Kapaa Town Sights
October 6, 2008
Places to stop by in Kapaa town...
Kapaa is a fairly small town even though it's in Kawaihau, one of the largest
districts on Kauai. Kawaihau has one third of Kauai's 63,000 population. And as little as
Kapaa is, it's quite full of many small businesses and shops catering to
visitors and locals as you'll see below. This page lists what's within
walking distance from the "core" of the town; places further than that
follow. Otherwise you can use the
Kauai County Bus to go
to most areas of Kauai if you don't have a car. For a "looksee"
of the town, here's some panoramic photos.
E-mail me
(kkbedbath@aloha.net) about any place you have questions on.
Some businesses mentioned here will give discounts if you show a copy of
this web page to them, or if you mention you read about them here. Be
sure to look for those deals below. The listings are broken up into
the following categories so you don't have to page through all of them:
Kawamura Building... Hula Girl, The Vintage Collection,
and Jacques Amo Fine Jewelry
Local Grinds... places to eat and snack
Shops... a wide variety to choose from
Beach, sun and sand... definitely not far away!
Household Stores... things needed around the home
Banks... ATMs at all of these as well as most grocery
stores
Churches... lots of these too
Real Estate... if you're interested
Medical... hope you don't need this info
Others... non-visitor related places
Kawamura Building:
Hula Girl, The Vintage
Collection, specializes in Hawaiian clothing, souvenirs and collectibles
with a 1950's theme. Stop by and see the 5 foot tall cast-bronze Hula Girl
lamp and the vintage surfboard! Feel free to e-mail them too at
p_riskus@yahoo.com if you have any requests after visiting them.
Jacques Amo Fine Jewelry is a
full service, independent jewelry store specializing in creating unique, custom
designs. Unlike other shops that simply buy and sell, Jacques (born and
raised in Tahiti) conceives, casts, mounts and fabricates all of his wearable
artwork himself.
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Past business information
The Kauai Historical
Society closed their Kapaa History Shop at the end of 2001.
Interpretive guides are still leading groups on
Kapaa Town Walking
Tours but are now starting from Pono Kai Resort (once a pineapple cannery),
just one block south. Each tour by this non-profit organization points out
historically significant buildings along Kuhio Highway and Kapaa's shoreline,
and will take you back in time to the "old plantation days." Reservations
are required and can be made by calling (808) 245-3373. Tours are Tuesday,
Thursday and Saturday at 10 a.m. E-mail
khs@hawaiilink.net if you have any other questions.
In April, 1999, Kayak Kauai Outbound
relocated to a new location further south at the Coconut Marketplace. Take
a printout of this page there and get a 10% discount on rentals or
tours. Be sure to talk to Chino or Micco because no one else will know
about the K.K. Bed & Bath discount.
Joe the Barber retired during Thanksgiving, 1996, to
his home after 22 years in his little corner shop. A fixture in Kapaa for
many more years than that, he hung up his shears at the end of June 2004.
Sadly, Joe passed away in April 2006.
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What about food? There are lots of places to
eat (again, all within walking distance).
A Taste of Paradise Kauai's House of Noodles (Hamura Saimin
in Lihue is still the
best!),
Pono Market (laulau, poke, sushi, plate lunches and
marriage licenses! Closed on Sundays.),
Ono Family Restaurant (finally re-opened after their kitchen fire. Ask for
a 10% discount by showing your room key),
Burger King,
Hawaiian Blizzard Shave Ice (find
Aaron with the best and finest shave ice on Kauai just outside the door
of Big Save grocery store),
Sukhothai Restaurant,
and 
Verde Mexican Restaurant
(formerly Burrito Head).
