Since the direct Southwest flight to Lihue, Kauai was from Oakland, my mother and I spent the night in Oakland before our flight. Of course, I can use the FlyBy Priority check in anywhere!
My mother and I are ready to be among the first to board our 737 Max 8 here. This is the first trip that I used my new Under Armour backpack that my company gave me as a meeting gift.
After about five and a half hours, we landed in Lihue. I could see Kauai was the greenest of all the Hawaiian Islands!
LIH is like the other Hawaiian airports with an outdoor baggage claim. Kauai is known as the "Garden Island."
After getting the rental car, we headed to our first hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn Wailua Bay. The hotel was very tropical themed.
Our hotel was right next to the ocean too.
They upgraded us to an ocean view room. This is the larger of the two pools at the hotel.
After checking in, we drove up towards Princeville, and we found this casual spot by the water to have lunch.
I got an ahi sandwich served rare. The pineapple added a nice island flavor.
We went out to the Kilauea Lighthouse once we got near Princeville. The northern coast of Kauai is very beautiful!
The historic lighthouse from the early 1900s was cool. I love seeing lighthouses.
After seeing the lighthouse, we found a historic shopping plaza where they had shave ice. So, we had to stop! They take their time to make them also.
I was a little disappointed with the shave ice here compared to other Hawaiian shave ice from other islands.
We stopped at this vista point to see how green Kauai was! Kauai gets more rain than the other islands so it is super green!
I checked out the Wailua River State Park beach next to our hotel after we got back to the Hilton Garden Inn.
The beach had pretty nice sand. As far as the water temperature, it was probably around 78-80'F.
The Kauai coastline had rough surf, but the protected swimming areas at this park were nice.
Since I was pretty tired, I just grabbed dinner at the Mamahune Tiki Bar at our hotel that night.
I enjoyed my mai tai with the "hang loose" stir stick. :)
The hotel looked really cool all lit up at night. The moon was very bright too so the ocean was lit up well.
I woke up early to watch the sunrise over the beach the next morning, but then again I was three hours behind California so I naturally woke up that early. LOL.
I am happy to be back in Hawaii!
We enjoyed breakfast at the hotel after watching the sunrise. I got pancakes with coconut syrup of course.
Since I am a Diamond guest with HHonors, the waitress brought us some complimentary banana bread and smoothie shots to start out breakfast.
I found a place to get my iced latte after we checked out of the hotel. Hawai has lots of great local coffee shops.
We stopped at a scenic place overlooking the Wailua River after coffee. There were many wild chickens! Kauai is known for them.
The scenic spot above the Wailua River was really nice!
We went to 'Opaeka'a Falls afterwards.
Kauai is just so beautiful!
We went to Kauai's Hindu Monastery after the quick stop at the water fall. It was so beautiful and peaceful there.
I loved this large Banyan tree at the monastery.
This is a rudraksha which is used to make garlands that one can wear while praying in Hinduism. They have to be cleaned still.
I really liked going to the monastery, and it was my mom's main request for Kauai.
We went to Waimea Canyon after the monastery, but we stopped in Hanapepe for lunch.
I got poke at Japanese Grandma's Cafe in Hanapepe. One needs to get poke when going to Hawaii! It was very fresh!
My mother and I are enjoying Waimea Canyon. I wore long pants since we went to the monastery before this.
The views from Waimea Canyon were amazing. One can see the ocean in the distance.
The many colors of this canyon make it nicer than the Grand Canyon in my opinion.
This is Waimea Water Fall in the distance.
One can take in the views at Waimea Canyon all day! I loved the light green foliage when the sun was shining on it!
Here is another view of the water fall.
On the way to Poipu where were staying the next two nights, we stopped at this fruit stand to get coconut water!
We headed to the Sheraton Kauai Resort near Poipu Beach to check in afterwards. It is a really beautiful resort.
I had time to get in the water since the hotel was right on the beach. However, the waves were really powerful.
The resort was massive with two pools also.
The water in Hawaii is so beautiful. Also, the color of the water changes throughout the day.
I took my mother to the Beach House near our hotel for dinner that night.
