Aloha Kauai: A Family Trip in Paradise

We recently spent an amazing week in Kauai with my oldest and his family. I had only been to Hawaii once before when we visited Honolulu back in 2008. We enjoyed the city, visited Pearl Harbor, went on a sunset dinner cruise, attended a luau, and spent plenty of time at the beach. Since then, I’d wanted to return and explore one of the other islands.

Unlike bustling Honolulu, Kauai felt quieter and less developed, and that slower pace gave us the chance to truly enjoy being together as a family.

My son found this house to rent in Koloa on the South Shore that was perfect for the six of us. With its golf course views, infinity pool and hot tub, spacious rooms, and outdoor showers, we could have thoroughly enjoyed the entire vacation without ever leaving the property.

We spent much of the first day lounging, swimming, and grilling burgers in the outdoor kitchen.

When I was in Hawaii before I wasn’t yet golfing much and passed on the opportunity to play Turtle Bay with my husband and his brother. That small regret eventually turned into inspiration, and “play golf with an ocean view” found its way onto my bucket list.

Hole number seventeen on Wailua Golf Course with the Pacific Ocean along the green gave me the opportunity to check it off ✓.

The island is not short of delicious cuisine and we found some great places for eats and drinks. These included Red Salt at Ko’ Kea Resort on Poipu Beach, Tidepools in the Hyatt and Keoki’s Paradise. Each offered its own unique traditional Hawaiian dishes, and all come highly recommended.

With their 13th birthdays just around the corner, the twins were treated to complimentary desserts.

One thing that surprised me about Kauai was the number of wild roosters and chickens roaming the island. They wandered casually through towns and neighborhoods, their cock-a-doodle-doos becoming part of the soundtrack of the trip.

Us girls did some shopping in Old Koloa Town, where I picked up a Christmas ornament, something I try to collect from every place we visit.

Of course, the excursion also included a stop for pizza and ice cream.

While in Hawaii, one must visit the beach. We spent an afternoon at Shipwreck Beach, located in Poʻipū on Kauai’s South Shore, right in front of the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa. I wandered out into the waves just a bit, mostly sitting in the water and taking in the surfers, the distant boats, and the sound of the crashing surf.

The beach is beautiful and scenic, but also a little wild, so there isn’t much swimming here. The high rocky point on the left side of the beach is popular for cliff jumping. The guys climbed up to take a look around but, much to my relief, decided not to take the plunge and carefully made their way back down.

Our private tour of the Nā Pali Coast ended up being one of the most unforgettable experiences of the trip.

We saw dolphins, waterfalls and sea caves. The perfect weather allowed us to move in and out of the caves, close enough to feel the mist. Seeing the coastline from the water gave us a completely different perspective of Kauai’s rugged beauty and untouched landscape.

Our tour was with Na Pali Experience and everything went smoothly from start to finish. The captains were both friendly and knowledgeable, sharing information about the coastline and making the experience even more enjoyable.

We took a drive up to Princeville (a 9,000 acre unincorporated area on the North Shore) the next day. We stopped for a quick lunch at a local golf course, then walked around on the dock. Knowing the following day would be our last, I took my time, appreciating the beautiful ocean views.

Our last day was spent relaxing around the house. We had engaged in some serious Mario Party competition throughout the trip, and we squeezed in a couple more rounds before finally packing up.

On our way to the airport, we stopped at the famous Duke’s Kauai for our final meal in Hawaii. We had visited the original Waikiki location on our first trip to Hawaii years ago, and the vibe felt just as I remembered. There is also a Duke’s in Maui and three in California.

The restaurant has an interesting history tied to legendary Hawaiian surfer Duke Kahanamoku. If you’d like to read more about it, you can do so on Duke’s Website.

Then it was off to Lihue Airport for that dreaded red-eye flight home. I can never seem to sleep on airplanes, so I spent much of the flight envying the passengers around me as they snoozed away. But for a trip this memorable, it felt like a very small price to pay.