Travel day was out of Portland (PDX), connection in Seattle (SEA) on Alaska Airlines. More and more we are finding delays when we have to traverse SEA. Oh, how I wish we could get a direct flight to LIH! Shoutout to PDX for moving things quickly and efficiently!
Our travel group consists of "me" (turning 50), my husband and our precious granddaughter (then 3, but now 4).
Our granddaughter, Sophia lives with us and we care for her 95% of the time. If we want to take a vacation, she's going to be our side-kick. No way around it. She was SO excited to hear she be would joining us on Kauai to help me celebrate my 50th bday. I knew she would enjoy herself. However, she exceeded my expectations! Almost immediately she embraced the Aloha Spirit.. Maybe from listening to my stories about Hawaii, or watching Moana over and over with her "Bapa".
Our flight went smooth other than waiting on the tarmac in SEA for almost an hour. Sophia fell asleep just before takeoff and slept for only an hour. We spent the rest of the time keeping her occupied with games, movies and snacks. Alaska has a great "kids-pack" available for purchase that is filled with healthy snacks and a game. This kept her entertained for awhile.
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| Looking for a land called Hanalei |
We did the obligatory stop at Costco to stock up on food and purchase some sand toys. We also made a quick stop by Safeway where I ran in and bought a few more items we couldn't get at Costco.
Finally.... off to the north shore. Such a beautiful drive, one I never get tired of!
This was our 4th trip to Kauai, and each time we have stayed someplace different. Usually, splitting our stay south & north. This trip we chose to stay at The Cliffs at Princeville. For us it was the perfect location for Sophia. Plenty of running space, nice pool for her, play structure and very family friendly. Ironically, she only went swimming in the pool once, only played at the playground twice (due to so much rain), and for a place that gets promoted as a "great family place to stay w/ young kids", we saw very few young children. I was actually surprised.
The grounds at The Cliffs are well kept and after sunset, the entire complex was very quiet.
We stayed in Building 6, unit 6302. The unit is on the third floor which was not an issue at all for us. We had a gorgeous view of the ocean from our lanai and our bedroom lanai opened up to the "jungle" area. It was the perfect setting for us and being on the upper floor helped us corral Sophia a bit too.
This was the unit we stayed in... (The owners were wonderful to deal with and even agreed to a 10% discount for staying two weeks. They were very attentive and even called a couple of times during our stay to insure we had everything we needed.)
https://www.vrbo.com/606624
After a long day, we grabbed dinner at a food truck on site, and dined at a strategically placed picnic table on the resort property.
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| While waiting for food, she picked up fallen leaves and blossoms and handed them to different women saying, "Aloha". We never prompted her to do this! |
August 1st ~ The big "5-0"
Good morning Kauai!!!!!
Today I turn 50....Why did I choose Kauai?
It's a long list: Gorgeous mountains, streaming waterfalls, amazing sunsets, ocean, wildlife, amazing people, but it's also much more.
For me it's indescribable... it's a feeling. The butterflies I get when I exit the plane. The fragrant smells as you walk to where you will call "home" for the next few days, weeks, etc. It's the time at the beach.. the fun to have when your toes hit the sand. The warmth and excitement to be back in the water to view a whole new world and escape from reality for just a bit. It's the calm, peaceful moment being awestruck watching the sun go down. It never gets old! AND... Priceless if you are with others that truly get it!
I had booked Kauai before the historic April floods of 2018! It was a bummer that I wouldn't be able to visit my favorite beaches, but my heart went out to everyone that lost so much. Viewing the images of all the damage that week was heartbreaking! However, I was willing to help the local economy in Hanalei recoup some of their financial losses so we stuck with our original itinerary.
We spent the morning in Hanalei visiting the beach and pier. Then did some quick shopping and lunch at Hanalei Gourmet.
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| Sad, they had to cancel this year's sand castle contest. It didn't deter someone! |
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| Pretty much the same look I have on my face when I find out we're going to Hawaii! |
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| Showing her the land called Hanalei <3 |
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| Any guesses where we are? |
We returned home and prepared for a birthday celebration at Hukilau Lanai. This was our first time to visit this restaurant and we were not disappointed. I ordered the "Food & Wine Tasting Menu". Everything was delicious!
