So, we are back from the most beautiful place…EVER. Kauai, HI was the perfect spot to celebrate our honeymoon. We are avid believers that everyone who gets married should take a honeymoon, even if it is only for a long weekend. Its important to have that time with your significant other to celebrate the occasion together. Its also so much fun and a great bonding experience for any couple in any relationship.

To continue on from the last post, the wedding was fabulous, as was the food. Once the fun was over, we had one day to “recover” before we had to truck off to Hawaii. We decided that it would be easier to fly directly from Portland, than flying back home to Denver and back again (and it was).

Once we sent everyone back home, Jake and I headed out to Lihue airport (that’s in Kauai). It was a 5 hour flight to Oahu and then another 30 min. flight to Lihue. But, with the 4-hour time-difference, we really didn’t miss much on that first day. Our flight left around 11am and we arrived at about 1pm, local time.

Flying over the ocean was magical. Once we landed in Kauai, we pretty much walked right from the plane to the car rental place (since the island is relatively tiny, and there is only one aiprot and one rental car place on the entire thing…it makes it really easy). OH and because we booked the trip through Travelocity, everything was included (and was actually a REALLY good deal!)

We decided that we wanted to plan 1 “major” event or thing per day and then let the rest of the day be our own. Because we were there for 7 days, we decided to do a few larger things and a few smaller ones inbetween. We had on our list the following:

• Luau
• Sailing Trip
• Helicopter Tour
• Surfing Lessons
• Snorkeling
• Hiking the Kalalau Trail

We also wanted to do a lot of cooking in our room. Since we booked a really nice hotel with a mini-kitchen, we could do that pretty easily, and it was TOTALLY worth it. Everything is about 60% more money in Hawaii because they have to import most of it by boat, and thus its harder to come by. Shopping locally, we managed to save a lot of money and get some amazing fresh fish and healthy fresh foods that would have been triple in a restaurant (not to mention booze and tips). We went out to eat a total of twice (and we had one stop at a smoothie hut along the way). They were both at the same place, which was our restaurant at our hotel.

Our first night, we were pretty exhausted from the flight, so we walked around a bit and grabbed some grub for our room at the hotel store, and then ate some amazing ONO and other white fish and bacon-seared scallops and some kind of bread pudding dessert….all of which were out of this world!

Each day we accomplished one of our major list items. We had booked the Helicopter trip and Sailing trip in advance, so those days were already settled. We also booked a surfing lesson (which was our day 2 activity). The lesson was great because there were only 4 of us in the group, so we had a lot of 1-on-1 time with the teacher, and thus, we got really good and comfortable and getting up on waves…granted we did have the huge foam board that beginners learn on, to make it easier, but still…it was really cool catching and riding waves almost right off the bat. We probably spent a good portion of the day in the ocean even after our lesson was over. We also went snorkeling every day, because Jake couldn’t get enough. That night we ended up at our Luau, which was also really spectacular (even in the rain!)

Day 2 we went on our Helicopter tour of the island….that was just about as awesome as it sounds…no, it was better! We were in the front with the pilot so we could see EVERYTHING. We flew over ocean, Na Pali coastline, Interior wetlands, Volcanos, we even saw the Jurrasic Park waterfall (you know, from the original movie!) It was so cool. I got a little air-sick because i was snapping so many photos and our pilot said that could happen if you look down the lens too much….but thank goodness, I didn’t hurl. We even got a DVD of the flight, which was just okay because it was raining so the lens was covered in water drops making it hard to see…but still super cool! The rest of the day we spent shopping and walking around the little downtown area, before going back to our room to relax and cook dinner.

The next two days were more-or-less our own. We went snorkeling one day and surfing another. We also toured different parts of the island. We went to the super swank Princeville Hotel (where all the movie-stars stay), and used their beach one afternoon. We saw George Clooney’s entourage as we were leaving the hotel, which was pretty magnificent, and rediculously expensive. I mean, seriously, a gold-plated sink does not mean i’m going to spend an extra $2K per day!

The second to last day, we went on the sailing trip to the Na Pali coast. A little history here; you can’t see the Na Pali coast by driving to it, through it, on it. You can only see it from the sky (which we did) from the sea (which we did) or by foot (which we did). The Kalalau Trail is the famous 22-mile hike that takes you all along the coastline, and while it is beautiful, it is very wild and can be dangerous if you aren’t careful…or savvy like us in nature. But that comes later. First, the sailing trip.

We spend the entire day on the boat, which was beautiful, touring the coastline and spotting caves and cool rock features. We were allowed to spend some time in the water snorkeling in a really beautiful area, before heading over to the private island Niihau. No one can go on the island unless they live there, or have family there. It is VERY exclusive, so we didn’t actually get off the boat to go on the island, but we did tour around it. While we were snorkeling, I got my wish to swim with a dolphin…but not just 1 dolphin….30 dolphins! Thats right…and it isn’t an exaggeration. Jake and I are fairly strong swimmers, and decided we would venture out a little farther than the rest of the tour group on the boat (which were about 20-25 ppl total). I spotted the dolphins and was swimming towards them, when the captain of the boat was yelling to me to come back since the current was particularly strong that day. But, I didn’t care, and pretended not to hear him. I didn’t have to swim too far, because before I knew it, the dolphins were all around me. And, I kid-you-not, it was as if time stood still for about 5 minutes. The dolphins were playing around me, like in my own private bubble in the water. They would swim up to me and around me and I would reach out for them (and 2 of them grazed my hands), but mostly I was just a spectator in their world of play. I didn’t realize how long I was in one place before the current started sweeping me the opposite direction of the boat, but I managed to swim back without too much issue. It was PERFECT though…in that moment I knew that I would never forget that experience…it was like the world giving me such a precious gift that I will cherish forever.

The last day, we hiked the Kalalau Trail (along the Na Pali coast). It was breathtaking and actually kind of hard to do. We went to a different shoreline, which was much more active and intense (we even saw some body-surfers). We only hiked the first 3 miles of the trail, because we knew we’d have to hike back, and we didn’t want to get stuck out there. I think I saw about 200 different kinds of flowers, all of which I managed to take photos of….among every other thing there. I think I snapped over 2000 photos that entire trip…and I could look at them over and over with awe.

Kauai is so beautiful, magical and spiritual. I can see why it is so special, and I’m so glad that we went there to celebrate our honeymoon together. I can’t wait until the next time I visit!