Our Kauai trip was busy but quite enchanting. The Garden Isle, as Kauai is known, is the most beautiful of all the Hawaiian islands and is a must if you find yourself visiting the archipelago. Our 4 days were filled with exploring as much of the island as possible which, was actually quite time consuming because as is common on any island, there is only one road on the rim. Nevertheless, even with more time spent exploring in the car than on the actual beach, we had a fantastic experience. If you are not allergic to chocolate and love trying exotic, delicious fruit then the Steelgrass Chocolate Farm Tour is not to be missed. A chocolate tasting is always a good idea and I am still dreaming of the lilikoi, or in English passion fruit, the true nectar of the gods.
Other places worth stopping for are the Koloa Fish Market (amazing poke), Opaeka’a Falls near the Kamokila Hawaiian Village, Lydgate Beach Park, Anahola Beach Park, Anini Beach Park, Hanalei Bay, Ke’e Beach and Makua “Tunnels” Beach. If you are in Kauai on a Friday night, check out the Hanapepe Art Walk which features local artists and street vendors selling scrumptious food.
Waimea Canyon is also worth the drive but be warned that the road is quite curvy, so pack some ginger to chew to calm that nauseous stomach. We had the chance to visit a farmer’s market in Lihue on a Friday afternoon and learned that even if you show up before 3pm you will not be able to purchase anything. Get there early to put away some of the best looking fruit for yourself but wait for the whistle at exactly 3 to hand over the cash and complete the transaction.
Lastly no trip review would be complete without mentioning some amazing meals and this trip had no shortage of those. The two dinners and two snacks that stand out are our mind-blowing meal at Postcards Café, super fresh fish and miso soup at Hanalei Dolphin Fish Market, shave ice at Ono Ono in Koloa (with a snowcap naturally) and fresh malasadas (Portuguese doughnuts) in Lihue at Kauai Bakery & Cinnamon.
Aloha and happy Hawaiian travels.
