Kauai, Hawaii

I planned to spend some time with a dear friend but at the last minute there was an emergency and he could not get the day off work. Since I’ve spent time on Kauai, and I know that Ubers can’t be trusted here, I decided to just explore the port area.

Here is everything you need to know about hanging around Niwiliwili.

Most people just walk to this beach. You can see the ship in the background in the above pic. Below is a shot of the distance to the beach from the ship. It can’t be more than a 1/2 a mile. It’s thru an industrial port but the sidewalk is well marked and perfectly safe. If you are looking for an easy day, this is it.

Here’s a list of things you can rent at the beach

There is a Dukes (famous for hula pie) and a few more restaurants and shops in the immediate area of the beach (including an abc and crazy t-shirt). You can also walk across the street to a small two story mall. See anchor mall for shops.

Who doesn’t love a massage on the beach….

You can also rent a chair or cabana at the pool at the Sonesta Resort. Currently price for a lounge chair at the pool is $75 for the day. There are other resort for a day passes, just be sure you have arranged transportation back. Ride share is getting better here, but I would not call it reliable just yet.

Always a Beautiful sail away- if you are so inclined, there is a trail that winds thru this gorgeous golf course. You pick the trail up at the back of Somesta.

Kauai is a really beautiful island and I do recommend you get out and explore. Car rentals are very easy here (shuttle from the port or rent a wreck at the anchor mall which is less than 1/2 mile walk). Last year I did a ship tour here called “hollywood in Kauai” or something like that. The price has nearly doubled, but the tour did take us to some iconic spots for photos. Of course, if you have never been, Waimea Canyon is the star of this island. If you want to really go big, a helicopter ride of Napili Coast is exceptional.

Some information from the ship-

One thing that isn’t often talked about when visiting Hawaii is the increasing homeless population. It seems covid has made the challenge even worse. Not only is cost of living extremely high, there is also a growing addiction problem. Speaking from some level of experience, violent crime is very rare but petty crime is pretty rampant. Don’t leave things visable in your car. When hiking, I leave my top down in the convertible and I never lock my vehicle, anywhere. Thieves will break out a window to pop a trunk. I’ve found it better to just leave the car wide open for inspection. So, while I do recommend renting cars on each of the Hawaiian islands, I do caution you not to leave valuables in the car.