am i the only one that always felt that hawaii was out of reach? that this other state in America was really just a majestical far-away land that was only for the elite and the rich? well, when i received a premium Scott Cheap flight email letting me know that not only could i get there for an insane price but that i could keep some major coins in pocket at the same damn time! i was so hyped! i gathered 4 of my besties including my sis and we headed west!

we booked a condo through airbnb, the patio was the biggest selling point as it had endless views of the ocean and right on the beach.

first thing first; you can’t go to Hawaii without attending a luau! and in Kauai the Smith Family luau is a definite must! Learning the history and culture behind it was so beautiful, and even though it was huge crowd; it still felt intimate and warm; like you were eating with family. The food was amazing (although for my friend it was not to vegan friendly) oh and when they say open bar they mean it! we all got so lit! following dinner was the spectacular show halfway through it started pouring making their performance and the whole experience that much more magical. 

you also can’t visit Hawaii without trying shave ice at least once!  It would be like going to Italy and not having gelato!

There are shacks and stands at almost every turn; trust me it’s only a matter of time before you are hooked! 

#justremember Hawaiians call it “shave ice,” not “shaved ice. Here I tried the Strawberry Coconut, and let me tell you it was so fresh! I honestly didn’t want to share :p 

we traveled to Kauai in December, which is one of their wettest months. The rain definitely put a damper on a lot of our plans; our sunset dinner cruise of the Napili coast was canceled, due to the waves. We had made plans to drive up north towards Princeville but we heard several roads had to be closed. We also decided we would not make the drive from Kapaa to check out Waimea Canyon in case the rain made it to hard to really sightsee. We were pretty bummed other than a doing a short drive to a couple of lookout points we hadn’t seen much, even though the sunrises every morning was beyond perfect. We luckily had decent weather on our last day to take a heli ride to see all the places we missed! I will have to write more about this experience in itself! But wow, being in the air and seeing the beauty that God created there was nothing like it.  

I know that we didn’t even scratch the surface of Hawaii and I am so anxious to return.

until next time Kauai

xx

mahalo