Hawaii in 14 Days, a guide based off of our honeymoon in December

Trip At a Glance:

• Fly into Honolulu of Oahu, two nights basing out of Waikiki
• Fly to Maui, seven nights in Maui total, making a full circle around the island by day 7
• Fly into Kauai, 5 nights in Kauai total, staying in both the South and North

Oahu

Maui

Destinations numbered

Kauai

Destinations numbered

Lodging At a Glance:

• Days 1 and 2: Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, Waikiki, Oahu
• Day 3: Kula Lodge, Maui
• Day 4: Travaasa, Hana, Maui
• Days 5 & 6: Pioneer Inn, Lahaina, Maui, though if you’d prefer beachfront, try the Napili Kai Beach Resort located on Napili Beach and nearby to Lahaina
• Days 7, 8, and 9: Four Seasons Wailea, Maui
• Days 10, 11, and 12: Grand Hyatt, Poipu, Kauai
• Days 13 & 14: Hanalei Bay Resort, Hanalei, Kauai, though if you can afford it, spring for the St. Regis, Hanalei Bay instead

Packing tips:

• Rain jacket, a poncho would work too, in fact our poncho came in handy for wrapping muddy, wet apparel after hikes
• Water shoes that you can also hike in
• Sneakers as well for drier hikes and jogs
• Cardigan, kimono, scarf that can double as a shawl (evenings get chilly in winter months)
• Layers for days in the mountains and Hana
• Rash guard or one piece for snorkeling and boat trips (if going in winter months)
• Auxiliary cord in case rental doesn’t have USB or bluetooth
• If you have a magnet on your phone, a magnet holder for the car vent to make navigating easier with GPS
• External battery pack
• Lightweight quick drying towels (a shammy material towel works great)
• Snorkel gear (we brought two Cressi sets which came in handy for beach days)

Book in advance:

• All lodging
• Rental cars (you’ll want them!) and we highly suggest a convertible, but a 4WD for Kauai
• Dinner reservations for select cities and restaurants (do your research, some suggestions are in the suggested itinerary below)
• Snorkel tours, boat tours, and tubing in Kauai (Na Pali coast tour and Backcountry Adventures tubing in Kauai) especially if visiting during the holiday season in winter, which are the busiest times of year and the most expensive to visit Hawaii

Suggested itinerary:

• You can break up the flight by stopping for an overnight layover in San Francisco or LA (we did). My suggestion would be to try to take an early flight so you can have a late afternoon and evening in either LA or San Fran. We had late arrivals to our CA layover cities and went straight to bed. An early departing flight out of CA to Honolulu would be fine, but try to give yourself some time in San Fran or LA by shooting to arrive by 3 or 4. Our favorite airline is Virgin America and our least favorite airlines are American and United…but obviously, we go with whatever has the better price. 

Day 1

• Fly into Honolulu and rent a convertible

• Highly recommend staying at Outrigger Waikiki, it’s right in the heart of the action and if you can afford it, the ocean view rooms are a delightful welcome to the islands.

        

• Lunch recommendation: Duke’s which is attached to Outrigger. It may seem super touristy, but the food is quite good, it has an excellent surfy, beach vibe, it’s directly on the beach, and they offer live music at night. Try the poke for a “pupu” (appetizer) and the fish tacos :).

• Diamond Head State Park: It’s about a ten minute drive or less from Waikiki. The last entrance to hike the trail is at 4:30 pm. The gates are locked at 6:00 pm daily and all visitors must be out of the park by this time. Steep and strenuous hike to the summit. $5 cash only for parking or you could park ¼ mile away and walk and then it’s only $1 per walker.  Though it’s all ascent, it’s an easy and fast hike and totally worth it at the top. You get a breathtaking 360 degree view.

• Tour Waikiki by foot and maybe rent surfboards (we didn’t because we spent a good amount of time at the top of Diamond Head and wanted to shower up and walk around after, but it looked super easy to rent boards right on Waikiki beach and the surf looked gentle). Waikiki is certainly touristy. The main drag reminded us of a cleaner, tamer Las Vegas Boulevard- tons of shopping (mainstream surf shops and high end retailers as well) and ample restaurants and bars. It’s a great place for nightlife.

• Dinner recommendation: Rumfire. It’s an easy walk on the beach from Outrigger. You may want to make a reservation if you want the back patio area, we had a small wait. The nachos are great and so are the cocktails!

