We splurged on this luxurious, oceanfront stay in Hanalei Bay to kick off our extended honeymoon. Although we are not typically ”resort people,” we had no complaints about the delicious meals, breathtaking views of the water and mountains, and chill pace for a few days. To get there, we rented a ford mustang convertible and drove ~1 hour from the airport on the island’s only main road to the north where Hanalei Bay is located. We ate, drank, relaxed, and even got to see giant sea turtles while snorkeling.

After a few days in resort land, we switched back to our normal travel pace and headed for the mountains. We drove the entire length of Kauai’s only main road from the north to the south of the island and then ventured about 15 miles up a windy, mountainous road, with ocean views on the left and canyon views on the right to our destination, The Cabins at Kokee. Our rustic cabin was the perfect juxtaposition to our resort stay with its basic amenities and lack of service. We disconnected from the world, cozied up in front of the wood-burning stove, and got a kick out of the roosters roaming around outside.

While in Kokee State Park, we embarked on the challenging Awa’awapuhi Trail, a 6-mile hike that descends 3 miles through the forest and opens up to a viewpoint overlooking the Na Pali Coast. Kokee State Park is known for having a wet, cool climate, so unfortunately fog and clouds had rolled in by the time we got to the viewpoint. This ended up being a common theme as the same thing happened when we attempted to see Waimea Canyon.

Despite that, we had a great time hiking through the lushness and enjoying nature. We stopped for lunch at Kokee Lodge, a cozy restaurant, bar, café, and gift shop right in the center of the park with delicious fresh food. There’s also a natural history museum right next door.

Tips:

• The check-in process for the cabins takes place in Waimea. Make sure to grab groceries in town before making your way up to your cabin. Kokee Lodge is the only place to get food in the park, and they close at 4:30pm.
• Make sure you have enough fire starters for the wood-burning stove. It’s not an easy feat to get it going but so worth it once it works.
• Try to see the sights in the morning before fog and clouds roll in.

We are not morning people, but our alarm went off at 4am to say goodbye to our cozy cabin and descend the mountains. This was a pitch black, dead quiet drive on an unpopulated road. The stars were abound, like driving through a private observatory.

Our destination was Port Allen where we boarded a 65-foot catamaran power boat with twin diesel engines that was specifically designed and built to handle the waters and weather of Kauai, and more specifically the traverse of the 17-mile opening to Lehua (a seabird sanctuary) and Niihau (the forbidden island).

Niihau is privately owned by the Robinson family and was originally purchased in 1864 for $10k. Access is restricted to the Robinson family, the ~200 native Hawaiian residents, and guests. The island’s small school is the first in Hawaii to run fully on solar power.

During our 7-hour adventure, we also saw the magnificent, cliff-lined Na Pali Coast and got to see some spectacular marine life while snorkeling near Lehua and Niihau.

It was very special to end our visit to Hawaii with a relentless sea adventure to some of Kauai’s harder-to-reach coastline and neighboring islands.