We spent one week on the island of Kauai to celebrate my husband's birthday and our 8th wedding anniversary and what a blissful week it was! Being restless at heart, it is rare for me to truly sit back and relax but that peaceful condo on a secluded beach was so perfect that it felt like heaven on earth. Drinking my morning cup of coffee while watching sunrise on the beach, listening to the sound of the waves while they are caressing my feet, with no one around but the birds, is probably the biggest luxury I could ask for in life. And to experience that for a week felt like it was more than a dream come true. It would forever remain as a truly special week of my life.
Our dream stay @ Kapa'a Sands:
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| Our front yard |
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| Sunrise |
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| After my coffee rendezvous on the beach |
Every morning, I would sit on that log in the beach with a cup of coffee, and admire the sun that always rises up and the waves that always hit the shore, no matter what.
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| Mornings are best spent like this |
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| This seems more even more comfortable! |
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| Lunch time |
Thrilling Zip lining:
We started the week with an 8-line zip line course in a beautiful forest setting as a gift for my husband's birthday. It featured 3 of the longest lines on the island including the last one, across a lake, which was half a mile. And the best part was that they would let us zip in different poses for each of the different lines - sitting pose, flying pose (also known as superman pose), hands-free and even upside down. It took about 3.5 hours and it was a lot of fun. Thanks to Koloa Zipline for the pictures below.
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| Srikant flying on the last zip line |
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| Me sitting casually |
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| And then upside down |
Awesome hikes & Fantastic Views:
Kauai is a hiker's paradise. It not only has the Kalalau Trail along NaPali coast, which is known as 'The Ultimate Hike' in all of Hawaii, but several other fascinating hikes with fantastic views. Unfortunately, the Kalalau Trail was closed due to flooding since April of this year, but we did some pretty amazing hikes during our trip. Some on the mountains, some near the canyons, some amidst the swamps, some in the rain forests, some along the beach and some to get to the beach - each was unique and all of them were interesting and rewarding. Here are some views from our hikes. For a more detailed post on various hikes, check out here.
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| Beautiful Kalalau Valley |
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| 360 degree views from top of Nounou Mountain |
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| Dazzling green rain forest |
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| View of Hanalei Bay and NaPali Coast from Alakai Swamp |
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| Looking into the Waimea Canyon |
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| On a coastal hike |
Beautiful Waterfalls & Rainbows:
It rains a lot in Kauai and Mount Waialeale in Kauai is known as the second wettest spot on earth. So, not only is Kauai super green but it also has a lot of waterfalls and rainbows.
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| Opaeka'a Waterfall |
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| Waliua Waterfall |
Delicious Food & Drinks:
We prepare our own meals during most of our vacations, but Kauai's beach restaurants, taco bars & food trucks enticed us several times during our stay. And each meal was delicious. Our experience with food in Kauai was so much better compared to the other Hawaiian islands. We enjoyed the fish and kalua pork tacos at several places on the island. For more details on where to eat, check out here.
Now its coffee time. Not only does Kauai have its own coffee farm, but it also is the largest coffee farm in the US. We took a tour of their coffee estate where they walked us through their farm and talked about how their coffee is grown, harvested and roasted. We were impressed by all the machinery they use to harvest this huge farm, but we love the hand-picked Kona coffee from Big Island more :)
Both the NaPali boat tour that we planned for our anniversary day and the Wailua river kayaking to the secret waterfalls that we planned for the day after got cancelled due to the hurricane watch (Hurricane Lane later weakened to a tropical depression, thankfully). So we put them on our list for next time along with the Kalalau trail. I would love to go back again. And if you love hiking and beaches, I would recommend that you make a plan to Kauai soon.
P.S: This post would not be complete if I do not mention their unofficial island bird - wild rooster. You can hear their unmistakable "Cock-a-doodle-do" everywhere you go - from the beaches to the mountains to the swamps and the canyons.
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