• Check out a bar or two. We heard LuLu’s and Sansei Sushi were good. We went back to Duke’s to enjoy cocktails and the live music.

Day 2

• Wake up early and have a quick breakfast to go. At Outrigger there is a great little coffee shop attached to it right before the escalators to the main lobby, we got juices and coffee and breakfast sandwiches.

• Drive to Pearl Harbor (short drive from Waikiki) for USS Arizona tour. Going early helped us eliminate huge crowds and lines. We went on a weekday which helped as well. We didn’t have any line at all. You can explore the wonderful museum they have as you wait for the tour to begin (which is free). You view a short film before boarding the boat that takes you to the Arizona memorial. It’s very moving and worth a visit for sure.

• Leave Pearl Harbor for 35 minute drive to Dole Plantation. It’s a bit touristy but a cute stop and you can learn about the planting and harvesting process. Get some frozen pineapple yogurt, it’s yummy.

• Shortly after the Dole Plantation is a dreamy sunflower field and Red Barn farm stop. Explore the sunflower field, it’s magical! Cute gifts can be found in the red barn (coffee, soaps, candles, etc.).  Be warned, the mud in this field is reddish clay and will adhere firmly to your footwear. 

• From the Red Barn Farm, head to Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck, 10 minutes from Dole, for lunch. Along the way, take a picture next to the famous surfing Haliewa sign on the Kamehameha Highway. There are 2 signs, 1 going in each direction so you won’t miss it. Giovanni’s is good but super garlicky! There are other trucks in this parking lot to try out.

• Stop at Matsumoto Shaved Ice after lunch and walk around Haleiwa (we didn’t do this because we were full and kind of on a schedule to make a reserved Luau, but we heard great things).

• Stop at Laniakea Beach to see sea turtles! Beautiful beach! It’s rocky, so it’s not so much for laying out, but definitely worth stopping for some photos and to see the turtles surfing!

• Explore Waimea Bay and Falls. You can park in the parking lot and then you must pay to enter the botanical gardens if you want to get to the falls. This is worth it though, the gardens are gorgeous and have actually been the filming location of many movies, including the most recent remake of Jumanji. You can swim in the lagoon and falls. It’s chilly and they make you wear a life vest, but it’s a lot of fun!

• Snorkel at Three Tables and Shark’s Cove (we didn’t do this because we spent longer than anticipated in gardens and at waterfall but we heard good things).

• Stop at Banzai Beach Pipeline to watch surfing (SO worth it!). This is where Pipe Masters happens! Waves are crazy. Bring a blanket or towel and observe :).

• Stop at Sunset Beach and Turtle Bay Beach (we didn’t have time for this because we had tickets to a Luau we had to get to, but in hindsight we would have skipped the Luau and continued to these stops and would have grabbed dinner at a food truck or somewhere casual in North Shore.) Bring the snorkel gear if you have time for these stops, we heard there was excellent snorkeling to be done at these beaches.

• If you feel the need to do a luau, which we did but will never do again as it’s pretty cheesy and incredibly touristy, the Polynesian Cultural Center has a good one. Food is meh, entertainment is good, and the cultural center is very lovely, but kind of like an amusement park.

• Head back to Waikiki and if you’re feeling up to it, try out one of the many bars or restaurants for cocktails.

Day 3

• If you’re awake early and don’t have an early flight to Maui, we heard great things about the KCC Farmer’s Market.  Check online to see if it’s running.

• Check-out of Outrigger Waikiki and return car.

• Fly from Honolulu to Maui Kahului Airport. Enjoy your first Hawaiian airlines island hopper! We loved this airline- the flights are so short and they offer yummy passion fruit nectar juice :). Book your seat on the flight to Maui so that you’re sitting on the right side of the plane. You’ll have the best views of Maui this way. Look out the windows lots as you fly in, you’ll feel like you’re surfing into your destination. 

• Pick-up rental car upon arrival. Definitely recommend another convertible.

• 20 minute drive from airport to Mama’s Fish House for lunch *Make reservation ahead of time, must have reservation*.  This is probably the most famous restaurant on the island, and it’s worthy of the hype.  It’s located on pristine, oceanfront property and also features an inn.  The food is top notch and so are the drinks. Be prepared, it’s super expensive. 

