Kauai Diaries

Kauai…our second home. We have visited every summer for three years now, and it never gets old, less exciting, or less beautiful. We always anticipate our next visit, and are super sad when we leave the island. Over the years, our family has changed SO much! The first time we went, I was pregnant with Haven. The second time, our whole family came, and our baby girl was hardy five months old. And this time around, we took Haven as a toddler. (Surprisingly, this was the most fun we have ever had!)

I guess the point I am trying to make is this: I have lots of kid-friendly recommendations, and then some for those of you who get to visit without any babies. Both have their perks…but I can assure you either way, you will have the time of your life!

^^This is the pool to our hotel. Isn’t is gorgeous?! It’s spacious, and beautifully designed. There are also several hot tubs, and even a 1 ft kids pool which is probably the most convenient thing when it comes to the swimming area. (If you brought babies or toddlers!)

^^This is Haven in the one foot swimming area. And that’s her newest facial expression. If you could hear her, she’d be saying, “Whoaaaaa!” I just love her!

^^We saw a sea turtle on the shore in Poipu. It was so amazing!

^^Our little fashionista…she wanted to take her sunnies everywhere!

^^The view on our way to Poipu. Isn’t it breathtaking?

^^She brings me flowers. How could I not love her?

^^So this is when we figured out that this girl genuinely loved to eat sand. Like she eats sand the way I eat chocolate…excessive and happily. We were trying to take a picture and BAM! She stuffed a handful of sand in her mouth. You would think the taste would change her mind, but she started smiling so big as she looked for more!

^^Tanner was so sweet on this trip. He sent me to the spa two times, and had breakfast in bed waiting for me one morning. I appreciate him more than words can say! I didn’t realize how much I am on the move until he  helped me to just relax.

^^So much personality in one tiny person!

^^This is the Spouting Horn. It’s worth seeing if you are in Poipu. Basically, when a wave rushes its direction, this giant hole will spout a lot of water! The bigger the wave, the higher the water rises through the hole!

^^We stopped off in Princeville so we could have a coffee date at the St. Regis. And OH MY GOODNESS. It’s so beautiful there! My parents went last year, and recommended we stop in this time around. The views from this hotel are insane. We already are talking about staying there for a night next year.

^^I could cry I love this picture so much!!

^^This is part of Hanalei Bay. It’s a great city for hanging out, shopping, restaurants, and even a pretty sunset.

^^Building sandcastles with her Daddins! The way he loves her brings me to tears! He is such a kind and loving father to Haven.

^^This is the view from the Kilauea Lighthouse. It’s stunning! It costs $5 to get in, and you have access to views like this, along with the lighthouse. I highly recommend you stop here if you visit.

^^View from the lighthouse!

^^This is just a small glimpse of the Na Pali Coast. If there is one thing you do when you visit the island, take a sunset boat tour of the Na Pali Coast! Nothing has taken my breath away more easily than the beauty of those coast lines. It’s so gorgeous that it doesn’t even look real. I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming!

^^Her happy dance when we let her play in the sand.

^^This is the most beautiful beach I have ever been to in my entire life! I love it so much I was hesitant whether I would even let you know how to find it, because I love that it’s secluded, and a secret to most. But you need to see this with your own eyes. You need to live this breathtaking night for yourself…because this was one of the best nights of our lives. This is called Polihale Beach. I mentioned on Instagram that we drove four miles down a dirt road just to find this secluded beach. And that sounds pretty simple, but it was one bumpy ride. To get to the end of this dirt road takes just under an hour…so keep that in mind if you are trying to catch the sunset. We saw a few people who didn’t take that into account, and arrived once the sun had already set. We felt so bad for them! I say make a day out of this if you go! Pack some sandwiches, snacks, and just enjoy the view. You’ll most likely be alone, and how crazy is that? It’ll feel like you really are on your own island.

^^Sunset at Polihale. It was one of those pinch me I’m dreaming kind of views.

^^Is there any love sweeter than that between a daddy and his daughter?

 

That was just thirty of hundreds of photos we took on vacation. Now for some (more) recommendations on the stunning island of Kauai.

To Stay: We personally love staying at the Marriott Resort  in Lihue. It is centrally located on the island, which makes drive times for sightseeing not as long. It’s also kid-friendly and gorgeous. They have a spa, several restaurants, and a beautiful beach with volleyball courts. Lounge chairs are both in the pool area and on the beach, which means you can pick which spot to relax. Yay!

