Before we left New York City, we searched for a guest house in Kauai; a place we could feel at home in for a week and drive to and from our daily activities without spending too much time on the road.
A Bed of Roses is on the East Shore, less than half an hour from Lihue airport and an hour away from the North and West shores, the farthest points you can go to in Kauai.
We had our own lanai, or patio, our own equipped kitchen with barbeque grill to cook some of our meals. We loved our king-sized bed and our spacious bathroom. We welcomed the strong water pressure.
As soon as we met Grethe (pronounced "Garita"), we were left alone the entire week--just the way we like it. Their Cocker Spaniels, Mike and Thumper, welcomed us every day we returned. We felt so at home, we did not mind that our house was right below the entire family's. They run a greenhouse a few yards away and movies set in Hawaii rent their plants for props.
Amenities include: DSL (but please leave your laptop at home!), king-sized bed, phone, cable, microwave, refrigerator, gas barbeque grill, coffee maker and grinder, snorkel gear, beach towels and beach chairs. They were all useful to us! There was also coffee, juice, rolls and cereals in the kitchen for our taking.
A Bed of Roses
Wailua Homesteads
808/822-0853
We drove by the Opaeka'a Falls every day because it is on the way to our guest house. The picturesque falls gets its name, which means "rolling shrimp," from the shrimp that lay their eggs at the base of the falls.
There's a lookout off Highway 580 where you can park your car and take photos. Try stopping by early in the day to avoid the busloads of tourists who also stop by to take photographs.
There is apparently a way down to the falls, but it is unmarked, and you will be trailblazing like pigs. It rained almost every day on the East Shore when we were there, so we didn't even make any attempts.
Opaeka'a Falls
Wailua State Park |