We had a beautiful view of the water as the sunset near the restaurant.
I started out with the Black Manhattan.
For my main course, I ordered the macadamanian crusted mahi mahi. This was even better than Roy's version!
The moon was like 14,000 miles closer to the Earth so it really lit up the ocean!
I got my iced Americano at the cafe at the resort and just chilled in the morning by the pool area to take in the views.
I decided to go for a nice walk on the beach with my Americano. The sand was really soft!
I found this area with lots of coral as I continued on my walk on the beach.
My mother and I signed up for the lei making class too at the resort.
This was too hard. I gave up after three flowers. LOL.
My mother finished her lei very quick so we could head out for our rum tasting appointment at Koloa Rum. We are waiting for the valet here at the resort.
We drove over the Kilohana Plantation where Koloa Rum's Tasting Room is located.
Koloa Rum makes their spirits with refined sugar cane instead of molasses or sugar cane juice.
Our first task at the tasting was to make a mini mai tai. We learned how to float the dark rum on the top!
We enjoyed the rum tasting!
After the rum tasting, we walked over next door to the Plantation House where Gaylord's Restaurant is located for lunch.
We had a beautiful view of the lush tropical setting from our table on the gazebo structure.
I loved my ahi and yellowtail crudo appetizer.
After lunch, we took the Plantation Railway train tour around the plantation to see all the plants and animals.
This is sugar cane!
We stopped to feed the animals too. The pigs liked the tortillas that we threw to them. Do not hand feed them!
The cows can be hand fed.
After our plantation tour, we stopped at the Fresh Shave for some shave ice. That machine grinds the ice down to a fine ice.
They are finishing the shave ice with fresh fruit topping.
For dinner that night, we went to the Bangkok Happy Bowl in Poipu Beach. They had live music and a dancer too.
We loved the lobster pad thai!
We waited in a long line to get the amazing Lappert's Ice Cream, which is very famous on the islands.
The next morning, I chilled by the pool with my iced Americano.
When I went on my walk along the beach, I saw a resting Hawaiian Monk Seal.
We had an aerial tour of Kauai later that day. My phone and I are on a small Australian made plane called an Airvan.
We just took off from LIH here. I had cellular service in the air for most of the trip so I could post live on Facebook!
Here is a nice shot over Kauai.
This is the Na'pali coast which can only be seen from the air or the ocean.
The waterfalls around Kauai were amazing!
We are back on the ground after a great tour!
We went to the original Chicken In A Barrel for lunch. I loved their BBQ chicken with some mac salad on the side!
We went to Wailua Shave Ice after to cool off from the heat. The line was crazy!
A friend of mine suggested this place. It was amazing, and I got the Ube flavored one with toasted coconut!
For dinner, we ate at the tiki bar at the Hilton Garden Inn. I got the red, white, and blue special cocktail since it was the 4th of July!
We went to the polynesian show that night at the Smith's Family Luau. There is an amazing botanical garden where the show takes place.
The Hawaiian dancers greeted us to start the amazing show. She was my favorite hula girl.
The "Goddess Pele" rose up from the volcano as the show officially kicked off. The surrounding scenery was amazing!
This guy is blowing a conch shell as the show continues.
Here are some Tahitian style dancers.
The hula dancers are performing here.
Aloha Hilton Garden Inn. We stayed here the final night since it was close to the airport.
Aloha for now Kauai!
I took my mother to
Kauai for the 4th of July weekend in 2023 since she wanted to visit a
famous Hindu monastery there. Kauai was the last major Hawaiian
island that I had not gone to yet. We departed from Oakland
International Airport for Lihui, Kauai since Southwest had a direct
flight from there. I booked a night at the Oakland Airport Hilton
with their Park and Go rate so we stayed the night before right by the
terminal and left the company SUV on site. Our flight time to
Kauai was about five and a half hours. On board, I enjoyed some
Kula Rum since that is only offered on flights to and from Hawaii by
Southwest. After arriving in Kauai, I could see it was the
greenest of all the Hawaiian islands since they get so much rainfall.
