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| Napali Coast |
When you think of Hawaii, you think of beaches, sand and beautiful weather! That's exactly what we had in mind when we thought of going to Hawaii. One of the islands in central Pacific, with tropical weather makes it a perfect vacation destination. We went to the island called "Kauai" this time around.
When we plan family vacation here's something's we consider:
Time : What's the best time?
Truthfully, Hawaii is good all year long. ;) Summers can be really hot but then winter's can be rainy.
Having the luxury of planning it without school restrictions, we planned it in September.
Going in September has it's advantages :
1. Cheaper airfares
2. Cheaper hotels/resorts
3. Less crowded
4. Weather is nicer!
We went to Kauai, Hawaii mid Sept and found that airfare were cheaper after Labor Day weekend.
Hotel: This particular choice has largely changed since becoming a parent. We no more prefer hotels, rather resorts with full kitchen or rentals with full kitchens. Kitchens give us the luxury to cook when needed, no rush for breakfast and at times making it cheaper.
We stayed at 2 places :
1. North side :
Hanalei Colony Resort
This is a resort managed by a company where every condo is individually owned. Its right on the beach but the beach is more for walking that swimming or anything else(Strong current). We had a condo on the first level and our toddler enjoyed playing in the balcony, running on the lawn !
Pros : Very close to Ke'e beach, tunnel beach, Napali Coast trail. Quieter place. Includes a kitchen with full range of appliances etc.
Cons : We were a little unhappy with the cleanliness of the condo.
2. South side:
Kiahuna Plantation Resort
This is also a resort managed by a company. But we booked this via AirBnb. The owner communicated everything on time and was very informative.
This also was a condo on the first level, and had a nice lawn area right outside. Good for toddlers to run around and have fun.
Itinerary :
Short Version:
Day1 : Travel North and sight seeing along the way.
1. Wailua Fall
2. Kilauea Lighthouse
3. Anini beach
Day2 : Beach day !
1. Ke'e beach
2. Hanalei Pier
Day3 : Travel south and farmers market
1. Hanalei Farmers market
2. Poipu beach
Day4 : Napali coast boat cruise, Waimea Canyon and Spouting horn
Day 1 : Flew from SJC airport via Alaskan Airlines by an early morning flight, which got us to LIH, around 10am(Hawaii time). Perfect as our toddler napped a little in the flight which made the flight journey pleasant and then was up and ready to roll by the time we reached.
We had a reservation for Enterprise, for which you have to take a shuttle. The shuttle stop is outside the airport and the frequency of shuttles is good.
By the time we got the car, were all situated, it was 11am. We decided to grab a quick bite before we started driving North. There are a lot of places close to airport. We then headed to the "Wailua Fall' which are just 7miles north from the airport. I would not recommend these, if you have been to any other national parks and have been other falls. I felt like if we would have planned on hiking to the base of these falls, maybe that would have had to worth it, but not just the viewing. It was quite hot that day as well and so we didn't spend much time here.
We headed north on highway 56 to "Kilauea Lighthouse". This is a beautiful spot! Great views and you get a chance to view some beautiful species of birds - About 350 pairs of Red-tailed tropicbirds nest on the refuge, as well as smaller numbers of white-tailed tropic birds.
We enjoyed spending time at the lighthouse watching these birds, looking at the ocean, cliffs and enjoying some nice cool breeze.
It was beach time and so we headed to a beach known for its low current, and kid friendliness - Anini beach!
We didn't actual go to the beach but stopped by an area a little before the beach which like a park and had some picnic tables along the water. We got our feet soaked in water, toddler S had fun playing in the sand, and water.
Our check in time was 3pm and so we headed towards our resort. On the way, we stopped at the Hanalei market area and shopped at Big Save. I felt like, this was pricey, didn't have everything we wanted. There is a Safeway on highway 56 a little north of the airport which I would highly recommend getting stuff rather than Big Save or you could go to Costco or Walmart. We bought a few groceries and necessities here. We decided to grab a pizza on our way from the "Hanalei Bay Pizzeria". Being vegetarian, I was glad to find so many choices. Finally headed to our resort reached there right around sunset, dropped our bags and went to the beach for a walk.