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| Saying hello to the island mascot |
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| The picture I post when I want people to think life is perfect. ; ) |
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| The follow up picture I post to "keep things real"! |
August 2nd ~ Walks, library, exploring & sunsets
We walk daily at home. Usually 5-6 miles a day. I love our BOB stroller for putting Sophia in it and taking off on our walks! I debated whether to bring it to Kauai, and I'm glad we did. She has a ton of stamina, but we can go much farther and quicker when she's on board.
The weather conditions for the day were questionable so instead of going to the beach, we decided to walk into Princeville to visit the playground, library and a few stores.
There is a great walking path alongside the main road (Ka Haku Rd) next to the golf course. Then you veer right towards the park and community center.
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| When safe, we always let her out to run! |
Next, we went to the local library to check out a gob of books to read during "downtime" before bed. While we were in the library, it turned out that story time was about to begin followed by a craft project. This was a fun surprise for Sophia, and nice to see so many families participating as well. Thank you volunteers!
Once we finished our toddler fun, we walked back to our condo which was about 2 miles away. We had lunch on our lanai and our niece took Sophia swimming in the pool. This was the only time she went swimming in the pool. Its a great pool, but we weren't around a whole lot for her to enjoy it! (Note to self.) I am no longer going to be worry about having a "great pool" when booking in the future. We never use them.
Mike and I took a walk and explored a few trails around our area.
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| Sophia is not a big fan of having her pic taken. |
August 3rd ~ Bike rides in Kapaa and beach time at Anini
We woke up to more uncertainty regarding the weather. This trip we dodged more showers than on previous trips. AND cooler too! First time ever, I wished I had brought a light jacket.
We decided to rent bikes in Kapaa and cruise along the bike path. We rented from Hele On Kauai Bike Rentals. They had a pull-along trailer we could put Sophia in which was perfect. However, the condition of the bicycles weren't the best. We had rented for them before, but I think it's time to retire some of bicycles. The chain fell off one of the bikes when we were out past Kealia Beach, and we spent some time trying to fix it. Eventually, we called the owner (which we were instructed to do) to meet us for a bike swap. Though slightly inconvenient, it would have been nice had she not charged us for going into an extra hour.
Regardless of that, this is a fun bike ride. The weather was perfect with a nice trade wind blowing. Glad we had packed water bottles and sunscreen.
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| Donkey Beach |
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| Reapplying sunscreen |
As we drove back north, I checked the weather to help us determine what to do for the rest of the day.
We hung out on our lanai for awhile, had lunch, and took in the sites and sounds that surrounded us. Sophia finally asked, "Gramma.. when are we gonna go to the beach?!" I responded, "How about now!" This would be the beginning of many beach days for us. There aren't many people that outlast my desire stay most of the day at the beach. Well, I found my kindred spirit!! I was thrilled! She would play all day in the sand and water. Always searching for someone to play with, but also content playing by herself. I would convince her to stop and eat some food... then off again, never whining or complaining... just having a ball like this is where she was meant to be.. My heart was full.
The weather/water was little too chilly for us to get in (not Sophia) so we just played and stayed for the sunset.
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| Always be kind to the locals. : ) |
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| A magical moment with Sophia and her Bapa |
Ended the day by sending the below picture to our boys back home. They love themselves some POG and were jealous they weren't with us. (So annoying they have to be responsible and work.)
It's possible there was a bottle of rum to go with the POG, but I can't remember now. ; )
August 4th ~ Rain, Hanalei and Kilauea Lighthouse
We woke up to some crazy weather. Reminded me of a typical spring day in the PNW... keeping us off guard enough to know that we need to be flexible with today's schedule.
The morning started off beautiful.
The Farmer's Market was a little water logged. lol The parking lot/field was a minefield of large mud puddles from the overnight heavy rains. We strategically made our way to the market carefully avoiding the shoe sucking muddy areas. We checked out many of the vendors, but would have enjoyed it more if we weren't hit with shower after shower. It was a fun way to get to know new people though. Many of us would jump under tents to avoid getting soaked. I did manage to buy a dress for Sophia and purchase some of my favorite island made soap! I even ordered some to have sent home for gifts.
