Friday morning at 7:20 am we took a 45-minute inter-island flight from Oahu to Kauai, where we're planning on spending the next 4 days hiking around the island.
Kauai, called "The Garden Island," is another world from busy, urban Honolulu. The island's west coast, where we're staying, is especially remote and isolated.
Below is a shot of Major's Bay, near where we're staying.
Well, because for $75 a night we were able to get a two-room cottage on the beach at Barking Sands U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility, another perk of Tom being retired military. Provided you don't mind staying on a working missile range facility during your vacation.
The cottages at Barking Sands aren't exactly the luxurious Hale Koa (see post from 4/2/2015); but they're quite nice.
Our cottage is on the left, below.
This is actually my second trip to Kauai, as I came here a few years ago with my sister Romaine.
That time we stayed at Poipu Beach, which is the slightly more commercial resort area on the southern end of the island.
And so since I know the Poipu area a little we decided to swing by there our way out to the west coast from the airport, which is located in the town of Lihue on the east coast.
I longed to return to the Poipu Tropical Burger because during my first visit with Romaine
It's actually worth a look-see.
View from the lobby: |
Views of the grounds: |
But anybody can walk around the grounds for free.
There's a walking path leading from the Hyatt grounds to a cliff above the sea called Makahuena Point. The path offers some wonderful views of the beach and the blue, blue sea below:
Each cottage has a name. The name of our place is Hale Malu. Note the chicken in our front yard. There are chickens wandering freely everywhere in Kauai. |
An all hands club is an eating facility that's open to all ranks. Back when I worked on a U.S. Army post in Germany - and it still might be that way today - the officers, non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel each had their own restaurants where only members of their rank could go.
Shenanigans is right on the beach with a nice ocean view. |
About half a dozen other people came to our yard to watch the sunset. Apparently ours is the yard to come to to watch the sunset. |