Paradise Found: Kauai 2022

We had a big summer of 2022, and all of the excitement happened in July. After our Wild West Road Trip with just the two of us, we took the whole fam’ to Kauai. It was a return trip for us but a first for the kids. Here are just some of the fantastic things we saw, conquered and ate.

We started our trip with five nights in Princeville on the North Shore. We love the North Shore. It’s so lush, and just breathtakingly beautiful. Because there were eight of us, we used VRBO to find a great house. Here is the link…we loved it! https://t.vrbo.io/coeXDi7dbub

I loved the views driving in and out of the community where our house was located!

Here’s a short video of the view from our lanai:

We also were greeted with an amazing morning rainbow two days in a row!

Our beautiful house came with a sweet little friend. She was a kitten we named Lei Lei and she really wanted to get into the house. When we left, she sat on the front steps waiting for her next family.

Our first North Shore activity was a boat trip to see the gorgeous Napali Coast. We used Napali Catamaran because they were recommended by our guidebook and also because they left from Hanalei Bay, a 10 minute or less drive from our house. This was a great trip that in addition to the beautiful views included snorkeling off of Tunnels Beach and a yummy lunch with sandwiches and chips. Our captains were knowledgeable and entertaining. Most importantly, no one in our party succumbed to the sea sickness. It hit pretty much all of us on the way back to Hanalei Bay despite taking Dramamine the night before and morning of, but we were able to keep our tummy contents were they belong. Here are some photos of our Napali Coast Tour.

Hawaii is known for shave ice and Kauai is not in short supply. We were able to check off a couple from our list. Wailua Shave Ice was our favorite, but we tried Princeville Shave Ice, JoJo’s and Uncle’s shave ice to be sure. We also had wonderful ice cream from Lappert’s. Kauai is also known for its chickens. They are everywhere from beaches to gas stations. We woke up in the morning to the roosters crowing.

The Kilauea Lighthouse overlook is a quick stop when going north or south on the island. Here’s a short video I took.

Another fun adventure on our trip was the Kipu Ranch Adventures ATV tour. We had four ATVs with two of us in each vehicle. Our group had two guides and both were great, providing a lot of information about the history of the land and the many movie scenes that have been filmed there. It was exhilarating fun! We stopped several times and were able to switch drivers if desired. It was very dusty. They say to wear old clothes that can get dirty and they mean it!

In between our scheduled excursions we visited beaches, beaches and more beaches. We were able to check out Lydgate Beach, Anini Beach, Poi’pu Beach, and Ke’e Beach. Lydgate is probably the safest beach on the island for snorkeling. It is enclosed by a ring of rocks making safe from getting swept out into the open ocean. There are plenty of pretty fish to check out while snorkeling. Anini Beach had the calmest water and we swam with several sea turtles. Poi’pu is also a nice spot and often has a seal lounging on the shore.

My favorite beach on Kauai is Ke’e Beach. In order to visit Ke’e you must secure tickets to Haena State Park. The state of Hawaii began limiting access several years ago in order to reduce the impact of humans on this beautiful place. We were up super early one morning and were able to get the necessary tickets. This beach is just such a gorgeous setting. The snorkeling was nice and it is also the start to the Kalalau Trail, an 11 mile trail that is only for the experienced hiker! Tucker and I went about a mile and a half into the trail and were rewarded by some awesome views. Were were passed by a young girl (maybe eight) hiking the trail alone….and barefoot. Wow!

The first time we visited Kauai (in 2019) we watched a luau from our hotel room balcony. We were staying at the Grand Hyatt and had reserved the luau but Trey ended up with strep throat so we cancelled. This time we were not going to miss out! There are many options and after reading reviews and our guidebook we decided to book the Smith Family Garden Luau. They did not disappoint. We began with a trolly ride around the beautiful gardens.

The luau was family run and the elder of the family presided over the imu ceremony. As the kalua pig was uncovered he shared the story of the business and of the history of Hawaiian luaus. The food was very good and the show was nice.

Wailua Falls is a quick stop heading north or south. These are the falls featured in an old favorite TV show, Fantasy Island. You can’t tell from the photo, but these falls are reported to be 173 feet tall. We enjoyed the falls, met a very nice man named Makenna who made bracelets for us out of Ti leaves. Ti leaves come from the Ti plant and are sacred in Hawaiian culture. Makenna told us we should wear the bracelets until they fall off. Mine lasted from July to almost October.

For the last two nights of our trip we stayed on the south shore at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa. This is a fantastic property with amazing pools and beautiful gardens. We enjoyed our time lounging at the pools, enjoying lunch and cocktails. On our last day at the hotel, Trey and I headed out early to clean the rental car and pick up malasadas from Kauai Bakery. Malasadas are the most delicious donut treats. The purple one is ube, a purple sweet potato. These pics really don’t do it justice!

Kauai is a beautiful island. We would love to return someday!