Restaurants: 

Kukui’s On Kalapaki Beach- They have delicious breakfast and dinner! We tried both. I had banana mac pancakes  two times, and when we dined for dinner, I got steak and mashed potatoes. Everything was cooked to perfection!

Kalapaki Beach Hut: Tanner loves getting breakfast here. The prices are cheap, but the food is great, and the portion size is generous. We have never tried anything here that we didn’t like.

Bubba’s Burgers: Do yourself a favor and go. We are obsessed with these perfectly cooked cheeseburgers! It’s more of a fast-food setting, and they have them in all the bigger cities on the island. We ate there twice, both times in Poipu. If you sit inside you will see lots of pictures of celebrities that have eaten at that specific location. It’s pretty cool!

Duke’s: This was a family favorite! The setting is serene, and the food is so good. I usually order the nachos. I’m a creature of habit, so once I know I love something, it’s hard for me to try something different. The environment is very upbeat and happy. There is live music a lot, which is really cool because you get the chance to see some locals perform. Everyone we have seen has been so talented!

Snacks:

Lappert’s Hawaii Ice Cream: I love stopping here whenever I am in Poipu. Their ice cream is so good. There are lots of unique flavors that really cater to the hawaiian culture. I personally love the Kona Coffee ice cream!

Skinny Mikes Ice Cream: This ice cream shop is right across the street from our hotel. If you follow me on snapchat, you would have seen the most incredible looking s’mores ice cream! It was ridiculous how good it was! If you are ever in Lihue, try this place! I don’t regret any of those calories.

Shave Ice in Hanalei: I didn’t put a specific place, because any shave ice shop in Hanalei is a safe bet. Their guava flavor is very popular, so give it a try if you’re out there! I really liked it. Oh, and if calories are no issue, take yours with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It’s delicious!

Sightseeing:

Boat tour of Na Pali Coast: We did this the first year we visited. The Na Pali Coast isn’t easily accessible unless you are willing to hike on treacherous and dangerous paths. (That is surprisingly more popular than you’d think.) But good news is, boats exist! So if there’s one activity you do on the island, this is my #1 recommendation. The views are unlike any other, and it’s very enjoyable. You’ll get lots of food, beautiful photos, and you will leave having had one of the best nights of your life.

Hanalei Lookout: There are lots of super cool lookouts in Kauai. This is one of our favorites. You don’t have to plan too much for the lookouts. You basically just drive up, hop out of your rental car, have a nice person take a photo of you and your crew, and drive off. I mean you can linger if you want, by no means do you need to rush! Take it all in!

Polihale Beach: The beach that changed everything for us. I explained earlier in my blog that this beach is secluded. (How often can you say that about a beach?) It also has the highest rating when it comes to sunsets. And it not only is the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen, but it blew all the others out of the water! Do yourself a favor and add this beach to your bucket list. I am already missing it and all its beauty.

Poipu Beach: We love visiting this beach because it’s unique! The left side has an area for babies where the rocks block the waves, making it completely kid friendly! The main part of the beach has a split down the middle, so you can literally walk down the sand path to a little island in the middle of the ocean!

Helicopter Ride of the Island: We took a helicopter tour last summer and it was beautiful. We got to see so much of the island that we had never even noticed before. There was so many waterfalls we had never even known existed on the island. I was nervous before we took off, but once we were in the air, I realized I was witnessing a little piece of heaven on earth.

Kilauea Lighthouse: The lighthouse is very pretty! The views from the top are also incredible. We stop there every year so we can look out at the breathtaking waters, and endless blue skies. Birds are flying around everywhere, and it feels so serene and peaceful there.

St. Regis in Princeville: This sounds like the most random recommendation, but it’s something I’m really glad we did this year. This hotel has amazing views! The picture of Tanner giving Haven a kiss on the cheek is from that hotel. (See photos above.) We really wanted to dine there, because you can sit and overlook the ocean, but it wasn’t realistic with Haven. I’m hoping next year our whole family will go so Tanner and I can have a date there!

There are so many other places I would recommend you visit, so don’t be surprised if this list gets updated over time! Kauai has a piece of our hearts, and Lord willing we will travel there indefinitely every summer!

I hope you enjoyed reading all about our trip! And I’m wishing you the most beautiful day!

xo, Tay