort. Drier than the north coast. We'd stay there again, or try some place by Hanalei/Princeville.

[OnceFast]

Poipu is nice if you like the big hotel/condo scene. If you want something more "native", consider renting a house in a residential neigherhood. Many choices available on the rental webites. We stayed in Kekaha which is off the beaten path, but has good access to the canyon. It is also the driest part of the island. Poipu does have a great restaurant - The Beach House. Get a table facing the ocean about one hour before sunset and watch the surfers while you dine.

[cookietom]

When it rains, go underwater and it is warmer!! Don't step on the reefs. Kauai is beautiful all year around!!!! Damn I wish I was there now to show my respect to my parents grave. They had been married for 66 years and died 23 hours apart. Kauai did a wonderful life for them.

[kenw]

Just returned from 3 weeks on the North Shore (Haena area, west of Hanalei).
Weather was great, 78*-82*, occasional night rains, a few daytime trade wind
showers, lots of days with heavy NW surf. Saw one family of three bike-touring thru Hanalei, so it can be done. Road from Lihue to Princeville has a mostly usable shoulder (on both sides), but there is a lot of up and down since there is limited coastal plain for the road to follow. Recommend: Barking Sands (if it's open), Hanalei Bay (paddle board the Hanalei River), Ke'e Beach, Kalalau trail, Postcards restaurant, Kilauea lighthouse, Anini Beach.

Surf on the north can be heavy in the winter, more mellow on the south side (usually just the reverse in the summer). Kapa'a area can be windy. Obey the lifeguards. I concur with what others have said about bikes/traffic. Enjoy!!!

Ken

[vqdriver]

timely thread. we'll be heading there in april/may for our anniversary.

is it possible to rent a boat to access some of the small beaches beneath the na pali cliffs or would that be too far?

any good restaurant recommendations? local flavor is good, but would like to reserve a table for the actual anniversary night.

our hotel's in princeville if that helps, but unless it's an obscene drive, we could travel to the other parts of the island.

[Brainbike]

Don't miss Josselyn's in Poipu. Unbelievably great food.

[mgm777]

timely thread. we'll be heading there in april/may for our anniversary.

is it possible to rent a boat to access some of the small beaches beneath the na pali cliffs or would that be too far?

any good restaurant recommendations? local flavor is good, but would like to reserve a table for the actual anniversary night.

our hotel's in princeville if that helps, but unless it's an obscene drive, we could travel to the other parts of the island.

Some of the beaches can be accessed via the Na Pali trail. However, be advised that trail is a serious hike. I don't recommend standard HI attire, flip flops, for that trail. If you really want to access some of the remote beaches, you can book seats on a Zodiac, inflatable high speed boat, tour. Those outfits take their passengers to those remote beaches. I love that island.

[chuckred]

timely thread. we'll be heading there in april/may for our anniversary.

any good restaurant recommendations? local flavor is good, but would like to reserve a table for the actual anniversary night.

our hotel's in princeville if that helps, but unless it's an obscene drive, we could travel to the other parts of the island.

I was going to suggest The Beach House for anniversary dinner. At sunset, beautiful. But a long drive from Princeville at night.

Another amazing hike to consider if you want a full day - the loop Nu'alolo to awaawapuhi in kokee state park. Unless heights and slippery trails bother you!