I'm way behind on my honeymoon recap, and since it's been a few weeks since we got home, I decided to do a quick top 10 of our favorite things on each island. I'm starting with Kauai
10. The convertible
It was so nice driving around the island with the top down, enjoying the scenery, blue skies, hot sun and ocean breeze. It was the perfect way to get around, and I'm glad we thought about this when we were planning the trip.
9. The waterfalls
There are all sorts of waterfalls all over the island, and we spent an afternoon checking quite a few of them out. All were beautiful, and serene.
8. The outdoor shower
We stayed at a bed and breakfast in a small cottage on the property, and this cottage had an outdoor shower as the only shower. It was completely private and so nice after a long day of hiking or beach going. But, as a tip, make sure the door isn't locked when you head out there. You don't want to be trapped outside with nothing but a towel only to have to trample through bushes to figure out how to break into the cottage and get the bathroom door unlocked. Ahem, but that didn't happen to us...
7. The Bed and Breakfast - Dilly Dally House
We decided to stay at a Bed and Breakfast in Kapa'a. The property was absolutely amazing with lush green views. We had a private cottage on the property. They had an amazing pool and every morning Denise made breakfast for all the guests. This was wonderful because we all got to discuss the different things we did, places we went and what we liked and didn't like. We got some great tips from this. And Denise always made an amazing spread of fabulous fresh fruit, pastries and a main dish to die for. My favorite was the macadamia nut pancakes. Yum! Kapa'a was also a great place to stay. The town had quite a few great restaurants and it was more centrally located so no matter what part of the island you wanted to visit, it was pretty quick to get there.
6. How green everything is
It is hard to describe and explain, but I have never seen anywhere else that was as green as Kauai. I guess since it is the rainiest place on earth you'd expect a lot of green, but it is hard to describe. This picture was from a hike Teddy and I did on the west side of the island up at the top of the Waimea Canyon drive. Nearly everywhere you look on the island are different shades of green.
5. Waimea Canyon
This canyon is on the West side of the island and took about a half day to drive up and stop at all the look out points. Near the bottom of the canyon it is almost desert like (which is weird given my #6), but as you get higher and higher up to 4,000 feet and reach the Napali Coast side, everything starts getting more green again. Each look out point was a completely different view and was just amazing.
4. Feeling like you're in Neverland
This was one of the last lookouts for Waimea and before us was the Napali coast. When we first arrived at this very spot we were in the clouds and couldn't even see that the ocean was out there. But having settled in on island time we were patient and waited around to see if it would lift at all. And for only 2 - 3 minutes, the clouds lifted and revealed this view. I thought I was seeing Never-neverland from Peter Pan for the first time. The blue of the ocean and sky, with the green valley was stunning and well worth the wait.
3. The beaches
We visited a few different beaches on Kauai mostly on the south shore. If we had more time we probably would have had one more beach day on the north shore, but all the beaches we went to were great. Surf was high, water was warm, sun was bright, turtles were swimming near and a seal beached himself on the sand. In between beaches we were able to stop and sample the famous Pukka dogs, which were interesting. A hot dog with a spicy garlic sauce and tropical fruit salsa is one I hadn't tried before.
2. Adventure
On our last full day there, Teddy and I explored the north shore of the island, and one of the things we did was try to find Queens Bath, this much talked about water hole in a protective lava shelf. Well, the hike to find it was a little more challenging than we thought it would be, but Teddy stuck with me despite his nervousness and we got to see the beautiful Queen's Bath. So much of this trip was just seeing where each different path would take us, and every time it was worth it to see the sights at the end.
1. The Napali Coast
We took a boat cruise of the Napali Coast as our final sightseeing adventure on Kauai. It was beautiful. The turquoise blue waters, blue skies, and carved cliffs covered in green were amazing. Each turn of the coast revealed a more beautiful view and interesting story of Hawaiian history. We went into sea caves, saw a collapsed volcano, and snorkeled with a bunch of fish. It was perfect. (The trip home was a little choppy, OK a lot choppy, kind of like the Perfect Storm at times, but it was worth it for these views)
I could go on and on about Kauai. We loved this island and it was a wonderful place to explore together. Soon I'll do my top 10 of Maui.
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