Tragic Sandwich

Tag: Kauai

  • Top 5 Vacation Locations

    Thanks once again to Ginger at Ramble Ramble for providing today’s prompt: What are your top 5 vacation locations?

    Can I just list Kauai five times?

    1) Kauai. Well, clearly this was going to be on the list. Mr. Sandwich and I went here on our honeymoon and have gone back twice since. The only thing keeping us from going now is the third plane ticket–and our reluctance to inflict plane travel on Baguette and Baguette on plane travel. (Fellow passengers: you’re welcome!). We’ll get there when she’s a little older. And I will drink more of this.

    Aloha Maid Passion Orange drink

    2) Santa Barbara. Much more accessible than Kauai, and a wonderful place to vacation with small children. We’ve been there three times–a week each in the summers of 2011 and 2012, plus a long weekend earlier this year–and enjoy speculating about where we’d buy a home there if we won the lottery. So I guess it’s not that much more accessible than Kauai.

    Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens

    3) The Grand Canyon. Mr. Sandwich and I spent a long Labor Day weekend there in 2003. We splurged and stayed in the tiny Bright Angel Cabins. When I called to book them, the reservation agent must have said five times, “Now, you understand that the cabins do not have a view of the canyon.” I finally said, “Am I allowed to go outside of the cabin?” She laughed and said, “Yes,” so I replied, “Then we should be fine.” They must get a lot of complaints. Which is ridiculous because the cabins are maybe 30 yards from the rim of the canyon. Seriously, people, calm down and open the door. It’ll be fine.

    Grand Canyon

    4) North Fork Campground. It looks like this is now members-only, but we camped here (okay, maybe somewhere near here) at least twice when I was a kid, and we didn’t belong to squat (except a summer swimming pool, because joining was the only way to get into a swimming pool). But I have fond memories of floating down the river on inner tubes, and a less fond memory of spotting a snake. Actually, I should broaden this to 1970s-era family campgrounds in general, because that’s mostly how my family vacationed back then, visiting historical locations like Harpers Ferry while participating in miniature golf by day and square dancing by night. With that in mind, here is a photo of a totally different location.

    Lake

    5) The British Isles. My first big international trip was to England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. My parents and brother and I toured England (my mother saved up for years for this trip), and my dad’s parents joined us once we reached Scotland. After a week, I branched off with my grandparents to tour more of Scotland and Northern Ireland while my parents and brother returned home. Now, if you’re thinking, “Northern Ireland–that sounds dangerous,” then let me point out that while we were there, Lord Mountbatten was assassinated. So, yeah, I guess maybe it was. But we were fine, so that’s worth keeping in mind in a week of State Department travel alerts.

    Scotland

  • The Sandwiches Eat Food on Kauai

    One of the benefits of vacationing in a condo is that you have a kitchen. While I don’t harbor much interest in cooking while on vacation, I’m perfectly happy to buy bagels at the local Costco, and yogurt, hot dogs, and other items at my favorite markets in Koloa: Big Save and Sueoka’s. I even bought a T-shirt at Sueoka’s, as if it were a concert and not a grocery store.

    But we didn’t eat every meal in the condo, and naturally we made a point of visiting some old favorites. Upon arrival we had plate lunches at L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, and when dinner arrived it was time for calzones at Pizzetta. One evening we had a lavish and delightful meal at Plantation Gardens, which has become a Kauai tradition for us.

    On Friday, after snorkeling at Anini Beach but before leaving for Ha’ena and Tunnels Beaches, we paused for a bite at the Anini Beach Lunch Shak. It isn’t really a Shak, or even a Shack; it’s a lunch truck, serving a variety of tacos and burritos. I went for the fish tacos, and Mr. Sandwich had a kalua pig burrito. (This does not involve an entire pig, at least not at the time that you’re eating it.) Everything was good, but a little bland; the addition of the truly excellent salsa made it quite tasty. Dinner was actually breakfast-for-dinner at Lihue’s Oki Diner, which touts its pancakes and offers a variety of syrups (I opted for coconut). Verdict? Okay, but not amazing. I think their main strength is that they are open 22 hours on an island where most restaurants seem to close at 3 p.m. Our visit must have come at their slow time, because we were the only patrons, and we didn’t stay anywhere near 22 hours.

    Alas, the Camp House Grill in Kalaheo is closed, which means no more of their delicious pies. However, across the street is the Ohana Cafe, which makes excellent burgers, fries, and saimin. Note: a small bowl of saimin here is a meal, but we were really hungry. Then, by the end of our visit, we were really full. However, I did take home a slice of their ola pie, which is a Fig Newton crust filled with banana ice cream, peanut butter, and chocolate. Even lasting for two days, it was a little overwhelming–tasty, but with a lot going on. The answer, I think, is to concentrate on the main course, which they do really well; their menu is limited, but focused.

    Duane’s Ono Char Burger in Anahola is an institution. I opted for the teriyaki burger and a marionberry shake. I have no idea what a marionberry is, but I do know that it makes a great shake. The burgers were messy but good, and the fries were amazing.

