that was going to expire in April. Back in mid-December, I requested an exchange to
for any time in February 2019, which was granted at the end of the month - quite speedy! We invited Kaleb's mom Sue and her husband Gerry to join us as they had never been to Kauai. Then we thought that we should stay longer and invite my parents, so I deposited another week, hoping to get an exchange for the week after. Amazingly, my request was fulfilled in eight days and we could book airfare earlier than expected. Unfortunately, my parents weren't able to make the trip; other friends were invited but declined, so Kaleb and I would have the entire place to ourselves.
It was fortunate that both weeks started on Saturday (check-in day could also be on Friday or Sunday), which allowed the property to assign us the same villa for the entire stay so we didn't have to pack up and move. When I checked my Marriott account online, the two separate 7-night reservations were combined into one 14-night stay. Cash rate was around $4500 for a week in a 2-bedroom island view villa, so by exchanging our timeshare, we saved about $7000 for the entire stay after taking into account the annual maintenance fees, Interval membership, Interval exchange fees and villa upgrade fee (from exchanging my 1-bedroom week for the 2-bedroom at Waiohai). What a great deal for a 2-bedroom in a resort for around $150/night!
Kaleb had a
$99 companion certificate from having the
Alaska Airlines credit card, which we utilized to book our airfare, saving $300 on the second ticket. The cost was also reduced by redeeming an Alaska Airlines gift card, fully reimbursed by the $100 airline incidental credit offered by the no-annual-fee
FNBO TravElite AMEX. (currently not available, but a great card to consider if they ever open applications again, since they're pretty much paying you to carry it) Finally, I paid the remainder with my
Citi Prestige credit card, which triggered the annual $250 travel statement credit. (this last step can no longer be done after October 1, 2019, as Alaska Airlines now requires paying with their credit card when redeeming the companion certificate) While checking in at 24 hours prior to departure, I was able to move our seats into the exit row at no charge.
Based on our experience
last October, we decided not to rent a car for the entire stay. Since we had already explored the entire island on previous trips, the car mostly sat in the parking lot. Even though we had rented it using Chase Ultimate Rewards points, it wasn't worth doing again. We decided to rent a car only on arrival and departure days. There was a
Hertz office at the Sheraton Kauai (about a 15 minute walk from the Marriott) where we could drop off and pick up, thankfully without a one-way fee. Sue and Gerry would rent their own car so they could explore the island during the week.
On with the trip...
Our non-stop flight to Kauai was leaving in the morning from San Jose. We were able to catch breakfast at the
Club at SJC lounge, thanks to having a complimentary Priority Pass membership. (available through various credit cards like AMEX Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve) When our plane was done boarding, it turned out that Kaleb and I had the entire exit row to ourselves, so it was nice to be able to spread out for the 6 hour flight.
Sue and Gerry were arriving separately a few hours after us, so Kaleb and I picked up our rental car and headed to
Marriott's Waiohai Beach Club to check in and store our luggage as the villa was not yet ready for occupancy. Then we headed back to the airport and waited in the cell phone "lot" (curbside parking on the street) until they arrived. We then grabbed a late lunch at
Kauai Beer Company, serving food that goes well with, what else, beer!
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| hot pastrami reuben |
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| pulled pork sandwich |
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We also made a stop at
Costco to stock up on groceries for the week ahead. It's nice that the prices are the same as on the mainland.
Our villa was ready when we returned to the resort. It was located on the top floor, facing the pool. Underground parking, elevators and luggage carts were very convenient. The condo had been remodeled since the
last time I was here in 2011, with updated decor and local toiletries. I was also happy to find
Koloa Fruit Stand within walking distance of the property.
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| living room/kitchen with sofabed |
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| master bedroom |
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| second bedroom with sofabed |
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| view out the balcony |
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| great resort for Pokemon Go |
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The next day, when we returned our rental car at the Sheraton Kauai, Sue and Gerry picked up their car to tour the island for the rest of the week. Kaleb and I passed time relaxing on the beach, visiting the fruit stand, and walking around the Poipu area.
