Warning... long post!
We just returned from a fabulous trip to Kauai to kick off summer break (and Lance and my 10 year anniversary!)
The kids are such good little travelers, the plane ride was actually relaxing! They pretty much entertained themselves while I got to enjoy some sparkling wine, movies and magazines!
Lance had to work the day we left so we took a later flight. After getting the rental car and driving to the condo we were pretty tired so just unpacked and went to bed.
Day 1
Our first morning was spent getting groceries and making a Costco trip. Then back to the condo to explore and SWIM! We stayed at the Waipouli Beach Resort and spa. The same hotel that Lance and I stayed at on our honeymoon 10 years ago! It has an amazing pool with water slides and waterfalls. A kids paradise! It also has a pretty decent beach out front.
That evening we walked to dinner down the street and enjoyed fresh fish and mai tais while listening to a local woman play her ukulele and sing.
Day 2
Our 2nd day was an adventure. We started out hiking down to Secret beach. It was a decent hike down, but it was definitely worth it. The beach was stunning!
We walked down the beautiful beach, explored the tide pools and checked out the caves.
Next we went to Tunnels Beach. It was a hike to get down to that beach too, but this one was so steep there were ropes to hang on to. The snorkeling was great. The kids saw 3 turtles, rainbow fish, a sea urchin, sea anemones, and a chitan. They said their favorite was when "Dad did a back flip" under the water.
After the beaches we got take out for dinner and went to the pool after dark. The kids thought that was pretty cool.
Day 3
Day three we visited Queen's bath. We hiked down another long, steep, slippery path leading to lots of lava rocks and pools. Queens bath is a big lava pool that you can swim and snorkel in. The kids were also super brave and jumped off a tall rock into the water.
We hiked all around the area and explored other lava pools. We saw crayfish, crabs, and lots of turtles!
After a busy day of exploring we went back to the pool for the rest of the day. We ate dinner at this cool restaurant down the road from our condo called Lava Lava Beach Club. We ate with our feet in the sand while listening to live Hawaiian music. Perfection. There was even a big grassy area with yard games for the kids to play with. The kids were so busy it almost felt like Lance and I were on a date!
Day 4
Day 4 was a lazy one. We slept in and then played cards in the room all morning. Then we hung by the pool until dinnertime.
We went to dinner at this cool restaurant in Poipu called Keoki's Paradise. It was an open air restaurant with beautiful trees, flowers and a pond surrounding it. There was also live music when we were there. The food was delicious and the drinks were pretty.
After dinner Rylee and I stopped for shave ice. YUM!!
Day 5
We woke up to a little bit of rain on day 5 but that didn't stop us. We wanted to hike Sleeping Giant. It was muddy and slippery and I was a little nervous at first, but the kids convinced me they could do it so we kept trekking on.
There were so many beautiful views along the trail.
We stopped here for snacks and a view of the giants head.
It was definitely slippery and a little iffy at times but we made it with no injuries. It was a blast. Thanks to Lance for cleaning our shoes afterward! And thank goodness for a condo with a washer and dryer!
We rewarded ourselves with a delicious kalua pork plate from one of our favorite restaurants on the island, Kauai Family Restaurant.
Of course after lunch we needed more pool time! We ended the day with dinner and margaritas at a delicious Mexican restaurant and more shave ice! (We realized you can never have too much shave ice in Hawaii!)
Day 6
Lance and Carson started day 6 by feeding the koi fish in the pond at our condo.
Later in the day we rented bikes and checked out the Kauai beach trail. It was beautiful. We brought a picnic lunch and ate on the beach. After the ride we rewarded ourselves with iced coffees and an acai bowl from my new favorite coffee place, Java Kai.
We had more pool time in the afternoon and Carson was so exhausted from riding bikes that he took a long nap in a lounge chair. Looks pretty comfortable to me!
That evening we walked along the Kauai beach trail and had wood fired pizza from a food truck in downtown Kapa'a. SO GOOD! The walk was quite a bit farther than we expected but we pulled through. The kids had more shave ice for dessert. 🍨
Day 7
Day 7 was spent snorkeling and swimming back at Tunnels Beach. After the beach we drove up to Wailua Falls and took in the beautiful scenery. The falls were gorgeous.
We had dinner at my favorite restaurant on the beach again, Lava Lava beach club. If it was up to me I'd eat there every night. Warm breeze in the air and toes in the sand. Nothing better. They also served an amazing POG margarita. 🍹
Day 8
We spent our last full day relaxing at the pool and playing on the beach. The kids tried boogie boarding but mostly ended up with swim suits full of sand. The kids played in the water all day, making new friends and playing with kids they'd met during our trip. I started the day reading with an iced coffee, and ended it reading with a mai tai. (Our condo had the most amazing mai tais).
That night for dinner we went to a outdoor BBQ place that had live music. The food was great and the atmosphere was fun. It was a great way to end the trip.
It was sad to leave but then we discovered our family friend Kathy was working our flight home! It was such a fun surprise! It made the flight home a little more bearable.
Such a fun trip with adventures that we will remember for years to come. Now its time to start planning the next vacation!! 😉
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