After getting the rental car from the Budget Fastbreak Counter, we were off within minutes for the Hilton Garden Inn Wailua Bay. The hotel upgraded us to a nice oceanview room since I am a HHonors Diamond guest. I think this Hilton Garden Inn was more full service than other locations, and they even had a very courteous bell man who took our luggage to the room from the outdoor lobby area. We were in the Maile wing of the hotel. My mother thought the property was very beautiful with the fake lagoons with the large koi, waterfalls, and lush tropical setting. The buildings were open air, but the hallways were enclosed. I liked how the doors to the rooms looked like shutters that one would see in tropical areas.
We drove up north towards Princeville after settling in to get lunch and visit the Kilueua Lighthouse. On the way, we passed through a small town with little roadside food trucks and kiosks. We had lunch at Jimmy's which was right by the ocean. My ahi sandwich had a pineapple on top which gave it that extra island flavor. The Kilueua Lighthouse normally requires a reservation, but they were not too busy so we were able to pay the $20 fee and go in. The views from the national historic site were amazing. Kauai's northern coast was very breathtaking! The historic lighthouse was built in the early 1900s, but it is no longer in use today.
On the way to the light house, we saw a sign for shave ice so we stopped at the historic Kong Lung Historic Market to get the shave ice. I was little disappointed since it was not as good as other shave ice that I have had on other Hawaiian islands. Afterwards, we kept driving towards Princeville and saw some lovely scenery. After getting back to the hotel, I checked out the Wailua River State Park beach which was right next to our hotel. Although the surf was rough, there were sheltered areas with rocks that allowed for swimming. I did swim at the larger of the two hotel pools too when I got back from the beach. Our hotel had a nice tiki bar too so I ended up just having dinner there with the breeze of the ocean. As the sun went down, the moon was very bright, and it looked amazing over the ocean!
The next morning, my mother and I had breakfast at the hotel after waking up early to see the sunrise over the ocean. They brought out a smoothie shot and some banana bread to start out our breakfast since I am Diamond. I ordered pancakes with coconut syrup for my breakfast! Afterwards, we checked out and headed out to get coffee at a local coffee place near our hotel.
We went to the monastery afterwards, and it was a short drive from the hotel. On the way, we stopped at a viewpoint where we could see the Wailua River as well as so many wild chickens. Kauai is known for having lots of wild chickens. We also went to the 'Opaeka'a Water Fall viewing spot too. Afterwards, we went to the monastery which is home to a famous temple dedicated to one of our primary Gods in the Hindu religion, Lord Shiva. The grounds of the temple were so beautiful. A volunteer greeted us, and she said we could do inside the smaller temple even though we did not have reservations since they were booked solid. We saw a cool banyan tree also with a statue of one of our dieties too underneath. It is perfect for meditation. The temple was beautiful. We could also see some waterfalls and the main temple off in the distance. After the prayer service, we drove to their famous rudraskha forest. This tree has this fruit which is refined to produce special prayer beads.
My mother and I headed out for Waimea Canyon next. On the way, we stopped in Hanapepe for lunch at the Japanese Grandma's Cafe. I had their poke, which was super fresh. The drive up to Waimea Canyon was very steep, and it was well worth it. The views of the canyon were so cool, and there is a large water fall too up there. I thought Waimea Canyon was even nicer than the Grand Canyon since it is more colorful!
We checked into the Sheraton Kauai Resort after leading the canyon. This resort is by Poipu Beach, which was rated the #1 beach in the US recently. The large Sheraton resort was very nice, and we got complimentary valet parking and boogie board rentals as BonVoy Elite guests. Yes, I seem to always be a VIP whereever I stay. LOL Our room had a large wrap around patio too overlooking a nice pond and tropical foilage. I had plenty of time to go down to the beach which was right by the edge of the resort, and I loved the pool which was super warm! Of course, I had a pina colada on the lounge chairs which I ordered from the staff going around. After a nice workout in their large fitness center that overlooks the ocean, my mother and I departed for the Beach House for dinner. This restaurant was technically walking distance from our resort. A valet attendant took the rental car, and we had some time to explore the oceanside before our 8:15 PM reservation. Once seated, I ordered a Black Manhattan before I had their great macadamian crusted mahi mahi. I have had this dish elsewhere including Roy's, but this place blew all those places away! We had some Lappert's Ice Cream for dessert! My mother loved their coconut rice at the restaurant.