• Walk around Paia- super adorable beachy town on the way to Mama’s Fish House (we backtracked a little to do this, you could easily and more logically do this on your way to Mama’s).

• Leave Paia for Surfing Goat Dairy Farm for a 30-45 minute tour. We loved this! Baby goats had just been born so we got to pet the newborns! The tour was fabulous and we got to milk the goats in the end. We ended up purchasing a couple of pots of our favorite cheese after the cheese tasting they give you at the end of the tour. This served as a gourmet snack for pre-dinner lounging.

• Leave Surfing Goat for a 15 minute drive to Kula Lodge. Kula Lodge was one of our favorite places we stayed of our entire trip. It’s charming and rustic and the restaurant at the lodge is cozy with amazing views of the mountains. *Make a reservation in advance for the Kula Lodge restaurant*. If you can afford it, try to reserve one of the lodge rooms with the mountain view. Our room had a loft and a balcony that overlooked the mountains. We picked up wine at the general store that is about 2 miles away from the lodge on our way in and enjoyed wine and Surfing Goat goat cheese on our balcony before dinner… heaven.

Day 4

• Wake up at 4:30am to leave for Haleakala Peak by 5:00am for 50 minute drive. Sunrise is typically between 6:50 and 7:15. The drive to the top isn’t easy, especially if you were drinking the night before! Bring coffee and some snacks! Again, this can be picked up the day before at that general store you’ll pass on your way to Kula Lodge. If you’re feeling adventurous and have good weather, consider booking a bike tour down Haleakala. A van takes you to the summit and then they drive you to a starting location, hook you up with a bike, and you get to ride down the mountain. We would have done this if it wasn’t winter and we weren’t experiencing a massive rain storm on the day of our visit.

• Eat breakfast at Kula Lodge restaurant and check-out, or check out and then stop at Grandma’s Coffee House or Ulupalakua Ranch Store & Grill for breakfast and to pick up lunch for hike (on the way). Unfortunately for us, there was a huge storm that knocked out power for all of Kula so we didn’t get anything to eat. Be warned, winter months are the rainiest and the mountains get some gnarly storms.

• 1.5 hour drive to arrive at Kipahulu Visitor Center for 0.5 mile hike around Kuloa Point Trail and 4 mile roundtrip hike on Pipiwai Trail (2 mile hike to Waimoku Falls –  will pass Bamboo Forest on trail) – 3 hour hike. The visitor center sign will probably say Haleakala National Park in more noticeable font than Kipahulu. There is a parking lot and an attendant you have to pay to enter. I think it was around 20 total for two hikers. The falls were closed due to flash flooding, but we still got to walk past two waterfalls, an enchanting Banyon tree, and the bamboo forest.

• Prior to Kipahulu and getting to Travaasa Hana (next suggested lodging), enjoy the road to Hana, a windy, sweeping “highway” that allows two way traffic but at times feels really like it should only allow one. As a passenger, you may feel nauseous, I did, but the natural beauty around every winding turn is well worth it. Make sure you choose the better more spatially aware driver in your party to do the maneuvering :).

• Check-in to Travaasa Hana. Highly recommend springing for an  Ocean Bungalow. This was our FAVORITE lodging of the entire trip. It was heaven on earth.

• Dinner at Ka’uiki Dining Room at Travaasa *Make a reservation in advance*

Day 5

• Wake up and take advantage of the free yoga classes offered from 7:30-8:30. This was the best yoga class I’ve ever taken in the most beautiful studio overlooking the ocean.

• Eat room service breakfast, especially if you sprang for the oceanfront bungalow. The food is excellent at this resort and if you got a bungalow, you’ll want to savor every second of it.

• Check-out of Travaasa Hana and continue on Road to Hana. Stop at Wai’anapanapa State Park (black sand beach) – 10 minute drive from Travaasa Hana. Excellent cliff vistas for looking out onto the ocean and watching waves crash to amazing heights.

 

 

 

• Stop at Hana Lava Tubes (cave) – 5 minute drive from Wai’anapanapa State Park. This was pretty cool but kind of touristy, you might want to skip, it is kind of pricey for what it is. As you’re driving the Road to Hana, keep your eyes peeled at all times!  We discovered a secret cave and a lesser known path to an amazing waterfall along the way that were unmarked.  There is an app you can download (I think it is a small fee) and it identifies these unmarked wonders along the route for you.  I recommend doing that so you don’t miss some spectacular natural treasures. 

