Back to Kauai

After many weeks of hard work, Inna and I decided to take a short 5-day trip to Kauai, Hawaii. Initially, we thought Christmas travel to Hawaii would be out of our price range. Still, we found reasonably priced airline tickets on United Airlines from San Francisco to Lihue.

 

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

As our flight to Kauai was scheduled for 6:50pm, I returned home early to pack and prepare for the upcoming trip. I packed my Nvidia backpack with the usual USB-A and USB-C chargers, Dell Laptop, iPad, and Kindle.

We considered ordering Lyft or UberX to the SFO airport, but the prices kept increasing as we got closer to the departure time. We decided to park in Anza Parking to avoid unexpectedly high prices on Monday, December 26.

After dropping off our 2008 Toyota Sienna minivan in Anza Parking, we boarded the airport shuttle and arrived at United Domestic at Terminal 3. After going through security (unusually empty), we decided to eat a light dinner at the airport.

We walked around the terminal to find available restaurants and settled on Union Street Gastropub. Inna ordered a quesadilla, while I ordered a tomato bisque soup. It was a nice, light dinner. Inna also ordered a cup of latte at the nearby Peet's (with a few pastries to take on the plane).

At around 6:30pm, we boarded our United Airlines #1684 from gate E8. It was a packed flight, and it took off on time. While on the flight, I listened to my Audible book from The Teaching Company: The Story of Medieval England (From King Arthur to the Tudor Conquest). I enjoyed the story but did fall asleep during one of the lectures.

We landed in Lihue around 10:30pm Hawaiian time (2-hours ahead of San Jose). I called our Royal Sonesta hotel to get an airport shuttle but needed help getting hold of someone. Eventually, Inna reached the front desk and ordered an airport shuttle, which showed up 20 minutes later.

We were assigned room #2007, and we quickly walked there. It was dark and hard to see our way there. The room was very nice, but no water bottles were in the small mini-fridge.

I connected all the chargers and unpacked my suitcase while Inna quickly went to bed. She was exhausted and had a headache.

Thursday, December 22, 2022

We woke at around 7:30am and dressed for the beach. There was a slight shower, but it did not last very long.

After picking up our beach towels, we found our usual, cozy place under the trees. I wanted to try SUP surfing, and I walked to the nearby Kauai Beach Boys and purchased one week of SUP rentals for $250. It's usually $75/day, but I planned to surf daily.

 

I rented the 9'8" NSP SUP, and it served me well. The waves were relatively small in the morning, but I paddled around Nawiliwili Bay without falling in.

At noon, we decided to eat lunch at Duke's restaurant. We had to wait about 20 minutes for our table and were eventually seated. We ordered the following items:

• Appetizer: Macadamia Nut Hummus
• Boris: Fish & Chips, Iced Tea
• Inna: Truffle Fish Sandwich, Iced Tea

We really enjoyed our lunch!

We returned to our lounges on the beach, and I read some Twitter posts and watched some YouTube videos. I couldn't get into reading the book on my Kindle.

Eventually, I decided to do more SUP surfing and went out for the third time. Although it was pretty windy, there were more waves, and I finally managed to catch and ride 7.

For dinner, Inna made a reservation at 7:15pm in Cafe Portofino. After being seated, we looked at the menu and the wine list. After some discussion, we ordered the following:

• Appetizer: Mozarella Caprese
• Inna: Osso Bucco
• Boris: Scampi Al Limone (Shrimp)
• Dessert: Profiteroles

I really liked my Scampi, and Inna loved her Osso Bucco. She had a large portion and shared a bit with me. The Profiteroles were delicious, though the portion was small.

 

After dinner, we returned to our hotel room #2007 and rested. Inna continued reading her book, and I watched some of Gilda using Plex (on the iPad).

 

Friday, December 23, 2022

We woke at around 8:30 am and dressed for the beach. 

After getting our beach towels, we strolled to the ABC Store nearby to purchase a water bottle (as our Royal Sonesta hotel did not provide any complimentary water bottles).

I rented the 9'8" NSP SUP, and it served me well. The waves were relatively small in the morning, but I paddled around Nawiliwili Bay without falling in.

At noon, we decided to eat lunch at Duke's restaurant. We had to wait about 20 minutes for our table and were eventually seated. We ordered the following items:

• Appetizer: Macadamia Nut Hummus
• Boris: Fish & Chips, Iced Tea
• Inna: Cajun Fish Tacos with Guacamole, Iced Tea

We really enjoyed our lunch!

