I Visited The Oldest Hawaiian Island And It Felt Like The ‘Real’ Hawaii

When you image Hawaii what involves thoughts? For me, it was busy seashores and towering resorts.

Then I visited Kauai, the oldest main island within the Hawaiian chain.

That age is the important thing. It means Kauai has had the longest period of time to change into essentially the most stunning of the already beautiful Hawaiian Islands.

It’s generally known as the ‘Garden Isle‘ for a cause! But that is an understatement. It’s not simply stunning; it is uncooked.

Instead of loopy vacationer buzz, there is a profound quiet. Instead of a skyline, there are 4,000-foot cliffs. And sure, I’m just a little biased now… however after in the future there, I knew I had discovered it: what felt just like the actual Hawaii.

Paradise Found: Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort

I had the pleasure, no, the privilege, of staying at Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort proper alongside the Coconut Coast in Kapa’a.

As quickly as I obtained there, I knew I would by no means wish to depart.

As you stroll previous the foyer, you’re greeted with an exquisite pool that provides tropical oasis vibes and a shocking view of the seaside and ocean which might be straight in entrance of you. If you didn’t assume being proper on the seaside was sufficient, then haven’t any worry.

The spectacular formation of the Sleeping Giant, or Nounou Mountain, is correct behind you when you stand on the seaside. Nounou Mountain known as Sleeping Giant as a result of it truly appears to be like like an individual sleeping on their facet, however you understand, in big kind.

Once you get to paradise, what do you do? Let me inform you a couple of of the issues that I did and why I liked each second of my time in Kauai.

Getting Settled In

First of all, I can’t inform you what a reduction it was having solely quarter-hour from the airport to Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort. I LOVE a brief commute from the airport after a protracted day of touring.

And despite the fact that Hawaii seems like a very completely different nation with its personal stunning tradition, it’s nonetheless a part of the U.S., which suggests you don’t want a passport and also you don’t need to undergo a loopy lengthy customs line once you land!

After I arrived on the resort and made my strategy to my room, I was afraid I wouldn’t wish to depart my room for the remainder of the day.

Sure I was drained from my lengthy journey day, and the loopy comfy mattress was calling my identify, however the room décor made it really feel like I was IN the ocean already. Not to say the unbelievable view of the ocean proper from my personal balcony.

@traveloffpath Welcome to our room on the Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort! 🌴 Come on in! We’re supplying you with the total tour of our dwelling base on the Garden Isle. From the views (excellent for that morning espresso ☕) to the post-beach-day vibes, see precisely what it is like to remain at this spot. Would you make this your private home base in Kauai? Let us know! 👇 #SheratonKauai #Kauai #Hawaii #RoomTour #HotelTour ♬ Hawái – Maluma

However, I wasn’t going to let jet lag and an unimaginable room cease me from exploring this stunning property. I was additionally ravenous after my lengthy journey and desperately wished some superb seafood, and I was not disillusioned!

Crooked Surf is the resort’s poolside and oceanfront restaurant, and so they had precisely what I wanted: Fresh fish tacos that had been so good that I wished to get them organized once more when I went again for dinner later that evening.

A Perfect Poolside Afternoon

Fueling up with fish tacos made me able to benefit from the proper climate. So I grabbed my ebook and headed over to lie by the pool.

Little did I know, I was there on the excellent time for poolside BINGO. I completely joined in on the enjoyable and performed BINGO whereas I soaked up the Hawaiian solar.

After an ideal poolside afternoon, I met up with my group for dinner at Crooked Surf. Even although I was tempted to get the fish tacos once more, I determined to broaden my horizons and check out one of many different delicious-looking dishes: the Dynamite Bowl with tofu drizzled in Pineapple Teriyaki — YUM!

The meals was superb once more, however I can be remiss if I didn’t inform you to get the Coconut Beach Mai Tai. This is definitely the very best Mai Tai on the market and the very best I’ve ever had. You’ll be glad you took my phrase for it once you order this drink!

Exploring Kapa’a Town

Since my inside clock was nonetheless anticipating East Coast time, I was prepared to begin the following day vivid and early with a dawn run on the seaside, adopted by hitting the health club (gotta keep able to eat all of the native meals, am I proper?).

Honestly, what a implausible strategy to begin the day! I’ve been identified to secretly choose a resort or resort by their health club, and I’m blissful to report that Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort didn’t let me down.

They have a terrific number of health club tools, and I was capable of get a full exercise in earlier than our group biked to downtown Kapa’a for breakfast at Java Kai.