• Grab ice cream at Coconut Glen’s near Hana Lava Tubes (we weren’t hungry so we didn’t, but we heard good things)

• Stop at Pua’a Ka’a State Park (waterfall) – 25 minute drive from Hana Lava Tubes

• Stop at Waikani Falls (waterfalls) – 10 minute drive from Pua’a Ka’a State Park

• Stop along Hana Highway and get out to explore Road to Hana (scenic route) – grab snack at Aunty Sandy’s (banana bread)
• Late lunch on road to Hana- there is a cute stop with 3-4 food trucks and a cute coffee shop. We got tacos and coffee (sadly don’t remember the names of the trucks)

• Stop at Twin Falls (waterfalls) – 35 minute drive from Road to Hana

• Stop at Ho’okipa Beach Park – 15 minute drive from Twin Falls

• 45 minute drive from lunch to Best Western Pioneer Inn in Lahaina

• Dinner at Kimo’s Restaurant *Make reservation in advance*

• There are a few bars in Lahaina, as it’s a touristy place.  Pioneer Inn’s bar is a quirky, old whaler’s saloon with a rich history.  We ventured to the Lahaina Sports Bar as it was a Tuesday and not much else was open after 11:30 PM.  This was a hole-in-the-wall with terrible wine, but we had fun and met some characters!

Day 6

• Drive to Sea House Restaurant of Napili Kai Beach Resort in Napili Beach.  Go dressed for the beach.  This restaurant ended up being one of our favorites. We highly recommend the poke nachos! It’s oceanfront, enjoy the views.

• If you’re feeling  a beach day, which we were at this point, we loved Ka’anapali Beach.  Even though there is a big resort, we felt like the beach was super secluded.  We had no problem parking at the Marriott resort, they have spots for beach access only that were free.  We also hit up the resort’s pool bar in the late afternoon. Snorkeling was okay here, nothing special, but relaxing and reading on this quiet beach was divine.

• If you’re feeling more like exploring, instead you could walk around Lahaina to explore the many shops and art galleries as well as the enchanting Banyan Tree Park.

• Dinner at Fleetwood’s on Front St.*Make a reservation in advance*. This was one of our favorite dinners of the entire trip.  It’s owned by Mick Fleetwood who sometimes makes appearances.  We happened to catch one of those lucky nights!  Check the calendar too, he sometimes gives concerts, but you need tickets in advance. The sunset from the rooftop is amazing, the food is excellent, and so is the service.  Live music seduced us into staying at our rooftop table for close to 4 hours. We ordered a bottle and after dinner drinks just so we could hold down our table…I paid the price the next morning, but it was worth it!

Day 7

• Check-out of Best Western Pioneer Inn, get breakfast at the Pioneer Saloon or check out Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop

• If you didn’t have your beach day yesterday, do your beach day today, or visa versa. We shopped and got a bunch of souvenirs, checked out the art galleries, and then went back to Ka’anapali Beach again before heading out for Wailea, which is a 45 minute drive.

• Coconut’s Fish Cafe for lunch.  We heard great things, but didn’t go because we were too stuffed from breakfast.

• Check-In to Four Seasons Resort Maui.

• Relax in the amazing suite and book the activities listed in the next two days below upon arrival.  

• Dinner at Spago or enjoy appetizers and drinks for dinner at the pool bar. *Make a reservation in advance for Spago or with the Concierge as soon as you check in, especially if traveling during the holidays.* Another great place I heard about but that we didn’t go to was the terrace restaurant at Hotel Wailea, this would also require a reservation in advance. We went to Sansei Sushi, which was “off campus” and it wasn’t that great. The sushi was good, but I got sick (possibly from the food) and the ambiance is awkward… they seat you basically at the same table as other couples. I’m all for making new friends, but sometimes you just want a dinner date with your man/woman.

Day 8

• Stand up paddle board yoga at Four Seasons, 6:45 AM meet in spa  *Reserve with concierge or through spa upon arrival.  I believe this only is offered Tuesdays and Thursdays.  This was SO FUN and challenging!