    We had still more burgers at Kalapaki Beach Hut in Lihue. From the top deck you can see part of the bay at Lihue. You can also feed french fries to birds, although we probably weren’t supposed to do that. My conclusion is that, overall, Kauai is a good place for burgers. Especially teri burgers. I think I’m in love with them.

    Our last meal in Hawaii was at the Olympic Cafe. It’s open after 3, and we were in the middle of the aforementioned deluge. Service wasn’t fast, but it was friendly, and our meals (kalua pig burrito, kalua pig sandwich) were tasty and enormous. The result was that the restaurant was a nice place to while away both a rainstorm and a few hours before our flight–and we had a great view of the weirdly brown ocean.

    We also tried malasadas, a Portuguese donut (more spherical, no hole) at two locations: Hanalima Bakery and the Kauai Coffee visitor center. Both were good, but we determined that the best malasadas we had were on our last trip, at a stand outside the K-Mart. The secret? They were fresh, which takes a malasada from good to delectable.

    On the whole, we ate well. A little too well, I fear. But that’s vacation for you.

  • The Sandwiches Have Adventures on Kauai

    Why, yes, we have been on the island of Kauai. And it’s been a great week. So great that it cannot be confined to one post. Or it could, but it would be a very long post, and who wants to read that? No one, that’s who. Whom. Whatever. So let’s start with the exciting stuff and later move on to food.

    We arrived late Thursday morning and checked into our condo at the Prince Kuhio Resort in Poipu, on the south shore of the island. This is where we’ve stayed on each of our three Kauai trips; many of the units fit nicely within our budget, and the large studio has a kitchen–meaning we can have bagels and the like on hand for breakfast. But I digress into food.

    Friday we drove to the north shore for some snorkeling. Our first stop was at Anini Beach, which had looked promisingly calm two years ago. This time it wasn’t as calm, and the snorkeling wasn’t all that interesting. So we headed a little further west to find ourselves at Ha’ena Beach Park, which has poor snorkeling but quite a bit of parking. Adjacent to Ha’ena Beach Park is Tunnels Beach, where the snorkeling was fantastic. We had a great time splashing around the reef, where I saw what I swear is the girliest fish I’ve ever seen–white near the head, becoming pink toward the tail, and what appeared to be eyeshadow and mascara. In fact, I was struck by how much fish look like cartoons of fish.

    Saturday found us renting bikes and heading through Poipu and down a cane road to Mahaulepu Beach, where we found fishermen and several families camping. The sea was rough due to a surge from the south, but I only got scraped up a little on the rocks. This was a repeat outing; we made the same trip two years ago and enjoyed it both times.

    On Sunday we had what was, inarguably, The Best Time Ever. And what was that? Why, it was the Waterfall ATV Tour offered by Kipu Ranch Adventures. The guides provided simple instructions and sent everyone in practice loops around the yard, and then we were off, riding across one of the island’s historic land grants. After a stop to talk about the history of the ranch and its appearance in any number of Hollywood blockbusters (Jurassic Park, Outbreak, Six Days and Seven Nights, Mighty Joe Young, etc.), we drove along an earthen dam, between tree-lined berms, and down a steep hill–where we paused again for instruction on descents and how to navigate trenches. Both of us were new to ATVs, and found that the instructions and demonstrations increased our safety and comfort. After any number of scenic views, we found ourselves on the bank of the river where Indiana Jones escaped from the Hovitos via vine and seaplane in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Naturally, we made several of our own leaps into the river. From there it was back to the trails, with stops for lunch and a waterfall swim. The entire thing was a rattling good time, and although my arms and shoulders were sore from steering the ATV, it really was an amazing way to see a fairly secluded part of the island.

    Monday meant that it was time to go back to the north shore for kayaking on the Hanalei River. The river winds through taro fields that, as it turns out, you can’t really see from your kayak–but we did see a freshwater turtle and a lot of traps that we can only assume were for fish. Once we reached the most navigable point on our inland journey, we turned around and headed for the point where the river meets the sea. There we beached on a sandbar and splashed around in the warm, calm waters of Hanalei Bay.

    We weren’t done with the north shore; the snorkeling at Tunnels was so good that we went back for more on Tuesday. We saw an enormous variety of fish, but the highlights were definitely the leopard eel, and the sea turtle hunting for lunch.

    Wednesday meant that it was time for another ATV ride–we went back to Kipu Ranch, this time for the Ranch Tour. This time the trails were a bit more advanced, and we headed up to the pass to Kipu Kai–a secluded set of beaches on the ocean side of the mountain range that divides the ranch. The views were unparalleled–and, due to the seclusion of the locale, rare even for locals.

    Alas, all trips must come to an end. With a redeye ahead of us, we spent Thursday driving westward, with a variety of stops, including the Waimea swinging bridge and Kauai Coffee. We learned that a flash-flood warning had closed the road to Hanalei, and decided that we should make our way back to the east shore, where the airport is. Sure enough, we found ourselves in a deluge that cut power to the Internet cafe in which we had taken refuge. That sent us back on the road, where we passed more time in Kapaa before reluctantly turning in our rental car. Let me tell you, Kauai knows how to have a storm. There was so much runoff from the rivers that right now the ocean is coffee-colored almost all the way to the horizon.

    Hmm. This is still a ridiculously long post. Good thing I saved the food news for later.