Waking up refreshed from our day in Santa Monica, we went to LAX and enjoyed some time eating breakfast in the Centurion Lounge before boarding our confirmed flight to Kauai. It is uncommon for us to gain access to the Centurion Lounge, as we usually do not have confirmed seats. I especially enjoyed the shakshuka and avocado toast in the lounge.
Checking-in
Upon arriving in Lihue around noon, we picked up our rental car and were immediately welcomed by some of the chickens the island is known for. Afterwards, we checked into The Royal Sonesta Kaua’i Resort Lihue. The walk to the check-in counter led me to believe we were in for a treat. A magnificent garden surrounding a lily pond lined the pathway to the front desk. My intuition proved true, as we were granted early check-in and upgraded to a top-floor full ocean-view room due to my American Express booking. It was possibly one of the most beautiful hotel rooms I have ever had the pleasure of staying in. We could sit on the porch and listen to the ocean waves.
First Tastes
Hungry and wanting to adjust to island time, we walked across the street to a circle of nearby food trucks to enjoy our first meal in Kauai. More chickens graced our presence, hoping that we would drop a morsel of food. We enjoyed our first taste of rice and macaroni salad, which we fondly remembered from our trip to the big island. We picked up some basic groceries at Walmart for the week to save a little money on food and have simple meals for hikes.
Perks!
With our resort booking, we got a voucher for two Mai Tais and an appetizer at the ocean-side restaurant. We utilized the perk and enjoyed our drinks while the waves rolled into the beach behind us. After exploring the resort property, we retired for the night as we had an early morning ahead.
Day 1: Waimea Canyon
After an early wakeup, we stopped for breakfast and tried Loco Moco. It was delicious! We drove to Waimea Canyon and pulled off at several impressive overlooks. For our main event in the canyon, we ventured on the Canyon Hike, which had beautiful canyon views and ended with a small waterfall. It was a dusty trail, and I took a little tumble on the descent. Hiking boots would have been much better for traction in retrospect. It was a moderate hike, and because of the dust, it was much more difficult on the way down than on the way back up.
Upon our return to the resort, we went to one of their restaurants, Duke’s, and enjoyed some seafood and hula pie. The hula pie was a giant slice of chocolate-covered ice cream. It was so delectable that we had to return later in the week for another slice and a couple of Mai-Tais.
Day 2: Hiking in Kauai
On our second day, we explored the Maha’ulepu Heritage Trail. The trail followed the Kauai coastline through a variety of terrains. We began at a popular surfing beach, walked through a forest, meandered on a rocky bluff, down to a patch of lava rocks, and up to a lush golf course, leaving one magnificent view for the next. We enjoyed lunch at Puka Dog afterward and luckily got there early enough that the line was not excessive.
Hanapepe Villiage
We had a boat tour scheduled in the afternoon, and to utilize the time we had in between activities, we explored the small town of Hanapepe. After picking up a couple of souvenirs in town, we traversed the Hanapepe swinging bridge. It was a suspension footbridge nearby that swayed with each step. We later learned Kauai villiage Hanapepe was the place of inspiration for Lilo and Stitch. That later explained some of the souvenir options we saw in shops.
Kauai Boat Tour
Following our town explorations, we made our way to our boat tour. We had scheduled a catamaran tour of the Napali coast with a Luau-style dinner and sunset finish. Knowing we were in for a treat, we boarded the boat and set out for an adventure. Our guide gave us an explanation of what we were seeing on the shore as we passed by. I was fortunate enough to be at the bow as a flying fish glided above the ocean. As we passed the southern point of the island, the waves and wind picked up, and we had to brace ourselves for some adventure.
If you get seasick, it would not have been the best choice of tour! We firmly grasped our hats to avoid losing them forever to the ocean as we got sprayed with water as our boat crashed into substantial waves. The powerful waves made the views of the Napoli Coast even more dramatic as we approached. We saw caves and waterfalls throughout the trip. Approaching the end of the Napali coast, our boat turned around to go back and raised the sail into the blue sky above.