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| Kopa Kauai Soaps |
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| Kopa Kauai Salt Soaps |
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| Waterfalls were abundantly flowing down the gorgeous surrounding mountains. |
We took refuge back at our condo and continued to watch the showers pass. (I'm not sure if this video will post correctly.)
Next... let's go see the lighthouse & wildlife refuge in Kilauea! We arrived an hour before closing. That's fine. Crowds were thinning and we needed a walkabout. Some places never get old.
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| Shhh.. mama's got a baby |
Do you ever wish for a do-over day??? Well, this day was mine. I guess it's not that I would do it over, but do it differently. The gray clouds literally and figuratively seemed to loom over us.
We woke up to more rain on the north shore.. Hurricanes were lining up in the pacific ocean and threatening the Hawaiian Islands. While they made no direct path, they skirted close enough to bring rain, wind and high surf.
We headed to Poipu in search of clearer skies. First stop was Makauwahi Cave and tortoise sanctuary.
This attraction comes highly recommended, but I have to say I wasn't all that into it. To me it was boring (IMHO). Plus, it was hot and humid and maybe that affected my opinion as well.
We then hiked along the trail to the ocean. Took a few wrong turns that also affected my cranky meter. Didn't end up where I was hoping so we called it good and did a long trek back to the car.
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| Searching for our Aloha Spirit on this day! |
We stopped for lunch at Keoki's Paradise. Food was ok. From there we drove over to the Spouting Horn. Being from Oregon, I've always thought it was kind of boring, but Sophia could have watched it all day! It's always fun to see new excitement on her face especially when it's something we take for granted. (Again, not sure if videos will post correctly. If not, I will delete.)
So, thankful for this little trooper.. A true Oregonian.. What rain??
August 6 ~ Recovery day at Anini
I woke up from a dead sleep to a horrible sound. The sound no parent/gparent wants to hear when your toddler is in bed with you! What was that?? OH..NO... She just threw up. UGH! My mind is racing... Quick, get her out of bed, we can't wash a comforter! In my haste to airlift her out of bed, I slipped on a downed pillow, slammed my flailing arm into the night stand, yet managed to protect our vomiting keiki from hitting the tile floor by landing on me! Then as any superhero gma would do, I picked her up with one arm and carried her into the bathroom so she could complete her tummy troubles. At this point, I look over at my husband... how is he still sleeping?! WTH. I call out to him... HELP! I seriously thought I broke my left arm. I was in so much pain. We managed to get Sophia cleaned and back to bed. Surprisingly, she only got yuckies on her and her pillowcase. (And yes, I cleaned the bedding.) Everyone finally went back to sleep. Except me... I was in pain the rest of the night. : (
In the morning, Sophia's tummy were still questionable. We took our time getting ready and tried some breakfast to see if stayed down. The weather for the day was 50/50 showers or sun. Finally, our options were to stay in the condo and make sure she's ok, or go to the beach and make sure she's ok. I asked her what she wanted to do and she said, "Go to the beach!" I figured it wasn't going to hurt being in fresh air so off we went.
We first did a quick drive to Kalihiwai Beach to see about recreating a pic from our honeymoon (27 yrs ago).
There was a lot of debris on the beach and it was sprinkling so we decided not to stop. (Maybe next time.) We also wanted to be near bathroom facilities "just in case" so we decided to play it safe and go to Anini.
We walked over to our favorite shaded area and planted ourselves. I was really longing to get in the water to snorkel, but there continued to be a lot of movement in the water which cause poor visibility. Plus, it was cold! The tide appeared different than we had ever seen it. My husband asked a man that was preparing to enter the water to spearfish, and he simply said, "king tide". This made sense now.
We had a wonderful day just playing and wading. Sophia's tummy seemed to recover. My arm continued to hurt for days, but slowly improved (almost).
After such a rough start, it ended rather well.
August 7th ~ Snorkeling, turtles and Hanalei Bay
We woke up to a beautiful morning. We decided to return to Anini Beach. I love Anini especially with a little one. The surf is usually pretty calm and there's plenty of shade.