This espresso store is so well-known for being the very best that I had a number of family and friends telling me to go to Java Kai and the way jealous they had been that I was there.

In reality, it was so good that we went again the following morning to attempt their pineapple French toast on Hawaiian bread and get extra Chai Anu (which was mainly like a chai icee and it was SO GOOD).

@traveloffpath Did you understand Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort has free bikes you possibly can experience to downtown Kapa’a in Kauai, HI? 🌈 #sheratonkauaicoconutbeach #kauai #hawaii #traveloffpath #travel ♬ Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride – Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu & Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus

Fueled up with caffeine and good meals, we had been prepared to walk across the tremendous cute city of Kapa’a and get some buying in on the market. And oh boy did we!

We shopped and shopped and shopped some extra! There had been so many cute native shops to sift by, together with a store the place you possibly can design your personal hat! I’m a sucker for these sorts of shops and ended up spending a very good portion of the day having fun with Kapa’a.

After all that buying, we would have liked to gas up once more at one of many recent fruit stands. We tried a number of distinctive Hawaiian fruits, tiny little bananas that had been so tasty, and naturally recent pineapple! So mainly I ate my weight in fruit. What higher strategy to wash all of it down than with recent coconut water straight from a coconut?!

I thought I couldn’t eat anymore, however then we discovered a chocolate store that does free chocolate tastings the place you possibly can attempt the very best native chocolate. Just when I thought I couldn’t get any fuller, that’s once we discovered the macadamia nut retailer simply down the road. Guess what, additionally they have free tastings! Hawaii is known for its macadamia nuts, so after all I couldn’t say no to that both. They had been so good that I purchased some to carry dwelling for my household.

The ethical of the story is: be ready to buy until you drop and are available hungry to Kapa’a!

Coastal Rides and Tropical Treats

The bike experience to and from downtown Kapa’a and Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort is not like any bike path I’ve ever seen. Most of the quick experience is correct alongside the coast and the view of the ocean appears to be like utterly unreal. The water regarded so recent on the best way again that I jumped off my bike and ran proper in. (The present could be robust although, so watch out the place you swim!*)

I spent the remainder of the afternoon consuming tropical drinks and studying by the pool once more. The resort even has free shaved ice by the pool from 1:00 – 3:00 pm. I dare you to call a extra excellent day.

An Authentic Hawaiian Luau

What’s one of the best ways to finish an ideal day in Hawaii? An genuine Hawaiian Luau! We attended Luau Ka Hikina proper on the resort’s open-air pavilion and the ocean proper behind us. Before our Hawaiian feast formally began, we had a hula lesson from the well-known Leilani Rivera Low!

The remainder of the night was spent consuming an unimaginable Hawaiian feast with all the normal favorites —I even tried poi! (For those that don’t know what that’s, it’s a paste from the taro plant — very Hawaiian) While we ate, Leilani and her college of proficient hula dancers carried out with dwell island music.

This was one in all my favourite experiences thus far since you actually felt the soul and fervour behind this stunning tradition that’s been handed down for a lot of, many generations.

As if everybody there wasn’t already totally amazed by the expertise of those dancers and musicians, they introduced out the insanely spectacular Samoan Fire Knife Chief.

This was completely one of many coolest and most extraordinary issues I’ve ever seen.

The expertise, talent and bravado that goes into fireplace knife dancing is unfathomable. Several of us had been fairly probably fan-girling over the fireplace chief and Leilani after the performances.

Mindful Mornings and Mountain Adventures

Even after a fun-filled conventional Hawaiian evening, I needed to benefit from the dawn with the dawn breakfast menu (together with recent fruit and an acai bowl). How may you not with the solar rising over the ocean straight in entrance of your resort?!

Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort gives beachside morning yoga that I clearly needed to benefit from after watching the dawn. I love the concept of seaside yoga, however generally the sand turns into an excessive amount of of a problem for me.

But the yoga truly befell on the garden proper subsequent to the seaside. So you continue to had the ocean proper subsequent to you and all of the beachside vibes with out worrying about getting sand in your eyes throughout downward canine.

An straightforward, peaceable morning with a very good stretch meant that we had been prepared for our subsequent huge journey. One of the best adventures on the market to be precise! Mountain tubing with Kauai Backcountry Adventures the place you float down canals from an outdated sugar plantation and tunnels main underneath the mountain.

