Aloha to Kauai: What to know about a trip to the Hawaiian island

I woke up right at the moment we were landing. I opened the window and saw a gigantic mountain inserted in the handsome blue, vivid blue ocean. I thought I was in some kind of dream or perhaps watching “Moana,” the Disney movie filmed in Hawaii. ... I could not stop looking at the mountains that appeared to lie before my eyes — surrealistic, impressive, colorful and vibrant.

Promptly I learned that aloha meant two things depending on the context — hello and love. Alo means presence while ha is the syllable representing the phonetic of the breath. In other words, I was told to say aloha to everyone I wanted to greet and show my respect. The next word I memorized was mahalo for thanks.

Kauai is a small island of Hawaii and offers an array of activities for fun, luxury and relaxation. It has everything a tourist wants and everything the locals love.

These are my dos if you are planning to visit this exotic piece of American land:

• Stay close to the beach. The island is not big, but public transport is chaotic and slow and way worst on Sundays. Renting a car is a helpful option to see the island but parking is not easy. Staying close to the beach will provide you with excellent spots to watch the sunrise in the morning and easy egress to get back to your hotel to take a nap — if needed.
• Book ahead of time the activities in mind. While they have every activity, the only available sport constantly is surfing. All the rest of activities like tubing down the river are constantly booked — unless a spot is reserved ahead of time.
• Book a room with a kitchen. I do enjoy eating out, but I am careful with what I eat. So, when I travel, I tend to fast for one meal, cook for another and eat out for the last one. In addition, I am frugal, and Kauai is quite expensive. Therefore, a kitchen is good to care for the health and the budget.
• I found good food at Keoki’s Paradise, and for a tasty hot dog Hawaiian style, Puka Dog. As soon as I got tired of the pineapple in all the dishes, I went to Chalupa’s Taco Truck and Dim ‘N’Den Sum.
• Kauai poke is a MUST.
• Good area at a good price is Poipu beach. Moreover, at this beach across from Kiahuna Plantation hotel there is a nice natural pool on the beach, where the ocean encloses naturally the beach into a pond that does not have high waves.

My first look at the outside world of my hotel was the waterfalls which I had explored ahead of time online. However, I am always curious about the smell of a waterfall mist. Therefore, during my stay I visited Wailua Falls, a very easy waterfall to get to and parking is available on the road, 0.01 miles from the falls. Furthermore, with a more challenging hike, Hanakapiai Falls symbolizes the adventure of a trip to Hawaii. To my disappointment, the Jurassic Park Falls (Manawaiopuna Falls) are today part of my list of frustrated excursions as the weather turned ugly. No one can guarantee that the weather will be at its best, but I tried.

The next night, I went to the luau at the Hyatt hotel. A premier ticket is $30 more expensive and I did not see the difference from the one I booked. Although for $30 more I would have gotten to sit in the first row and take home a neat glass cup in the shape of a native Hawaiian.

My don’ts for this trip are as follows:

• Do not miss a surfing lesson.
• Do not forget your water shoes and a water shirt, mostly for surfing.
• Do not go too far into the water and learn how to get out of a strong tide before you jump in.

For gallery of pictures visit: www.inmarchitable.com.

I say goodbye today from Kauai. Next month I will bring you the dos and don’ts in Israel.