I Visited The Oldest Hawaiian Island And It Felt Like The ‘Actual’ 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 develop into essentially the most lovely of the already gorgeous Hawaiian Islands.

It’s referred to as the ‘Garden Isle‘ for a purpose! But that is an understatement. It’s not simply lovely; 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 a bit biased now… however after at some point 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 go away.

As you stroll previous the foyer, you’re greeted with a good looking pool that provides tropical oasis vibes and a shocking view of the seashore and ocean which might be immediately in entrance of you. If you didn’t suppose being proper on the seashore was sufficient, then haven’t any concern.

The spectacular formation of the Sleeping Giant, or Nounou Mountain, is true behind you whilst you stand on the seashore. Nounou Mountain known as Sleeping Giant as a result of it really appears to be like like an individual sleeping on their aspect, however you recognize, in big kind.

Once you get to paradise, what do you do? Let me let you know a number of of the issues that I did and why I beloved each second of my time in Kauai.

Getting Settled In

First of all, I can’t let you know what a aid 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 lovely tradition, it’s nonetheless a part of the U.S., which suggests you don’t want a passport and also you don’t must undergo a loopy lengthy customs line whenever you land!

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

Sure I was drained from my lengthy journey day, and the loopy snug 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 providing you with the complete tour of our dwelling base on the Garden Isle. From the views (good 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 unbelievable room cease me from exploring this lovely property. I was additionally ravenous after my lengthy journey and desperately wished some wonderful seafood, and I was not disillusioned!

Crooked Surf is the resort’s poolside and oceanfront restaurant, they usually 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 reap the benefits of the right climate. So I grabbed my e book and headed over to lie by the pool.

Little did I know, I was there on the good 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 wonderful once more, however I could be remiss if I didn’t let you know to get the Coconut Beach Mai Tai. This is definitely the most effective Mai Tai on the market and the most effective I’ve ever had. You’ll be glad you took my phrase for it whenever you order this drink!

Exploring Kapa’a Town

Since my inner clock was nonetheless anticipating East Coast time, I was prepared to begin the subsequent day brilliant and early with a dawn run on the seashore, adopted by hitting the fitness center (gotta keep able to eat all of the native meals, am I proper?).

Honestly, what a implausible method to begin the day! I’ve been identified to secretly decide a resort or resort by their fitness center, and I’m completely happy to report that Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort didn’t let me down.

They have an incredible number of fitness center gear, and I was in a position to 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 most effective 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 subsequent morning to strive their pineapple French toast on Hawaiian bread and get extra Chai Anu (which was principally like a chai icee and it was SO GOOD).

@traveloffpath Did you recognize Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort has free bikes you may trip 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 procuring 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 via, together with a store the place you may design your individual hat! I’m a sucker for these sorts of shops and ended up spending portion of the day having fun with Kapa’a.

After all that procuring, we wanted to gasoline 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 principally I ate my weight in fruit. What higher method 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 may strive the most effective native chocolate. Just when I thought I couldn’t get any fuller, that’s after we discovered the macadamia nut retailer simply down the road. Guess what, additionally they have free tastings! Hawaii is legendary 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 convey 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 trip to and from downtown Kapa’a and Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort is in contrast to any bike path I’ve ever seen. Most of the brief trip is true alongside the coast and the view of the ocean appears to be like fully unreal. The water seemed so recent on the way in which again that I jumped off my bike and ran proper in. (The present could be sturdy although, so watch out the place you swim!*)

I spent the remainder of the afternoon ingesting 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 good day.

An Authentic Hawaiian Luau

What’s one of the simplest 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 unbelievable 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 faculty of proficient hula dancers carried out with stay island music.

This was one in every of my favourite experiences up to now since you actually felt the soul and keenness behind this lovely 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, ability 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 reap the benefits of 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 immediately in entrance of your resort?!

Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort presents beachside morning yoga that I clearly needed to reap the benefits of after watching the dawn. I love the concept of seashore yoga, however generally the sand turns into an excessive amount of of a trouble for me.

But the yoga really passed off on the garden proper subsequent to the seashore. 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 simple, peaceable morning with stretch meant that we had been prepared for our subsequent huge journey. One of the best adventures on the market to be actual! Mountain tubing with Kauai Backcountry Adventures the place you float down canals from an previous sugar plantation and tunnels main below the mountain.

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

The wonderful journey would have been price it by itself, but it surely was made that significantly better by the most effective tour information on the market. Noah was wonderful and you must completely request him as your tour information whenever you e book your journey!

Unforgettable Experiences

After the whole lot I’ve already talked about, would you imagine that I haven’t even instructed you my favourite factor of your complete journey? You could also be shocked when I let you know 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 play the Ukulele, and we even sounded fairly first rate ultimately! Maka is among the kindest and sweetest individuals I’ve ever met and I can’t think about there’s a greater Ukulele trainer on the market.

A day stuffed 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 right setting.

Once once more, I ate means an excessive amount of as a result of the whole lot was so scrumptious! The Hawaiian caprese salad was tasty and refreshing and I beloved the tropical twist to the normal caprese salad. For my major course, I had the macadamia-crusted Mahi-Mahi, and it was phenomenal!

To high 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 chunk – particularly the molten lava cake!

A Breathtaking Farewell Hike

I hate to confess it, however I kind of lied to you earlier. My favourite factor from your complete journey was undoubtedly 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 few 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 seashore 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 price it. With the lava rocks, crops, and timber, this was undoubtedly essentially the most lovely I’d ever taken.

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

And that doesn’t even embody the views but. About ¼ of the way in which up the mountain, I got here throughout a patch of daylight from a break within the timber. That’s when I rotated and actually gasped out loud. I was undoubtedly not anticipating a full view of the city under me and the wide-open ocean past it.

There was no means the view from the highest was mandatory 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 lovely and satisfying hike I’ve ever achieved.

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 larger into the sky. This is certainly probably the most lovely sights on the market. I can’t start to let you know how completely happy I was that I determined last-minute to make this hike occur. It was greater than price it!

If you want having a path virtually fully to your self, then you must begin climbing proper after dawn. That’s what I did, and I felt like I had your complete mountain to myself. I didn’t see a single particular person till later as I hiked down the mountain and other people began climbing up. Plus, it wasn’t as sizzling 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 fully sincere, donuts are by no means one in every of my favourite issues, however these “Hawaiian grown” donuts are unbelievable! They use distinctive Hawaiian flavors from native farms and these donuts are so significantly better than the rest on the market. These donuts had been the right send-off deal with.

I really miss Kauai a lot already. This was one place that I’ve been actually unhappy to depart behind. I can’t wait to come back 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 ideas stay our personal.**}

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