Dr Chris Brown, from TEN’s The Living Room recently visited Kauai and Oahu for the show’s upcoming two part Hawaii special. He’s no newbie to the island state having been five times before, however this was his first time visiting the garden island of Kauai. Escape chatted to him about his top tips for holidaying in Hawaii.
HOW CAN YOU KEEP YOUR BUDGET IN CHECK?
“You can do things on any budget in Oahu — choose your happy hours, go to the ABC stores that are on every block and get your fried rice straight out of the box for $4.
“Avoid the beachfront if you’re budget conscious, everything there is inflated and the quality of the food isn’t reflected in the prices. But get back two or three streets and you’ll find good food tucked away. We had some amazing meals around Chinatown, incredible Japanese, incredible Korean, we went to a Vietnamese restaurant and it was one of the top three restaurants I’ve ever been to.”
WHAT WERE YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF KAUAI?
“I’d heard so much about Kauai and I was keen to check out its reputation as the most natural of all the islands. My initial impression was how green it was and that it doesn’t feel touristy in the same way as Oahu can. I also happened to be there for the heaviest day of rain. You need the rain to have the rainbows but also for the waterfalls and the big lush forests. It’s ultimately what’s carved out that island.
“If I was to go back to Hawaii I’d go to Kauai again as I can surf on relatively uncrowded beaches, I can get my fix of nature and incredible landscapes and not feel like I’m elbow to elbow with thousands of American tourists.”
TOP PACKING TIPS
“I didn’t actually bring a jumper and the nights can get surprisingly cool. So probably just a light jumper is useful. Two pairs of boardies as you’re always jumping in and out of the water in Hawaii and you want to have a backup so you’re not sitting in your car in wet boardies.
I bring a lot of camera gear so I’d recommend bringing a tripod to get the waterfall shots and more exposure.
“You’ll also need a pair of hiking boots or sturdy trainers. You can be quite active in Hawaii so you’ll need beach wear but also active wear.”
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