The flight itself to Kauai is shorter than a subway ride from Queens to Coney Island, and if you mus

Aptly referred to as the Garden Isle, Kauai makes New Jersey's moniker as the "Garden State" seem almost laughable. The oldest of the main Hawaiian islands, it is home to the exotic Na Pali coast, the setting of much of the filming of Jurassic Park and South Pacific, as well as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific". If limited in time on Kauai, the best investment I could recommend would be renting a car, tuning the dial to one of the local independent music stations europe discount travel packages (I am still searching much of what I heard on iTunes), and simply driving. This island is completely laid back... there was often a 15 second gap between songs on the radio, and I had to use an 80s-style arcade europe discount travel packages skeeball token to exit the gate at the car rental place, where after realizing there were no economy cars left, my attendant grinned and said, "awww... just pick whichever one you want." So we pulled out in a full-size SUV at no extra charge. Every corner turned holds a new breath-stealing scene, and it will only take a few miles to fall in love and see why so many who visit choose never to return home.
But be ye forewarned, this island paradise is marked by one slightly unnerving surprise to one ornithophobe such as myself (imagine a much younger Bradley building a sand castle in Florida while unbeknownst to him being dusted with bread crumbs by a tormented sibling--a retribution which I admittedly deserved--rendering me a seagull smorgasbord, henceforth scarring me for life)... and that surprise is that the entire europe discount travel packages island is run by wild roosters. Yes, run by them. I half imagined them separating europe discount travel packages into Sharks and Jets, engaged in a dance-off for corners of the parking lot. My first encounter was at the car rental desk at Lihue Airport, when a technicolor cock went strutting behind the counter. Unmiffed, the attendant explained that it was quite common, and that my rental car was in a portion of the lot many of the roosters call home. If you, too, fear feathered foes, allow extra time for fowl confrontations.
Much to the amusement of my friend, Matt, there were several times where I was trapped in the car waiting for ravenous birds to move away, realizing I did not come bearing snacks as so many visitors apparently do.
The flight itself to Kauai is shorter than a subway ride from Queens to Coney Island, and if you must choose europe discount travel packages between a helicopter tour of one island and a flight to visit a different island, absolutely europe discount travel packages choose the latter (several low fares are available if you check for specials). The Hawaiian Airlines team somehow finds a way to serve local snacks and a glass of that addictive POG (Passion-Orange-Guava) during the seeming europe discount travel packages five minutes the plane is neither ascending or landing. And you simply must see more than just one island.
Gazing jaw-dropped out the window makes the cost of an inter-island flight worth the ticket alone. I doubt any helicopter ride could have made me gasp in awe nearly as much as this surreal view from my window seat flying between islands. I'll keep saying it... if you've already traveled out to see at least one island, you should definitely try to visit as many as you can... it's mind-boggling how unique they each are.
Any food-lover visiting Kauai should plan an off-the-beaten-path detour to Hamura's Saimin, a tiny little noodle shop tucked behind a Salvation Army. No, literally when I called and asked the address for my GPS, the woman on the other end paused, and said, "I'm not sure... but we are behind the Salvation Army."
Saimin is a noodle soup dish unique to Hawaii, a sort of island wuzzle of Japanese udon, Chinese mein, and Filipino pancit. It includes a thin wheat egg noodle in dashi, garnished with a myriad of toppings, inluding, you guessed europe discount travel packages it... diced Spam. The "special saimin" at Hamura's is also loaded with homemade dumplings, fish cakes, diced green onions, and hard-boiled eggs, among other goodies. The menu is displayed on a concession-stand style push board over the kitchen window, with other dishes of note including wontons and the delicious chicken yakitori skewers we devoured. The counter is like a never ending europe discount travel packages zigzag weaving through the brightly lit room, with families europe discount travel packages of locals squatting practically back-to-back on low stools eagerly slurping noodles. This isn't fine dining... it's just good ol' fashioned yummy soul food.
And no matter how full you think you are, order a slice of the lilikoi chiffon pie, like a delicate, fluffy mountain cloud of passionfruit with a dollop of whipped cream on a flaky pastry crust. Packed the entire time we were there, the whole communal-style restaurant has the nostalgic charm of a sixties school cafeteria, with a group of middle-aged women giggling in the kitchen, lovingly ladling endless bowls of noodles. And for one of my favorite dining experiences in Hawaii, everything came to just about $10 per person.
