Wedding Blog
I hate to interrupt your posts from the regularly scheduled Bees, but I have something semi-wedding related I’m dealing with! When Mr. Kiwi and I first started planning our wedding, we wanted to go to Hawaii (Kauai, to be exact) for our honeymoon. The closer the honeymoon got, the less we could afford, which is why we ended up taking a three day trip to Las Vegas, instead. We assumed we’d save up a bit and take that Hawaii trip in the future, and as things started settling down after the wedding, the Hawaii trip wasn’t looking good.
Until a parent at Mr. Kiwi’s school emailed him with a list of locations and dates we could use this summer for a trip. The choices were: Acapulco, Cancun, Dominican Republic, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, and Kauai, HI. The dates ranged from mid-June to August, and we had a choice for a week-long trip to any of those places - everything but the flight would be free.
Well, when we looked at flights for Los Angeles to Kauai, it was pricey. We decided we couldn’t afford the flight. 
So then we looked at Cancun. The flights were a lot less, and we started making plans. But wait… we don’t have passports and Mr. Kiwi doesn’t have his certified birth certificate. We’re out of luck.
Then, I decided to check the flights again… and what do you know? We found flights to Hawaii for just a little bit more than the Cancun flights, which was okay, since we saved money not having to expedite passports! So, we’ll be staying at the north shore, in Princeville, for a full week, courtesy of a parent at Mr. Kiwi’s school. It appears we get to have our romantic honeymoon in Hawaii, just a mere 8 months (to the day) after our wedding.
Now, I need your help: any tips or favorite places, or things to do in Kauai?
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Share this post: Aloha!!!
Snorkeling! A must if you can. It’s so surreal to see such clear water and exotic fish! And sometimes you even get good pictures 
Wow, that’s a really nice gift! I am not sure if you are in to hiking, but there are tons of great hikes….the NaPali Coast (you can just the first portion if you don’t want to go the whole 12 miles!), Waimea Canyon (The “Grand Canyon” of the Pacific…it’s amazing.) One of my favorite trips was a zodiak boat trip along the NaPali coast. You can also do a catamaran boat trip along the coast as well…the trips usually include snorkeling, lunch, and cocktails. 
There are also zip line tours which I am dying to do sometime! But above all just relax and soak up the beauty… Have a great time!!
How totally awesome and what a great “interruption”! I’ve been to Maui and Oahu, but not Kaui, so no sepcific tips. 
I went there for 10 days over Thanksgiving a couple years ago and had a GREAT time! Get the book The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed by Andrew Doughty and Harriett Friedman…it’s amazing! I went for a friend’s wedding and this book had all of the ’secret locations’ that only people who lived there would know. He was shocked that we were able to find so many of the places on our own.
If you’re into scuba diving, I highly recommend Fathom Five Divers, they were great! We had so much fun diving that we ended up going twice. We also went on a helicopter ride with Inter Island…it was fantastic! They actually land at a waterfall and you get to eat lunch and can go swimming by the waterfall if you want.
We had an amazing time there. Let me know if you have any other questions; I can ask my friend whose family lives there if I don’t know the answer!
Awesome, glad to hear you didn’t give up so you get your dream honeymoon.
We’ve been wanting to go to Kauai too. I heard it’s much more wild than the other island and that attracts me. Did you check out the Hawaii tourism information website, you can get some specific information on Kauai. I’ve seen some blogs here and there about people who visit the Hawaiian islands or stayed there for a bit.
Sorry I can’t help, but I hope you enjoy it.
That’s so sweet of them! I would say relax! Sit on the beach and drink a fruity drink!
Definitely sunset cocktails on the balcony at the Princeville Resort overlooking Hanalei bay; I’d also recommend dinner at BarAcuda; I second the hiking in Na Pali…you really do feel like you’re the only people in the world, and it’s absolutely gorgeous hiking along the top of the ridges; at the very least, do a boat ride up the coast; if you’re renting a car, check out some of the more isolated beaches in addition to the larger ones- my favorite is Queen’s Bath, which is this natural pool formed in the lava rocks along the coast. A helicopter tour is a great way to see the island.
At some point, make sure to get macadamia nut pancakes with coconut syrup for breakfast! Oki’s is a hole in the wall breakfast place near Lihue, but it’s delicious!
