Day 1
Relaxing flight onto Lihue, we kinda liked the Alaska Airlines overall with the service, seating and happy staff. Lihue airport is tiny, very simple, hardly any shops on exit and here's the best part - no crowd! We easily rented our car and were out and about in no time! On our way to the Hotel, we were happy to find a Pizza Hut for lunch, because we didn't know what to expect in the Hotel area and the location of our stay (which actually turned out great). Our Hotel was right by coconut grove off the highway , nestled between other resorts and hotels, had a market place in a 2 minute walking distance with a ton of local cafes, shops and restaurants lined by the highway with a view of the Sleeping giant mountain. It was pretty close from the airport. We expected a garden view per our booking, but luckily had a good view of the ocean by the patio.The first order after we checked in and unloaded our stuff in the room was to walk by the beach. Ah! it was so easy to unwind lying by the beach, listening to the waves and letting go of all the worries in the breeze. Btw, the coconut trees do add a ton of beauty to these coastal lines! It started to get chilly by 5pm, so we headed out to get some dinner. We wanted to find Meme Thai restaurant and in the process we realized GPS systems aren't always great. So don't rely too much on Google maps while on this island, the restaurant was so close to the Hotel, but it took us so off route! Luckily, we figured out the location on our own and the food was great! Totally worth the chase! Rented a DVD - 30 minutes or less which was the kind of no-brain comedy. Ended up sleeping early because of time difference.
Day 2
Beautiful morning, took a stroll by the beach and relaxed while it got warmer. Had a heavy breakfast at Kountry Kitchen which had a ton of rooster paintings on sale (I think it was a fund raiser). It was while we were parked outside the Kapaa downtown area, we started noticing brightly colored roosters hanging out near the beach and the park nearby. As we spent more time on the island, I thought these birds were not just adding beauty, but also made their presence totally felt with the crowing of course! Headed to visit the Waimea Canyon situated on the west of the island, beautiful view and serene surroundings. Noticed a lot of red dirt on the way and some great scenic spots. West seemed more flat and dry. On our way back from the canyon, we stopped at the salt pond beach, which had calm waters and awesome clear day to go with it. We had fun playing in the waters. Tried Shave ice at Jojo's in the Waimea downtown area and noticed a lot of shops selling "Red Dirt" t-shirts. And yes there were roosters in the Canyon park, by the beach and the downtown area. We wound up the day by getting some rice to go with the leftover Thai curry and tried out the spring rolls this time and watched a comedy movie named Due date, starring Robert Downey Jr. It was a very average comedy.
Day 3
Started out as a cloudy morning, but we still took a stroll by the beach, chilled out for about an hour by which time the sun was out. Had breakfast at Ono Family restaurant,I tried the tropical pancakes which had coconut shavings, macadamia nuts and bananas --yum!!! Headed to Poipu beach in the South of the island. It was super busy on a sunny morning. We managed to unwind and soak in the sun, later played by the beach and dried ourselves in the sun again. We stopped at the Poipu shopping village and got a yummy gelato. Also checked out the Koloa Downtown where we did some shopping. We returned back to Kapaa area to get massages at Ola Massage, it was just a great addition to the vacation. They used pure coconut oil for the whole session, making it soothing and rejuvenating for skin after all the sun exposure. For dinner we tried Kauai pasta, where the ravioli a and Eggplant Parmesan were both rich and yum! We ended the day watching Campaign starring Will Ferrel , pretty slapstick and good comedy on politicians but we were so sleepy, from the heavy food and massage...
Day 4
This was our adventure day, we had booked a Kayaking and snorkeling guided tour and both these activities were our first ever. We went back to Kountry Kitchen to have brunch and later headed to the North of the island to Hanalei bay to check in for our tour. It turned out that it was the most cloudy day on the island so far. In fact it started sprinkling towards the beginning of our tour. Our guide was pretty chilled out, gave us kayaking instructions and narrated Kauai legendary stories about the sleeping giant and the spouting horn. Kayaking was certainly a bit of work-out and a lot of fun for us, we ended up parking ourselves by the beach to snorkel in the shallow waters. God! it was so scary in the beginning, because I was super tense and not used to the equipment at all. But, I got a hang of it eventually and managed to relax while enjoying the underwater view. And definitely a big wow to the beauty of the corals, fishes underneath. Since I am not so courageous, I didn't go too far in, but those who did viewed some large fishes as well. I definitely want to snorkel again now that the trial round is done. DH did far better than me and therefore enjoyed it much more! We kayaked our way back at the end of the tour and in spite of the cloudy, rainy North Island, we totally had a ball ! Once we changed, we stopped at some very scenic spots before heading back East. Northern part definitely seemed very agriculture friendly and more wet. So we were able to take a walk around the Hotel at night as there was no rain in the area and slept like babies after the great day!
