vacation

I got married and honeymooned at that Marriott. There are chickens all over that resort, it's funny!

LOL.  On the "owners board" someone posted that there are a ton of chickens on property and have seen them on the other islands as well.  I wondered if locals ever grab one for the stewpot?

Nah, the meat is a little tough...

To the OP...if I remember right, Poipu has an area that is very protected and might be big enough to get a decent swim in.  Otherwise, be very, very careful swimming in the ocean there.  Lot's of drownings mainly due to people not paying attention to warnings.

I live on O'ahu, but haven't been to Kauai for more than a few days...just to play golf.  Like most of the neighbor islands (Kauai, Maui, Big Island), there are no freeways...but there are long stretches of road surrounding the island.  I'm pretty sure the shoulders are wide, so finding a place to ride shouldn't be hard.  Just ask around as certain areas may be more ideal.

Same goes for swimming.  Hawaii is notorious for having rip currents and it is not uncommon to hear on the news that a tourist or even a local has gone missing from swimming or diving.  Most of the time it's inexperienced swimmers...but sometimes it's locals who have been swimming/diving in the ocean for years.

Just make sure to swim where there are life guards and talk to them about where to swim.  Never assume it is safe.  Sometimes what looks like calm waters can turn into large surf in a matter of an hour or two.