Anahola / Aliomanu

If you haven’t been to one of our local farmer’s markets, it’s well worth the time, especially if you are staying in a vacation rental instead of a hotel room. Why? Well, you can find a lot of great local produce from fresh fruits to homegrown vegetables. But that won’t do you as much good unless you’re staying somewhere with a kitchen, if you know what I mean.

This Wednesday (aka tomorrow) from 3pm-6pm, the weekly Kapaa Farmers Market and Swap Meet will take place. This is one of the better Farmers Markets because you can get excellent produce and also amazing deals on swapped items. Last year, a friend of mine got a $200 surfboard as a trade in for car parts! Can you believe it!?? Of course, I don’t surf, so I didn’t even consider the surfboard. But I’ve gotten clothes, other water sports gear, and a few items for my home from this swap meet. So I know it’s worth a visit.

I try to get there every Wednesday, but lately I’ve only been going once a month. I got a bit busy, I guess, so I don’t have as much free time in the afternoons. But if you have the time, I would highly recommend visiting this Farmers Market. It’s free for anyone wanting some good deals and fresh foods, and it’s only $20 for vendors to set up a booth. So everyone wins.

I’ll include a map of where it’s located (plus it shouldn’t be hard to find on a GPS). My recommendation is to enter the market from behind the Bank of Hawaii on Lehua Street and park there, as there will be less traffic. And once you get there, have fun! Browse, buy, and support our local growers.

Anini / Kalihiwai

If you decide to stay on the North Shore and want to take your kids to the Anini Beach swimming area, then I have a vacation rental suggestion for you. One of the best rentals near Anini Beach is Puanani, which is a short walk away from the water. Why is it nice? Well, let me tell you about it.

The first thing I loved about this vacation rental is the interior design. Now, normally I would be bragging about the space and the price (which I will get to), but you can’t help but love this place when you walk into it. This is a two story home with high ceilings and a fun and tropical interior theme. The support posts are painted in bright, friendly colors and the staircase to the second floor is simply beautiful. So, if you are a fan of unique interior design at all, you must visit this place.

Okay, onto the good stuff. This place is HUGE. Seriously, it is a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 2 living room vacation home tucked into a tropical paradise. The size makes it easy to find your own space, even if you are vacationing with 6 other people. The locational privacy makes it ideal for vacationing families or up to 4 couples vacationing together. And the price is unbeatable, especially if you are looking into hotel costs. (But I’ll get to that in a minute.)

As well as the size, this place has a few amenities. For instance, each bedroom has a bathroom, so there is no fighting over the shower in the morning. The living room couch also folds out into a sofa sleeper, making this a house for up to 8 people. Plus, there is a large wrap-around covered deck on the second floor with tables and chairs, so you can relax each evening while BBQing up a meal and watching the stars above the foliage of the mountain. Yep, it’s nice.

Other amenities for this place include a fully-equipped kitchen for all of your cooking needs, two separate living rooms so you can break up into groups, and free wireless internet for those who need to check my blog for the latest updates. ☺ There is a large yard out front where you can run around and play, and there are fruit trees on the property that you are allowed to pick for some delicious treats. And, if you packed light, that’s okay! There is a washer and drying in the home for easy laundry services.

Now for the cost. If you have researched hotel rooms at all, then you know that they can run anywhere from $200-$500 per night. So, if you and three other couples want to come to Kauai together, that would be between $800 and $2000/night for your group. (Doesn’t sound good, am I right?) HOWEVER, this enormous vacation home is only $2,500 for the week! That’s 7 nights of lodging for up to 4 couples for only $2,500. And when you add on space, amenities, location to the beach, etc… well, you can see why this is a good deal and a nice house.

So, if you are going to be visiting the Anini area, check out Puanani in Kilauea. You are simply going to LOVE this place.

Haena

If you decide to stay on the North Shore and want to visit a great beach with lifeguard protection that is perfect for swimming, I would suggest coming to Haena. There is a vacation home here, called Haena Place, that might be just perfect for you and your family, especially if you are a family of 4 or less.

Haena Place is located in a quiet neighborhood in Haena, tucked away into a small cul-de-sac. It is a two-story home with a wrap-around deck that overlooks the lush tropical mountains. So each morning you can step out onto the deck with your family, your food, and your coffee and have a nice breakfast while looking out onto the beautiful tropical landscape.

The house itself is perfect for a small family. There are two bedrooms. The larger of the two has a King-sized bed and the smaller room has a Queen. Plus, there are 1 ½ baths, so the kids will have their own bathroom for everything except showers. The living room is just right for watching one of the movies in the bookshelf for checking out what’s on cable. And the kitchen is fully stocked with the utensils and cooking equipment necessary to make a wonderful meal. You just need to pick up some ingredients.