• Before going to breakfast, put your name on the list at Serenity adults only infinity pool.  It books up SO QUICKLY.  It actually opens at 7 AM, so try to get your name in FAST. We had a hell of a time getting sunbeds the entire time, even when we got our names on very early. After putting your names on the list, head to breakfast at 5 Palms oceanfront restaurant, off campus but super close.  Plenty of parking in parking lot, great prices, great food, decent service, unbeatable views.

• Pamper yourself and relax! We indulged in a couples massage oceanside.  We used a 20 percent off coupon, which can be found on a page in your hotel room, don’t throw it away!

• Relax by pool (Serenity or the grass area). Be sure to check in with the servers at the grass area if you’re not going to Serenity, as they then treat you like a king and queen, bringing you refreshments, waters, freshening your towels, etc. throughout the day.

• Dinner at Ferraro’s (earlier side) for sunset. *Make reservation in advance or upon arrival to Four Seasons*. Delicious, decadent Italian food and the most incredible views of the ocean, perfect for sunset gazing.

Day 9

• Snorkel Molokini Crater 5:50 AM pick up in main lobby, beach load onto catamaran (Kai Konani) return by 8:30 *Reserve through concierge upon arrival to Four Seasons. This was an excellent quick trip that enabled us to see whales, snorkel within the barriers of a crater, and swim 1-2 feet from giant green sea turtles.  There is a longer trip you can book (5 hours), but because we wanted another day of relaxation in the sun, we opted for the early express trip. Take Dramamine, it’s a life saver!  Be warned though, it does lead to major drowsiness.  We were exhausted after!

• Breakfast at 5 Palms again or try Duo at Four Seasons (their famous buffet is said to be one of the best).  We enjoyed the prices, view, and food at 5 Palms so we returned.

• Relax by the pool or the beach.  Again, try to get on the list for Serenity upon your return from the snorkel trip.  

• I got a mani/pedi at 3 PM, and though it was the best mani/pedi I’ve ever had, it was totally overpriced.  Get one if you’re in the mood for majorly indulging and pampering yourself, but if you cannot fathom overspending on a mani/pedi, skip it and enjoy the fun in the sun longer.  

• We weren’t feeling like doing a fancy dinner, so we ordered an appetizer to share at Serenity (as we finally got our sunbed at Serenity around 3:30 PM… after being on the list since 8:30 that morning!), and we savored a beautiful sunset by the edge of the infinity pool while having cocktails and the poke sampler. The manicurist recommended a few other places to try for dinner (off campus) that you might want to check out: Monkeypod Kitchen and Nalu’s.  The lounge at the Four Seasons also offered some great appetizers, cocktails, and live music.

Day 10

• Grab breakfast at pool bar, enjoy it on the beach, then walk the path that runs along the cliffs of the beach before checking out of Four Seasons and returning convertible. Though it’s incredibly overpriced, get one of the amazing fresh juices at the pool bar.  I tried carrot and it was one of the best juices I’ve ever had.

• Fly Hawaiian airlines again, destination Lihue Airport of Kauai, your final (our favorite) destination of the journey. Pick-up your rental car upon arrival, we recommend a 4WD for this island.

• Duke’s for lunch in Lihue.  It’s super close to the airport and like I said earlier, though some may feel it’s touristy, we really enjoyed the food, ambiance, and drinks.  This Duke’s is oceanfront.  We ended up getting a bottle of wine as a warm welcome to ourselves to our final island.

• Check-in at Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa.  We loved this resort and highly recommend it.  If you can afford it, spring for an ocean view room.  Our view at this hotel was the least obscured view we had of the ocean, which allowed us to see whales breaching and incredible sunsets each evening.

• After settling into your room, enjoy the Maha’ulepu heritage trail.  This 2 mile, easy cliff trail can be reached from Shipwreck beach which is on the Grand Hyatt property. We left for this hike at 4:30, which we felt was the perfect time as we caught an incredible sunset on the return.  This trail makes for the perfect welcome to Kauai, you get to feast your eyes on the ocean, bordered by layered cliffs, as well as the lush green and red mountains.  

• Dinner at Tidepools, at Grand Hyatt. This is a little pricey, but the food was great and so is the ambiance. *Make reservation in advance.  I did so through Open Table.

Day 11

• Leave earlyish, perhaps 9 AM, for Anuenue Cafe in Poipu Shopping Center for breakfast. Pick up lunch to go to enjoy on your hike.