The next morning, I took a nice walk on the beach with my iced Americano. I also signed up my mother and I for a lei making class. My mother is an expert at making flower leis. I sucked. LOL. Afterwards, we headed out to the Kilohana Plantation. We had a rum tasting there at Koloa to start out our fun day there. As we made a mini mai tai and tasted their rums, the tropical rain came and went. For lunch, we walked over to the Plantation House by Gaylord's for lunch. Then, we took a ride on the plantation railway where we got to see lots of the tropical plants they had as well as feed their farm animals. On the way back, I stopped at Fresh Shave for their shave ice. I was not disappointed there! At the hotel, I had plenty of time to go swimming in the ocean, take out the boogie board, and also use the pool. The surf was rough all over Kauai, and I could see it would be a great place for surfers! For dinner, we went to a Thai place nearby which had live entertainment. Then, we waited forever to get some Lappert's Ice Cream!
I went for another walk on the beach the next morning with my iced Americano. This time, I saw a resting Hawaiian Monk Seal on the beach. It was super cool. My nephew got to see it too via Facetime Messenger's video service. My mother and I had an aerial tour of Kauai around noon. We went up in a small plane to see the island. The Na'pali Coast and many interior parts of Kauai are not accesible by road so one has to see it by plane or helicopter. We saw the famous waterfall from Jurassic Falls too! After landing back at LIH, we headed out to Chicken In A Barrel for a great island BBQ lunch before going to Wailua Shave Ice! I loved it! We stayed back at the Hilton Garden Inn for the last night since it was close to the airport. I went back to that beach near the hotel to swim in the afternoon. Then, we had a Polynesian show at the Smith's Family Luau. That was the best luau show I have seen on any of the islands! Also, the grounds are so beautiful!
After getting the rental car from the Budget Fastbreak Counter, we were off within minutes for the Hilton Garden Inn Wailua Bay. The hotel upgraded us to a nice oceanview room since I am a HHonors Diamond guest. I think this Hilton Garden Inn was more full service than other locations, and they even had a very courteous bell man who took our luggage to the room from the outdoor lobby area. We were in the Maile wing of the hotel. My mother thought the property was very beautiful with the fake lagoons with the large koi, waterfalls, and lush tropical setting. The buildings were open air, but the hallways were enclosed. I liked how the doors to the rooms looked like shutters that one would see in tropical areas.
We drove up north towards Princeville after settling in to get lunch and visit the Kilueua Lighthouse. On the way, we passed through a small town with little roadside food trucks and kiosks. We had lunch at Jimmy's which was right by the ocean. My ahi sandwich had a pineapple on top which gave it that extra island flavor. The Kilueua Lighthouse normally requires a reservation, but they were not too busy so we were able to pay the $20 fee and go in. The views from the national historic site were amazing. Kauai's northern coast was very breathtaking! The historic lighthouse was built in the early 1900s, but it is no longer in use today.
On the way to the light house, we saw a sign for shave ice so we stopped at the historic Kong Lung Historic Market to get the shave ice. I was little disappointed since it was not as good as other shave ice that I have had on other Hawaiian islands. Afterwards, we kept driving towards Princeville and saw some lovely scenery. After getting back to the hotel, I checked out the Wailua River State Park beach which was right next to our hotel. Although the surf was rough, there were sheltered areas with rocks that allowed for swimming. I did swim at the larger of the two hotel pools too when I got back from the beach. Our hotel had a nice tiki bar too so I ended up just having dinner there with the breeze of the ocean. As the sun went down, the moon was very bright, and it looked amazing over the ocean!
The next morning, my mother and I had breakfast at the hotel after waking up early to see the sunrise over the ocean. They brought out a smoothie shot and some banana bread to start out our breakfast since I am Diamond. I ordered pancakes with coconut syrup for my breakfast! Afterwards, we checked out and headed out to get coffee at a local coffee place near our hotel.