Day 5
Half a day before we left to the airport, we woke up early to check out a cafe named Java Kai in downtown Kapaa. Good coffees, great muffins and a colorful shop. Walked down the beach nearby and guess what; I found a swing by the beach! Wasn't that a fun way to end the trip?! In no time, we were flying back home again, reading books and discussing what the next destination should be! :-)
Relaxing flight onto Lihue, we kinda liked the Alaska Airlines overall with the service, seating and happy staff. Lihue airport is tiny, very simple, hardly any shops on exit and here's the best part - no crowd! We easily rented our car and were out and about in no time! On our way to the Hotel, we were happy to find a Pizza Hut for lunch, because we didn't know what to expect in the Hotel area and the location of our stay (which actually turned out great). Our Hotel was right by coconut grove off the highway , nestled between other resorts and hotels, had a market place in a 2 minute walking distance with a ton of local cafes, shops and restaurants lined by the highway with a view of the Sleeping giant mountain. It was pretty close from the airport. We expected a garden view per our booking, but luckily had a good view of the ocean by the patio.The first order after we checked in and unloaded our stuff in the room was to walk by the beach. Ah! it was so easy to unwind lying by the beach, listening to the waves and letting go of all the worries in the breeze. Btw, the coconut trees do add a ton of beauty to these coastal lines! It started to get chilly by 5pm, so we headed out to get some dinner. We wanted to find Meme Thai restaurant and in the process we realized GPS systems aren't always great. So don't rely too much on Google maps while on this island, the restaurant was so close to the Hotel, but it took us so off route! Luckily, we figured out the location on our own and the food was great! Totally worth the chase! Rented a DVD - 30 minutes or less which was the kind of no-brain comedy. Ended up sleeping early because of time difference.
Day 2
Beautiful morning, took a stroll by the beach and relaxed while it got warmer. Had a heavy breakfast at Kountry Kitchen which had a ton of rooster paintings on sale (I think it was a fund raiser). It was while we were parked outside the Kapaa downtown area, we started noticing brightly colored roosters hanging out near the beach and the park nearby. As we spent more time on the island, I thought these birds were not just adding beauty, but also made their presence totally felt with the crowing of course! Headed to visit the Waimea Canyon situated on the west of the island, beautiful view and serene surroundings. Noticed a lot of red dirt on the way and some great scenic spots. West seemed more flat and dry. On our way back from the canyon, we stopped at the salt pond beach, which had calm waters and awesome clear day to go with it. We had fun playing in the waters. Tried Shave ice at Jojo's in the Waimea downtown area and noticed a lot of shops selling "Red Dirt" t-shirts. And yes there were roosters in the Canyon park, by the beach and the downtown area. We wound up the day by getting some rice to go with the leftover Thai curry and tried out the spring rolls this time and watched a comedy movie named Due date, starring Robert Downey Jr. It was a very average comedy.
Day 3
Started out as a cloudy morning, but we still took a stroll by the beach, chilled out for about an hour by which time the sun was out. Had breakfast at Ono Family restaurant,I tried the tropical pancakes which had coconut shavings, macadamia nuts and bananas --yum!!! Headed to Poipu beach in the South of the island. It was super busy on a sunny morning. We managed to unwind and soak in the sun, later played by the beach and dried ourselves in the sun again. We stopped at the Poipu shopping village and got a yummy gelato. Also checked out the Koloa Downtown where we did some shopping. We returned back to Kapaa area to get massages at Ola Massage, it was just a great addition to the vacation. They used pure coconut oil for the whole session, making it soothing and rejuvenating for skin after all the sun exposure. For dinner we tried Kauai pasta, where the ravioli a and Eggplant Parmesan were both rich and yum! We ended the day watching Campaign starring Will Ferrel , pretty slapstick and good comedy on politicians but we were so sleepy, from the heavy food and massage...
Day 4
This was our adventure day, we had booked a Kayaking and snorkeling guided tour and both these activities were our first ever. We went back to Kountry Kitchen to have brunch and later headed to the North of the island to Hanalei bay to check in for our tour. It turned out that it was the most cloudy day on the island so far. In fact it started sprinkling towards the beginning of our tour. Our guide was pretty chilled out, gave us kayaking instructions and narrated Kauai legendary stories about the sleeping giant and the spouting horn. Kayaking was certainly a bit of work-out and a lot of fun for us, we ended up parking ourselves by the beach to snorkel in the shallow waters. God! it was so scary in the beginning, because I was super tense and not used to the equipment at all. But, I got a hang of it eventually and managed to relax while enjoying the underwater view. And definitely a big wow to the beauty of the corals, fishes underneath. Since I am not so courageous, I didn't go too far in, but those who did viewed some large fishes as well. I definitely want to snorkel again now that the trial round is done. DH did far better than me and therefore enjoyed it much more! We kayaked our way back at the end of the tour and in spite of the cloudy, rainy North Island, we totally had a ball ! Once we changed, we stopped at some very scenic spots before heading back East. Northern part definitely seemed very agriculture friendly and more wet. So we were able to take a walk around the Hotel at night as there was no rain in the area and slept like babies after the great day!
Day 5
Half a day before we left to the airport, we woke up early to check out a cafe named Java Kai in downtown Kapaa. Good coffees, great muffins and a colorful shop. Walked down the beach nearby and guess what; I found a swing by the beach! Wasn't that a fun way to end the trip?! In no time, we were flying back home again, reading books and discussing what the next destination should be! :-)
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