Travel

Dining Outside the Home: Aunt Chilada’s Easy Street Café on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina 

Dining Outside the Home: Aunt Chilada’s Easy Street Café on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina!  Now we’re talking, a place for every food craving. Here is a restaurant that serves up the traditional Tex-Mex fare as well as Lowcountry favorites and All-you-can-eat Crab Legs. In addition, Aunt Chilada’s eatery hosts a daily Happy Hour and food specials to tide you over for a night out on the town. A covered patio makes outdoor seating a popular choice when live music “gets the party started”. Ask the wait staff about the Kennedy Half Dollar. It’s just another way they have of rewarding your visit for choosing to stop at Aunt Chilada’s Easy Street Café. 

Lowcountry is Whole Other World

Take a seat on the balcony to greet the indescribable sunrise as joggers leave footprints in the sand on an invigorating morning run. Catch a bird’s eye view of yoga enthusiasts communing with nature, enriching body and soul. Meticulous gardeners groom ornamental flower beds with flawless precision for an impeccable stroll on the way to the pool. Marvel at rich island history, native culture, local artwork, Lowcountry cuisine, and beachfront recreation pressed into twelve miles of nonstop beauty along the Atlantic Ocean. This million dollar view is as pristine as a tropical paradise. Welcome to Hilton Head Island, a South Carolina resort town and coastal haven for the travel enthusiast. 

Experience the Charm of Island-Style Living

For island-style charm, on the historic Royal Coconut Coast, the oceanfront sunrise is unbelievable. As the dawn turns from azure-blue-grey to the golden cerulean seagreen of clear Pacific waters, the pull of the ocean practically lures you over the balcony to become one with the sea. Across the only road that runs north and south, like a horseshoe, on the island just beyond the lush valley is a view of the Sleeping Giant Mountain Range. The view can literally take your breath away. Old Kapaa Town is just a stone’s throw away. Walk the uncrowded shoreline, paying attention to the kite-surfing enthusiasts, or choose the paved Kauai Path for biking and daily exercise. Whatever the whim, the East Shore fits the bill. 

Dining Outside the Home: Oasis on the Beach in Kapaa, Kauai

Dining Outside the Home: Oasis on the Beach in Kapaa, Kauai!  Warm up to the spice in Fresh Fish Tacos. After all, you’re at the beach and the fish doesn’t get any fresher than this. Ask the waiter for the special condiment caddy. Among others, you’ll get a trio of Hawaiian Chili Pepper Sauces for a gratifying south-of-the-border taste extravaganza. These sauces are made locally by the Kauai Juice Company in the heart of Kapaa. Sample between the Chocolate Habanero, the Kiawe Smoked, and the Mango Garlic Ghost. Trust me, you’ll know. The grilled flour tortillas come with shredded cabbage and an avocado mousse to balance out the heat. Go strong…or go home!

From Poi Pond to Bird of Paradise 

The white surf on the coral reef disappeared into the blue shadows along the shoreline. From the cliff house, on the East Shore of the island, the daily temperature rarely dipped below 71° and seldom peaked above 84°. Our exercise regimen included a two-mile walk along the small stretch of beach on Kalapaki Bay. Looking out beyond open waters, the azure blue of sky and sea melded together until it disappeared into a hazy horizon. The sun shown so brilliantly white, I often had to squint behind polarized sunglasses just to find shade in the leafy fronds of a towering palm tree. Evening strolls through the cultural garden past bridges, waterfalls, and statues led us on stone pathways from magnificent Poi Pond to exotic Bird of Paradise. A nightcap against the radiant sunset soothed the senses. Two tropical cocktails arrived decorated with a maraschino cherry and fresh-cut pineapple wedge skewered by pretty paper umbrellas. Well done, Kauai Marriott Beach Resort. 

Dining Outside the Home: Duke’s Canoe Club on Kalapaki Beach in Lihue, Kauai 

Dining Outside the Home: Duke’s Canoe Club on Kalapaki Beach in Lihue, Kauai.  Sometimes the biggest challenge of being on vacation can be resisting all those tempting foods that lead us away from our daily diet. No worries here. Duke’s Canoe Club has included gluten-free menu items that satisfy those vacation cravings. Take, for example, the Caramelized Beet Salad loaded with savory roasted beets, pickled red onion, crumbled goat cheese, and farm-fresh arugula. It’s topped off with a macadamia nut brittle that is out of this world. Not only is the salad bursting with flavor, it comes with that rewarding feeling at the end of the meal. You know what I’m talking about; the one where you can still slip into that bathing suit afterwards and walk the beach like a seasoned athlete. Well done, Duke’s Canoe Club!

Fields of Taro

The road to Hanalei overlooks a landscape many artists dream of capturing on canvas. In fact, it’s not unusual to see someone standing off the side of the road with feet firmly planted in front of a wooden easel with paintbrush in hand. Farther up the steep winding paved surface is a bird’s eye view of the valley below where taro fields thrive. This is the eclectic village of Hanalei. Cross the single lane bridge at the bottom of the hill and see. At first glance these plants, with leaves the size of elephant ears, appear to be growing out of soggy fields saturated with water. Second cousins to the mallard duck waddle and fly wherever they please. This wildlife habitat is their lush playground. In the distance you may spot a farmer systematically tending the crop, knee-deep in the muddy paddy fields, oblivious to the stunning backdrop. After all, taro root is Hawaii’s favorite starch. Beyond his shoulder sweeps an endless view of towering mountains ruggedly splashed with colors of smoky amethyst and emerald jade. Pause here and drink in the beauty for reflection later on.