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| heading to the fruit stand |
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| papayas and longans |
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| seals... |
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| ...and turtles on the beach |
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| star gazing |
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The four of us went out for dinner at
Keoki's Paradise, located in the Poipu Shopping Village across the street from our resort. Reservations were made on
OpenTable. The mai tais here were excellent as it was made with local Koloa rum. There was live entertainment when we were dining. We had dessert over at nearby
Papalani Gelato; tip: if you are celebrating something special like a birthday/anniversary/etc. and note this on your Keoki's OpenTable reservation, you will get a complimentary (huge) slice of hula pie.
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| mai tai in tiki glass |
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| complimentary pineapple carrot muffins |
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The rest of the week went by fast. Kaleb and I tried out the various lawn games on the property. We all went snorkeling on the beach right behind the resort and warmed our bodies afterwards in the hot tub. Sue and Gerry went on an island helicopter ride with
Mauna Loa, a gift for Sue's 60th birthday from her children, and had a spectacular time with perfect weather and doors off! In fact, they had such a great experience that they ended up gifting us a ride for the week after. Also, friends of theirs, Karen and Earl, happened to be cruising on NCL's
Pride of America, stopping in Kauai, so they came by the villa to spend the evening with us and go hot-tubbing.
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| watching Kaleb swim from our balcony |
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| pretty extensive fitness center |
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| taking over gyms |
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| beautiful sunsets every night |
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When the week was over, Sue and Gerry flew to the big island of Hawaii for the rest of their vacation; Kaleb and I remained at the Waiohai for a second week, with the highlight being the island helicopter tour. We had never done this on Kauai (have been
in Alaska) and we definitely recommend it!
We rented a car for one day in order to get to the helicopter tour office, located at
Harbor Mall. Parking was free. Restrooms were available in the outdoor mall. We had to watch a helicopter safety video, then checked out a cell phone holder in order to take pictures. (driver's license as collateral) We then were shuttled to the landing pad. You can keep light belongings with you as there is a storage bin under the seat in the helicopter. We wore our hoodies as Sue and Gerry warned that it could get cold. The seat belts were similar to ones in the front seat of a car. The weather wasn't as perfect as we flew through a little bit of drizzle and air currents at the beginning of the flight. My nerves became more at ease when the pilot explained the turbulence like the bobbing of a boat on the ocean, perfectly normal(?!). And yes, doors off! It's not so easy to stick your hand outside - the wind pushes everything back in so you can't really fall out easily.
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| our yellow helicopter |
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| doors off! |
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42-second clip of the Napali Coast: (click
here if you cannot see the preview below)
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| water weeps out of Waialeale, one of the wettest spots on Earth |
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| safely back on ground |
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Summary: WOW!!! One hour went by too fast. We got so close to the steep peaks in Napali that it felt like we could touch them. Many of the sights cannot be reached on foot or car as there is no access. I've never seen so many waterfalls in one day. Highly recommend!
After the tour, we had burgers and taro chips across the street at Kalapaki Beach Hut (now closed as of Sep 15, 2019). Then we enjoyed a shave ice for dessert at
Skinny Mike's. They sell only one size - HUGE!
We chilled out the rest of the week. Since I forgot to bring my waterproof camera, I don't have any pictures from snorkeling.
Poipu Beach Park has a lot of fish to see as well as some spots in front of Waiohai Beach.
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| poke and papaya |
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| always awesome sunsets |
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| conveniently located BBQs in the resort |
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| free DVD rentals in the lobby |
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| surprise - a seedless papaya?!? |
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Check out on Friday was at 10am; we had picked up the rental car the day before from the Sheraton Kauai. Since we had some time before our flight, we drove to
Waimea Canyon, then into Kapaa for some lunch at
Pono Market.
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| Waimea Canyon |
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| prepared food at Pono Market |
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| kalua pork and poke combo |
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| free fruit too |
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Again, we were blessed with an entire exit row to ourselves.
And that was the end of our two week trip to Kauai! I love staying at Marriott's Waiohai Beach Club with all of its amenities, kitchen, BBQs, nearby snorkeling and its proximity to restaurants and stores. Kauai is our favorite island because of its small size and relaxed atmosphere. (though we don't mind visiting any of the Hawaiian islands in general) If you are interested in going to Kauai or any other island, contact me and I would be happy to help you plan your trip!
We will return to Kauai in October with my parents, but in the meantime, what's next in April? A trip to Tokyo, followed by a 14-night transpacific cruise...stay tuned!
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Another disclaimer: The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
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