Nightlife

Kauai is known for lots of things: the most beautiful beaches in the state, the magnificent Na Pali Cliffs jutting into the ocean, the incredible rainforests, and the wide panoramas of the Waimea Canyon, but it is not known for a vibrant nightlife. This is a rural island, where work stops when the sun goes down and people go to bed early. There are a few nightlife options, but you pretty much have to search them out and be ready to blend into the island-style options.

Lihue

The former plantation community and now county seat, Lihue is a place where local residents live and work. For action after sunset, music, dancing, and bars, the hotels and resorts are the primary players. There are a few local places, but generally all is quiet in Lihue after dark.

The Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club, 3610 Rice St., Nawiliwili (tel. 808/245-5050), has a host of nightlife activities. Kukui's Restaurant has a sunset torch-lighting ceremony on Thursdays. Duke's Canoe Club's Barefoot Bar (tel. 808/246-9599) has traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music on Friday nights, when tropical drinks go for $5.50 from 4 to 6pm, when live music stirs up the joint.

On the other side of Lihue, the Hilton Kauai Beach Resort, 4331 Kauai Beach Dr. (tel. 808/245-1955; www.hiltonkauairesort.com), has a nightly torch-lighting ceremony and hula show in the central courtyard. Musical fans will love their dinner theater, which currently is showing Rogers and Hammerstein's South Pacific every Monday and Wednesday nights. The 3-hour dinner show includes a dinner buffet, a cocktail, and the show for $80 for adults and $40 for children age 12 and under.

If you are looking for a neighborhood bar, Rob's Good Time Grill, in the Rice Shopping Center (tel. 808/246-0315), is a terrific place to have a beer, shoot some pool, watch the big-screen TV, and display your talent at karaoke. This down-home bar is not fancy, with its Formica tables, but the crowd is friendly, and it's a great place to meet local folks.

If you are up for a movie, the Kukui Grove Cinemas, in the Kukui Grove Shopping Center, 4368 Kukui Grove St. (tel. 808/245-5055), features the latest films at prices a lot cheaper than those in New York City.

For arts and culture, local residents flock to the plays put on by the nonprofessional group the Kauai Community Players. Call tel. 808/245-7700 (www.kauaicommunityplayers.org) to find out what the latest production is and where it will be performed. It's not Broadway (or off-Broadway), but it is energetic community theater at its best.

Poipu Resort Area

The south shore, with its sunset view and miles of white-sand beaches, is a great place for nightlife. At the far end of Poipu, Stevenson's Library at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, 1571 Poipu Rd., Koloa (tel. 808/742-1234; www.kauai-hyatt.com), is the place for an elegant after-dinner drink with live jazz nightly from 8 to 11pm. Dress in casual resortwear (no tank tops or flip-flops) for this wood-lined bar with comfy, overstuffed chairs. You can be mesmerized by the fish in the big saltwater aquarium, or engage in activities like pool, billiards, or chess. For those so inclined, tickle the ivories on the grand piano.

Also in Poipu, Keoki's Paradise, in the Poipu Shopping Village, 2360 Kiahuna Plantation Dr. (tel. 808/742-7534), offers live music Monday through Friday evenings (call for times). The cafe menu is available from 11am to 11:30pm. Hawaiian, reggae, and contemporary music draw the 21-and-over dancing crowd.

The Poipu Shopping Village offers free Tahitian dance performances every Tuesday and Thursday at 5pm in the outdoor courtyard.

Down the street at Sheraton Kauai Resort, 2440 Hoonani Rd. (tel. 808/742-1661), The Point, on the water, is the Poipu hot spot, featuring live music Thursday and Saturday with dancing to a range of different artists from contemporary Hawaiian to good ol' rock 'n' roll.

