Kauai Vacay

A month ago I was relaxing by the pool in sunny Kauai... MAJOR SIGH... and while it feels like much more time has passed than that, I did at least finally manage to get my act together for a recap post.

Unlike my usual vacations where I tend to fill my itinerary up, I was really in need of some full-on R&R so we didn't actually do too many "activities" on this trip. In fact, we really revelled in the fact that we could go to the gym almost everyday, swim and hot tub, read magazines, and take things totally at our leisure. I loved the slower pace of Kauai which, while being about the same size as Maui, has a much lower population.

Driving around the island is also reasonable, so we made sure to visit beaches all along the coast from Nawiliwili in the south to Anini Beach and Haena Beach Park in the north.

Of course, that's not to say that we didn't do anything. We managed to attend a luau which has always been at the top of my Hawaii bucket list. The Luau Kalamaku takes place at the Kilohana Sugar Plantation and was fun night of entertainment, drinks, and food. We had actually stopped by the plantation a few days earlier for some rum tasting at the Koloa Rum Company -- super yummy!

With the island's history of sugar/sugarcane, we made sure to book a mountain tubing adventure. It took us through the historic irrigation system of the former Lihue Plantation, meaning we were tubing past all sorts of beautiful scenery and through dark tunnels. 

Please note: this is the only time you will ever catch me in a pair of Crocs!

We had also gotten a GoPro Hero 5 Session right before our trip, which has voice command, so I felt super fancy saying "GoPro, start recording" and having it start filming. Even though I have no idea how to edit videos (evidenced here), I was able to put together this little highlight reel. 

Overall, however, my trip was way too short and I still have so many things I need to do in Kauai. For instance, there are tons of hikes that we were unable to do due to weather and lack of time. Clearly, I really just need to go back... and sooner rather than later!