Plus, the location of this home is perfect. Not only is it located in a safe and quiet neighborhood, but it’s also only a short distance away from Tunnel’s Beach and Haena Beach Park. Haena Beach Park, as you know, is a lifeguarded beach. Plus, the natural shape of the underwater obstacles decrease the large surf, making this beach perfect for swimming and snorkeling. So if you want a family adventure on the beach, this is the place to stay.

And the price is the best part. Hotels are really expensive and you don’t get anything more than a room and a bathroom. It’s even worse when you think of having to spend your entire vacation sharing a small space with your kids. The lack of privacy and crazy mess will get to anyone after a while. But this house is only $1,350 a week! Seriously, price some hotels and you’ll see what a wonderful deal this is. And when you consider all of the amenities you get when you rent a home instead of a hotel room, you’ll definitely decide in favor of Haena Place. You can take my word for it.

Hanalei

So, every few posts or so on this blog, I throw in some information about local vacation homes for rent. This way, if you are reading along and my words are convincing you to come visit, you will know about all of the good places to stay! It’s my service to you. ☺ And that’s why I’m going to tell you about Hale Ylang Ylang in Hanalei.

Now, this month is all about food for me. (Yes, mostly food I can’t have now that I’m on a diet, but still…) And so I wanted to showcase a gorgeous house that also had a fully set-up kitchen and was a short walk away from some nice restaurants. Hale Ylang Ylang is that vacation home.

Actually, it’s a town house, located right near Hanalei Bay. The view is beautiful, which is probably why the house has so many large windows. In fact, the dining room has a long table situated between two extremely large, wide windows. The result is the feeling that you are eating outside in a tropical garden.

And the house itself is exquisite. I know that’s an odd word to use for a house, but this house has such appeal for me. It has hardwood floors, wood paneling that offsets the lighter shades of furniture, a quaint little stairway, a cozy window seat (really more of a window bed) with a bookshelf, and intricate little details that make it all at once cute, spacious, light, respectable, and perfect for any family.

There are two master bedrooms downstairs with King-sized beds, private bathrooms, and all of the privacy you could want. So you could bring your best friends and easily have enough space. Plus, there is an outdoor shower for after swimming in the ocean, cable tv, a DVD player, high speed internet, a washer/dryer unit, and, most importantly, a kitchen to drool over.

The kitchen has granite counter-tops, stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, a small island for prepping dinner, and all of the equipment you’ll need to make a great meal. All it’s missing is some food, which local markets can easily provide. And speaking of local markets, now we’re getting into the heart of this post: walking distance.

This town house is walking distance from town. That means you’ll be walking distance from a great beach, yes. But it also means that you will be walking distance from several stores, a farmer’s market, and a bunch of wonderful restaurants that serve great food all year round! In other words, you will not only have a great kitchen for cooking your own gourmet meals, but you can also go out to eat at a number of gourmet restaurants without having to rent a car!

So, if you like food the way that I do (or if you just like being incredibly close to a beach and a great shopping center), then choose Hale Ylang Ylang for your next vacation rental here on Kauai. You will absolutely love it!

Poipu

With Mother’s Day almost here, I though it would be a good idea to give a shout out to my own mother. Mom – You taught me so much about how to be a woman and how to live my dreams and love my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you!

And now, for the rest of you reading this, let’s talk brunch.

If you don’t know, brunch is the magical meal between breakfast and lunch, the perfect time to take your mom out for a bite to eat. And this year, I recommend Tortilla Republic for your meal needs. Here’s why.

1. Tortilla Republic is yummy. Seriously, their food is really good. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten something there that I didn’t like. They are a “modern Mexican grill,” which means that their Mexican food is grilled to perfection and has a signature flavor that I simply love. In fact, I’m craving it right now just typing about it.

2. They have drinks! Their margaritas are just about famous in both Hawaii and Hollywood. Plus, they have a plethora of other options for you, including their Mother’s Day “Mom-osas”. These are sure to be a big hit.

3. For Mother’s Day, they are featuring a “Mom-osa and Bellini cart.” And they are serving brunch from 9am-3pm. So you can bring your mom down for food and drinks, enjoying your time together with the assistance of a little alcohol. (Which is sadly a necessity for some of you and your moms.)

Now, here is my question: will you be on Kauai for Mother’s Day? Cause if you are, this is a great choice for a brunch, lunch, or dinner date with Mom. And if you are on Kauai but your mom isn’t here, why not go anyway? You can take pictures of your great time and send them to your mom as a Mother’s Day present. ☺ Or you can take me and I can watch you eat all of the amazing food while I try to stick to my diet. *sigh*