*NOTE: this was closed for Christmas, Starbucks was a good option where we got breakfast and lunch to go

• Drive from breakfast to Waimea Canyon is 45 minutes, Kauai Coffee Company is on the way. We actually didn’t end up going to the Kauai Coffee Company because it was Christmas and closed, but others highly recommended us stopping for a visit.  You can take a self-guided tour and learn about the process, and the coffee makes for great gifts which you can ship home from the plantation.

• Drive to Waimea Canyon State Park. The furthest lookout you can drive to first for a spectacular view of the ocean framed by the sloping, green mountains is Kaluala lookout. After visiting this lookout, drive back into Waimea Canyon Park, the Kaluala lookout is within the Kokee State Park, and park at the (sorry I forgot the name of it…) lookout that starts with a “P,” I’ll butcher the name if I try, but it’s the last lookout within Waimea Canyon Park and it starts with a “P.” Park there and then you’ll see the sign for the trailhead of Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls.  It’s a 4WD off-roading road, but hikers use it as well.  If you got 4WD, drive to the beginning of the hiker’s trail, there is a place to park at the base of the actual trail.  You can walk the 4WD road as well, your choice.  Take Canyon Trail all the way to the end to the falls, it was one of our favorite hikes!  It’s a fairly easy hike with breathtaking views of the canyon.  There is loose rock and dirt when you near the falls, so be cautious, but the rest of the trail is a piece of cake. We packed lunch with us from Starbucks and enjoyed a picnic on some boulders overlooking the canyon.

• I don’t have too many dinner recommendations for you as we weren’t impressed by the dinner we reserved on this evening.  We went to Brennecke’s Beach Broiler (it was Christmas and hard to find a reservation) and it was fine, but also seemed kind of like a tourist trap and the food was okay. Island Taco, super casual,  in Waimea, got great reviews.  The Grand Hyatt also had a bevy of restaurant options including a more casual lounge area that overlooks the ocean.

Day 12

• Leave hotel at 8 AM, stop for breakfast along the way (we did Starbucks again because we were running late), and drive 25 minutes to Backcountry Adventures for tubing for a 9 AM check in. *Must reserve in advance! A video of this went viral on Facebook so they get booked up really quickly. This was a blast!  You go through tunnels and some rapids and it feels like an authentic Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyworld with a bit more thrill! The guides were hilarious and we had an excellent group. They provide a picnic lunch at the end of the tubing tour.

• After tubing, if you didn’t want to stick around for the picnic lunch and preferred to try your own lunch stop, stop in Lihue at Fish Express, our bellhop said it has the best poke.

• Leave Backcountry for Wailua Falls. Located in the town of Lihue, Wailua Falls is a  double-waterfall with the strongest force of all the waterfalls we had seen. It can be viewed right from the road…for the faint of heart!  We were eager for an adrenaline rush so we decided to take the hike down to the falls.  This will appear closed, as locals don’t want tourists trying it, and some people died from doing it when a flash flood happened a while ago.  Don’t let this deter you though!  It’s worth the muddy, strenuous, slide down. Hike down the cliff trail located to the far right of the look-out spot. Start by walking back on the road for about 50 yards, then jump the guardrail and look for the trailhead (an opening in the fence), the trail is very steep and demanding, with large roots, rocks, and mud nearly all the time. Parts of the trail are so steep the locals have attached a rope to hold onto and descending with for the second half of your trek down to the lagoon. We climbed all the way down and boulder hopped to get completely behind the waterfall, it was a little scary but totally amazing.

• Leave Wailua for Opekaa Falls. Just across the road is a beautiful viewing area of the majestic Wailua River and the surrounding peaks. It’s lovely. You can go under the falls but only by kayak.  We didn’t do this, but wished we did.  You can easily rent a kayak or SUP board and ease down the river to the falls and back.

• Leave Opekaa falls  and enjoy some shopping in the town of Kapaa.  This beach town had excellent boutique shopping and some cute bars. We got a ton of souvenirs here and enjoyed happy hour at a rooftop bar called Olympic Cafe. We tried shaved ice for the first time at Wailua Shaved Ice- it was amazing!

• Options after this: go back to Kokee State Park for a different hike or return to resort to go for a run and work out or relax.  We opted for option 2.  We took a jog at sunset on the cliff trail along the beach, worked out, and then were so wiped out that we got food to go from the lounge and ate it in bed with a rented movie. We had reservations at Red Salt restaurant, which got excellent reviews, but cancelled.

