Honeymoon: Last Supper {Kauai}

Don't visit Kauai without having dinner at the Beach House Restaurant! Everyone from our friends to our travel agent to our hotel concierge gave us this wise advice. Now it's only fair that I share this great recommendation with you!

RZ & I chose a romantic, sunset dinner at Beach House Restaurant for our final honeymoon dinner:


The open-air restaurant is perched on the beach with beautiful ocean views:


RZ & I were fortunate enough to score a front row seat to Mother Nature's show. We arrived for tropical drinks & yummy appetizers when the sun was still shining. Our beach view looked like this:


As dinner progressed, the sun to say began her gorgeous good-bye for the night:


RZ & I stopped eating our dinner so we could enjoy our final honeymoon sunset. It was so beautiful with the sunset, the ocean, the palm trees & the torches:


And then the sun was gone. Despite her absence, the night view was quite spectacular as well:


Needless to say, our final, delicious dinner with sunset views was the perfect end to our wonderful honeymoon!

Honeymoon: Napali Coast {Kauai}

Besides Waimea Canyon, everyone said a "must see" in Kauai was the Napali Coast. This rugged, 15-mile stretch of sheer, striking cliffs is accessible only by boat or hiking. Not the hiking type, RZ & I booked a Napali Coast sunset cruise by Kauai Sea Tours. As an extra bonus, the winter waters promised to be full of playful whales.

On our appointed day, we boarded the 60-foot Lucky Lady catamaran & scored a sweet spot on the upper deck:



We passed another beautiful, haunting, abandoned sugar mill:


As promised, the waters were teeming with whales. We were treated to Momma & baby whales jumping, playing & cruising which was a highlight for me. I didn't get any good photos of said whales but here is a pretty view of Kauai:


Then we reached the cloudy Napali Coast:


The Napali Coast cliffs are twice the height of the Empire State Building. As a girl who sees the Empire State Building every day, I was amazed:


Clouds rest on the cliffs of green, red, orange & brown:


Here is an arch, big enough to fit a helicopter!, carved into the cliffs. & look at those turquoise waters:


One woman complained about the clouds, claiming we were missing out on the cliff's bright colors in the sun. There is one in every crowd! I thought the low clouds made for dramatic sights:


Did I mention it was a sunset cruise?


The Napali Coast cruise was a triple delight with the whales, the cliffs & the sunset. I enjoyed every moment, even my sea sickness. I may have been green & felt awful but even then, the Napali Coast was quite a sight. As much as I loved it, I was a happy girl to arrive on steady land!

Honeymoon: Waimea Canyon {Kauai}

Since it was our first time in Kauai, we asked our family & friends for sound advice on fun things to do & everyone mentioned Waimea Canyon. Sometimes referred to as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific or the Grand Canyon's little sister, Waimea Canyon is a natural wonder. Its beauty is accessible via guided bus tours & helicopter rides or self-guided drive of Canyon Drive. As honeymooners with a cute convertible, we chose to explore Waimea Canyon on our own. The mood struck us one day after a leisurely breakfast & late morning sun session.

We hit the road & first things first, we stopped at the Shrimp Station, an outdoor, roadside restaurant, to feast delicious shrimp tacos with a nasty rooster as a fellow diner:


We began the mildly steep descent of Canyon Drive with a full belly. After The Road to Hana, this drive was a breeze! We reached Waimea Canyon Lookout easily & we were instantly in awe of Mother Nature:


The sun & clouds offered us an ever-changing shadow & light view of Waimea Canyon:


The reds & greens & browns glistened in the sun or deepened in the shade:


Gorgeous, gorgeous:

Shadow & Light:



Way, way below is the Pacific Ocean:


RZ & I stood & gawked at Waimea Canyon for quite awhile. We alternated between admiring it & photographing it. Everywhere you looked was more & more of nature's beauty. It caused our minds to wander. Waimea Canyon, much like the ocean, made us feel small & reminded us how short life is. We paused to say thanks for being happy, in love & on our honeymoon!

Honeymoon: Garden Island {Kauai}

The final five days of our Hawaiian honeymoon were spent in Kauai, the garden island. Unlike Oahu & Maui, RZ & I had never been to Kauai. Let's just say, it was love at first sight. Then we fell in love more & more each day with the tropical paradise of Kauai.

Live Aloha! Yes, please:


The abandoned sugar mills that dot the Kauai landscape are quite beautiful, yet haunting reminders of the island's history:


Blue skies & lush green are common sights in Kauai:


Shipwreck Beach is gorgeous but very look, don't touch! Swimming isn't recommended:


RZ & I satisfied our sun & fun craving with tropical drinks, palm trees & lagoon pool at our fantastic resort, Grand Hyatt Kauai:


By far, one of my favorite days was our relaxing, open-air Couples' Massage at Anara Spa:


RZ & I shared several casual, romantic dinners but only one included koi fish as our dinner companions! Tidepools consisted of open air, thatched huts nestled in a koi pond for quite a unique, rustic dining experience:


Oh, the sun, the sights, the relaxing:


Kauai was pure bliss for these honeymooners. Stay tuned to see & hear more about our two adventures in Kauai: Waimea Canyon & Napali Coast!