Kauai #aloha30

Aloha!!!

In January we went to Kauai with family to celebrate my 30th birthday! Crazy to be in a new decade of life. We had a great time. Having a birthday in January always makes me want to go somewhere warm to celebrate. We saw a lot of rain during our stay, but we did leave the snow behind so I’m calling it a win! ;)

There are still so many things I’d love to do and see on the island, so I’m pretty sure we’ll have to go back at some point. Darn.. :)

We stayed on Kauai for nine nights, arriving mid afternoon on Wednesday from Seattle, and leaving the following Friday afternoon. We rented a Vrbo house that sleeps 10 adults, and was perfect for us. I miss this house! It had a pack and play for Milly, and other baby equipment that we didn’t really need since Milly’s not quite a baby anymore. (Sob) The BEST thing it had that I was thrilled to find was a wagon for toting Milly and our stuff to the beach!! The house is located in a resort area walking distance to both Shipwreck’s Beach and Poipu Beach. It also had a pool and tennis courts. I loved the upper lanai with lounge chairs and a gorgeous view (plus lots of bright green friendly geckos that are good luck) and the front porch which was covered so we got to sit outside with our coffee even on the rainy mornings.

Poipu beach was our go to beach since it was so close and had a protected shallow area perfect for babies. We had high-surf most of the time we were there, but this area was always calm and safe. We used the sand toys from our house and I would just sit in the shallow water up to my stomach while Milly went back and forth, filling her watering can and pouring it on her sand pile. The kids in our house made use of the boogie boards provided, and we even tried to do some snorkeling in this shallow area. Didn’t see much – but it was still nice to be in the water. :) Poipu beach also has some kid toys, which Milly loved playing on. Slides are her jam, and it was a nice way to get some energy out of her. Oh, and the BEST part about Poipu beach – SEA TURTLES!!! This is a favorite spot for them to come to the beach (even amongst all the people) and rest. These turtle cuties are giant and just so cool.

We also walked to shipwrecks beach, the opposite direction from Poipu. It’s right in front of the grand Hyatt, and makes for some stunning sunrise views. Other beaches we visited were Kapa’a Beach, Anini Beach, and Tunnels Beach. Anini was gorgeous and super calm even though it was high surf at other beaches. Tunnels was gorgeous and I was obsessed with the views here. We grabbed a roadside drinking coconut from here on our way out and stopped at Hanalei lookout to take in the views after. I freaking love Hanalei, even though it was so rainy while we were there. It is beyond beautiful. It’s quite a drive from where we stayed though, so we didn’t get as much time in this area as I would’ve liked. Next time!

We went to Safeway, Costco, and other stores throughout our stay where we stocked up on essentials for our house. We cooked/ bbq’d lots of meals ourselves since we had such a large group. We ate loads of pineapple, always had local Hawaiian beers in the fridge, and even tried our hand at spam musubi one night. We got fresh sushi from Costco twice, and hovered around the giant island in the house devouring it straight from the containers. So good!! We got delicious takeout from Konohiki Seafoods, and ordered pizzas one night from Pizzeta (which we ate while watching the bachelor hah). The husband and I had a date night at Bar Acuda in Hanalei for great food and cocktails. We also enjoyed Puka Dog, Porky’s, and island taco for fast food. I had coffee at little fish, Java kai (amaaazing Mac nut latte + muffins), and the Spot North Shore. The Spot also has a really delicious Mac nut latte and an even more delicious açaí bowl that I’m still dreaming of! I also had an amazing açaí bowl from Anake’s juice. We only got shave ice from the Fresh shave, but we also got a pineapple phrosty from a farmers market and Milly was a big fan of both. For my birthday we got two pies from the right slice. Chocolate macadamia nut – yummm. So good, but so expensive! We also got gelato twice.

For drinks we mostly had beers/ seltzers, but we did make pogmosas – so tasty and festive. Merry and I went for a walk and ended up stopping at the grand hyatt for a poolside lilikoi margarita which was delicious.

We did check out the pool which was pretty nice, although the hot tub wasn’t functioning properly which was a bummer. We did a morning visit to Waimea canyon and it was breathtaking. We shopped a lot and did quite a bit of walking. Merry and I did an excursion where we tubed through canals on an old sugar plantation. Five of us did the Napali coast boat tour and snorkel trip and it was the absolute highlight for me. So beautiful, breathtaking – amazing!! We also went to a luau by the beach for my birthday eve, and my fam surprised me with balloons and a bracelet on the morning of my birthday.

This was my first vacation where the weather didn’t fully cooperate, but we still had such a great time!! I would love to go back. Also, Milly was a pretty good little traveler. For now though, we’re happy to be home, even though it’s snowed quite a bit since we’ve been back. ;)

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