I became fascinated with lighthouses and their histories after my adventure in Maine. So I had to visit the Kilauea lighthouse at the northernmost part of Kauai. A lot of birdwatchers visit this spot because the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge is right next door, home to native seabirds like boobies (I love saying that!) and albatross. We stood on Crater Hill which was a part of a long-lost volcano that is now open to hikers, marveling at these huge birds that were nearly flying over our heads!
The lighthouse is open every day up to 4pm. If you just want to see it from afar, standing by Crater Hill is enough of a sweeping view. It's a good stop if you've just visited the Na'Aina Kai Gardens because it's just after the 23-mile marker on Kilauea road.
Kilauea Lighthouse
Kilauea Road
Kilauea, HI
808/828-1413
From the Kilauea lighthouse is the Secret Beach, which isn't so secret anymore. This was our first beach stop and our first experience of Hawaii's fierce waves and undertow. We ran back to our car and grabbed our boogie boards after we were taken aback by the strong waves. It wasn't even high tide yet!
You have to walk down a dirt road. It's a good idea to have your shoes on first and just take them off as soon as you settle near the water. We were there a little after noon. The sun was fierce and we were forced to sit under the trees, far, far away from the water. It's best if you have a beach umbrella to situate yourself by the dunes and feel like you have the beach to yourself.
Kauapea Secret Beach
West of Kilauea off a dirt road
A relaxing massage was, of course, on the top of my list of things to do in Hawaii, but the insanely expensive prices were making me lose hope when I started my Kauai research. Hawaii is known as a honeymoon spot, so naturally, prices are for couples who are so in love they don't mind the splurge.
I avoided the spa services available at the resorts because their prices were way over my budget. I diligently searched on the Web and luckily, Leslie, or Manima in Hawaiian, responded to my e-mail and assured me that her massage services would be as relaxing as any of what the exclusive resorts offer.
Manima has been studying yoga since the 1970s and she started concentrating on massage therapy soon after. She has a few therapists working for her, and once you make an appointment, she will arrange the perfect person for your needs. You have two options for a suitable location when you choose to get a massage from Manima: one is at the Kauai Athletic Club, where they set up a tent by the pool for your session; the other is on a hill overlooking the Wailua River in Wailua. The latter is an obvious choice, but we actually selected the Athletic Club because of the amenities included. We were at the club an hour before our 5:30pm appointment and we were able to sign in to use their sauna and Jacuzzi. I sat in the sauna room inside the women's locker room for half an hour to relax and jumped in the Jacuzzi by the pool to cool off.
We chose the simple yet delicious Hawaiian Lomilomi massage combined with Hot Stone therapy for $105 per person. It was our first day in Kauai and we wanted to start our week-long stay right. The massage put us at such ease, we continued on to dinner like zombies.
Mana Massage
inside the Kauai Athletic Club
Kukui Grove Executive Center
Lihue, HI
808/822-4746
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