10 Year Wedding Anniversary - Kauai (1 Viewer)

[Tick]

You guys really are the best. This is a sincere thank you. My wife used to think it was weird that I spent time on a fantasy football forum. Well, she still thinks it is weird...but has finally come around. Now when she or one of her friends has a random question and I don't know the immediate answer, she knows I have a 95% chance of getting a great answer from "the internet football people." Please keep the advice coming, I'm all ears.As for that Pali Ke Kua 102 unit...that is looking like $185/night. That's $1110 and I'm assuming tax, zoonation? Cleanout fee? Anything negotiable? How easy is it to get to beaches?

My wife calls it the oracle.

 

[Tick]

On our honeymoon in Kauai, we found a beach that was almost deserted... if there's a Kauai version of the Revealed! books, I'm sure it includes it.

Looking at google maps, I think it might have been at 22.208767,-159.59797. The walk there was slightly treacherous due to recent rains, but the place was really beautiful. Don't swim there if you make the walk, though - the currents came from all directions due to the bowl shape of the land there and weren't safe.

 

[BRONG]

On our honeymoon in Kauai, we found a beach that was almost deserted... if there's a Kauai version of the Revealed! books, I'm sure it includes it.

Looking at google maps, I think it might have been at 22.208767,-159.59797. The walk there was slightly treacherous due to recent rains, but the place was really beautiful. Don't swim there if you make the walk, though - the currents came from all directions due to the bowl shape of the land there and weren't safe.

Hanakapi'ai Beach. Cool place. THIS PIC shows how remote it is...although nothing like Kalalau (nothing really is). Two miles up that river is Hanakapa'ai Falls, which you can also have to yourself (if you leave early). Huge waterfall and pool to swim in. Another unique shot of the beach.And you're right about the danger of that beach. I watched a cocky, clueless kid almost die there, while his equally stupid friends laughed on. None of them had any idea how close he was to dying that day -- one wave from being swept out. LINK

 

[Polish Hammer]

Zoonation - looks like we are strongly leaning towards renting the same unit you did for 6 nights. The guys is looking to charge us $180/nt. Is that what you paid? Did you haggle at all? Any way to avoid taxes/cleanout fee? Also, one review on VRBO from "maggie" (she stayed in Sept/Oct) noted the following:

The views from this condo are spectacular, but we were very disappointed with the accommodations. The first thing we noticed was the many roach traps set up all over. Not a good first impression. The unit is very outdated, cramped and in disrepair. The sofa was filthy. This has been noted several times in the guest book they keep but for some reason the owner does not see a need to replace it. Things are held together with duct tape, there are outlets with no covers on them and there are random panels on the wall and in shower covering some sort of mistake, I guess. The description states there are 2 bathrooms, but there is only one. The cramped bathroom does have a full size washer and dryer stowed behind a horrible looking curtain. "BBQs are a short walk away" is a bit deceptive. The grill is a long way down a very steep hill and it would not be practical to actually make that trek. When vacationing, we look for someplace nice to come home to after a day of taking in the sights. We dreaded coming back to this condo in the evenings. The only thing that made it tolerable was the AC in the bedroom. This condo definitely looks a lot better in photos than in person. Would not return!

It would seem you had a very different experience. Any thoughts on the points she brings up?By the way, we found some insane houses to rent for $1400-1600/wk but couldn't justify the extra money since they'll have wasted space in them as multi-bedroom units. But they have pools and such. If anyone is interested I'll post the links.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

You guys really are the best. This is a sincere thank you. My wife used to think it was weird that I spent time on a fantasy football forum. Well, she still thinks it is weird...but has finally come around. Now when she or one of her friends has a random question and I don't know the immediate answer, she knows I have a 95% chance of getting a great answer from "the internet football people." Please keep the advice coming, I'm all ears.As for that Pali Ke Kua 102 unit...that is looking like $185/night. That's $1110 and I'm assuming tax, zoonation? Cleanout fee? Anything negotiable? How easy is it to get to beaches?

Steal for the winter time, you will have a much better time in a condo than some hotel.

 

[Polish Hammer]

You guys really are the best. This is a sincere thank you. My wife used to think it was weird that I spent time on a fantasy football forum. Well, she still thinks it is weird...but has finally come around. Now when she or one of her friends has a random question and I don't know the immediate answer, she knows I have a 95% chance of getting a great answer from "the internet football people." Please keep the advice coming, I'm all ears.As for that Pali Ke Kua 102 unit...that is looking like $185/night. That's $1110 and I'm assuming tax, zoonation? Cleanout fee? Anything negotiable? How easy is it to get to beaches?