We even saw a Hawaii Seal Monk that was resting on the beach!
After spending all of the morning on the beach, we went back to the resort for the afternoon. Toddler S took a nap and then we headed out to the Hanalei Pier. This is a gorgeous pier and you can watch a beautiful sunset. They also have a beach which has low current water and is great for kids.
Day 3 : We wanted to try some local fruits so we headed to the Saturday Farms market in Hanalei.
There are a few farms market that happen around the island and we choose this one. Great varieties of tropical fruits. We grabbed lots of lychees, mangos, papayas and rambutan (these are like lychees)!
Remember to take some bags!
There was a live musician and the backdrop was heavenly!
This beach didn't have any shade and our beach tent came to the rescue. The resort here as well provided beach towels and chairs so that was great!
For dinner, this time we went for a Mexican take out place called "Da Crack". The food was good !
Day 4: This was the only somewhat hectic day of the entire trip. The highlights of the day being, a boat cruise to Napali Coast, Waimea Canyon lookout and then the spouting horn.
There are no cruise from the North Shore that allow toddlers below the age of 3 or 4. We found Captain Andy's who welcome families and we could not have had been happier. The tour was great, the tour guides, captain were excellent. They took us to the Napali coast, into a few caves, up close to so many cliffs and then snorkeling. The highlight was the dolphins we saw along the way not once but twice!
The tour offers lunch and is a 5 hour round trip tour!
We then headed to the Waimea canyon lookout and I must say its a beautiful. Must see. Its about a 30 mins drive from the boat tour drop off.
On our way back from the Waimea Canyon lookout we had the BEST shave ice at Jo Jo Shave ice. The tropical rainbow breeze was the best!
We then headed to the spouting horn which is close to Poipu beach and a nice place to see the sunset!
Our vacation to Hawaii was a great mix of being on the beach, relaxing, fun for toddler and not being hectic!
We went to Kauai, Hawaii mid Sept and found that airfare were cheaper after Labor Day weekend.
We stayed at 2 places :
1. North side :
Hanalei Colony Resort
This is a resort managed by a company where every condo is individually owned. Its right on the beach but the beach is more for walking that swimming or anything else(Strong current). We had a condo on the first level and our toddler enjoyed playing in the balcony, running on the lawn !
Pros : Very close to Ke'e beach, tunnel beach, Napali Coast trail. Quieter place. Includes a kitchen with full range of appliances etc.
Cons : We were a little unhappy with the cleanliness of the condo.
2. South side:
Kiahuna Plantation Resort
This is also a resort managed by a company. But we booked this via AirBnb. The owner communicated everything on time and was very informative.
This also was a condo on the first level, and had a nice lawn area right outside. Good for toddlers to run around and have fun.
Itinerary :
Short Version:
Day1 : Travel North and sight seeing along the way.
1. Wailua Fall
2. Kilauea Lighthouse
3. Anini beach
Day2 : Beach day !
1. Ke'e beach
2. Hanalei Pier
Day3 : Travel south and farmers market
1. Hanalei Farmers market
2. Poipu beach
Day4 : Napali coast boat cruise, Waimea Canyon and Spouting horn
Day 1 : Flew from SJC airport via Alaskan Airlines by an early morning flight, which got us to LIH, around 10am(Hawaii time). Perfect as our toddler napped a little in the flight which made the flight journey pleasant and then was up and ready to roll by the time we reached.
We had a reservation for Enterprise, for which you have to take a shuttle. The shuttle stop is outside the airport and the frequency of shuttles is good.
By the time we got the car, were all situated, it was 11am. We decided to grab a quick bite before we started driving North. There are a lot of places close to airport. We then headed to the "Wailua Fall' which are just 7miles north from the airport. I would not recommend these, if you have been to any other national parks and have been other falls. I felt like if we would have planned on hiking to the base of these falls, maybe that would have had to worth it, but not just the viewing. It was quite hot that day as well and so we didn't spend much time here.