West Side

For a romantic evening that will linger in your memory as the highlight of your trip, Capt. Andy's Sailing Adventure (tel. 800/535-0830 or 808/335-6833; www.napali.com) has a Na Pali Sunset Dinner, a 4-hour cruise along the Na Pali Coast, $105 for adults and $80 for kids age 2 to 12 (visit the website for a discount). Your evening will include commentary on the history and legends of this coast, great views of the island from out at sea (turtles are frequently spotted), live music, and a sumptuous buffet dinner, catered by Mark's Place and Gaylord's Restaurant, offering Kauai garden salad served with sunrise papaya seed dressing, a ginger-sesame marinated Kauai tomato, green bean and red onion salad, Teriyaki chicken topped with diced pineapple, Pulehu beef with sautéed mushrooms and onions in garlic sauce, kaffir lime and lemon rice pilaf, and pineapple bars for dessert. It's best enjoyed during the calm summer months, May to September, but they do have cruises during the winter as well.

In the old plantation community of Hanapepe, every Friday is Hanapepe Art Night from 5 to 9pm. Each art night is unique. Participating galleries take turns being the weekly "host gallery" offering original performances or demonstrations, which set the theme for that art night. All the galleries are lit up and decked out, giving the town a special atmosphere. Enjoy a stroll down the streets of quaint, historic Hanapepe town and meet the local artists. Also in Hanapepe on Friday night, the Hanapepe Café, 3830 Hanapepe Rd. (tel. 808/335-5011), is open for dinner from 6 to 9pm and has live music.

Coconut Coast

The Coconut Coast towns of Wailua, Waipouli, and Kapaa offer sunset torch-lighting ceremonies, music, and other evening entertainment, but the real action is in the Coconut Marketplace after dark. Every Wednesday, starting at 5pm, the Coconut Marketplace, 4-484 Kuhio Hwy. (tel. 808/822-3641), features a free hula show performed by local residents ranging from the hula troop of tiny dancers who still don't have their permanent teeth, to lithe young women and men gracefully performing this ancient Hawaiian art, to grandmothers who have been dancing for decades.

For a change of pace, the Blossoming Lotus Restaurant, 4504 Kukui St., in Kapaa (tel. 808/822-7678; www.blossominglotus.com), has nightly entertainment and music ranging from relaxing instrumentals to island blue grass (visit the website for calendar).

The Hukilau Lanai Restaurant, in the Kauai Coast Resort, located makai (oceanside) of the Coconut Marketplace (tel. 808/822-0600; www.gaylordskauai.com), features live music Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday 6:30 to 9:30pm.

Also in the Coconut Marketplace are the Plantation Cinema 1 and 2 for film buffs looking for a good movie. (To find out what is playing, call tel. 808/821-2324.)

If you are just looking for a place to have a drink and wind down, there are a couple of bars visited by local residents: Pau Hana Bar and Grill, Kauai Village Shopping Center (tel. 808/821-2900); and the Lizard Lounge, in the Waipouli Center (tel. 808/821-2205). Neither is glamorous; they are down-home, neighborhood bars with reasonably priced drinks in a relaxing atmosphere.

The North Shore

Kilauea generally rolls up the sidewalks at night, with the exception of the Lighthouse Bistro (tel. 808/828-0480) in the Kong Lung Center, which has live music (from Flamenco guitar to Hawaiian music) during dinner Monday, Friday, and Saturday.

Hanalei has some action, primarily at Sushi & Blues, in Ching Young Village (tel. 808/826-4105). Reggae, rhythm and blues, rock, and good music by local groups draw dancers and revelers Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 8:30pm on. The format changes often there, so call ahead to see who's playing.

Across the street, Hanalei Gourmet, in the Old Hanalei Schoolhouse, 5-5161 Kuhio Hwy. (tel. 808/826-2524), has live music every night except Monday and Thursday. Down the road, Tahiti Nui (tel. 808/826-6277) is a great place to "experience" Old Hawaii. Stop by for an exotic drink, and "talk story" with the owner, Louise Marston, who actually is from Tahiti. The restaurant/bar is family-friendly, and someone always seems to drop in and sing and play music, just like they used to do in the "old days."