Renting a car is definitely worthwhile, and if it’s raining up in Princeville, it’s usually sunny down in Poipu (the Tidepools restaurant at the Hyatt down there is lovely, and don’t even get me started on their spa…bliss!…and a treatment gets you access to the spa pool and hot tubs for the whole day). Because the island is less built up than the others in Hawaii, you may have to do a little more exploring, but you’ll also find beautiful and secluded spots that are harder to come by in other tropical locales I’ve visited.
Thank you so much everyone! I’m so looking forward to just relaxing with Mr. Kiwi and reading a book on the beach! Nerds unite! Anyway, thanks for all the recommendations, especially for food and beaches.
We will definitely be renting a car, so I look forward to exploring the island!
Gaylords restaurant - http://www.gaylordskauai.com/cuisine-lunch.php
the food is great and the grounds are beautiful! But, not much in Kauai isn’t beautiful
Lucky, lucky girl! We went there for two weeks on our honeymoon eight months ago and are already itching to go back! Best beach ever for snorkeling: Tunnels! I also second cocktails at sunset at the Princeville. It’s the most romantic thing ever. The best Chai Tea Latte can be found at Java Kai, and definitely book a boat tour to tour the napali coastline. Good luck and have tons of fun!
Alaska Airlines now has direct flights to Kauai If you open up a credit card with Alaska you get a free companion ticket for opening it, and then every year thereafter. So you can buy one, get one free for a vacation! We have a joint credit card with Alaska for everything (home repairs, groceries, all things wedding) - and we got enough points where we are both flying to St. Lucia for our honeymoon for… free!!! I can’t say enough good things about using miles! Congrats on your trip - and look into Alaska Air if you haven’t officially purchased your tix.
Take a surf lesson in Hanalei. The water is so warm and clean and the lush, green mountains peer down at you on your board.
There a swimming hole with a rope swing and a waterfall to jump off of called Kipu Falls. My friend who lives in Kaui took me there. http://www.gosleepgo.com/guide/us/hi/puhi/kipu-falls-rope-swing
The next day, I took my whole family here as a surprise. It was the only thing we hadn’t planned out–and it turned out to be the most fun. Even my mom jumped off the 30-foot waterfall after freaking out for ten minutes.
Awww a good friend of mine went to Princeville for her honeymoon, you will LOVE it!
you should get the ultimate guidebook to kauai. i usually go to kauai for work and found lots of hidden gems via the guidebook. i love kauai, we got engaged there (in poipu)!
http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Kauai-Guidebook-Revealed/dp/0971727953/ref=pd_sim_b_title_1
DO NOT GO WITHOUT READING THAT BOOK FIRST!!!!!!!
Its Kauai Revealed: Ultimate Guidebook to Kauai by Andrew Doughty… and its amazing. He does one for each Island and i kid you not sweetheart - the locals use them. I lived on the Big Island until recently and lived/loved those books.
WHEN (notice thats not an if) you get it, the hike just north of Hanalei is an AMAZING hike. And he is not kidding about its only 5 or 6 miles, but it feels like 20! LOTS OF WATER and be prepped to get a little muddy if its rained. its BEAUTIFUL!!!!
ZIPLINE!!!! So there are 2 zipline courses on the island. We did the Princeville one and had a good time - but I would do the other one if i were to go again. The princeville one was great - people were friendly - there was a lunchtime swim in a river - cant complain. But it was all over the ranch. So you’ll zip, and then walk across a pasture, zip, and walk again. Thats how it goes.
I loved Hanalei b/c as a Big Island girl, I didnt really want to be near all the uber touristy stuff, I wanted to be near the island and the beauty and the history.
If budget allows, a doors-off helo tour from Ace 1 helicopters was AMAZING!!
oooh and then there is the a zodiac boat tour and snorkle around the Na Pali coast - SOOOOO WORTH IT!!! There are several companies that go - but if you want to feel adventurous go Na Pali Explorers - they were AWESOME! The other companies boats were HUGE in comparison with very tame rides.
GET THE BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
READ THE BOOK!!! (Its actually really funny too.)
ALOHA!
FYI - The Princeville Hotel is closed for renovations for atleast a year, so you will have to cross that off your list. They were bought by St. Regis and will be receiving much needed updates to their facility. In spite of this, you should still check out the area of Princeville because it is perhaps the most gorgeous of the whole island.
love kauai! you’ll really enjoy it - if you don’t feel like hiking - you can also take either a snorkeling tour along the NaPali Coast (beeeautiful views, you have to go there one way or another) or you can take a romantic dinner cruise (haven’t tried this one), Waimea Canyon, you can take a drive down to Poipu - beautiful beaches, the Kilauea Lighthouse is a pretty cool sight to see too! Have fun!