We headed north on highway 56 to "Kilauea Lighthouse". This is a beautiful spot! Great views and you get a chance to view some beautiful species of birds - About 350 pairs of Red-tailed tropicbirds nest on the refuge, as well as smaller numbers of white-tailed tropic birds.
We enjoyed spending time at the lighthouse watching these birds, looking at the ocean, cliffs and enjoying some nice cool breeze.
It was beach time and so we headed to a beach known for its low current, and kid friendliness - Anini beach!
We didn't actual go to the beach but stopped by an area a little before the beach which like a park and had some picnic tables along the water. We got our feet soaked in water, toddler S had fun playing in the sand, and water.
Our check in time was 3pm and so we headed towards our resort. On the way, we stopped at the Hanalei market area and shopped at Big Save. I felt like, this was pricey, didn't have everything we wanted. There is a Safeway on highway 56 a little north of the airport which I would highly recommend getting stuff rather than Big Save or you could go to Costco or Walmart. We bought a few groceries and necessities here. We decided to grab a pizza on our way from the "Hanalei Bay Pizzeria". Being vegetarian, I was glad to find so many choices. Finally headed to our resort reached there right around sunset, dropped our bags and went to the beach for a walk.
With a nice walk on the beach, we concluded our day and went to bed rather early!
Day 2 : This was a everything beach day! Having woken up at 3am as toddler S was hungry, I was so glad that we had a full kitchen. We had nice breakfast in the patio with the beautiful ocean view and then headed to the Ke'e beach. The parking gets full fairly quickly due to the hikers that do the Napali Coast hike. The resort offers a shuttle bus, but we opted to take our car and reached there around 9:30am and found the parking lot almost full. Luckily found a parking, but something to consider would be a shuttle. Also, your phone loses network once you are at the Ke'e beach. I found that not having the network was a blessing, in this technology world. Ke'e beach has a lot of trees that can give you good shade. Walk to the beach and take a right, and you will have areas to setup with your towels with good shape. The day we went it was cloudy and we weren't really happy about that. But it turned out to be better than sunny. We enjoyed more without the scoarching sun!
We took some packed sandwiches for lunch, which were a life saver as the beach does not have any stores or vendors.
We even saw a Hawaii Seal Monk that was resting on the beach!
After spending all of the morning on the beach, we went back to the resort for the afternoon. Toddler S took a nap and then we headed out to the Hanalei Pier. This is a gorgeous pier and you can watch a beautiful sunset. They also have a beach which has low current water and is great for kids.
Day 3 : We wanted to try some local fruits so we headed to the Saturday Farms market in Hanalei.
There are a few farms market that happen around the island and we choose this one. Great varieties of tropical fruits. We grabbed lots of lychees, mangos, papayas and rambutan (these are like lychees)!
Remember to take some bags!
There was a live musician and the backdrop was heavenly!
Heading down south, we grabbed some additional groceries and checked into to our resort near the Poipu Beach! The rest of evening was dedicated to beach time !
For dinner, this time we went for a Mexican take out place called "Da Crack". The food was good !
Day 4: This was the only somewhat hectic day of the entire trip. The highlights of the day being, a boat cruise to Napali Coast, Waimea Canyon lookout and then the spouting horn.
There are no cruise from the North Shore that allow toddlers below the age of 3 or 4. We found Captain Andy's who welcome families and we could not have had been happier. The tour was great, the tour guides, captain were excellent. They took us to the Napali coast, into a few caves, up close to so many cliffs and then snorkeling. The highlight was the dolphins we saw along the way not once but twice!
The tour offers lunch and is a 5 hour round trip tour!
On our way back from the Waimea Canyon lookout we had the BEST shave ice at Jo Jo Shave ice. The tropical rainbow breeze was the best!
We then headed to the spouting horn which is close to Poipu beach and a nice place to see the sunset!
Our vacation to Hawaii was a great mix of being on the beach, relaxing, fun for toddler and not being hectic!
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