Every week, Ki Hoalu, Slack Key Guitar Music of Hawaii (tel. 808/826-1469; www.alohaplentyhawaii.com) performs at the Hanalei Community Center, usually Fridays at 4pm and Sundays at 3pm. In addition to old-style slack-key guitar, they also feature stories and legends of Hawaii. Cost is $20 for adults and $15 for children.

Just down the road, Princeville has several nightlife spots. Hanalei Bay Resort, 5380 Honoiki St. (tel. 808/826-6522; www.hanaleibayresort.com), is a music lover's gem, with a Sunday Jazz Jam in its Happy Talk Lounge from 4 to 7pm and again on Saturday from 6:30 to 9pm. Al Jarreau and Quincy Jones are among those who have stopped by the Sunday Jazz Jam, and the evening crowd has had its share of well-known Hawaiian jammers. On Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 9:30pm they have live hula.

Over at the Princeville Resort Kauai, 5520 Kahaku Rd. (tel. 808/826-9644; www.princeville.com), in the main lobby, the Living Room (filled with comfy, overstuffed furniture) has a range of nightlife activities, like a Hawaiian ceremony of chanting, dancing, and an entertaining talk on Hawaiian culture, from 6:30 to 7pm on Sunday, and other island-related entertainment from 7:30 to 10:30pm the rest of the week.

It Begins with Sunset . . .

A must-do on your Kauai vacation -- take the time every day to stop and enjoy the sunset. You can watch the big yellow ball descend slowly into the blue waters of the Pacific anywhere, from Poipu to Polihale State Park to Kee Beach to the entire Na Pali Coast. Some insist on viewing the sunset with a locally made tropical mai tai. The entire day can be built around the sunset -- shopping for the mai tai ingredients, checking the angle of the sun, and swimming with the knowledge that your big, salty thirst will soon be quenched with a tall, homemade mai tai on one of the world's best beaches. When the sun is low, mix your tropical drink using fresh lime juice, fresh lemon juice, fresh orange juice, passion-orange-guava juice, and fresh grapefruit juice, if possible. Pour this concoction on ice in tall, frosty glasses, and then add Meyer's rum, in which Tahitian vanilla beans have been soaking for days. (Add cinnamon if desired, or soak a cinnamon stick with the rum and vanilla beans.) A dash of Angostura bitters, a few drops of Southern Comfort as a float, a sprig of mint, a garnish of fresh lime, and voilà! -- you have a tropical, homemade mai tai, a cross between planter's punch and the classic Trader Vic's mai tai. As the sun sets, lift your glass and savor the moment, the setting, and the first sip -- not a bad way to end the day.

Watch for the Green Flash

If you have been on the island for a few days, you'll notice that people seem to gather outside and watch the sunset. After the sun has set, several people may call out, "Green flash!"

No, they haven't had too many mai tais or piña coladas. They are referring to a real, honest-to-God phenomenon that happens after sunset -- there is a "green flash" of light.

The romantic version of the story is that the green flash happens when the sun kisses the ocean good night. (Honeymooners love this version.) The scientific version is not quite as dreamy; it goes something like this: Light bends as it goes around the curve of the earth. When the sun dips beneath the horizon, it is at the far end of the spectrum. So this refraction of the sun's light, coupled with the atmosphere at the extreme angle of the sunset on the horizon, causes only the color green to been seen in the color spectrum just before the light disappears.

Here's how to view the green flash: First, the day has to be clear, with no clouds or haze on the horizon. Keep checking the sun as it drops. (Try not to look directly into the sun; just glance at it to assess its position.) If the conditions are ideal, just as the sun drops into the blue waters, a "flash" or laserlike beam of green will shoot out for an instant. That's the flash. May it be with you on your vacation.