We went to the monastery afterwards, and it was a short drive from the hotel. On the way, we stopped at a viewpoint where we could see the Wailua River as well as so many wild chickens. Kauai is known for having lots of wild chickens. We also went to the 'Opaeka'a Water Fall viewing spot too. Afterwards, we went to the monastery which is home to a famous temple dedicated to one of our primary Gods in the Hindu religion, Lord Shiva. The grounds of the temple were so beautiful. A volunteer greeted us, and she said we could do inside the smaller temple even though we did not have reservations since they were booked solid. We saw a cool banyan tree also with a statue of one of our dieties too underneath. It is perfect for meditation. The temple was beautiful. We could also see some waterfalls and the main temple off in the distance. After the prayer service, we drove to their famous rudraskha forest. This tree has this fruit which is refined to produce special prayer beads.
My mother and I headed out for Waimea Canyon next. On the way, we stopped in Hanapepe for lunch at the Japanese Grandma's Cafe. I had their poke, which was super fresh. The drive up to Waimea Canyon was very steep, and it was well worth it. The views of the canyon were so cool, and there is a large water fall too up there. I thought Waimea Canyon was even nicer than the Grand Canyon since it is more colorful!
We checked into the Sheraton Kauai Resort after leading the canyon. This resort is by Poipu Beach, which was rated the #1 beach in the US recently. The large Sheraton resort was very nice, and we got complimentary valet parking and boogie board rentals as BonVoy Elite guests. Yes, I seem to always be a VIP whereever I stay. LOL Our room had a large wrap around patio too overlooking a nice pond and tropical foilage. I had plenty of time to go down to the beach which was right by the edge of the resort, and I loved the pool which was super warm! Of course, I had a pina colada on the lounge chairs which I ordered from the staff going around. After a nice workout in their large fitness center that overlooks the ocean, my mother and I departed for the Beach House for dinner. This restaurant was technically walking distance from our resort. A valet attendant took the rental car, and we had some time to explore the oceanside before our 8:15 PM reservation. Once seated, I ordered a Black Manhattan before I had their great macadamian crusted mahi mahi. I have had this dish elsewhere including Roy's, but this place blew all those places away! We had some Lappert's Ice Cream for dessert! My mother loved their coconut rice at the restaurant.
The next morning, I took a nice walk on the beach with my iced Americano. I also signed up my mother and I for a lei making class. My mother is an expert at making flower leis. I sucked. LOL. Afterwards, we headed out to the Kilohana Plantation. We had a rum tasting there at Koloa to start out our fun day there. As we made a mini mai tai and tasted their rums, the tropical rain came and went. For lunch, we walked over to the Plantation House by Gaylord's for lunch. Then, we took a ride on the plantation railway where we got to see lots of the tropical plants they had as well as feed their farm animals. On the way back, I stopped at Fresh Shave for their shave ice. I was not disappointed there! At the hotel, I had plenty of time to go swimming in the ocean, take out the boogie board, and also use the pool. The surf was rough all over Kauai, and I could see it would be a great place for surfers! For dinner, we went to a Thai place nearby which had live entertainment. Then, we waited forever to get some Lappert's Ice Cream!
I went for another walk on the beach the next morning with my iced Americano. This time, I saw a resting Hawaiian Monk Seal on the beach. It was super cool. My nephew got to see it too via Facetime Messenger's video service. My mother and I had an aerial tour of Kauai around noon. We went up in a small plane to see the island. The Na'pali Coast and many interior parts of Kauai are not accesible by road so one has to see it by plane or helicopter. We saw the famous waterfall from Jurassic Falls too! After landing back at LIH, we headed out to Chicken In A Barrel for a great island BBQ lunch before going to Wailua Shave Ice! I loved it! We stayed back at the Hilton Garden Inn for the last night since it was close to the airport. I went back to that beach near the hotel to swim in the afternoon. Then, we had a Polynesian show at the Smith's Family Luau. That was the best luau show I have seen on any of the islands! Also, the grounds are so beautiful!