Please teach me about Kauai

Tanq&Tonic

Alright, DH and I are starting to talk about our 1 year anniversary trip.  We're thinking of hitting up Kauai.  We have never been, so I'd love advice on where to stay, what to see/do, and what to eat.  I know a few of you have done some awesome writeups so please feel free to link to those posts if that's easiest!

TIA!

kimmykupcakes

I planned a whole trip here and then we decided to go to a different island.  Let me see if I can dig up that information for you.

kaesha

1) Eat at Josslin's. SEVERAL TIMES. Gah. Amazing. The sangria bar is to die for. TO DIE FOR.

2) We stayed on the south shore this summer - a few days at the Hyatt and I - literally - cannot stop dreaming about it. The pools, the service, the spa. Oh, the spa. Also AMAZING - tell them it's your anniversary/honeymoon and they'll comp you a cabana and give you champagne and discounts on the spa. We did the lover's escape package and it was spectacular.

3) The North Shore is gorgeous - definitely worth a stay.

4) Get yourself some Kauai Roastery coffee.

5) We did a photography tour with Kauai Photo Tours and it was amazing. I'm still a novice with photography, but I think anyone would get a ton out of the experience. It was a great way to see a totally different side to the island.

Tanq&Tonic

THANKS ladies!  Wow, you guys rock.  I really appreciate all of the details.  Everything sounds so, so good right now.  Alyson, that photo tour looks awesome!  DH just asked me -- so, 2 cameras, 2 tripods for the trip?  LOL.  Could be a heavy gear day.

Tanq&Tonic

That is AWESOME to know!  We are coffee obsessed.  I mean literally.  We didn't do a sand ceremony at our wedding.  We did a coffee bean ceremony.  We may possibly need a separate suitcase for beans. 

kaesha

I think we tried 4 or 5 different kinds of coffee at Josselin's. There were a bunch of estate ones and some mixes. My favourite was the Kauai Roastery's Pakala blend - dark, intense with notes of chocolate and cherry. Soooooo good.

Hilariously enough, my father literally has brought an extra duffle bag with him on each of our trips to Hawaii and stocked up on beans. He keeps them in the freezer, which isn't the best for them, but imperfect Hawaiian coffee is better than no Hawaiian coffee in my book.

Spike - isn't there always something else to come back to the islands to see?!?

kimmykupcakes

If you can get in to see Coco Palms, you should.  It's an old hotel there that got closed in a big storm there over 10 years ago.  It has tons of history and is really cool.  I keep hoping someone will open it back up.

sparklegirl84

Tanq I just sent you a PM with a link to our photos from kauai and have some info I typed up and gave to sarah when she went on her honeymoon. We went in June 2010 and it was so much fun and so freaking beautiful. I would go back in a heartbeat!