Thanks for your short concise report. Though I don't mind the long one's either. There really is no place like Hanalei. There's something magical about that part of the island. It cast its' spell on me years ago and I've been smitten ever since.

Thanks for sharing. I really like the Marriott facility. We stay across the street in a condo but love to explore the facility and eat at Duke's (sorry you thought it was just ok).

We like staying in Lihue since it is central to the south and north and we enjoy both areas of the island.

12 more days and we will be in paradise!

"It was a pretty long drive over to the North side from Lihue and next time we want to stay over there."

Another * for the North Shore. Welcome to our club! It is gorgeous and addictive. Thanks for letting us in on your vacation.

Ditto and Amen to what jebett said. (Shh, don't tell more people!) ;)

haha - you guys are funny . . . yes, here is another Hanalei addict - just love that place . . . wish I was there right now, wandering around, looking for a place to eat!

Glad you had a good time! :)

Hi preslb.

Thanks for these notes and highlights about your trip.

Especially appreciated your comments regarding.....the Marriott in Lihue and about Duke's as being "just ok but not great"'!;

and about Hanalei and your great breakfast at the Wakeup Cafe and at Java Kai and lunch and cold beer at Kalypso's.

Curious that your next sentence spoke of Polihale Park, as if it was also a North "side" destination. Me thinkin that maybe you meant to mention that this beach is a west shore out of the way destination!

Could you maybe tell us about how you got there? Was the access road in good shape ...good enough for the average car rental?

Thanks for the heads up regarding the Holo-Holo Charters and their sunset cruise...and about the Prince Course at Princeville......how many balls you lose? I won't tell anyone!

Thanks for sharing these details with us.

Happy that you got home safely.

Your right Polihale is a long way from the North Coast. We went there on the morning we took the Sunset Cruise out of Port Allen. To get to the beach at Polihale you must take a dirt road from the end of the main highway for about 3 or 4 miles. The road was dry and not to bad just bumpy! If you go the dirt road forts at a large tree about 3 miles in. We went both ways but to the left was quicker to the beach and no people. Like I said you can not really swim there but we had a great morning setting to the beach.

Although we only spend one day west of Luhie, the other beach we liked on the west side of the island was at Salt Pond Park. It is just past Port Allen and was a nice place to swim.

Holo-Holo Charters

I had not really heard anything about this company before our trip and we just book them the day before because it was the only place we found availability. I was impressed with the trip. The staff was great and the captain was very knowledgeable. The sunset cruise left at 2:30pm and gave us the day to explore before getting on the boat. The served appetizers and cold beer and was a great way to finish a full day.

Finally, we really like the Marriott and Luhie is not a bad place to be if you want to see both sides of the island. I’m not really that down on Duke’s. It was just very crowded every night and we prefer quieter place to set at the bar and talk. JJ Riders is another bar in Luhie just down the beach from Duke’s and it is worth checking out if you stay in town.

Wow, my response to my report was longer than the report. Anyway, happy to answer any more questions and have fun on our trips. TAKE ME WITH YOU

Thanks for the report. Am looking forward to trying Polihale beach on this trip and returning to Salt Pond.