Living Positive: Moving on to the Garden Island

June 16, 2021

Don didn’t have to work today so after coffee on the lanai, we went across the street to the Moana Surfrider hotel for breakfast. This is an elegant place and was the first big hotel built on Waikiki beach, opening in 1901. There are old photos and historical information on the second floor which we thought were interesting, especially when you see how the area looked before it was developed. In fact when Don’s grandmother visited Oahu in the 1930’s she stayed with friends who had a home on Waikiki beach!

We had time to kill before our afternoon flight to Kauai, so we headed to find the second oldest hotel, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel which is easy to spot from the shoreline because the outside structure is pink stucco. However, It is not easy to find the entrance from the street side because it is hidden behind a big mall which blocks it from the main drag.This hotel is really lovely and has an old Hollywood feel. It’s historical archives were harder to find than at the Moana. We ended up asking for help and were directed to the basement next to the spa. Of course! There were great photos of famous people who have stayed there like young Shirley Temple, Mickey Rooney, and Bing Crosby. This hotel opened in 1927. The opening night black tie gala was $10 a plate which is equivalent to $1,000 today! A fun fact that we learned was that after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, the hotel shut its doors to the public and became a place of R&R for US Navy personnel. It reopened to the public in 1947.

Later in the afternoon, we hopped on a short 20 minute flight to the island of Kauai. We really lucked out because just yesterday the governor of Hawaii announced that visitors flying within islands no longer needed a Covid test. If this change hadn’t occurred, we would have had to get another test to fly to Kauai and then yet another test when we flew back to Oahu to catch our connecting flight home. We talked to a couple later on who were not as lucky and ended up paying $400/ea for tests at their hotel!

As I mentioned earlier, rental cars are scarce on the islands. I found out from a friend about an app called Turo where you can rent people’s personal cars like you rent houses on VRBO. So we decided to try it. After we landed, Don received a text giving us instructions on where the car was parked. After Don sent proof of his drivers license next to the license plate of the car, it was unlocked remotely and the keys were inside - slick! We now had a new Subaru Crosstrek with only 420 miles on it to use for the week!

The first thing I saw and heard when we walked to the car was a rooster. There are chickens and roosters roaming everywhere on the island. We have since learned why. In 1992 hurricane Iniki hit Kauai and caused millions of dollars worth of damage. It also blew down many chicken coops so the chickens ran free. Since then wild chickens are everywhere on the island. Supposedly they are not good to eat or their eggs, if you could ever find one.

We decided to rent a VRBO condo on the north side of the island. The north side gets more rain so it has the most vegetation. Wow, was this true! The farther north we drove, the more lush it got. The mountains were huge and covered with green. I guess there is a reason why Kauai is called the Garden Island. Our condo was in Princeville which has many nice homes and resorts but is not too populated. Our condo was secluded and overlooked the ocean. There was no air conditioning but we didn’t need it. All that was needed was to open the windows and let the sea breeze blow in. It was very calming to let the sounds of ocean waves lull us to sleep.

Before bed, however, was the matter of dinner. We had stocked up with some essentials at the Kapp’a Safeway- wine, eggs, bread, pineapple, etc. but nothing for dinner. This was on purpose on my part. Vacation isn't a vacation if I have to make dinner. Unfortunately, there are not many restaurants in Princeville. We ended up at the bar at a pizzeria watching an Australian surfing competition on TV. Perfect!