Day 13

• Check-out of Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort by 7:30, and drive 25 minutes to Holo Holo Na Pali Snorkel and Sail tour check in at Port Allen Harbor for 8 AM check-in. This was one of our favorite things of the trip!  It’s a 5 hour boat tour with an amazing crew that takes you snorkeling first, then through choppy waters (if it’s winter) to the astounding Na Pali Coast, the coast you think of with Jurassic Park. They provide a continental breakfast, beer and wine after snorkeling for the remainder of the ride, and a nice deli lunch. We loved the captain and crew and learned a lot about the terrain and marine life! Highly recommend. Wear sunscreen and take Dramamine!  Dramamine is a must for this boat tour, the majority of our boat got sick!

• Check-in to Hanalei Bay Resort, though, as I suggest in the lodging overview, if you can afford it, spring for The St. Regis instead.

• Puka dog or Tropical Taco in Hanalei for lunch if you’re hungry. We weren’t because Holo Holo charters provided a big lunch.

• Options: Go to a beach or relax at Hanalei Bay resort. The drive takes about an hour from the Poipu area to get to Hanalei in the North. Tunnels Beach (30 minutes from Hanalei Bay Resort) was highly recommended to us, but we never made it. Instead we bought a bottle of wine and spread out our towels on a hill within Hanalei Bay Resort to catch the sunset that is pretty breathtaking with filtering light beaming down on the mountain peaks.

• We got dinner at Happy Talk, the bar and grill at Hanalei Bay Resort. It has a nice, casual and open-air ambiance. The food is fine. They have live music which was nice.

• If you want a fancier dinner date, Postcards Cafe was recommended to us or Bar Acuda is super popular, but definitely make a reservation for either of those in advance.

Day 14

• Wake up early for Hanakapia hike (8 mile hike along Na Pali coast to waterfalls and back). We stopped in the town of Hanalei for breakfast burritos at Tropical Taco (yum), and bought two extras to have as lunch on our hike. There were plenty of cafe options, just not all of them are open before 9 AM. The village bakery got good reviews as well.

• Park at the Ke’ee Beach parking lot and you’ll find the trailhead quite easily at this beach, just before the sand begins. This trail is moderate. We found it to be quite easy for the first two miles. Na Pali Coast is one of the wettest places on earth, the steady rains made the hike moderate for sure. The trail became extremely muddy, which made the rocks slick and caused us to take much more caution. The hike is worth it. The views you get of the ocean and the mountains, as well as the lush rainforest are awe inspiring. You have to cross the river in about four places. The rain was pouring once we crossed the initial river crossing, which requires boulder hopping. We hiked for a mile longer after the first crossing, but when we got to the second crossing, decided not to go further after being warned by a local and observing a family struggle to get back across from the other side. Flash flooding is a real danger, so we tapped out and hiked back. We did 7 miles total and were wiped when we got back. We cleaned off from all the mud by dipping into the ocean, which was quite refreshing.

• We decided to shower off, pack up, and begin an early happy hour. We drove into town and got incredible Mai Tai’s at Neide’s Salsa and Samba which had an incredible back deck with stunning mountain views. We then drove over to The St. Regis to catch sunset with more Mai Tai’s at an outdoor terrace table. We returned to Hanalei town to try to get dinner at Bar Acuda but there was no chance we could get a table. We ended up back at Neide’s for a mediocre dinner but out of this world Mai Tai’s.

All in all, Hawaii is a magical destination full of versatility.  It’s ideal for adventurists, nature enthusiasts, and beach bums alike!  It’s got something for everyone.  Though it doesn’t have a starkly different cultural aspect that you would get if traveling abroad,  the fact that it’s U.S. territory is incredibly convenient.  Your phones work seamlessly which allows for easy navigation and communication with hotels, restaurants, and tourism.  It’s the same currency and you can ship items home very easily. And even though it’s in the U.S., you still feel like you’re in an exotic destination with an entirely different way of life.  In fact, the way of life will rub off on you I hope by the end.  My husband and I are still on our Hawaiian “high” and hope to carry it with us for as long as possible… when it runs out, I guess we will just HAVE to return! 😉 Mahalo for reading, and aloha!  Happy travels!