Return Sail to Kauai
As the sail unfurled and our boat sailed in harmony with the roll of the waves, the thrills were exchanged for a relaxing calm. We could more easily photograph the coast as we sailed by and pleasantly took in the sights. As we rolled past the southern tip for the last time, we were fortunate to see spinner dolphins jumping across the water. After the dolphins dove down, we enjoyed a warm meal while trying to avoid having our food blow away.
For our final memory aboard the catamaran, we slowed to a stop and turned to face the sunset. We all took in the breathtaking sight of the sun dipping below the endless water off the coast of Kauai in what seemed to be a precious moment of living only in the present. Having had the boat ride of a lifetime, we proceeded to the hotel to enjoy our lovely room until we woke up for another splendid day.
Day 3: Northern Kauai
Having had a lot of excitement on the island, we wanted to embrace some “Island time”. We began our day with room service for breakfast and proceeded to Anini Beach to attempt to snorkel. We discovered, sadly, that most of the coral had bleached. There were not many fish around. To learn more about coral bleaching, I would highly recommend the documentary Chasing Coral. The highlight of our swim was seeing a Honu in the water, but it was sad to see how much the ocean in Hawaii has changed in just three years since we had seen it last.
Queen’s Bath
Our second stop in the area was the “Queen’s Bath” hike. There are many posted warnings of deaths that have occurred in the bath. For this reason, we planned only to see the tidepool with no intention of swimming. We chose to wear water shoes for the hike, which was the right choice. The hike consisted of muddy foot-shaped divots on the hill towards the coast. A friendly passer-by gave me a walking stick they had used, which was very useful.
We enjoyed the beautiful views of the bath and saw some boys jumping off the lava rocks into the water. We also saw a turtle fighting the waves and a nesting bird in the hillside. It was, again, another picturesque spot. With mud up to our knees, we opted to return to the hotel and get cleaned up. Clean-up took quite a while, as our water shoes were ninety percent mud following the hike. We enjoyed a quiet evening at the resort, followed by a nighttime stroll on the beach. We walked, listening to the waves roll in and watching the stars above us with the smell of gardenia I had plucked off the ground and placed into my hair, perfuming the surrounding air.
Day 4 Limahuli Garden, Kilauea Point
Our final day arrived, and we packed our belongings to switch to a cheaper hotel. We drove to the Limahuli Garden & Preserve and practically had the place to ourselves as we had scheduled an early arrival time. Roaming along the hillside amongst the native Kauai plants, we could see the mountain used for the mystical Bali Hai in South Pacific. The lush green grass framed by mountains with the ocean on the horizon captured our gaze.
We stopped at the Hanalei Valley Lookout and found another beach to explore in some downtime before stopping at Sushi Girl for lunch. Following lunch, we had a booking at Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. Stopping at the overlook at the entrance first, we got our first glimpse of the countless birds on the coastline. We made our way to the lighthouse and spotted a variety of seabirds as they danced in the air. Looking below, we spotted another sea turtle swimming in the ocean as the birds flew overhead.
After checking in at the new hotel, we explored two waterfalls, Wailua Falls and Opaeka’a Falls. We also ventured to Lyndgate Park Pools and Spouting Horn. Afterward, we went into town for dinner and happened upon a happy hour special. We ordered chowder, a burger, fries, and Hawaiian beer. The chowder was arguably one of the best I have ever had.
Journey Home
Knowing we had a long journey ahead, we stopped at a local deli before leaving Kauai to grab sandwiches to take to the airport. Our flight was delayed two hours, so we missed our red-eye connection to Charlotte. We switched plans and took a red-eye to Dallas instead, using our transfer status to make the standby list in the nick of time. Upon arrival in Dallas, we went to the lounge for a much-needed nap. We had about six hours until our flight back to Asheville at the airport. After many hours of travel, we finally returned home to pick up our elderly, affectionate black cat.
*Kauai has become a very popular tourist destination. If you travel to Kauai, respect the local people and never litter. Try to maintain decorum and preserve the tranquility of the island. Support local businesses when possible. Consider traveling to Kauai during the off-season to avoid overwhelming the small island and its resources. Do not touch the coral or the animals on the island and do not feed the wildlife! Some of the roads are not meant for heavy traffic or rental cars, plan accordingly!
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