Steal for the winter time, you will have a much better time in a condo than some hotel.

We'll be going in August, not the winter. But I still agree it is a good deal and a great setup vs. hotel.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

You guys really are the best. This is a sincere thank you. My wife used to think it was weird that I spent time on a fantasy football forum. Well, she still thinks it is weird...but has finally come around. Now when she or one of her friends has a random question and I don't know the immediate answer, she knows I have a 95% chance of getting a great answer from "the internet football people." Please keep the advice coming, I'm all ears.As for that Pali Ke Kua 102 unit...that is looking like $185/night. That's $1110 and I'm assuming tax, zoonation? Cleanout fee? Anything negotiable? How easy is it to get to beaches?

Steal for the winter time, you will have a much better time in a condo than some hotel.

We'll be going in August, not the winter. But I still agree it is a good deal and a great setup vs. hotel.

They are quiet, they are tranquil, and I promise you once you spend a day with the sun beating down on you, afternoon stop for some shaved ice, you crawl back to that condo around 6 or 7 o'clock...I promise you at least one night you will pass the eff out and wake up about 5-6 in the morning spry and ready to get a big jump on the day.

 

[BRONG]

Zoonation - looks like we are strongly leaning towards renting the same unit you did for 6 nights. The guys is looking to charge us $180/nt. Is that what you paid? Did you haggle at all? Any way to avoid taxes/cleanout fee? Also, one review on VRBO from "maggie" (she stayed in Sept/Oct) noted the following:

The views from this condo are spectacular, but we were very disappointed with the accommodations. The first thing we noticed was the many roach traps set up all over. Not a good first impression. The unit is very outdated, cramped and in disrepair. The sofa was filthy. This has been noted several times in the guest book they keep but for some reason the owner does not see a need to replace it. Things are held together with duct tape, there are outlets with no covers on them and there are random panels on the wall and in shower covering some sort of mistake, I guess. The description states there are 2 bathrooms, but there is only one. The cramped bathroom does have a full size washer and dryer stowed behind a horrible looking curtain. "BBQs are a short walk away" is a bit deceptive. The grill is a long way down a very steep hill and it would not be practical to actually make that trek. When vacationing, we look for someplace nice to come home to after a day of taking in the sights. We dreaded coming back to this condo in the evenings. The only thing that made it tolerable was the AC in the bedroom. This condo definitely looks a lot better in photos than in person. Would not return!

It would seem you had a very different experience. Any thoughts on the points she brings up?By the way, we found some insane houses to rent for $1400-1600/wk but couldn't justify the extra money since they'll have wasted space in them as multi-bedroom units. But they have pools and such. If anyone is interested I'll post the links.

The review is senseless. Not even gonna go into why. Just a dramatic, miserable woman biching, who has no clue what it would cost to meet all her demands; in paradise no less. 180 a night. I feel sorry for the sap that's with her.

 

[Mr. Pickles]

The Hanalei Gourmet Mix of locals, good spot...two flat-screens.

Skip it.

 

[BRONG]

The Hanalei Gourmet Mix of locals, good spot...two flat-screens.

Skip it.

They wanted happy hour places, Pauly, not food.

 

[BRONG]

If you're watching the Pro Bowl I feel sorry for you, but the helicopter footage they keep showing is incredible. And it's all been the North Shore of Kauai. Surprise, surprise.

Yeah, the chopper tour of Kauai is a must...

PH, you might want to record it just to show the wifey, you won't get better shots than these.

 

[zoonation]

You guys really are the best. This is a sincere thank you. My wife used to think it was weird that I spent time on a fantasy football forum. Well, she still thinks it is weird...but has finally come around. Now when she or one of her friends has a random question and I don't know the immediate answer, she knows I have a 95% chance of getting a great answer from "the internet football people." Please keep the advice coming, I'm all ears.As for that Pali Ke Kua 102 unit...that is looking like $185/night. That's $1110 and I'm assuming tax, zoonation? Cleanout fee? Anything negotiable? How easy is it to get to beaches?

Hey,Haven't been around much lately. We stayed in that unit two summers ago. The view will blow your mind. There is a beach down a path at the resort, five minute walk. It isn't the best beach but there is great snorkelling there. The great beaches on the north shore are Hanalei Bay (no snorkelling but awesome swimming beach, and Tunnels and Ke'e beach which are about a 10-15 minute drive past Hanalei. The drive is amazing though. It really is. Mountains on one side, ocean on the other. One way bridges along the way. The great thing about the north shore is that you won't want to pend all your time at one beach. all of them are unique and worth a visit for the day.Drinks: Hanalei has places or the Regis is a great spot at night as it has the best view of Bali Hai and Hanalei Bay.Unit 102 has a cleaning fee and I'm not sure about negotiating a discount. I just paid the asking price. You will not regret it. Very modern, great kitchen, great patio furniture and an absolutely stunning view. HD TV. Air in the bedroom, but you won't likely need it. Compared to what $200 does for you on Maui (nothing) the value is excellent.Hanalei has great restaurants and Kapaa'a is just 25 minutes away and there are great restaurants there to.

