Aloha! Since I just recently returned from my second trip to Hawaii, I am feeling especially inspired to pick up with the blog posts. This post will summarize both trips with recommendations of where to go on the islands of Kauai and Maui.

When George and I went on the quest to plan our honeymoon in 2012, we quickly learned that Maui and Kauai are the 2 most recommended islands. Common theme was that Maui has more to do but Kauai is more lush and beautiful. Our experiences were incredible on both islands.

Maui

Where to Stay? I’ve heard of a lot of people that rent condos but if you are looking for a luxurious hotel / resort type of experience, then I would suggest looking in Wailea in the south of the island or up northwest in the Napali area.

We opted for the Fairmont in Wailea. It had incredible service, beautiful property on the beach and walking distance to a number of other hotels and restaurants. It’s a lot quieter part of the island, perfect for honeymooners. It is about 30 minute drive from the airport and since activities are really all over the island, we just got used to driving over an hour a day. Frankly, it was part of the experience since we had a convertible and the views were unmatched.

What to do?

• If you are looking to save a little money for food after splurging on accommodations, I’d suggests stopping at Walmart just near the airport and stocking up on snacks, breakfast food, and alcohol. Hawaii prices are no joke and occasionally it might be nice to eat breakfast for less than $40 per persons 😉
• If you are going to Maui and Kauai and can pick only one island to do the helicopter ride, than I would suggest Kauai, but we still thoroughly enjoyed our ride in Maui. There are various options, and ours included the ride over Lanai island as well as Maui and was called “West Wailea” with the company, Blue Hawaii. I’d suggest booking in advance, and seeing if your hotel concierge can assist. Expect to pay about $250 per person.
• Luau’s are a bit cheesy and super touristy, but in my not so humble opinion, are still really enjoyable. We went with the Old Lahaina Luau which is in a very busy part of the island with tons of shops and restaurants. They burry a pig in the ground, do some traditional dancing and serve buffet style dinner that you enjoy sitting on cushions with a ton of stranger. What can be lovelier? Once again, you’ll have to book in advance.
• Road to Hana – Arguably the most popular of Maui’s attractions, is a several hour drive to the city of Hana on the East side of the island. They key is to download an app, grab a book or borrow a CD (ha, if your car even has a CD player. Our did 5 years ago) from your hotel that guides you through the key stops to make. If you simply go on the drive and expect to see a lot of magical things, you will be disappointed. There are a number of secluded waterfalls or view points that you wouldn’t know to stop at, if not for being guided there. We absolutely loved it, however, did not go all the way to Hana. Although, it was a fantastic way to spend the morning, and we swam in great waterfalls.

Here we are on the “Road to Hana”

• Iao Valley, off the beaten path but a must.  This was the only spot we visited that nobody, of the 20ish people I had talk to about Hawaii, had recommended to me. For some reason, its not too popular but I found it to be such a gem. You can spend only an hour or two there and you can show up without tickets. I’d suggest combining it with a visit to the plantation.
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There is the needle like hill

• Tropical Plantation, fun tour to see how pineapples and coconuts are grown. There is a cute little shop to get all your favorite tropical items like dried mangoes or flavored macadamia nuts.
• Lanai Seafari, a day adventure to Lana’i island, snorkeling and sailing. it was fun but lower on the list of things to do. I am not much of a snorkeler, don’t like breathing through those tubes, so just took the time to lay out on the catamaran and enjoy the ride.
• Haleakala – So it happened to be my 29th birthday when we were on our honeymoon and because I clearly like to torture myself, decided that this would be the day we should wake up at 4 am and drive to the top of Mt Haleakala to see the famous sunrise. 5 layers of clothing and the hotel comforter weren’t enough to keep me warm up there. As the sun started rising, the layers of clothing began to shed and turns out the view was worth it. There is something really neat about seeing the sunrise there and then the sunset at dinner on the west side of the island in one day. Some people are adventurous and ride the bike down; we are not those people. 

Note the blanket on George and our red noses from the cold and yes, the clouds behind us.

What to eat?

• Spaggos at Four Seasons – Walking distance from the Fairmont in Wailea, the Four Seasons hotel is a gorgeous property. After a morning at Haleakala, followed by massages at our hotel, ending my birthday celebration at Spaggos was perfection. Ask for a table closest to the beach and soak it in. Just remember, sunsets are pretty early in Hawaii so if you want to enjoy the view during dinner, go early. This night was simply the best.
• Merriman’s in Kaanapali – Again, get there by sunset at 5:30 or so, make reservations and you will not regret it. The food is excellent, with solid fish choices.
• Mamas Fish house – One of the most famous spots on the island and I see why. mmmmmmm. I’d suggest going the day you go on helicopter ride as they are near by. We went for lunch which worked out better than dinner, since the view is so nice and could be enjoyed during the day.
• Humuhumunukunukuapa’a at the Grand Waliea – I prided myself on learning how to spell that within the span of the 4 days spent in Maui. Yes, I clearly have very expectations for myself 😉 It is the state fish and also the name of this fun and tasty restaurant.
• Poke! at Safeway, yes the grocery store. – Our first night in Maui, we asked our waitress where the best Poke can be founds and she steered us well, to good ole Safeway. They serve it behind the counter, like cold cuts, but lots of fish marinated in different ways. Mouthwatering, melt in your mouth, flavroufill, gingery lime soy marinated tuna. I am not too shy to admit that we bought a few containers along with some taro and sweet potato chips, sat in the parking lot with our convertible top off and enjoyed every last bite. On our trip back to Hawaii this year, we made a special request from friends who had a car (Shout out to you Pat and Carrie!) to pick us up some Poke on their way back to the hotel. Now in 2017, Poke is all the rage, even the German restaurant Berghoff in Chicago, now serves poke bowls. However, 5 years ago, after getting back from the trip, we could only quench this craving by visiting a few sushi joints or Roy’s Hawaiian restaurant downtown.

