Kauai and Kona Questions

Couple of questions for the locals / past visitors.

1. My wife wants to go see some gardens in Kauai. Anyone been to Allerton and McBryde Gardens? Comments / thoughts about them? There's a tour, but we are going to rent a car and go on our own because I don't want to get stuck somewhere and not have a way out.

2. We're on the POA in October. We have a Capt. Zodiac raft / snorkel booked in the AM. By the time we get back to the dock we wont have enough time to get a car or anything, so is there anything to do around the dock? Anything within walking distance, other than a beach?

The only thing I am aware of near the ship in Kauai would be the Kalapaki Bay and Beach area within walking distance of the ship. Sorry I have no info on gardens. There is also a shuttle that runs and drops you off at shops there. There is a large Marriott right on the beach with a Dukes Barefoot Bar and Restaurant with outdoor seating. We plan to do it the last short day in Kauai after we have returned our rental car.

In Kona, I'm told the area around the dock is very quaint and walkable with lots of shops and restaurants. There is a farmers market there as well. We have a snorkel trip booked for the am and will explore the town after the tour.

The Allerton gardens in Kauai are spectacular and well worth the trip. Another garden possibility is the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens not far north from Hilo; this one is quite steep, but just breathtaking.

In Kona, from the pier you can walk around the town, visit the farmers market, tour the Hulihee Palace (a summer residence of Hawaiian royalty), walk a little less than half a mile to the Kona Brew Pub for great pizza & beer, or take a open air shuttle ride ($2/pp each way) about 5 miles down the coast and back. The shuttle stops at several beautiful little beaches and a shopping area, and passes many lovely waterfront homes along the way. There are several very nice restaurants very close to the pier for a late lunch - Splashers, Fishhopper, the Kona Inn; they all have good food and great views of the pier area and your ship in the bay. Kona Inn has the best MaiTai's in town!

Allerton gardens is OK as long as you don't expect flowers. If I only had two days from a cruise I would make sure I did other thing first.

The Smiths Luau grounds I liked better. http://www.smithskauai.com/tropical_garden.html

Allerton gardens is OK as long as you don't expect flowers.

Ummm.......what? LoL

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Ummm.......what? LoL

 

 

 

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It is a lot of trees and native plants. There are no flowering native plants.

It is not like a flower garden. And yes maybe one or two flowers. Mostly trees and bushes and some old art.

So, if want to see flowers don't go.

We did enjoy the tour, but it would be low on a list of must see things. There are some flowers where you get on the bus to get to the gardens, but you can see that part without paying money for the tour.

It is a lot of trees and native plants. There are no flowering native plants.

 

It is not like a flower garden. And yes maybe one or two flowers. Mostly trees and bushes and some old art.

 

So, if want to see flowers don't go......

Formal flower beds with neat rows of blossoms, no. It's definitely a tropical atmosphere, heavy on lush foliage. But, no flowers? Torch ginger, spiral ginger, hibiscus, orchids, heliconia, plumeria, ohia , lotus, Queen Emma Lily, bougainvillea, golden chain trees, many more. Sounds like you missed a large part of the gardens! Check their web site for more information on all of their plants as well as the history of the gardens.

Formal flower beds with neat rows of blossoms, no. It's definitely a tropical atmosphere, heavy on lush foliage. But, no flowers? Torch ginger, spiral ginger, hibiscus, orchids, heliconia, plumeria, ohia , lotus, Queen Emma Lily, bougainvillea, golden chain trees, many more. Sounds like you missed a large part of the gardens! Check their web site for more information on all of their plants as well as the history of the gardens.

When where you on the tour? Are you sure you not talking about the flowers in the visitor center before the tour and is not part of the gardens included in the tour.? I took the tour on May 6, 2014.

I said there are some flowers in the vaster center where you get on the bus to the actual garden.

I didn't miss anything. Reread what I wrote and you will find out I did say there are some flowers at the visitor center and that is the free part.

We were there in Oct. 2013 as well as several years earlier. Perhaps some of the flowers are seasonal if you didn't see many. They were not always in obvious places. We found patches of flowers tucked back in little valleys and on hillsides, sometimes orchids growing attached to trees, lilies at the edges of ponds and streams. Maybe we were just lucky in our timing, but we found it lovely. Our favorite garden is still the Hawaii Botanical Garden on the Big Island north of Hilo - gorgeous but lots of hill climbing.

http://s112.photobucket.com/user/konak6/library/

My pictures of the garden.

The only thing I am aware of near the ship in Kauai would be the Kalapaki Bay and Beach area within walking distance of the ship. Sorry I have no info on gardens. There is also a shuttle that runs and drops you off at shops there. There is a large Marriott right on the beach with a Dukes Barefoot Bar and Restaurant with outdoor seating. We plan to do it the last short day in Kauai after we have returned our rental car.

 

In Kona, I'm told the area around the dock is very quaint and walkable with lots of shops and restaurants. There is a farmers market there as well. We have a snorkel trip booked for the am and will explore the town after the tour.

You are correct. Nothing but a beach is walking distance from the Pier in Kauai.. but Kona has all sorts of shops, restaurants right there as you get off of the tender. There are random free shuttles that will take you places at both ports though, like to Hilo Hatties etc.

You are correct. Nothing but a beach is walking distance from the Pier in Kauai.. but Kona has all sorts of shops, restaurants right there as you get off of the tender. There are random free shuttles that will take you places at both ports though, like to Hilo Hatties etc.

CactusFlower... fellow "zonie" here. I saw the pictures you posted, but I didn't see any from the Sea Horse Farm. We're on the POA in September & would love to talk to you about your trip. Please contact me by email and I'll give my phone number.

The Allerton gardens in Kauai are spectacular and well worth the trip. Another garden possibility is the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens not far north from Hilo; this one is quite steep, but just breathtaking.

 

In Kona, from the pier you can walk around the town, visit the farmers market, tour the Hulihee Palace (a summer residence of Hawaiian royalty), walk a little less than half a mile to the Kona Brew Pub for great pizza & beer, or take a open air shuttle ride ($2/pp each way) about 5 miles down the coast and back. The shuttle stops at several beautiful little beaches and a shopping area, and passes many lovely waterfront homes along the way. There are several very nice restaurants very close to the pier for a late lunch - Splashers, Fishhopper, the Kona Inn; they all have good food and great views of the pier area and your ship in the bay. Kona Inn has the best MaiTai's in town!

Do any of the shuttles in Kona make it to the coffee farms/plantations? DH would like to tour one...

Thank you!

Do any of the shuttles in Kona make it to the coffee farms/plantations? DH would like to tour one...

 

Thank you!

No, the only shuttle is the beach shuttle, which only goes about 5 miles south along Alii Drive (right on the coast) and back. The coffee farms are up the mountainside at about 1000 - 1500 feet elevation, about a 20 minute drive from the pier. You'll need a rental car, a cab, or a tour to get there.

What is the best way to get to the coffee plantations. We really didn't want the hassle of renting a car in Kona because we are renting a car in every other stop. Any idea how much a cab would be.