Kauai Hawaii :
Kauai topped at the first spots with Bora Bora, Huahine, and Rarotonga islands on any list of the world’s most spectacular islands. All the elements are gathered in the same place: rainforests, majestic cliffs, jagged peaks, and emerald valleys, palm trees swaying in the breeze, daily rainbows, and some of the most extraordinary golden beaches.
Kauai Island, part of the Hawaii archipelago, is a single large shield volcano that rises 3 miles above the sea floor. The island lies 90 miles across the open ocean from Oahu, but it seems at least a half-century removed in time. It’s often called “the separate kingdom” because it stood alone and resisted King Kamehameha’s efforts to unite Hawaii.
Nowadays the island has kept its unique touch refusing to surrender to wholesale tourism and preferring instead to take care of residents first. A Kauai rule is that no building may exceed the height of a coconut tree, which is between three and four stories. As a result, the island itself is the attention-grabber. Because of its natural beauty, Kauai has played a featured role in more than 40 Hollywood productions including the movies South Pacific and Jurassic Park and the television miniseries The Thorn Birds.
This is the place for active residents. There are water sports galore, miles of trails through rainforests and along ocean cliffs for hikers, bikers, and horseback riders, and golf options that range from championship. But Kauai is also great for those who need to relax. There people can find miles of sandy beaches, perfect for meditating.
U.S. mainlanders and especially those living on the West Coast began buying vacation homes in the 90’s. Los Angeles and San Francisco are both about eight hours away by direct commercial flight, and Honolulu is a mere 18 minutes by air from Kauai's Lihue Airport. Luxury homes are sold between $1 million and $5 million. A recent development has just broken ground where beachfront, five-acre lots have price tags starting at $1.4 million. Kauai is a unique island where you can truly vacation or live in an Eden-like, Hollywood version of paradise.
