Strolling the Grand Hyatt and Fern Grotto

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

We have been blessed with perfect weather this week in southern Kauai. Sunny and breezy with the occasional light sun shower. The ocean breeze keeps us comfortable throughout the day, no need for a/c.

Our unit in Building 1 of Poipu Sands (part of the Poipu Kai Resorts) faces the water. The mornings are spent on the lanai with coffee, watching the sunrise. In the afternoon the sun sets just behind us, keeping our lanai shaded and cool. Being an end unit, we have a view of the mountains as well. We could not have asked for a better unit, this one works perfectly for the three of us.

The grounds are beautiful and so well maintained. I've been taking a lot of photos of the plants. I would love to have some of these at home, but I doubt they would flourish in the northeast! I hope to create a few paintings from these photos like I did last year on Maui.

I think this is Cordyline fruticosa

Bird of Paradise

Monstera

I've been wanting to take Mom over to the Grand Hyatt next door to walk through the grounds and the beautiful lobby.

It was a bit warm outside, so we stopped periodically in shaded areas, taking pictures of the koi ponds, the flowers, and the gorgeous grounds.

Navigating our way into the lobby was a little confusing, and took some time. We were in need of a rest spot so we parked ourselves in some comfy chairs and watched all the goings on in the lobby.

Instead of having Mom make the trek back to the condo, I scurried back to get the car and picked her up, valet style, at the front lobby.

We had just a few minutes to eat a sandwich before leaving for our afternoon activity, a trip to the Fern Grotto. It was a pleasant, smooth boat ride up the Wailua River, we saw a handful of kayakers and stand up paddle boarders along the way while listening to the small group of musicians on board.

It was a short, but hot walk up to the viewing platform. There was a good size group of people and a limited amount of shade. We listened to the guide give the history of the grotto, then the staff/entertainers performed the Hawaiian Wedding song while one of the young girls danced a hula.

The actual grotto or cave is no longer accessible by the public due to a long period of heavy rain that caused some major erosion. It was a little underwhelming. I'm sure back when you could actually go into the cave it was a more interesting trip.

Tonight we had dinner at Kalapaki Joe's, jut a few minutes drive from the condo. My Lilikoi Margarita was tasty, as was the fish and chips, the ribs that Wayne had, and Mom's grilled chicken sandwich. Kalapaki Joe's is a sports bar with wide open windows that overlook the Poipu Kai tennis courts as well as the ocean beyond. Service was good, I'm sure we will be back here again.

That was it for day 8. Tomorrow is our Na'Pali Coast Sunset Tour with Captain Andy's. We've been looking forward to this tour for a long time!

Aloha.

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