I have been dying to get in the water to snorkel. Conditions the past days have prevented this. There was still some movement in the water which messed with visibility, but others were out snorkeling so I decided to go ahead and go before the wind picked up.. I have my own gear, but we hadn't rented Mike's gear yet. I'm familiar enough with snorkeling at Anini so I felt comfortable going out by myself for a bit. I tend to stay in a general area, staying close to shore and keeping other snorkelers in sight. Mike also watches from shore.
My underwater pictures didn't turn out the best. Water clarity wasn't the best and I didn't realize my camera's flash was going off. This causes a lot "noise" in the pictures. Every time you turn the cameral on, you have to manually turn the flash off. I forgot about this. I hate this feature.
Despite my lack of great pics, it was great to be back in the water! Enjoyed seeing the typical fish even some new ones. Said hello to a sassy eel and found many honu.
August 8th ~ Nene, Scavenger Hunt & Views
We woke up to a glorious morning! No rain in the forecast!
I would have loved to hit the beach and snorkel, but I had signed us up for Kauai Coffee's scavenger hunt about a month prior to our trip. We had specific instructions on what time the hunt would begin. Since I had an hour to kill, I grabbed my camera for a quick walk around the resort to attempt to capture some wildlife photos.
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| This guy was such a bully. He was going after all the other Nene. |
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| "Watch me nene" Sorry.......had to |
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| They seem to know there was danger lurking. |
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| Hunting |
Since we were coming from the north shore, we tried to hit the locations on the way that had the most value. Once we hit Kilauea, I noticed we were almost out of gas! **insert choice swear word here** Fortunately, there was a gas station right on the hwy so we were able to make a quick pit stop.
We finished our photos by the time we reached the Kauai Humane Society. Now our hope was to get the plantation without getting lost. When we reached the parking lot, we could see other teams arriving. I'm not ashamed to say that the competitors in us automatically took over! HURRY, HURRY, RUN, RUN! (Could have been a scene from The Amazing Race.) We hightailed it over to a random lady sitting at a table hoping this was the finish line??? I told her we completed the hunt and she said... "Congratulations, you're team #4!" YES!! High fives all the way around! We got 4th place out of 16 teams! Pretty dang proud of our team considering we had a toddler in tow which required removing her from a harnessed carseat at many of the stops! Plus, we came from the north shore. The other teams were all staying on the south shore.
This was a lot of fun.. There are a few flaws in the game, but overall I would highly recommend it as long as you are on of the top 5 finishers! ; )
Here's more information on the hunt...
https://www.kauaicoffee.com/visit-the-kauai-coffee-estate/scavenger-hunt/
After we had a delicious lunch and tour of the plantation, we drove down to Hanapepe. We've been here before so I knew which shops I wanted to make a quick stop in to buy a few gifts. Sophia found her own fun along the way.
August 9th ~ Hula, playing and food
Prior to our trip, all Sophia would talk about was learning how to hula. We watched countless Youtube videos of hula competitions. I didn't want to go to a Luau... too much money. Also, I felt she was too young to sit through one, and luau times are usually at her bedtime.
The Cliffs was offering a hula lesson, but when we went to inquire about it, they said it was cancelled due to lack of interest.
The weather this day was again overcast and rainy, and it appeared to be island wide. I really wasn't wanting to make another drive south, but I knew the National Tropical Botanical Garden had a free hula at 2:00pm on Thursdays. I called to confirm that the hula would be a go despite of the weather and we were good to go!
Perfect! This was perfect for our little one. The interactive entertainment was for 45 minutes in an outdoor setting. The ladies danced beautifully accompanied by a singer/guitarist that kept things moving.
https://ntbg.org/events/hulashows
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| The hula dancers were wonderful and SO kind. Sophia was too shy to have her picture taken with them so Bapa had to be with her. |
I ended up really enjoying myself! It made me want to do it again so I could improve on my newly discovered hula moves! I think Sophia had fun too. lol She tried her best, and finished strong!
The place was packed so we were really happy to get a table. We were able to watch a some of the Little League World Series. Coincidently, Hawaii was playing to Nevada. Honolulu, HI wins the game and goes on to win the Series!
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| Go Hawaii! |
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| I think we both order the fish tacos |
August 10th ~ Shopping, rain, pali ke kua
It looked like island wide rain for today so we stayed in the area. No more driving south for the rest of our trip.
