[MikeyC]

Vin you are one lucky dog! Kauai is one of my favorite places to go. Lindsay and I stopped there on our honeymoon along with Maui (I know very cliche a honeymoon in Hawaii). I've also visited the island one other time. It's really a beautiful, lush, and green island. When I pictured Hawaii in my mind before I ever got there this is what I pictured. Maui was much more brown (sugar cane fields), overly developed, and touristy.

Like everyone else, I had a fun time visiting the coffee plantation. The best part is being able to sample all kinds of different coffees in the gift shop before buying any. Kona coffee is delicious!

Speaking of delicious . . . here are some restaurant recommendations:

Beach House - if there is one restaurant on the island that you MUST go to it's this one. Call ahead and make a sunset reservation. The whole back of the restaurant is glass sliders and it looks out over the ocean. At sunset, this is one of the most incredible views you've ever seen. The food's great and the "top shelf" mai tai is an addicting drink. Brink your camera and your appetite!

Brenneckes - this is a fun little restaurant. Very relaxed atmoshpere and very casual. Good food.

Roy's - This is a restaurant chain on the west coast and there are several locations in Hawaii. Excellent asian fusion food kind of like Blue Ginger in Wellesley, MA if you've ever eaten there.

Casa Di Amici - You wanted a hidden gem? Well this place defines it. It's in the middle of a residential neighborhood not far from the beach. The food is EXCELLENT. The menu has some italian food but also some meat & potatoes type dishes. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Duke's - This restaurant is attached to the Marriot which is where I stayed on my honeymoon. My wife and I ate at Duke's one meal almost everyday. It's a very casual place with surfing memorabilia on the walls. GREAT fish tacos and they have an ice cream pie dessert that's very good. I think it was called Hula Pie.

Kountry Kitchen - A little greasy spoon restaurant that's great for breakfast. Eggs, pancakes, all your breakfast favorites and for the island priced reasonably.

Let's see a few other things about Kauai . . . the best hotel on the island is easily the Hyatt in Poipu. In fact, I would definitely recommend staying in Poipu in general. I found even when I stayed at the Marriot I ended up driving to Poipu a lot. Defitely do not stay on the northern side of the island. It's the rainy side and gets more precip than anyplace else on earth. It pretty much rains everyday there whether it's for 20 minutes or several hours. The south side of the island gets very little rain.

If you change your mind about golfing . . . try the Kauai golf challenge. Basically, you play 3 courses (Princeville, Poipu Bay, and the one at the Marriot) for the price of 2. The price includes cart and a discount in each of the pro shops. The Prince course at Princeville was easily one of the most challenging and visually interesting courses I've ever played.

It's an island everything is EXPENSIVE especially in the hotel. Hit up the Wal-Mart or local supermarket and stock up on bottled water and snacks to save some cash. Also, use LOTS of sunscreen and reapply often I got a pretty bad burn when we were out there because I never reapply and the sun is so strong.

The first time I went, I really enjoyed an ATV tour of the island. A helicopter tour was fun too. There are some areas not reachable by car that are really something to see. A lot of movies have been filmed on the island and you'll recognize some of the spots.

That's all I can remember right now. If I think of anything else, I'll post again.