Sun, sand, surf and sunsets: Kauai and her beaches.
A girl and her dog at Anini Beach
Beach toes (mine!) and board shorts
Big Papa and I went to Hawaii to GET AWAY from it all! Sure the sun and surf was a draw, but what we really needed was a big ‘ole break. We picked Kauai, and the north shore where we stayed, because it was purported to be beautiful and remote. We planned on snorkeling, hiking, catching some rays, warming up our Seattle frozen selves and leaving behind as much of our daily reality as we possible could.
Of course, I’d heard about the fresh seafood, but hey…we live in Seattle, right? People mentioned the ‘shave ice’ (like a snow cone but oh-so-much better) and of course we figured we’d knock back a Mai-Tai or something similar. But, we didn’t go to Hawaii for the food.
So it was coconut icing on the shave ice, that the food was just SO DARN GOOD. We only went out to one “restaurant” (e.g. nice sort of sit down place) to eat (Postcards in Hanalei…thank you Beth Whitman), we had one “fast food” dinner (Shrimp Station in Waimea…again, thank you Beth). Because who needs all that when the most divine fresh seafood awaits at the local fish market!
Here are a few pictures of some of our favorite treats on Kauai.
Dolphin Fish market take out Hanalei, Kauai: sushi, ahi poke, seaweed salad, ginger beer, taro chips
Ahi burrito Kilauea Fish Market, Kauai: I was SO stuffed but ate every last bite because it was SO yummy!
Okay it was so good and I was SO hungry that I forgot to take a picture until there were only two shrimp left!
Last but “ono-so-not-least”…Ono Ono Shave ice Kapa’a Kauai
Just so you don’t think we’re all about “healthy” we ate shave ice with ice cream EVERY day. We thought this place was the best (of those we tried) and not just because they super-size their shave ice. We both thought the coconut ice cream and macadamia nut ice cream was the bomb, but how can you possibly go wrong with all that sweet goodness in one cute flowery cup?!
Want to indulge in more treats, tropical or otherwise? Check out Wanderfood Wednesday!
One of the things Big Papa and enjoyed the most during our trip to Kauai, was the beauty of the vistas, the flora and the fauna – both wild and domestic. Here are a few picture of animals we saw (and loved).
Kauai rooster and chicken – they were EVERYWHERE (as Big Papa put it “You can’t throw a cell phone without hitting an rooster”)
Kauai turtle: okay, not the big Sea Turtle (Honu) but a smaller land-going variety which we nearly ran over with our car. He was being bothered by a rooster and we intervened and found him safer ground.
Kauai Red-crested Cardinal: so cute and check out the ‘do’!
Kauai spinner dolphin: we were fortunate enough to be out on the water and saw an entire pod, leaping and playing in the water.
Kilauea Kauai red horse: we watched this beautiful horse, the color of the soil on Kauai, graze at sunset.
William of Kauai: Last, but definitely not least, one of the cats at our B&B. I was completely smitten with William and even started plotting a way to adopt him and bring him to the mainland. He was a love of a cat and spent every morning sitting on my lap at breakfast and every evening in the same spot watching the stars.
Big Papa and I just got back from six MUCH needed days in sunny, warm Kauai. Neither of us had ever been to the Hawaiian islands. Our brief trip was just what the doctor ordered: relaxing and a shelter from the storm currently surrounding us.
As part of my A picture is worth a thousand words series, I’m going to be posting photographs I took on our trip. First up, sunsets of course!
Ke’e Beach Na Pali coast Kauai sunset