Heading north, Olympic
Cafe,
Full Moon Bakery,
Shaka Tacos,
ABC Discount Store (daily needs and snacks),
TJ Variety & Video Products (Filipino snacks),
Blossoming Lotus Cafe (full vegan restaurant),
Norberto's El Cafe,
Pizzetta Italian Restaurant,
The Eastside Restaurant (formerly
Beezers),
Mermaids Cafe (stir-fry, salads and wraps),
Java Kai (coffee shop),
Lotus Root Juice Bar & Bakery,
Higashi Store (local style lunch),
Bubba Burgers (you'll find better burgers at Ono-Char Burger in
Anahola!),
Kountry Kitchen,
Small Town Coffee Co. & Exchange,
Scotty's Beachside BBQ,
The Coconut Cup Juice Bar and
TnT Steak Burger.
And there are grocery stores like Big Save (with lunch-time plate lunch deli),
Cost-U-Less (Kauai's version of Costco, no membership required, accepts all
major credit cards) and
Kojima's Market.
Shopping might be a chore due to so many
choices! Clothes: In addition to Hula Girl's large selection,
there's
TAJ Beach Club (Aloha wear),
Vicky's Fabric Shop (for all your sewing needs),
Work It Out (active lifestyle clothing),
Tropical Tantrum,
Hawaiian Wear Factory,
Island Hemp & Cotton,
A. Ell Atellier (art gifts behind Island Hemp),
Island Diva (one-stop fashion shoe shop),
Lilikoi Grove Boutique,
M. Miura Store,
The Root (lingerie, accessories),
Birkenstock shoe store and
Tamba Surf Company (surf-related clothes and supplies).
Just keep walking around and you'll find a variety of things at
Kela's Glass Gallery,
South China Seas Trading Company (imported furniture),
The Glass Shack ("live" blown glass artwork),
Davison Arts (fine arts and furniture in the Kawamoto Store),
Jim Saylor Jewelers,
Flowers & Joys,
Larry's Music City Boutique,
Asia Gallery (antique Chinese furniture),
Kahn Galleries/Island Images,
Lotus Gallery,
Earth & Sea Gallery,
The Wyland Gallery (across from the ABC Store),
ALOHA Images,
Orchid Alley,
Mineral Amorphia (crystals,
precious stones, minerals),
Earth Beads,
8 Bells Art Gallery,
TLC Consignment Boutique,
and near the north end of town, Kauai Products Market with
Real Dirt Kauai (dirt-dyed shirts),
Play Dirty Kauai,
Seeds of Hawaii,
Kauai Jewelry & Camera Co. and
Scott Hanft Photo Gallery.
Be sure to also visit the Kauai Products Fair next door every Wednesday through
Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
If you can't find activity ideas at Kayak Kauai, shop for or rent more outdoor
sports equipment at
Hele On Kauai (bike rentals at the Roxy Square),
Kauai Cycle & Tour (located across from Taco Bell),
Kauai Harley-Davidson (at the Coral
Reef Hotel),
Coconut Coasters Beach Bike Rentals
or
Hawaii Movie Tours and Wailua Kayak.
But if you need activity information before flying to Kauai, I highly
recommend contacting Lilikoi at Try
Kauai!
The beach is only a block or
two away from the highway! Kapaa
Beach is usually quiet, calm and never crowded. It faces east so
you'll get to see a beautiful sunrise if you're up
early. There's also an absolutely wonderful pedestrian and bicycle path along this shore that
takes you from Waikaea Canal to Kapaa Beach Park (with the Kauai Police
mini-substation) and the
Kapaa
Library. Continue on this wide concrete path across Moikeha Canal to
the Kapaa Neighborhood Center, the County swimming pool and out of Kapaa Town
past Kealia Beach all the way to Donkey Beach. If you're adventurous, you
could continue bicycling further north along beautiful, pristine shorelines
through old cane field roads all the way to Anahola Beach Park! The latter
is truly off-road through bumpy gravel sections and dirt trails overgrown with
thick cattle grass and bushes.
Read the
County description here (21 Kb PDF file); visit
www.KauaiPath.org, the organization
promoting more paths throughout Kauai; or
look at some photos I've
taken on the path's construction progress.