With inexperienced tropical crops surrounding you and Mt. Wai’ale’ale looming over you it feels such as you’re floating by Jurassic Park. It actually felt like a dinosaur may run out from the bushes at any time on the market.

The superb journey would have been value it by itself, nevertheless it was made that a lot better by the very best tour information on the market. Noah was superb and it’s best to completely request him as your tour information once you ebook your journey!

Unforgettable Experiences

After every little thing I’ve already talked about, would you imagine that I haven’t even instructed you my favourite factor of all the journey? You could also be shocked when I inform you it was our Ukulele lesson with the resort’s Kumu, Maka Herrod.

One of the issues which might be an absolute should when I come again to Kauai is having one other lesson with Maka. We had a lot enjoyable studying learn how to play the Ukulele, and we even sounded fairly first rate ultimately! Maka is without doubt one of the kindest and sweetest folks I’ve ever met and I can’t think about there’s a greater Ukulele trainer on the market.

A day filled with journey and studying meant we had been very excited for our goodbye dinner on the resort’s upscale restaurant, Moa Moa. The strawberry moon over the ocean was the backdrop for our dinner, making it the proper setting.

Once once more, I ate method an excessive amount of as a result of every little thing was so scrumptious! The Hawaiian caprese salad was tasty and refreshing and I liked the tropical twist to the normal caprese salad. For my foremost course, I had the macadamia-crusted Mahi-Mahi, and it was phenomenal!

To prime all of it off, we tried a number of of their scrumptious desserts and severely regretted not saving extra room for dessert. They had been so good that I wished to eat each final chew – particularly the molten lava cake!

A Breathtaking Farewell Hike

I hate to confess it, however I form of lied to you earlier. My favourite factor from all the journey was positively the Ukulele lesson with Maka, UNTIL an impromptu hike to the highest of the Sleeping Giant the morning of my flight.

The Nounou East Trail Head was solely a couple of 5-minute drive from Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort and I couldn’t resist seeing the views from the highest that I’d heard a lot about.

So I woke as much as watch the dawn on the seaside one final time after which headed to the trailhead to begin my trek to the highest. I wasn’t even 5 minutes into my hike, and it was already value it. With the lava rocks, crops, and bushes, this was positively essentially the most stunning I’d ever taken.

@traveloffpath The most stunning hike I’ve ever executed. Sleeping Giant: Nounou East Trailhead in Kauai, HI 🌈 only a quick drive from Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort! #sheratonkauaicoconutbeach #hawaii #kauai #travel #hike ♬ SOLANA – Alex LeMirage

And that doesn’t even embrace the views but. About ¼ of the best way up the mountain, I got here throughout a patch of daylight from a break within the bushes. That’s when I circled and actually gasped out loud. I was positively not anticipating a full view of the city beneath me and the wide-open ocean past it.

There was no method the view from the highest was crucial if this view was already right here, not even midway up the mountain, proper? Wrong! When I lastly made it to the highest, the path changed into a singular rocky terrain. I climbed the rocks and once more had my breath taken away. This was completely essentially the most stunning and satisfying hike I’ve ever executed.

At the highest of the Sleeping Giant, you get a panoramic view of the island and an unobstructed view of the ocean that was getting increasingly more blue because the morning solar rose increased into the sky. This is certainly one of the crucial stunning sights on the market. I can’t start to inform you how blissful I was that I determined last-minute to make this hike occur. It was greater than value it!

If you want having a path nearly utterly to your self, then it’s best to begin mountaineering proper after dawn. That’s what I did, and I felt like I had all the mountain to myself. I didn’t see a single particular person till later as I hiked down the mountain and other people began mountaineering up. Plus, it wasn’t as scorching earlier within the morning.

The Perfect Sendoff

The unofficial theme of this journey was journey, then eat. That’s precisely what I did after my hike. I needed to match one final native favourite meals spot in earlier than my flight out – Holey Grail Donuts.

To be utterly sincere, donuts are by no means one in all my favourite issues, however these “Hawaiian grown” donuts are unimaginable! They use distinctive Hawaiian flavors from native farms and these donuts are so a lot better than anything on the market. These donuts had been the proper send-off deal with.

I really miss Kauai a lot already. This was one place that I’ve been actually unhappy to go away behind. I can’t wait to return again to discover extra of this attractive island and expertise extra of the gorgeous Hawaiian tradition.

_{**Travel Off Path was a visitor of Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort, who helped with the creation of this itinerary by internet hosting a few of our lodging and sights. Our opinions, suggestions, and strategies stay our personal.**}

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