Last Day in Kauai

 Our last full day in Kauai started with me listening to a Special Townhall for work. I shouldn't have joined. I didn't learn about anything I didn't already know. There have been a lot of changes happening at work, so I thought I might miss some meaningful updates, but that wasn't the case. Oh well. 

Mark and I stopped for coffee and smoothies at Eden Coffee on our way to the nearby Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail nearby and enjoyed some gorgeous scenery while getting our steps in.

Kauai Coffee Company. If you enjoy coffee, it's worth at least the self-tour. I like a good cup of coffee, but not so much that I'd want to learn all about it. We elected to do the self-tour and learned several interesting facts. The highlight was being able to sample many flavors of coffee offered. If I had know that, I wouldn't have gotten coffee earlier. By the time I finished sampling, I was buzzing on caffeine! The coffee was delicious and we picked up several bags for me, as well as for others. 

We were hungry after the coffee company, so we stopped by the Koloa Fish Market which had quite the selection of ahi for build-your-own-poke bowls. We took our food to go and headed back to the hotel. While the girls got ready for the day, we enjoyed our lunch. Then we took the girls to the local shopping area where I bought them each a souvenir ring to remember the trip before they had their lunch at Leong's. 

Once everyone was awake and fed, we headed to Poipu Beach. Surprisingly, we found parking relatively easily even though we didn't get there until almost 1:00. Maybe the early morning beach goers had already departed. Anyway, it was a lovely beach with lifeguards. We spent a few hours there. Keira built a sand dog and won a $50 bet I had made with her  years ago. Then Mark and the girls went snorkeling while I kept an eye on them and read. When we were exhausted from the sun and heat, we packed it to head back to the hotel to clean up. But before that, we swung by Anake's Juice Bar inside the Kukuiula store for smoothies and candy. The smoothies were delicious!

Since arriving, we noticed a long line at a place called Da Crack...It turned out it was a hot spot for tacos and burritos. I thought we should at least try it. Well, in my opinion, it is not worth it - skip it. I actually thought it was pretty bad. I can't really articulate what  made it bad, but it just was. Lots of people line up to eat there, so maybe we didn't order the right food. Not sure. Thank goodness the sunset made up for a lack luster dinner.

Wailua Falls, Anini Beach, and the Best Ahi Sandwich

We took off for Wailua Falls in the morning and after a 45 min drive, we were there. The parking lot is tiny, but most people were in-and-out within 15-20 min so we didn't have issues parking. The falls were beautiful and are most known for being in the opening credits of Fantasy Island, a TV show from decades ago. We had hoped for sunshine and a rainbow, but no luck. Still, we had a spectacular view!

After viewing the falls and buying some banana road from vendors selling out of the back of their trucks, we were on our way to Anini Beach and the town of Hanalei. Anini Beach was nice with palm tree-shaded areas and relatively calm waters. Getting to that area mean driving farther down the beach than you "think you can". It was a lovely starter beach where Mark, Keira, and Grace put their snorkel gear to the test. Interestingly, there was this open-air pavilion/structure that had a bar, kitchen, games, etc. across from where we were. I thought it was somewhere we could use the bathroom (even if we had to buy something), but the girls were informed that it was private property. Somebody has enough money to basically build a playhouse to have easy access to the beach, have all the amenities without lugging things around, and have a private bathroom. I couldn't help but stare with envy at times as they alternated between time on the beach and running across the dirt road to get a drink or use the bathroom. I never could figure out who owned the place despite a deep search on Google.

After a couple of hours at the beach, we were hungry so we packed it up and headed into the nearby town of Hanalei. It was hopping! We circled a few times before finding a parking spot in a lot. The restaurant we were trying to get into had a wait of 45 min. While we waited on that list, I called around and found there was immediate seating available at The Terrace a few doors down. We went there instead and were so glad we did. The food was delicious! Keira had her first Ahi sandwich (Furikaki Crusted Seared Ahi) and hasn't stopped talking about it, even after returning home. It goes to show that going with the flow can sometimes lead to unexpected delights! We also did a little souvenir shopping - I got an ornament for our Christmas tree along with a sweatshirt that is very appropriate for me and my distasted of birds. Chickens everywhere in Kauai! I heard there are over 400k chickens on the island or 6 per resident. Crazy!

We wrapped up this day by getting back to the hotel in the early evening, showering, and having dinner at Living Foods before calling it a night.

Kauai Separate Adventures

Jet lag really hit me on the third day of travel. I woke at 4:45 and just lay there trying not to wake Mark who woke up about an hour later. Since we were both up early we ventured off to find the Kauai Bakery where the promise of amazing malasadas were a draw. I tried my first malasada at Leonard's on Oahu. They were amazing and I was so excited to try Kauai Bakery's version. Unfortunately, it was a big let down. I think the main difference is that Leonard's malasadas are fresh from the oven and piping hot whereas Kauai Bakery's were served from a display case. Despite being made fresh every morning, they just don't taste as good when not fresh from the oven. People should judge for themselves, but I would skip this one based on our experience. On our way back we swung by Big Save (grocery) and Long's (CVS) for some essentials like water and snacks.

By the time we got back, the girls were nearly ready and that's when we divided up to head out on separate adventures. Mark and Keira left for a mountain tubing adventure while Grace and I hung back to explore the town and our resort. We didn't join in tubing because it involved going through dark tunnels and Grace was worried her claustrophobia would kick in. It was a nice excuse for a very chill day. She and I walked to the nearby shopping complex for some window shopping before heading back to the resort to have lunch and read by the pool.

In the meantime, Mark and Keira met up with our friends from MN who were vacationing there with other friends. It seems like they enjoyed the tubing adventure and didn't have any issues with the various tunnels. Apparently it's more of a lazy river-type of adventure, but they had fun and learned some good information about the island.

By the time Mark and Keira got back to the resort, they had to shower quickly and then we were off to Snorkel Bob's to get gear and chairs for our upcoming beach adventures. We ended the day by meeting up with our friends at Kauai Beer Company for dinner. The food was good, but nothing to get excited about. I think there were better options, but it worked out well for a group of seven. I can't remember what I ate throughout the day, but by the time dinner rolled around, I was not feeling well so actually skipped dinner. However, I asked Mark, Keira, and Grace what they thought and they thought the food was solid, but like I said, nothing special.