 

[zoonation]

The Hanalei Gourmet Mix of locals, good spot...two flat-screens.

Skip it.

Restaurants you want to hit are:

Bar Acuda

Hanalei Dolphin (for sushi)

Kauai Grill (Regis)

and maybe Eastside in Kapaa'a

All you need to know will be on Yelp and TA.

 

[zoonation]

Zoonation - looks like we are strongly leaning towards renting the same unit you did for 6 nights. The guys is looking to charge us $180/nt. Is that what you paid? Did you haggle at all? Any way to avoid taxes/cleanout fee? Also, one review on VRBO from "maggie" (she stayed in Sept/Oct) noted the following:

The views from this condo are spectacular, but we were very disappointed with the accommodations. The first thing we noticed was the many roach traps set up all over. Not a good first impression. The unit is very outdated, cramped and in disrepair. The sofa was filthy. This has been noted several times in the guest book they keep but for some reason the owner does not see a need to replace it. Things are held together with duct tape, there are outlets with no covers on them and there are random panels on the wall and in shower covering some sort of mistake, I guess. The description states there are 2 bathrooms, but there is only one. The cramped bathroom does have a full size washer and dryer stowed behind a horrible looking curtain. "BBQs are a short walk away" is a bit deceptive. The grill is a long way down a very steep hill and it would not be practical to actually make that trek. When vacationing, we look for someplace nice to come home to after a day of taking in the sights. We dreaded coming back to this condo in the evenings. The only thing that made it tolerable was the AC in the bedroom. This condo definitely looks a lot better in photos than in person. Would not return!

It would seem you had a very different experience. Any thoughts on the points she brings up?By the way, we found some insane houses to rent for $1400-1600/wk but couldn't justify the extra money since they'll have wasted space in them as multi-bedroom units. But they have pools and such. If anyone is interested I'll post the links.

Just rent 102. The view is honestly mind boggling. The pictures look great but when you get there you will think "wow, Bali Hai is WAY closer than it looked on pics.I have pics of the unit I can upload for you.

 

[BRONG]

The Hanalei Gourmet Mix of locals, good spot...two flat-screens.

Skip it.

Restaurants you want to hit are:

Bar Acuda

Hanalei Dolphin (for sushi)

Kauai Grill (Regis)

and maybe Eastside in Kapaa'a

All you need to know will be on Yelp and TA.

For the third time, he was asking for places for Happy Hour drinks. I simply listed his options. And not only is the Gourmet good for that, it won't be nearly as touristy as the others and has stiffer drinks.

 

[zoonation]

The Hanalei Gourmet Mix of locals, good spot...two flat-screens.

Skip it.

Restaurants you want to hit are:

Bar Acuda

Hanalei Dolphin (for sushi)

Kauai Grill (Regis)

and maybe Eastside in Kapaa'a

All you need to know will be on Yelp and TA.

For the third time, he was asking for places for Happy Hour drinks. I simply listed his options. And not only is the Gourmet good for that, it won't be nearly as touristy as the others and has stiffer drinks.

Missed that. Sorry.

 

[Polish Hammer]

Well the good news is I booked the flight today. We had been considering having another couple come along and getting a house but that fell through. Throughout I stayed in touch with the Pali Ke Kua 102 guy and even today he said he spoke with the owner and was going to give us late checkout with no extra charge and no cleanout fee. I responded that we were good to go and send me the papers to sign. Went and booked the flight. Then comes the....

Bad news (of course). He said he was surpised to learn that the unit had been rented to someone else (how the eff did the owner not know this?) and he would try to help us find other accommodations. So now he's referring us to the 119 unit (and we're looking at 120) which seems nice but not quite as nice as the other one, and it will cost about $300 more which really sucks. So if anybody has any last-minute hail mary recommendations for me let me know. I'm sure either way it will be awesome but I just can't believe this crap happens to me.

Anyway, once that is all done and set then I'll start leaning on you all to build out a specific itinerary. And I need to start doing some research on getting a good entry level dSLR camera to help record all this North Shore goodness. Saw The Descendants this weekend and some of those visuals were just sick (I did miss the Pro Bowl stuff, but am planning on doing the heli tour so we'll be good there I'm thinking).

