Kauai Did We Have to Leave??

And then there was no internet.  We stayed in a great hotel on Oahu for the last five days of our trip, and they provided everything we could ever need, including internet for the low, low price of $9.95 per day.  Eye roll.  I know all 2 of you have been anxiously awaiting my next Hawaii update, so my deepest apologies for making you wait this long.  Let's finish up in Kauai today, shall we?

On the 9th we made our transition from our B&B in Princeville to one on the south shore, so we wanted to finish up all of the "things to do" on the north shore before heading down.  We started off with a hike to Queen Emma's Bath, an amazing naturally created pool in a lava rock formation right in the ocean.  Because 1) I am a chickenshit and 2) There were a lot of people jumping and splashing around in the pool, I opted not to actually get in the pool, but we had fun watching other people jump in. We finished up the north shore with a visit to Lumahai Beach where the "Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" scene from South Pacific was filmed, and lastly Kilauea Lighthouse, a combination lighthouse and bird sanctuary--two for the price of one!

Our B&B in Lawai was... beyond words.  It was the most beautiful B&B I've ever stayed in with an absolutely spectacular view, and I'm already dreaming of going back again in our hopefully not too distant future.  I don't know if I want to share it with the world, but it's pretty popular already, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you that it was the Kauai Banyan Inn.  Just don't try to book the Ulu suite for the same time as us!  We discovered a couple of days before we left for our trip that a couple of our friends from college were going to be in Kauai while we were there, so that night we got together for a delicious dinner at Brennecke's on Poipu.

The next morning, we headed out to Waimea Canyon--the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.  Since I've never seen the ACTUAL Grand Canyon, I can't make a comparison, but Waimea was pretty dang impressive.  We drove to a few of the overlooks, then got down to the business of beach-going. 

We made our way to Poipu and I camped out on the beach with my book while Colby tried his hand at body-boarding.  He had fun for a little while, but eventually the waves began to overpower pretty much everyone out there as they grew in size.  It was one of the few effects of Tropical Depression Felicia that we felt, and it was actually pretty cool to see the 10-12 foot high waves and the locals body-boarding and surfing.  That night we opted to stay in and enjoy a quiet night on our private porch overlooking the old sugar mill and the ocean.

On the 11th, we went for breakfast at Eggberts in Ka'apa, then met up with our friends again and went to Wailua and Opa'eka Falls.  I was still in search of what I call a good "floating beach".  All of the beaches we'd been to so far were gorgeous, but they were covered in coral making them good for snorkeling, or pretty wavy making them great for surfing or body-boarding, but all I wanted to do was get in the ocean and float!  We FINALLY found the perfect floating beach in Salt Pond Beach and I just got on my noodle and floated to my heart's content all afternoon.

After we had our fill of floating, we packed up our mountain of beach gear and caravanned over to the Barking Sands military base where we walked the gorgeous beach and then offroaded a bit to Poli Hale State Park.  We watched the sunset at the state park and it really was the perfect combination of sandy beach, crashing waves, and dramatic cliffs at the start of the Na Pali Coast.  Unfortunately, on our way back to our B&B, our radiator busted on us, so the four of us ended up doing some late night "redneck camping" on our beach chairs and mats on the side of Kaumaulii Highway, waiting for the tow truck to rescue us.

It was certainly an interesting way to spend our last night in Kauai, but it's definitely one of those vacation moments I will always remember.  The next day Felicia finally hit the island and we were off to Oahu where we experienced a completely different side to Hawaii.

Comments

[Caro]

Simply gorgeous!! Can't wait to read more :)

[Cat]

I am so insanely jealous I can't stand it. These pictures are amazing.

[RisibleGirl]

I've never wanted to go to Hawaii until now. I wonder if you'll get some sort of commission for finally convincing me that I must go?

[katelin]

man this just makes me want to go back to hawaii. love it all.

[shani]

I am so ready to go back. Maybe I'll do Kauai instead of Maui next time, since it comes so highly recommended!

Glad you guys had a great time; can't wait to hear what you thought of Oahu. I loved it, but in a totally different way from how I loved Maui!

[Jessica]

Lady Hawaii sounds awesome. I am SO jealous. Looks like so much fun!!

[A Super Girl]

Seems like you did so much!! I would have been too lazy to get off the beach, but all the sights do look gorgeous!

[Becky]

That's cool that you got to see the waves so big, as it's normally flat as a pancake in August. I love the pictures -- I haven't been to Kauai since high school, but we've been thinking of it for our honeymoon next year. CAn't wait to see your post about Oahu :)

[Kate P]

Beautiful pictures, again. And that's so cute that you just wanted to find a "floating beach." Yay, you found one!

[Steph.]

Your photos and words make it sound so heavenly! Thanks for sharing! We went to Maui many years ago (pre-kids) and I have always wanted to go back and explore more of Hawaii. Now I know where I want to go first!

[Lynn]

THANK YOU for using the appropriate names of places, to include the glottal stops. For the love, SO many people write/say things incorrectly, and it really bothers me ... my inner Hawaiian gets all riled up. Looks like you had fun!