1 post tagged “kauai”
So now that we're caught up on the kids, I finally get to share the fun stuff that we've been doing. Not that we haven't been having fun with Jake, of course. But our trip to Kauai sans Jake was just what we needed!
We were lucky enough to get away for a long weekend at the very end of March for 5 sunny days in Kauai. This was our first tropical vacation since our honeymoon. I think we definitely got spoiled by Fiji, but our short trip to Kauai was pretty amazing. We stayed on the Coconut Coast near Kapa'a. The eastern side of the island is fairly windy as they get trade winds all year long, so we didn't spend much time around the resort. Although the beaches where we stayed aren't that great, it is a great central location from which to do day trips all over the island. Our first full day, we went down to Poipu Beach on the south shore. It was actually a bit windy that day, though usually the south shore is very calm. It was probably the best weather on the island that day, though, and the water was still pretty calm so that we were able to get some snorkeling in. No reefs down there, but the fish were amazing. The second day we headed up to Tunnels Beach on the north shore where Eric really enjoyed the snorkeling. It can get pretty dicey up there, but luckily it was pretty calm while we were there and I was able to do some snorkeling there, as well. The reef was pretty neat, and there were some great fish, too, but with such a big belly, the proximity of the coral made for a less than completely enjoyable snorkeling experience for me. Of course, just sitting on the beach reading and soaking up some rays was more than enough for me! Unfortunately, the morning we had to go to the airport, we realized we'd left our good camera in Jake's diaper bag at the in-laws', so we had to take our backup camera. The photos didn't come out so great :(
In general, the food was nothing special. I'll never understand why there's so much heavy fried food there. With warm
weather, all I usually ever want is something light and refreshing, but you just don't see a whole lot of that available there. We did have one dinner which was excellent -- at the Kauai Coast Resort at the Beachboy of all places (which is owned by the vacation club we belong to, though we weren't lucky enough to stay at that resort)! Our dinner at the Hukilau Lanai was definitely the best one we had on the island, and probably the best dinner out I've had anywhere in quite a while. It's run by the owners of Gaylord's in Lihue, which is supposed to be one of the best restaurants on the island. The other stand-out meal we had was actually at the Surf to Sunset Luau at the Sheraton in Poipu, which we went to our last night on the island. They say that you go to a luau for the show, not the food, but I actually found it to be the opposite with this one. The show was good (here, again, I think we may have been spoiled by the meke in Fiji), but the food was surprisingly delicious for a luau! I'll admit, I couldn't resist the poke, but I figure a little bit couldn't hurt.
We returned from Kauai late Tuesday night and it was time to get right into wedding mode as festivities for our friends' long-awaited wedding began Friday night with the rehearsal dinner. Eric was a groomsman, so I was a "wedding party widow" for most of the wedding, but lots of people we don't get to see very often were there, and it was nice to have a chance to catch up with them. The wedding was beautiful, though the ceremony was a bit chilly as it was outdoors at the St. Francis Yacht Club. Luckily, it was short and sweet (and very unique and personal -- in a good way!) and held in a somewhat sheltered courtyard! As dancing is bit difficult when you're 33 weeks pregnant and huge, the highlight for me was the food rather than the dancing (I only managed 2 dances the entire night!). The appetizers were very yummy, though I wished I'd been able to snag a few more to quench my nearly endless appetite. In retrospect, however, I'm glad I had some extra room for the entree, because the filet mignon they served was not only hands down the best filet I've had at any large event (at which they usually use less than ideal steaks and overcook them), but perhaps the best filet I've ever had. OK, so I'm obsessed with food these days, but the filet really was amazing. I also managed to finish the Ribbed Lace Bolero I was making specifically to wear to the wedding. It came out a bit larger than I would've liked, and I had to do a bit of tweaking when seaming it, but I think it looks OK (though it isn't big enough to hide the fact that I'm a bit larger all over than I was the last time I wore that maternity cocktail dress and am consequently busting out of the damn thing!). Maybe the real problem with the bolero was with the fiber I chose -- I used cashmere instead of cotton to make it dressier, but I think it also made it have less structure. Oh well...