Drive around the island, and keep driving until you don’t think you can drive anymore… and there you will find the most beautiful beaches and views. The island is breathtaking. Visiting different towns on the island and trying some of the little local restaurants is a blast. I also recommend the ATVs - you can tour the back country and see locations of where famous films were created such as Jurassic Park! Have fun!!!!
OMG! I just got back from our honeymoon on Kauai on Monday. It was absolutely beautiful and so much fun.
Definitely get the Ultimate Guide to Kauai, it was a lifesaver for restaurants and beaches. The Hanalei Dolphin is delicious and right (about 15-20 mins) up the road from Princeville. We went up to Ke’e beach one night for the sunset and it was stunning.
For something to do, we did a helicopter ride with Blue Hawaiian, a Ni’ihau/Na Pali coast catamaran ride with Holo Holo Charters, and did a waterfall tour with Kauai ATV. All 3 were amazing, the people were alot of fun and the views were breathtaking. DH loved the ATV ride and I loved the boat ride. Budgetwise the boat or ATV are better because you get more for your money. The boat ride was 7 hours (but you had to be there by 6am so we were up at 4–we stayed in Princeville also). If you do the boat ride, plan on it at the beginning of your trip before you are acclamated to the time change.
Just one thing to remember, almost all restaurants stop seating at 9 or 9:30, some even earlier. Especially up on the North Shore.
Relax and have fun and enjoy all the views. If possible rent a convertible, it made it alot easier to see everything with the top down.
Ted’s Bakery at Sunset Beach get the chocolate haupia pie
Matsumoto shaved ice in Haleiwa
snorkel in shark’s cove
these recommendations have been passed on from FI who vacationed with his family there last summer!
Enjoy!
ok, you should have seen the dramatic reaction as he remembered one last place that’s “sh!itty” but good. Giovanni’s shrimp truck. Write your name on the truck and get a papaya smoothie with your shrimp.
omg I can’t believe I just recommended that to someone on a honeymoon!
Wohoo! I’m off to Kauai too and am glad to report I got the Ultimate guidebook for a shower present (just no time to read it right now). It doesn’t seem like you can go wrong in Kauai! Have a fun trip!
Absolutely do purchase the Kauai guidebook mentioned above. It helped us make every decision for things we did in Kauai - we just got back from our honeymoon last Friday. It was amazing! We did a Na Pali sunset cruise which was beautiful, did a Kauai ATV tour which let us see awesome places you can’t see without being on the tour, and rode horses, which was fun too. Everything is pretty expensive though, so doing a lot takes a whole lot of money! But your hotel might have discounted prices; most places will book for you with discounted prices so check it out. We did also a hike of the first two miles of the Na Pali coast and it was fun but very, very difficult. And long! Pack a lot of water if you do that.
It really is beautiful there, especially the beaches! And if you really like hamburgers, on the South Shore there is a restaurant called the Camp House Grill with the best burgers for cheap!
Enjoy your trip! It will be amazing!
Kauai is one of my favorite places in the whole world. My dad grew up there and we vacationed there every spring break and summer. In fact, I am getting married in Poipu in August. Anyhow, Poli Hale Beach is the most beautiful beach you’ll ever see. It’s way on the west side past Kekaha. You have to drive down a bumpy dirt road and you’ll probably want to give up and turn around, but keep going and you will be rewarded. Also, if you are on the west side… stop at Jojo’s in Waimea for a cool treat… shave ice!
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Mrs. Kiwi, Los Angeles
Age and Occupation in 06: 27, Bookkeeper
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, P.E. Teach/Coach @ private schools in LA
Engagement Date: March 31, 2006
Wedding Date: November 3, 2007
Venue: Radisson Hotel
About Me: I'm a bookkeeper who failed high school algebra. I'm currently living in Los Angeles, literally a street over from where I grew up with Mr. Kiwi, my honey of three years. We have a jumbo mini-dachshund (seriously, he's huuuuge), and we're planning an autumn themed wedding on a shoestring, paid for by ourselves. The wedding date is my late grandma's birthday, I needed her there somehow, and that seemed like the best way for us. I can't believe I'm a Bee! I couldn't be more proud!
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