 

[BRONG]

Hammer, try these. They are all in Hanalei, a better place to be (if you can afford it), and these are some of the cheapest you'll find there. I've been in all of them, should you have questions. You won't have the ocean view, but you'll have more in other areas, like access to an incredible beach/bay...and you'll be walking distance to everything -- something the place you were trying to reserve does not have.

http://www.hanaleivacationhouse.com/index.html

http://www.vrbo.com/139894

http://www.vrbo.com/229392

http://www.napaliprop.com/chung.htm

I have some others in Hanalei, which I'll find/post later, if this interests you.

 

[Polish Hammer]

Damn, BRONG, great stuff there. After having missed out on the first place I decided to not waste time and booked the PKK 119 unit on Tuesday afternoon. It has pretty much everything the 102 unit does except the kitchen isn't as modern. I can live with that. Should we ever return these look like awesome options. Thanks for all your help. I'm going to review this thread again to get the dining recommendations out of it.

Once wifey and I have come up with our general to-do list (heli ride, zipline, etc) I'll probably be coming back here to see if anyone has specific company recommendations for those things. Thanks all!

 

[Tick]

I have no experience with this app, but thought of this thread when I saw it was free right now:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kauaiguide/id455668721?mt=8

 

[Polish Hammer]

OK, we are less than 1 month from the trip, so time to start booking things. Here are some points I'm looking for help with:

[*]Helicopter Tour - which company is recommended?

[*]Surf Lessons - any recommended locations or people/companies?

[*]Private chef for a meal - Brong and I think someone else may have mentioned this...how do I go about doing it?

[*]As an anniversary gift my parents offered to pay for us to go to the Smith Luau. If I'm not paying for it, is it worth it?

[*]Any recommended spas for massage/pampering for wife?

[*]Na Pali coast cruises - any specific company or tour to take?

[*]I have a reservation for a rented Jeep - any reason to change this to a regular vehicle?

 

[Phil Elliott]

I would recommend a half day snorkeling trip.

 

[ffldrew]

I would recommend a half day snorkeling trip.

When I am on the Islands I always rent a set off snorkel equipment for the week and put it in the car - there are several good snorkeling spots to hit on Kauai that are right offshore. After getting the equipment the next thing is to get one of these soft coolers from an ABC or any other store- Cooler

I also get one of the bamboo beach mat or nicer yoga like mats..

Then just pack some drinks and snacks with some sandwiches and while you drive around find a beach with some snorkeling and park it for a couple of hours. Snorkel - relax- picnic - just sloooooooooowwwwwwwww doooooowwwn and get on Aloha time.

 

[Tick]

I also get one of the bamboo beach mat or nicer yoga like mats..

I like the bamboo mats better than the yoga mats since the sand falls through.

 

[Britney Spears]

OK, we are less than 1 month from the trip, so time to start booking things. Here are some points I'm looking for help with:

• Helicopter Tour - which company is recommended?
• Surf Lessons - any recommended locations or people/companies?
• Private chef for a meal - Brong and I think someone else may have mentioned this...how do I go about doing it?
• As an anniversary gift my parents offered to pay for us to go to the Smith Luau. If I'm not paying for it, is it worth it?
• Any recommended spas for massage/pampering for wife?
• Na Pali coast cruises - any specific company or tour to take?
• I have a reservation for a rented Jeep - any reason to change this to a regular vehicle?

How did the trip go?

I'm looking at a similar trip myself...

 

[Polish Hammer]

Sorry for the super late reply, I never saw this question being asked. In short, everything was awesome, we want to go back. The tips we got were amazing and Brong really came through for us. If anyone has any specific questions I'm happy to answer them!

 

[tjnc09]

This thread is close enough to my question without needing to create a new one. My good buddy is celebrating his 10 yr anniversary soon and was asking me what an appropriate price gift is for that milestone. I told him I have no idea - let me ask a bunch of strangers. He and his wife have a hectic schedule so he wants to buy her something memorable (instead of a trip). He has always seemed happy in their marriage and his wife has always been supportive when my buddy wants his own time - poker nights, taking kids out on Sunday so he can watch football, etc. They are much better off financially than when they got married. Should the gift be a flat price like $1,000? % of net worth like 1%? I have no clue, but I know all of the rich elite here at FBG know.

 

[Polish Hammer]

Without knowing either of them, that is very hard to say. I will say this, the trip was unbelievable memorable. We talk about some aspect of it at least once a month, usually more, and this is two years later.