 

We returned to our lounges on the beach, and I read some Twitter posts and watched some YouTube videos. I couldn't get into reading the book on my Kindle. 

Eventually, I decided to do more SUP surfing and went out for the third time. Although it was pretty windy, there were more waves, and I finally managed to catch and ride 5.

For dinner, Inna made a reservation at 7:00pm at Duke's. After being seated, we looked at the menu and the wine list. After some discussion, we ordered the following:

• Appetizer: Coconut Shrimp
• Inna: El Patron Cocktail, Coconut Braised Seafood
• Boris: Iced Tea, Furikake Ahi
• Dessert: Kauai Pie

I liked my Furikake Ahi, and Inna loved her Coconut Braised Seafood. The Kaui Pie was delicious, as always.

After dinner, we returned to our hotel room #2007 and rested. Inna watched The Office on Plex.

 

Saturday, December 24, 2022

We woke at around 8:30 am and dressed for the beach. We stopped by the hotel's lobby to talk to the Concierge about finding a restaurant on Christmas Day. All of the ones we called were booked.

The Concierge suggested we attend the Christmas Luau from 6:00 to 8:00pm. Although expensive, we decided to book the tickets, as we had no better ideas.

After picking up our beach towels and setting up on the beach, I walked to the Kauai Beach Boys to rent my SUP. The 9'8' NSP was already used, and I rented a 10'2" NSP. The waves were relatively small, but I still caught a few. The 10'2" SUP was much heavier and much harder to get moving.

 

At noon, we decided to eat lunch at Kukui's restaurant. We were given some free Mai-Tai coupons and a free appetizer, and we decided to try out the restaurant.

• Appetizer: Potstickers
• Boris: Fish & Chips, Mai Tai
• Inna: Ahi Poke Bowl, Mai Tai

The Fish and chips were fresh (and even better than Duke's). The Pot Stickers were delicious, too.

We returned to our lounges on the beach, and I read some Twitter posts and watched some YouTube videos. I continued listening to my Audible audiobook.

Eventually, I decided to do more SUP surfing and went out for the second time. The waves were relatively small, and I managed to catch a few.

For dinner, Inna made a reservation at 7:15pm at Lilikoi Restaurant. After being seated, we looked at the menu and the wine list. After some discussion, we ordered the following:

• Appetizer: Bulgogi Kimchi Fries
• Inna: Pina Colada, Macadamia-Crusted Opakapaka
• Boris: Shrimp Scampi
• Dessert: Pineapple Coconut Almond Tart

I liked my Shrimp Scampi as the pasta was delicious and better than Cafe Portofino's.
On the way back to our room, we saw a stunning sunset on the beach. We took lots of photos.

 

After dinner, we returned to our hotel room #2007 and rested.

 

Sunday, December 25, 2022

Mele Kalikimaka! (Merry Christmas in Hawaiian)

We woke at around 8:30 am and dressed for the beach. Inna called the front desk to inquire about late checkout, but it was optional, as regular checkout was scheduled for noon.

 

After picking up our towels and refilling our water bottles, we found our usual lounges near a tree on the beach. I went SUP surfing and walked over to the Kauai Beach Boys.

The NSP 9'8" was available and already waiting for me! I was eager to get out on the water and practice a few SUP moves. There were very few surfers (1-2) and few waves. Eventually, the surf lesson group showed up. I caught a few waves before lunch.

 

As I was paddle-boarding, I saw Santa arrive in an ocean-going canoe. It's a treat to see this Hawaiian version of Santa Claus.

 

 

At 11:45, I finished my SUP surfing session and returned to the lounges on Kalapaki Beach. Inna and I decided to eat at Kukui, as everything else was closed on Christmas (including Duke's).

When we arrived at Kukui, it was busy and understaffed. We found a table and were eventually able to order the following:

• Appetizer: Calamari
• Inna: Lava Flow, Mediterranean Veggie Wrap
• Boris: Iced Tea, Cheese Quesadilla with Chicken

We really like the Calamari. The Quesadilla was of average quality. The service was prolonged, but the waitress was overloaded.

After lunch, we returned to our lounges on the beach. I listened to an Audible audiobook for a bit and then went back out paddle-boarding. It was much more crowded, but the waves were better, too.

At dinner time, we attended the Royal Sonesta Luau. It was a much smaller setting, overlooking Kalapaki Beach. The Hula dancing was quite good, but the food was average. 

 

 

Monday, December 26, 2022

 

In the morning, we woke up early and packed our bags. We walked down to the beach by 9:00am.