We did some final gift shopping in Hanalei. Had lunch at Fresh Bite food truck and Pinky's.
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| For some reason she wanted me to take a pic of her with the rooster and send it to her mommy. |
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| Channeling her inner "Maui" from Moana. She found her powerful hook! |
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| How many Nene do you see? |
August 11th ~ Beach, turtles & memories
The weather for the day looked promising and I was looking forward to trying to snorkel again.
The three of us headed over to Anini to spend the day. Although it was partly sunny, it seemed a little cool. I waited for things to warm up a bit before heading out to snorkel. I really need to invest in a swim shirt to help keep me warm in the water! However, Sophia doesn't hesitate getting in the water.
While the wind was still calm, I decide to go ahead and snorkel. I walk aways down the beach to enter the water. Clarity was much better than the other day. I typically don't go out that far, and I float with the current to the boat ramp then circle back around to different areas.
Turtles are abundant this day! I'm happy just floating around and watching them. I have to say most of the snorkelers I happened to be around were pretty respectable. Except for the group of swimmers that harassed one honu. I was heading back to shore when I paused to let a sea turtle swim by me. He obviously had somewhere to be.. he wasn't coming up for air, but going somewhere with a purpose. That's when a group of swimmers got in front of him and stopped him in his tracks. They proceeded to swim in front of him and underneath his belly to take pics. At this point, the honu changed course to try and get away from them. It was very frustrating, and wished I could have said something.
I LOVE watching the sea turtles. I try and give them their distance, but occasionally, while I'm just hanging out, one will turn to surface for air and swim right at me! Sometimes I end up backpedaling as fast as I can so they don't hit me. Plus, it's really hard to get pics if they are too close.
Sometimes the most obvious are right in front of you. I was surprised I saw this flounder since he was extremely camouflaged in the sand.
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| She thought it was SO funny seeing me in my mask & snorkel. |
We returned to the condo, showered and walked down to Pali Ke Kua for some heaven on earth sunset photos!
**Gushing Gramma moment ahead.**
These next 6 pictures are very special to me... I had brought my DSLR Nikon camera with me, but it proved problematic as I had to keep a close eye on Sophia. I handed it to my husband to hold so I could try and capture some quick pics with my iPhone. Three months after our trip, I grab my camera to take a pic of something and I discovered these precious pictures. My heart melted as I recalled this moment... I was showing Sophia where we were going to take her snorkeling soon. (Hideaways) We talked about the beauty that surrounded us and how it was time to say goodnight to the sun and be thankful for this day. PRICELESS
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| If you can image it, you can achieve it! Dream big baby! |
August 12th ~ Anini..Snorkeling with my snorkel buddy
Beach day again, but finally I'm able to snorkel with my favorite snorkel buddy (DH). This is basically a turtle post....
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| Clearly a pecking order. When big mama moves in, you respectfully move out! |
My pet peeve of the day...... "that guy" who would show up out of nowhere to touch the turtles. His white-sleeved arm kept showing up in my camera frame going after the turtles. GRRR I asked him several times to stop, and finally I gave up and we headed back to shore.
This video really annoyed me with the creepy hand touch.
;
We returned to shore and called it a day.
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| She thinks her Bapa is so silly. |
August 13th ~ Hideaways
We woke to a glorious blue skied morning. YES! We packed our gear, made some lunches and drove down the street to one of our favorite beaches, Hideaways Beach. A little slice of paradise!
We have been to this beach several times so we knew what to expect, but what we didn't expect was all the people. Five years ago we practically had the beach to ourselves... maybe a dozen or so people on the beach. Three years ago the beach was a little more crowded with the added addition of kayaks coming ashore. This year was much crazier. One day was more crowded than the other, but still, the small beach was pretty full. I'm sure much of this was due to the closure of the road to the upper north shore beaches. Unfortunately, now this special little spot is getting loved to death. The saddest part was the coral being trampled and broken off. Please, if you don't know how to tread water and adjust your mask and snorkel, get out of the water, but don't stand on the coral... stand on the sand!
Since the small lot was full, we used the valet parking at the Princeville Resort. They were perfectly fine with this and we gave them a plump tip for their kindness.