The Kauai Marriott Resort is a destination all on its own, as well, situated on 800 acres facing Kalapaki Bay in Lihue. Hawaiian architects seem to be experts at concealing, because the entryway indicates not even the slightest hint of the spectacular hotel beyond the front doors (a theme we noticed europe discount travel packages all over the islands). europe discount travel packages After descending a grand escalator from the front lobby, you travel through what seems like an endless lush garden of waterfalls and koi ponds to the front desk area, which gloriously opens to sunlit vaulted ceilings europe discount travel packages like a grand museum of Hawaiian sculptures, paintings, and giant wood-carved canoes. Beyond that sits one of the largest pools in the State of Hawaii, with a palm tree island at its center, europe discount travel packages and several "petals" of the pool, each complete with their own jacuzzi under grand roman pillars. At night-time, the dramatically lit effect is that of a giant Gatsby pool party, with stone statues spewing fountains into the glowing water.
This is actually just a small puddle about a foot in diameter. I held the camera low, creating europe discount travel packages the effect of a desert europe discount travel packages pond. The red clay is actually oxidized, iron-rich, volcanic rock. Definitely don't wear new white shoes if you go hiking.
europe discount travel packages Though the resort tempted us to stay and sunbathe and sip cocktails at the pool and pristine private beach, Kauai is far too beautiful not to explore. We left the hotel at around 7 a.m. to head toward Waimea Canyon, "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific" (see the photo at the heading of this post). The canyon road to the summit seems hopelessly endless... at the end of one hill, a slight dip leads directly to another, as you perpetually ascend this Pacific Mt. Olympus. And as you glance off the side of the road, trees, waterfalls, and birds grow infinitesimally smaller below. But the drive is one of the most scenic I have ever taken, and an absolute must for any visitor. I cannot fathom visiting Kauai and not driving it again. We pulled off several times for some off-road hiking, which is where we took the photo above.
For scale perspective (and because I get a wee bit queasy at heights) I stayed back to snap this image of my friend, Matt, who bravely trekked way off the beaten path. In this image, he's belting out the Crossroads anthem (don't act like you don't know the movie), "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet a Woman" as the whole scene looked a little bit like the Britney europe discount travel packages Spears video. europe discount travel packages But in all seriousness, Waimea Canyon is a majestic site that made a profound impression on us both. Had we much more time, I could have spent the whole morning sitting in the crisp, thin air, staring at the sunlight poking streams through the clouds into the green canyons.
For lunch, we decided to stay close to the hotel, and try out a favorite recommended to us by a local at the airport, Duke's Barefoot Bar . Named in honor of Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, the famous Olympic swimmer and "Father of International Surfing," the open air patio and indoor gardens overlooking the beach make an ideal setting for an oceanfront lunch. The crab and macadamia nut wontons are exceptional, especially dipped in the tangy plum mustard sauce. While I was torn on a main dish (there's a Hawaiian pizza with Thai chili sauce and Kalua pork), I decided to take the initial recommendation our new friend had suggested, and went for a burger. But not just any burger... one with an island twist. The Mango BBQ Bacon Burger is crazy tasty, with a sweet mango BBQ glaze, cheddar cheese, applewood smoked bacon, and grilled onions on a patty of local grass fed beef. I could have easily devoured more than one, but saving room for a large dinner later on, this lunch was the perfect satisfaction for a midday craving. And the name lived up to itself, as customers europe discount travel packages left their slippers (not flipflops... slippers) at the door.
After lunch, we drove along the north side of the island. Several excursions are available to see the Na Pali Coast by water or air, but we didn't europe discount travel packages have the time... but definitely wanted to see as much as we could. We kept pinching ourselves at the Garden of Eden landscape, europe discount travel packages half expecting a pterodactyl to fly across the sky, or a velociraptor to scramble across the roadway.
The drive along the coast is incomparably gorgeous, passing through forests, over cliffs, past a lighthouse, and through one-lane bridges (a sign informed us that island courtesy is to allow five cars to pass before proceeding across the bridge... could you imagine that in Manhattan!?!), the whole while turquoise-blue-aqua water glistens like an ocean of opals to the right of you.
There are even hidden caverns europe discount travel packages carved into the mountains on the north side of the island. Not dressed for spelunking, we cautiously ventured in as far as we could. I took this shot from deep inside the cavern. That's a full-size europe discount travel packages SUV parked on the street, for reference. And the passengers that accompany that SUV disappeared much further into the darkness...
After cleaning up for dinner, we discovered that another unique natural site was located just a few minutes down the road from our restaurant destination, so before heading to Beach House in Koloa, we took a slight de