If you should ever need household items or
services, try
Kapaa Ace Hardware,
Kapaa Laundry Center,
One Hour Photo,
Pono Cleaners,
Kawamoto's Store (Maytag appliances and art!) and
Kauai Marine & Mower.
Down a one-way lane to Lehua Street you'll find the Kauai Design Center.
This large, 3-story building is a shared showroom for
South China Seas Trading Company (their second showroom),
Gabrielle EastWest Interiors,
Bamboo Works,
Chepu (floor coverings),
House Chantik (Indonesian carved furnishings),
Design Associates,
White Mountain Products,
Cradleboard Teaching Project,
Steadfast Housing Development Corp. and
Pool Instruments and Controls.
Across Lehua Street is Specialty Lumber.
Need a hair cut? Try
Fantastic Sams (near Burger King),
Donna's Hair Design,
RS Blue Moon Hair,
Soul Play Hair Salon,
Paradise Beauty Center and
Hale-O-Hair (next to Kojima's grocery store, call 822-3321 for an
appointment).
You need spending money? Well, ATMs are easy to
locate. Besides finding them in almost every grocery store, Kapaa has
several banks with ATMs to "hit up" for money:
Bank of Hawaii (American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa, Plus, Cirrus,
Star, JCB, Armed Forces Financial Network, Sharecard and Quest);
First Hawaiian Bank (MasterCard, Visa, Cirrus, Citicorp, Plus, JCB and Star
System cards) and
American Savings Bank (MasterCard, Visa, Cirrus, Plus, Star System, American
Express Cash, Discover) located in Kapaa as well as further south in
Foodland.
All ABC Discount Stores have ATMs. Most stores take Travelers Cheques
(U.S. $) while "everyone" takes credit and debit cards.
Every Sunday is filled with a mixture of church
sounds. The Ohana Christian Fellowship, Kapaa Hawaiian Church,
Kapaa United Church of Christ, Kapaa Assembly of God Church, The Way of
Salvation Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Living Water
Baptist Fellowship, Kapaa Hongwanji Mission, Kapaa Seventh-day Adventist Church,
Kapaa Baptist Church, Christian Science Sodiety Kauai and All Saints Church.
Naturally we have many real estate offices.
Summers Realty has an ocean view from
their office and has many listings on Kauai's east and north sides. There
are also others like
Garden Island Properties,
Prudential All Star Realty,
Vision Properties,
Island Rentals & Real Estate,
Winters Realty,
Iguana Properties,
Wai`oli Properties,
Foundation Mortgage,
Island Business Brokers,
Kauai Dreams Realty,
Blue Hawaii Properties and
First Hawaiian Mortgage.
I hope you don't need medical help, but here are
the closest places:
Ogawa Chiropractic,
Kapaa Clinic-Kauai Medical Group (Mon-Fri 8-5, Sat 8-noon),
Ishida Family Dentistry,
Kauai Wellness Center,
Dr. Quarton Ophthalmologist,
Bikram Yoga Kauai,
Kauai Center for Holistic Medicine and Research,
Michael's Massage,
Dr. Esaki Family Practice,
Smith Chiropractic & Wellness Center (Spa by the Sea, Cottrell's Sports
Physical Therapy, Dr. Henry Daniels, Anderson/Collier Architects, Dr. Susan
Hall),
Hatha Yoga Kauai,
Kapaa Animal Clinic (for pets only!) and
the East Kauai Professional Building.
On the hill above the north end of Kapaa Town, you'll find Mahelona Medical
Center on Kawaihau Road with its emergency room.
Other shops that might not fit into any "tourist
activity" category are...
NAPA Auto Parts,
Computer Hospital,
Kuhio Motors,
Business Support Services (with Fedex, UPS, DHL & Notary Public),
Sign & Print Machine,
Kauai Aloha Services (Fedex,
internet),
Akamai Computer Center (located behind Ono Family Restaurant),
Kauai Aquarium,
PACE Fitness Center,
Allen Associates (Built-to-Ship homes),
Kapaa Electric Shop,
Tropic Pool & Spa,
The Dog House with Sue The Dog Groomer,
Clear View (glass & mirror),
A Plus Travel,
Little Tsunami Tattoo,
State Farm Insurance and
Otsuka's Furniture store.
