So, our vacation in Hawaii was AMAZING! We went with my in-law family and had a blast. The trip was a bit of a whirlwind, so I'll break it down by the day:
Saturday: We arrived late in the evening, had dinner a a cute restaurant (I had some yummy Blue Crab chowder), checked into our lovely resort (Wyndham Bali Hai Villas), and CRASHED.
Kayakers in the river (above)...
For dinner, we grilled chicken and spent a couple of hours eating and drinking on the lanai.
Next, we headed to Port Allen, where our dinner cruise (Captain Andy's) was scheduled to head out around 2:30. Fifty tourists were boarded on a large catamaran. One of the crew happened to be an Auburn grad! After exchanging 'War Eagle' greetings, we found out that he graduated in marketing from Auburn in '09. After graduating, he worked in Atlanta in a cubicle for 6 months before he took a vacation to Kauai. On that vacation, he made a choice not to return to the mainland! The view from his new 'desk' is a little bit prettier now.
The sights were amazing: waterfalls, caves, tall mountain peaks, dolphins etc.
Saturday: We arrived late in the evening, had dinner a a cute restaurant (I had some yummy Blue Crab chowder), checked into our lovely resort (Wyndham Bali Hai Villas), and CRASHED.
Sunday: Drove around the north part of the island, exploring.
Kayakers in the river (above)...View of the northern coast of Kaui (below)...
We had lunch at Bouchon's in Hanalei and I sipped my first Mai Tai of the vacay (too strong for my taste)...
Here's the view from the cafe across the street from Bouchon's:
Monday: A day at the beach! We spent the majority of the day being beach bums at this fantastic location. In 2009 this beach (Hanalei Bay Beach) was ranked #1 in some poll for best beach!
That evening we drove to the Kalauea Lighthouse. By the time we got there (4:30ish), is was already closed. We were able to enjoy the fantastic view from a distance.
We hit up a cute little roadside fruit market called Banana Joe’s. Harrison, Perry, and I enjoyed fruit smoothies (pineapple, papaya, mango, etc). We headed to the southern portion of the island and drove up a very curvy road to see the Wailua Falls. Again, the views were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!
For dinner, we grilled chicken and spent a couple of hours eating and drinking on the lanai.Tuesday - We got up early to drive all the way around the island. It took about 2.5 hours to reach our final destination: 'The Grand Canyon of Kauai. I can't describe it's beauty, and neither can pictures, but I'll show you so that you can get somewhat of an idea:
We stopped for lunch at the Kauai Coffee Plantation. We got to sample all sorts of great Hawaiian coffees.
Next, we headed to Port Allen, where our dinner cruise (Captain Andy's) was scheduled to head out around 2:30. Fifty tourists were boarded on a large catamaran. One of the crew happened to be an Auburn grad! After exchanging 'War Eagle' greetings, we found out that he graduated in marketing from Auburn in '09. After graduating, he worked in Atlanta in a cubicle for 6 months before he took a vacation to Kauai. On that vacation, he made a choice not to return to the mainland! The view from his new 'desk' is a little bit prettier now. The sights were amazing: waterfalls, caves, tall mountain peaks, dolphins etc. We enjoyed Mai Tais, or Sneaky Tikis as the crew likes to call them! They're made with dark rum, gin, and POG (passion fruit, orange, and guava juices). We feasted on a buffet of teriyaki chicken, roast beef, rice, salad, and pineapple-upside down cake. After dinner, the captain announced that anyone that felt 'daring' and didn't mind getting a little wet was welcome to 'play superman.' This is where the guests can lay on the trampoline of the catamaran and 'catch air' as the ship hits big waves. I wanted so badly to do it, but my dress was too short. Beth did it and said it was one of the coolest things she's ever done! 
She was soaked!
She was soaked! Wednesday - Harrison and Perry enjoyed a day of golf at a beautiful course at the south end of the island while the girls lounged by the pool. I got into my book: Water for Elephants. That evening we all went to see the community theater's production of South Pacific. It was a dinner theater and we feasted on a ton of good food. I'd never seen the movie, but I knew all of the great show tunes (i.e. "Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair," "Bloody Mary," "Bali Hai").
Thursday - Unfortunately this was our last day (we cut the trip short to get back to SC for my cousin's wedding), but our flight wasn't to leave until 8ish. We maxed out our day by hitting up Tunnels Beach. The scenery is to die for and the snorkeling was incredible! There were such gorgeous fish in every direction! Thankfully Harrison didn't tell me (until after we had left) that this was the beach where the surfer girl (movie: Soul Surfer) got her arm chomped off by a tiger shark!
That evening we had dinner at a seaside restaurant with the family before heading to the airport. 
We had a GREAT vacation! If we ever do Hawaii again though, we'll stay a minimum of 8-10 days because that long flight is ROUGH!
We had a GREAT vacation! If we ever do Hawaii again though, we'll stay a minimum of 8-10 days because that long flight is ROUGH!
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