KAUAI

Where to Stay? Poipu is the town on the south side of the island and this is where the Grand Hyatt resort is located. We stayed there for our honeymoon and again on this recent trip for my husbands President’s Club Award trip. It is a stunning property! So stunning, I must add, that Brittney Spears and her family vacationed there with us. I did walk by her and although tempted, opted not to stop to say hello for fear that her incognito bodyguards might chase me away. But I digress, apart from the possibility of seeing Brit Brit, the hotel property is stunning. It is on the beach, has gorgeous gardens, numerous pools, most impressive is the salt water pool with sand that feels as if you are on the actual beach. The beach just next to the property is called “Shipwreck’s Beach” and tends to be quite windy with high waves. While it is totally permissible to swim and lay out on that beach, I spent most of my time at the pool, even though I am def usually a beach person. I was quite happy at the pool as the servers came to me taking orders of my pina coladas and poke bowls. We even indulged in a lazy river ride on inner tubes that were made for children (glad Lindsay and I can count on you George and Pat). Going back to this resort now as a mother of two young boys, I took even more pleasure in the calm surroundings and convenient accommodations.

Princeville is on the north side of the island, and I believe it rains almost every day of the year. Don’t let that discourage you as the rain might only last a few minutes. The St. Regis is located up there and that is where you can stay if you are looking for the premium luxury.

View from the Terrace Cafe where we relaxed every day

View from our room this recent trip. We had the parking lot view on our honeymoon 🙂 Nice to see we are moving up in the world.

What to do?

• Waimea Canyon – They call it the Grand Canyon of Hawaii. I’ve never been to the real one, but I can say that this is SO worth it. Look at those colors.

• Waimea CanyonHelicopter ride with no doors via Inner Island. By far, one of the most exciting and adventurous things I’ve ever done in my travels.

  Helicopter ride with no doors via Inner Island. By far, one of the most exciting and adventurous things I’ve ever done in my travels.

View of Na Pali coast from the Helicopter

• Ki’Pu Ranch – Ziplining, UTV (same as ATV), Hiking, Swimming, BBQ and views that will leave you breathless. Check out this privately owned, 3,000 acre property that is home to many movies such as Jurassic Park. Thank you to our incredible tour guides and hosts for sharing this beautiful property and the stories of those that have owned it.

Scene of Jurassic Park

The view from our UTV. That red dirt is the reason we wore bandanas and goggles.

• Queen’s Bath – Up in Princeville, this is a set of rocks that are shaped like a bathtub, with a hole that take in water from the ocean, and the foam of it looks like a bath with bubbles. Jump in at your own risk, there are numerous signs up reminding us of the many people who didn’t make it out of there. However, the mini hike down to the bath is really fun.
• St. Regis hotel for sunset.  A sweaty and dirty mess from Queen’s bath hike, like a proper lady that I am, I used the St. Regis bathroom so freshen up and change before making my way to the balcony for sunset. Not sure if they still do this, but 5 years ago, at sunset, a man would come out on the balcony with a machete, and cut off the top of a champagne bottle, say a chant, and then pour the guests glasses so we could all celebrate and honor the sunset. That view and sunset was one worth celebrating.

George at the St. Regis balcony

• Waterfall repelling with Hawaiian Dundee – We’ve repelled once before in Iguazu Falls in Argentina and it was easy, fun and came after a few minute instructional session. This, however, on our recent recent trip to Kauai, was NOTHING like that. We had an hour of instructions, from Dundee himself, followed by a dry run and then the actual thing down a 60 foot waterfall. To say I was terrified would be an understatement. As we approached the waterfall, our guides, quite nonchalantly, confessed that the falls are heavier than usual due to the recent rainstorms. I am not a water person, never been a good swimmer and didn’t learn how to go under water without plugging my nose with my fingers, so the instruction that I must keep my head down and to my right, in order to avoid drinking the waterfall, sent me into mild panic mode. I didn’t want to back out, but I also was less than excited to go down. Well, I’d love to tell you about this heroic tale of how I mastered this waterfall and showed it who is boss, but that is far from the truth. It took me about 5 minutes, several slips off the rocks and legs flaying around, and a visit from our guide asking me if i needed help or time to regroup myself before heading down. Never again, i said to myself. SO am I happy I did it? Eh..I guess it’s cool to say I did it, but would my day have been better if I sat at the pool, probably. George, on the other hand, loved it and would do it again.

Me on the top left, thinking, it’s definitely too late to back out.

What to eat?

• All of the restaurants at the Grand Hyatt are really good. Between the two trips, we visited all of them and can say that you can’t have a bad meal there. Stevenson’s Library has an incredible baked Lobster appetizer that I highly suggest. Tidepools for breakfast and dinner and of course the Poke bowls on the beach from the outdoor cafe.
• If driving to NaPali, which I highly suggest, where you can stop to see some caves and a great beach at the end, you MUST east at Hanalei Dolphin for lunch. Fish Tacos are the best, I have ever ever ever had.
• Meriman’s – Same chain as in Maui, it did not disappoint. There is a really cute shopping center full of restaurants.

Aloha!! No matter where you go or what you do or what you eat, in Hawaii, you can do no wrong.