If all that wasn't enough, heading further south of downtown Kapaa and easily by
car or bicycle you'll find several clusters of stores and restaurants along the
highway. You would have passed these on the way from the Lihue airport...
Hale Lani Christian Store in the large, red gymnasium building at All Saints
Church. Across Kuhio Highway is the Dive Kauai SCUBA center.
Old Wailua Clubhouse (ocean-side of highway): Seasport Divers (10% discount
on snorkel & SCUBA equipment rentals when you show this page. Look for
the yellow submarine on the highway.), Dr. Mark Baird (dentist), Puamana Massage
and Dr. Bob Swiryn Chiropractor.
Across Kuhio Highway from them on the mountain-side are Kauai Music & Sound, Carrie Daway (exotic imports
and art) and the Shrimp Lunch Wagon.
Waipouli Complex: KCL Barbecue (Chinese-style plate lunches),
Popo's Cookies, Ohana Diner (Hawaiian food) and Ola
Massage.
Yasuda Center: Kauai Plantation Store, Kauai Pasta (Italian cafe &
take-out), Pua Lei - A Flower
Shop, Tradewindow & Consulting and C&S Glass & Screen. Next
door you'll find Taco Bell (with Pizza Hut Express) and Coconuts Seafood Grill
and Wine Bar.
Waipouli Plaza: The Shell Factory, Kauai Optometric Center (good place
for visitors to repair eye glasses, replace contacts or wash sand from their
eyes!), Plaza Hair, King & I Thai Cuisine, Waipouli Variety Store (visitor
gifts and fishing supplies), Pay Day Hawaii (cash advance until payday), Nail
& Tanning Salon, Waipouli Massage and Break Time Billiards (upstairs).
Right off the highway, look for Island Palm (island style grill & bar) and
Lemon Grass Grill, Seafood & Sushi Bar. Also in the back: Jungle Girl
("Island funk & flash"); Sweet
Bikinis; and Bliss, A Salon.
Kauai Village Shopping Center: Safeway (don't forget your Club
Card!),
a visitor information booth,
Imperial Jewelers,
Divine Planet,
Subway Sandwiches,
Pacific Island Bistro (formerly Panda Garden Chinese Restaurant, same owners),
Cold Stone Creamery,
Starbucks Coffee,
ABC Store (another),
Vitamin World,
Supercuts,
Jamba Juice,
Panda Express (Chinese fast food),
Century 21 Real Estate,
Papaya's Natural Foods & Cafe (with their new larger market),
KVC Activities,
Old Republic Title & Escrow of Hawaii,
Remax Kauai,
Pau Hana Bar & Grill,
Pho Vy (Vietnamese cuisine) and
Longs Drugstore.
There is now a pedestrian bridge over
the canal between Safeway and Foodland to make shopping both centers
easier.
Waipouli Center: McDonalds,
Pizza Hut,
Kauai Kraze (women's accessories),
Lizard Lounge & Deli,
Blockbuster Video,
Waipouli Restaurant,
Fun Factory (amusement center),
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and
Foodland Grocery Store with American Savings Bank.
Nearby are L&L Hawaiian BBQ (local plate lunches),
Wahooo's Seafood Grill & Bar and
Cycle City Kauai/Two Wheels (motorcycle sales).
Across the highway toward the ocean you'll find
Sweet Marie (confections from
scratch),
Activity Warehouse,
The Bull Shed Restaurant (ocean-view prime rib eating),
Ambrose's Kapuna Surf Shop & Art Gallery,
Marta's Boat (children's clothes),
Kapaa Missionary Church,
Boss Frog's Dive & Surf and
Snorkel Bob's.
If you need to fill your car before leaving town, Kapaa has Shell and Chevron
gas stations which take major credit cards at the pumps. After all, you
are going to tour the island, aren't you?
