Aloha All,

Feeling great with jet lag pau, it's a good day to share some photos with you from our recent trip to Kauai...

These photos are from our first 4 days on the island. We spent an afternoon relaxing on the beach in front of the condo, went to the Farmer's Market at Kauai Community College, had fun at the Kamalani Bridge Playground and enjoyed a day snorkeling and swimming at Lydgate Beach Park.

I'll share more photos with you in a few days...
Aloha Friends!

If you're not quite ready to let go of summer, fall is a great time to visit Kauai! With average temperatures in October of 83F and November 81F...it indeed feels like an endless summer!

We often plan our trips to Kauai in the fall months. In fact our first trip to Kauai was in the middle of September. We loved it! There's a few reasons why I like to recommend this time of year:

• Airfare prices drop significantly after Labor Day. You can get great deals from then until mid December (excluding the week of Thanksgiving).  This is huge when you're traveling on a budget.
• Less people traveling. If a secluded beach sounds heavenly to you, visit in the fall!
• The weather is beautiful! Warm Kauai sunshine with less rain than January, February and March.

If  you seek an endless summer and would like to get away this fall, we do have a few weeks available at the condo. Folks who like to book last minute can stay next week...October 13 through 22! For a shorter stay we have November 7 through 11 open.  November 19 all the way through December 2 is available.  And finally, December 10 through 16. Minimum stay is just 4 nights.

Have you seen The Endless Summer? It is one of my favorite surf movies! It's a documentary filmed in 1966 that follows the fun, often comical adventures of two young surfers who travel around the world in search of waves. The two make it to Hawaii and surf the waves of Waikiki. Such a fun flick to watch on cooler fall days!

Happy Fall and thanks for reading Coconut Diaries! Aloha!

Aloha Readers!

A friend of Coconut Coast Condo's Facebook page recently asked me about free activities to do on Kauai. I thought this would make a great blog post. So, here is my top 10 free things to do on Kauai:

5. See for Miles from the Historic Kilauea Lighthouse
Kilauea Lighthouse was first lighting the way back in 1913. The lighthouse still stands today,  and the area serves as a wildlife refuge that has incredible views! You can see Nene (Hawaii's state bird), Spinner Dolphins as well as seasonal Humpback Whales.

3. Hit the Trail
Explore one of Kauai's many hiking trails.  The first 2 miles of the Kalalau Trail on the Na Pali Coast and the Sleeping Giant Trail both offer spectacular views!

4. Snorkel
Kauai has some awesome snorkeling! In fact you don't even have to have snorkel gear to see some colorful, friendly fish. Often,  you can just look down into the water and see plenty of sea life. Try Lydgate beach, Ke'e beach and Poipu beach.

6. Walk, Jog, Run, Bike the Kauai Coastal Path
This path called Ke Ala Hele Makalae is Hawaiian for "The Path that Goes by the Coast". The paved path runs over 10 miles from just before Lydgate beach all the way  through Kapaa and north to past Kealia beach.   

7. Enjoy a Hula Show
You can see a free hula show at the Coconut Marketplace. The Coconut Marketplace is a open-air beautifully landscaped shopping center located within walking distance of the condo. The hulas shows are every Wednesday at 5pm and Saturday 1pm.

8. Get into Some Culture
Also, at the Coconut Marketplace is the Ka U'i O Ka 'Aina Cultural Center. There are museum quality displays and cultural demonstrations. They also offer classes at nominal fees. We stopped in one day and found the volunteer to be very friendly and happy to share her heritage with us. 

9. See the Largest Coffee Farm in the United States
Take a drive out to Kauai's side and see the largest coffee farm in the US. The Kauai Coffee Company has a visitors center, a gift shop and guided tours of their huge grove. Educational as well as a feast for your eyes and nose!

10. Stargaze
Kauai is the perfect place to gaze up at the night sky. Thankfully there isn't a lot of bright city lights to interfere. In fact, from the beach in front of the condo you can look up and see the billions of stars that make up the Milky Way! What better way to spend an evening than walking along the beach and viewing Kauai's incredible night sky. 

See, some of the best things in life are free! Thanks for reading the Coconut Diaries! As always, feel free to post any comments or questions!

Plantation Hale Suites was voted one of the best budget hotels in Hawaii by the readers of "Hawaii" magazine! Isn't that awesome!? We love Plantation Hale, that's why we bought a condo there. 

Plantation Hale is a fabulous place to enjoy your next vacation. The grounds are beautiful with lots of colorful tropical flowers and coconut palm trees. There's 3 sparkling clean pools, BBQs and picnic areas. The staff is accommodating and friendly with excellent management. To top it all off, the location can't be beat, within walking distance of Waipouli beach, restaurants and shopping.

You can stay at the Coconut Coast Condo at Plantation Hale for just $95 night. No wonder Plantation Hale was voted one of the best budget hotels in Hawaii!

For more "Best of the Best" check out Hawaii Magazine's April 2013 issue!

Just a few minutes walk from the condo is a great Farmers Market. It's held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 am to 12 pm at the Coconut Marketplace. I love Farmers' Markets! They offer a wonderful variety of fresh island produce.  Plus, they can save you a lot of money over grocery store prices. At this particular farmer's market you can also buy fresh flowers , baked goods, honey, beautiful leis and coffee.  We purchased mangoes, papayas, a pineapple, green beans, lettuce, eggplant, tomatoes, star fruit, basil, green onions, avocados, and bananas. You have to try Kauai bananas! They're fresh and have a creamy sweet flavor.  They are so much better than the bananas that have flown from 3,000 miles away to get to the grocery stores back on the mainland! 

This was our complimentary meal flying back to the mainland on Hawaiian Airlines. Yes, that's real food--in coach! The island style meal included: Teriyaki Chicken; carrots and broccoli over rice; a green salad with balsamic dressing; and for dessert, mango cake.  The  glass to the right side of the photo is filled with Cabernet  wine-- also complimentary!  The chicken was tender. The rice was fluffy.  The broccoli was slightly overcooked, but I still ate my veggies.  The salad was fresh and crunchy. The mango cake was moist and lightly sweet.  All surprisingly tasty. 

Hawaiian Air is the last domestic airline to offer free meals in coach.  One more reason to love Hawaiian Airlines!