Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” — Helen Keller
Inspiration for your next Hawaii trip…
23 Wednesday Oct 2013
Posted Kauai
in23 Wednesday Oct 2013
Posted Kauai
inLife is either a daring adventure or nothing.” — Helen Keller
04 Friday Oct 2013
Posted Kauai, World Travel
in20 Tuesday Aug 2013
Posted Kauai, World Travel
inOn our last day in Kauai, I just had to see one more thing. I didn’t know where I wanted to go, or what I wanted to do, but I knew I couldn’t leave the island without seeing something new.
With only 90 minutes until we had to board our plane, my mom and I took a drive along the 56 towards Kapa’a. About 20 minutes into our drive, my mom said, “We don’t have enough time to keep exploring. We will have to turn back soon and head to the airport.” Disappointed, I talked her into driving a few more miles.
Just then we saw a sign for Nukolii Beach, and my mom quickly turned off the 56 onto the narrow road, and we were so glad to have taken the extra time to explore, because this is what we found:
19 Monday Aug 2013
Posted Kauai, World Travel
inMy favorite part of Kauai has to be Queen’s Bath. It was recommended to me by multiple friends, and from the time I first Googled it, I knew I had to go there. Day 2 of my Kauai trip, my mom and I ventured up the 56 to Princeville. It’s a little bit of a trek getting out there, and the trail entrance is right in the middle of an upscale neighborhood, so parking can be tricky. The easiest way to find it is using Google Maps on your smart phone to get to the trail entrance, then using your awesome hiker-senses to get to the actual landmark. From the trail entrance, it’s a 15-20 minute hike to Queen’s Bath, but spectacular views all along the way, including many sea turtle sightings!
I’m a big thrill seeker, so I love free diving and cliff jumping, and there is a variety of places to do both of these things here. However, if you’re a newbie, I’d stick to the main rock and jumping directly into the swimming hole. If there are locals there, they’ll likely be jumping directly into the ocean, and diving down into the under water caves to explore…but this can be very dangerous if you go during the wrong tide, so I’d steer clear if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing.
Also, be sure to bring your snorkel gear!
18 Thursday Jul 2013
Posted Eat, Kauai, The Beach, World Travel
inTags
There are reasons I had never been to Hawaii before.
“It’s overrated”- Various friends
“It’s so busy, hot, and humid, not worth it.” – More random friends & family
“It’s so close, we can go there anytime. Let’s go to Europe instead.” – My mother, about 5 or 10 times.
This past year, I was gifted an Alaska Airlines voucher by my aunt for me to visit my dad while he was sailing in Alaska, good for 1 year. Unfortunately, my dads trip was cut short, and 11 months later, I still hadn’t used my voucher. Suddenly feeling the pressure to book a flight, I logged onto AlaskaAirlines.com and studied where I could fly. Alaska (obviously), Mexico, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, and Hawaii. They happened to be running a special for Hawaii that day, so it seemed like the best use of my $400.00 voucher. I called my mom, who is as spontaneous as I am, and asked her if she wanted to go to Kauai in 3 weeks. She responded, “Book it.” – so I did.
Not knowing what to expect, I packed shorts and t-shirts, my camera, and a snorkel set., and flew up to Oakland to meet my mom for our flight.
The second the island of Kauai appeared out my seat window, I knew I made the right decision. Stepping off the plane, it didn’t feel nearly as hot or humid as everyone said it would be. There was not a cloud in the sky, and I couldn’t wait to see the rest of the island.
We stayed at the Marriott Kauai Beach Resort, which upgraded us to an ocean view upon our arrival. I half expected “ocean view” to mean “you can kind of see the ocean if you look really hard from the bathroom window.” But no, they meant a true ocean view:
Exhausted from our flight, we took the tourist route and ate at Duke’s the first night, which was on our resort’s property. It was one of the best meals we had our entire trip, especially the Hula Pie. Yum…
Over the next 8 days, we discovered some amazing places. Among my favorite experiences: Queen’s Bath, Shipwrecked Beach, Ziplining, the Napali Coast, and more…that I will continue to write about here on my blog. In the meantime, here are some highlights:
In conclusion, Hawaii (or more specifically, Kauai) is NOT overrated. It’s not just because I had low standards before arriving. It’s because it really is stop-in-the-street-to-take-1-thousand-photos-of-flowers-and-waterfalls GORGEOUS. It’s a place to relax, explore, and have a million tiny adventures.