The best way to access Hideaways Beach is a steep trail. We have done this trail several times. It's best to go when dry, wear appropriate shoes, be careful of foot placement, keep your hands free and know your physical limitations! It's a great quad burner. Some may *gasp* at this, but Mike and I took Sophia down this trail twice in August. She is strong, confident and active. She spidermonkied my back on the way down, and was a mountain goat on the way up. We hike in Oregon so she is use to obstacles and I guide her steps the whole way.
I can report that for us it wasn't the trail that was dangerous, but the droves of people flooding down a oneway trail. Clearly no regard for trail etiquette. For whatever reason, people coming down were not allowing those leaving a chance to clear the trail. As we were leaving, I held Sophia over to an area, allowing those coming down a safe place to step. OMG... Please, if you are using this trail do not wear flip flops and do not carry a drink in your hand like you are going to a party. I had to help this one young lady because she looked so scared... she was so unprepared. Not to mention, I had some lady and her son trying to push past us up the trail. WTH... I finally told her to please wait, I'm trying to help these people get down safely. Honestly, I don't think she understood me.
Other than this, we have no issue with this trail! lol
We played and snorkeled. I've become quite reserve with my fish pics. I'm not always happy with the quality so I don't post. We also would have liked to have stayed out longer, but felt the need to get back to shore.
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| Pure island bliss... We could do this all day... She truly is kin to me. She "gets" it! |
We stayed a good part of the day before we pack it up and hiked it out.
Back at The Cliffs, we cleaned up and talked about where to go for dinner. We wanted to stay in the Princeville area. I've had read about Happy Talk Lounge at Hanalei Bay Resort, yet, we have never been there. I made a call to see if there were any open reservations for a party of 3. She said, if we could there within 15 minutes she could seat us. I told her, "We're on our way!"
We found our way to HBR, valet parked and found our way to Happy Talk. It actually wasn't too busy when we arrived, but tables began to quickly fill. Dinner was very simple for us. Both Mike and I ordered the Beet Salad and at the little one got chicken strips. The salad was delicious!
After dinner, we took this opportunity to wonder the gorgeous grounds, listen to the live music (which starts at 6) and strolled & played long enough to witness a stellar sunset.
Dreamy...Dreamy...Dreamy.....Sigh
August 14th ~ Repeat Hideaways
Our last full day on Kauai. We spent a gorgeous day at Hideaways. It was VERY crowded this day.
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| I am slightly obsessed with this fish. I don't know why. |
The was my first time seeing a turtle at Hideaways. My focus this day was going to be all about this fish, but this turtle seemed to want to be the center of attention! Silly little turtle.
We stayed as long as we could knowing this was our last day. Finally, reality hit and knowing how much packing & cleaning we needed to do, we begrudgingly left paradise.
As we were leaving, a kind bee decided to give me a gift of a his stinger in my finger! Ouch! The gift that kept on giving for about a week!
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| One last look as we leave. |
One last sunset.... Amazing! The afterglow was something we hadn't seen before! Stunning yet haunting with the moon making a cute sliver of appearance.
August 15th ~ Return home
Everyone knows, the saddest most pitiful sight is looking at people in the airport waiting to board their flights home. It's the worst!
Our flight home was uneventful except Sophia would not sleep. This made for a long flight. I'm not sure how, but I was able to watch a movie. Sophia watched Frozen for the umpteenth time, and when our flight landed in Seattle a lady told me she enjoyed her rendition of "Let it go". hehe
Seattle to Portland didn't disappoint with its typical... delay, on time, delay, on time. Leaving many flyers confused on which gate/flight they need to be at/on.
We did arrive on time in PDX.. I apologized to the lovely couple in front of us for enduring non-stop prattling from Sophia for 40 minutes straight! They didn't seemed to be bothered at all probably because of the free wine/ipa offered on this flight!
This trip was a much different trip for us. We didn't get to do some of the things I was hoping to do. Mostly, due to the weather. But, having a toddler with us made us slow down. Discovering a whole new world through her eyes.
One day not too long ago, Sophia asked, "Gramma, can we go to a luau for my birthday?" My response.. "Sure.. Wanna go to Kauai?!"
October is her birthday month and we will be back in 2019 to celebrate at a luau!
Aloha!
