Where to begin! We had such an amazing trip to a couple of the Hawaiian islands. This was a “mom and dad” only trip, though we missed our little guy terribly. Hawaii is certainly family-friendly and it seemed that we ran into a two-year-old wherever we went. But we did have fun and we’re feeling so relaxed.
We started our trip celebrating a good friend’s wedding in Oahu. My Hawaiian engineering buddy got married there last weekend, and it’s been a decade-long dream to see the magical place where he grew up. The ceremony was small with a lot of family and a super fun Penn crew. We had a blast. We also got to stay nearby on Waikiki at the oldest hotel in Oahu, which was gorgeous. We loved the sunsets and breakfast on the ocean. Waikiki was jam-packed with people but it was remarkably low-key. There were no vendors walking the beach or crazy college party-goers, so the vibe was very chill. (aka Hawaiian.)
The Diamond Head Crater Hike was everything that it was cracked up to be – gorgeous views of Waikiki and the rest of the island. We also got to tour the Pearl Harbor memorial for a few hours, which was educational and chilling. I didn’t realize that bombing Pearl Harbor was Japan’s strategy to prevent the US from intervening in the Pacific during WWII while Japan raided island nations oil supplies. Also, the number of US submarines that were sank in the war and since is crazy – it’s been dozens. It was fun to learn about the culture and “day in a life” of the men who lived on the navy ships, and terribly sad to learn how many of them lost their lives in the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
After a quick weekend in Oahu, we packed up and headed to the incredible paradise of Kauai. It was everything that our friends had told us and more. We loved our few days in charming Hanalei, which is a small beach town on the north coast of the island. There were no buildings taller than two stories and there was one road through town, and several single-lane bridges where drivers amicably take turns crossing. The food was outstanding! An award-winning chef from SF packed his bags and created three fantastic restaurants next to each other on the main street: AMA, Bar Acuda, and Hanalei Bread Company. Don’t make me pick a favorite!
We also had to try “shave ice” while in Hawaii. I was expecting something like a gas station slushy, but no! The flavors actually tasted like banana colada, lychee, and pineapple – and there was homemade macadamia ice cream on the bottom. Yum! I have to say though, my favorite dessert in Hawaii was the peanut butter pie at Bar Acuda. They made their own chocolate sauce and holyyy cow was it good.
Our stay at Hanalei Colony Resort was “quaint” – they pride themselves on having no TV, telephones or air conditioning. The way to stay cool was to have the ocean breeze ripping through your room. Honestly, it was very relaxing. We had a private beach generally all to ourselves right outside of our window. An oceanside massage helped set the pace too.
Our highlight activity of the north shore was the Kalalau hiking trail, which took us eight miles along the ocean cliffs down to a hidden beach, and into the island to see a spectacular 300 foot tall waterfall. The hike was technical, as they say, but gorgeous. These untouched beaches are unreal. We then spent the afternoon snorkeling at a nearby beach called Tunnels Beach where I had my first successful snorkeling outing! I swear whenever I try to snorkel, I see nothing. Not this time! There were tons of brightly colored fish swimming in and around the coral reefs. We tried to freeze in place so they would keep swimming around us. I felt like I was in an aquarium at the dentist’s office swimming with all the pretty tropical fish.
Surfing lessons in Hanalei Bay were another favorite. Our soon-to-be friend Johnny at Titus Kinimaki’s Surf School was a fabulous teacher. This was my third surfing lesson in my life, but I realized it was the only one done by a native English speaker – and I learned so much! Johnny had us catching almost every single wave with his fantastic coaching. It made us feel like real surfers. Highly recommend! I also got to swim a couple miles in Hanalei Bay the next morning when it was as calm as bathwater (probably even calmer than the tub when Emerson is in it) and it was such a treat.
We were so bummed to leave Hanalei – I can see why people come for a week and stay for a lifetime. But on Mark’s birthday (!) we made the 75 minute drive down to Poipu on the south shore, with a stop at Secret Beach along the way. It’s not actually that secret anymore; apparently Mark Zuckerberg, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Stiller and other A-list celebrities have homes nearby. It was rough in the ocean but amazingly beautiful. The ocean here is a bit of a wild card. Kauai’s north shore gets 30-60 foot swells in the winter, to which the pro surfers flock. Although we were visiting during the summer, it was windy and there were above average swells from a tropical depression off of Tahiti, at least according to the locals, who could always point us to a cove nearby where there were no waves at all. Kauai also prides itself on getting the most rain of any geography in the world. The north shore apparently has had “only” 500 inches of rain this year. It rains every day on the north shore, but in the summer it’s a drizzle that never lasts more than 20 minutes. Apparently in the winter it can rain several feet in a day.
What the north shore had in tranquility, the south shore had in tropical vibes. We spent as much time as possible lounging by the pool overlooking the ocean at Koa Kea resort. Our fist excursion from the south side was a very memorable, breathtaking experience in a helicopter. Max from Safari Helicopters toured us all over the island in the areas that aren’t reachable by car, which makes up 80% of Kauai. Most of the land is actually owned by one family (the Robinsons), and they are “conservationists” meaning they don’t want housing developments, roads and a lot of tourists impacting nature. So, a helicopter tour is almost essential if you ask me 😊 Max was a fantastic pilot and didn’t make me feel like we were floating around in the sky in that way that helicopters can do. We zoomed in and out of the Waimea Canyon, several valleys on the Na Pali Coast where Hawaiian kingdoms thrived, and somehow Max knew the answers to all of my questions along the way.
Did I mention we saw dolphins and turtles!? Captain Dave took us on a thirty-person “super raft” through the crashing ocean waves to snorkel in a reef off the west coast of the island. Along the way, a pod of spinner dolphins came up alongside us and playfully jumped around! It was unreal. I’ve never seen dolphins in the wild. While snorkeling, we saw a ton of beautiful fish and two sea turtles! They seemed to be “flying” underwater with the gracefulness of how they swam.
Kauai was such a fun place to celebrate Mark’s birthday! We went to a fancy dinner where the restaurant was constructed over a massive koi pond. We had a lovely room upgrade and chocolates at our hotels for his birthday. It was awesome to spend a whole day celebrating in paradise (especially instead of a normal Wednesday working)!
Overall, two thumbs up for Kauai. I’d recommend it to anyone and everyone. It felt like a faraway place (which it is) but didn’t require a passport, foreign language or different currency. I can see why people come to Hawaii over and over again. I’d love to explore Maui next! We are so relaxed and had an amazing time, but can’t wait to see our little guy. We want to say a MAJOR thank you to our parents for watching him while we were gone so that this trip could become a reality. Till next time!
