EXPERIENCING KAUA'I: part 4

My dream cottage in Wai'mea

Today is MK’s 31st birthday, and we talk to her. DM, MK, and the little girls flew to Houston today to visit friends. DM had arranged for flowers and a birthday cake to greet MK on arrival at their friends’ house. Sweet. We are missing them and JE’s family, but everyone is doing well and God is good and gracious to our family.

Today was to be a quieter day.

PM and MM joined us at Kukui’s for a continental breakfast and we hang out for awhile just enjoying the views and the weather. We decide to leave for Old Koloa Town around 11:30am for lunch at our favorite hole-in-the-wall tacqueria on the road to Po’ipu from Koloa. We wander a bit until we find the right strip mall (which is a lofty description of this place) and discover that the tacqueria is now a hole-in-the-wall grill with hamburgers and teriyaki. The good news is that we saw a monster burrito stand in Old Koloa town. (Even calling this a stand is an exaggeration! It is a 8’ square canopy enclosed in screen wire.) The menu is limited, but va-va-voom! We have found a gem.

CA and I opt for the blackened mahi mahi monster burrito, while PM+MM choose the steak. This is a simple construction—shredded red cabbage, some fresh tomato salsa, steak/fish, and their secret sauce (mayonese). The young woman also quick-fried the flour tortillas for some extra crunch. Considering the surroundings, these are not cheap--$8.50 each—but they are so, so good and filling. We almost didn’t have room to share a Lappert’s waffle cone. This time a raspberry, vanilla, white chocolate, fudge, and chocolate chip flavor. PM+MM shared a chocolate, marshmallow, almond, etc. cone.

We are fortified and continue on to Spouting Horn for some dramatic photos and a quick walk through the crafters booths. We take a quick tour of the Marriott Waiohi, checking out the beach and restrooms. Then we drive to the Hyatt and hike out onto Shipwreck (Keoniloa) Beach and up Makawehi Point. MM is dazzled and can’t take enough photos—many times venturing too close to the edge causing PM to panic. I suggest that we retrieve the car keys and make sure his life insurance is paid up. We spend lots of time up on Makawehi Point and then hike down and do a quick spin around the Hyatt pools and cut through their magnificent lobby and back out to the car.

CA wants to skip Polihale for today because it is already 4:30pm, but I prevail and we drive up the west side of the island to the very end of the road and take the left turn into Polihale State Park. This is kind of a joke because it is the longest, ruttiest, roughest and sometimes narrowest 5 miles of sugar cane field road that ends at a tree lined bank of dunes. Our kids have dubbed the this Bobble Head Beach because of the bouncing and jerking our poor heads have to endure as we drive through all the ruts and bumps on this road.

When you hike up the small dune and get your first view of the beach and scenery at Polihale… Well, what can I say. You just stop breathing for a few moments. This is my very favoritest place on Kaua’i.

Polihale is grey and overcast this evening but we are enthralled and wander the beach and take photos and shake our heads and exclaim over the beauty. We wait for sunset and soon decide we will come back in a couple of days to experience the brilliant and various shades of blue that the Pacific displays in contrast to the black and ominous Napali coastline.

Steak sounds good tonight, so we drive back through Waimea to the Wrangler Steakhouse for dinner. Three of us order the NY strip and CA chooses a grilled pork chop with sweet/sour crispy onions. Our entrees comes with potatoes and a trip to the very, very small soup and salad bar. The most interesting item on the salad bar turns out to be pickled radishes and CA and I are smitten. We will buy some when we get home. The soup is a Portuguese bean with potatoes and sausage and kidney beans. It is a rich and hearty soup and I want more! Our steaks are simply marvelous. One of the best NY strips I can remember. Just before the check comes I order a slice of Lilikoi pie (passion fruit) to split four ways. This turns out to be a frozen dessert. A unique and refreshing flavor and we all enjoy it but can’t say it will be our favorite.

We cross the street to a small grocery for some bottled water, Maui chips, and a few other necessities… So far we have managed to not buy anything that requires preparation/eating in our suite. MM drives us home to the Marriott Kalapaki Beach where CA and I opt for an early night while MM+PM head once again to the hot tub. Watch that girl! She may be on the trail of another Lappert’s.

Good night. We are planning a resort day tomorrow with lots of reading and pool/beach time.

Aloha.