Kauai vacation, part 2

After our incredibly adventurous and busy first days in Kaua'i, I was looking forward to some downtime! Because we spent a couple days doing next to nothing, I've fit the last five days into this second post.

October 17

After our big hike, I was looking forward to a day of nothing. Matt got up early to paddle with a local outrigger canoe club and was back before I'd even finished my coffee. We spent the day at the pool, grabbed lunch at the Cabana Bar & Grill at a resort nearby--it was my first time having shrimp tacos and they were amazing--and then I took a nice long nap.

We watched the sunset and got our sea turtle fix (they always come up on Poipu Beach so you can see them every night), then had dinner at Kintaro, which our tubing guide had recommended. This is where I'll admit my first disappointment with Kaua'i: the food didn't knock my socks off.

I don't know if I'm just spoiled in Seattle or what, but finding gluten free food wasn't super easy and most of the sushi we had was really just...fine.

October 18

We drove to the "dry" part of the island for a hike to Waipo'o Falls, but I'll leave that for its own post. 

After the hike, we cleaned up and then headed out for what turned out to be the highlight of our trip: Luau Kalamaku.

Matt and I wanted to attend a Luau but wanted to be respectful, so I researched a bit to find one that was highly rated and recommended by locals. It was at this point that I learned the most ethical way to visit Hawaii is to stick to the touristy parts of the islands and spread your money around.

Anyway, the luau ended up being incredibly beautiful and moving. The food was great, of course, but the hula performance was what made it worth it. I found myself entirely entranced by the storytelling. The dance was so emotive, the story moving and poignant. It actually made me tear up.

Afterward, Matt told me it reminded him a bit of Passover, from the feast to the native people's own retelling of their origin story. When he drew that comparison, I understood why I was so affected. Hawaiians are a native people, an indigenous people. I hadn't expected to feel so connected to their culture, but now I understand why I was.

Videos of parts of the dance are on IG.

Strangely, watching the hula performance also gave me a deeper appreciation for Moana. It's clear Disney did some research when writing the story, and the hula performance felt a little like watching a live-action Moana. Kind of.

Luau Kalamaku also gave us the opportunity to buy some locally crafted gifts (new collars for Zoe and Kogi and earrings for me) and their food was clearly labeled gluten free, which I appreciated.

October 19

Another restful morning for me! Matt went scuba diving and, again, was back before I was even done with my coffee. We spent the day by the pool, got some delicious acai bowls for lunch, stopped by Spouting Horn, and spent more time at the pool. And that was it!

October 20

Our last big activity in Kaua'i was the Na Pali Coast Super Raft Adventure. Like the helicopter tour, I insisted we book this based off a friend's recommendation, completely forgetting that I am scared of water and fast boats.

But it ended up being so cool and not scary!

Video of our tour with lots of dolphin and cave footage is on IG.

Our tour started at 7:30am because we were told the water would be calmer and I'd be less likely to get motion sick. The early tour was the way to go, for sure—we got into so many caves we wouldn't have been able to in rougher water.

Our captain (Landon, I think?) and first mate (Matt...that was easy to remember) were amazing. The tour takes you around basically the entire island. We saw hundreds of spinner dolphins, got soaked under a waterfall, and squeezed into some really amazing caves.

Although this boat tour was on our second-to-last day, this was where Matt and I heard the motto we retroactively applied to all of our Kaua'i sightseeing: everything is bigger than it appears.

At one point we saw a rock arch over a cove; it looked about the height of a normal doorway. Turns out, it was 70 feet high and a helicopter had once been flown through it for a movie.

The arch in question. Because the cliffs are so huge, it looks itty bitty!

We saw some ancient and sacred areas, including Honopu Valley, where the bones of royalty were buried by sacrificial warriors.

The boat tour was an absolutely perfect way to end the sightseeing portion of this vacation. We got to see the island by land, air, and sea, and it was truly beautiful and so special.

After seeing the island, the captain anchored the boat and we had a chance to go swimming. I can't believe I actually jumped in, but I did!

After the boat tour, we grabbed lunch at a food truck, I took a nap, and then we caught our last sunset at Poipu. We had dinner reservations at Keoki's Paradise, which was incredibly expensive but the first dinner I actually felt lived up to my vacation-in-Hawaii expectations. Matt finally got his fiery red ahi tuna and I enjoyed an excellent seafood risotto.

October 21

Our flight home was a red-eye departing at 9:53pm, so we had one last day on our agenda. Our Vrbo hosts graciously allowed us to checkout at 5pm, so we had a home base for most of the day.

We went in search of Passion Bakery so Matt could get the best malasadas on the island, had one last acai bowl, made time for Matt to snorkel at Poipu while I read on the beach, and searched out the lilikoi chiffon pie at Hamura Saimon we had been told we just had to try.

On our way to the airport, we had dinner at ALISA Sushi & Thai Bistro, where I enjoyed an excellent pad thai.

Our flight was delayed, so we boarded a little after 10pm. The flight was fairly smooth and I attempted to sleep for most of it.

This was a fantastic vacation. Speaking as someone who lived in the tropics for two decades and generally doesn't like heat, humidity, or beaches, I wasn't wowed by those factors at all. I know that's what most people get excited about, but I live where I want to vacation. 

But, that said, the island views are spectacular and I loved the hikes we did. The activities we booked really made the entire vacation feel special, and the luau was truly beautiful.

I'm glad to be home, but I'm looking forward to our next adventure.

Ali