Since we had an amazing trip the previous winter vacation in Maui we decided to head back to Hawaii and check out Kauai this time. After welcoming a new baby girl in our family on December 30th we weren’t sure if we would be able to make the trip. Three weeks later and getting the green light from the pediatrician we were all packed and ready to go. We flew on Southwest Airlines from MDW-LAS-LIH since we had two companion passes and travel vouchers so it came out free for us. We had a two hour stopover at LAS which was a perfect amount to get drinks from Coffee Bean, change and feed the baby. We got our wristbands for entry in Hawaii and were on our way! I love flying Southwest Airlines with the family since they have family boarding, if they have an extra seat on board let me bring the car seat and great entertainment for the kids.
We arrived in LIH on Sunday night, picked up our bags and got our rental car. We were staying at the GHK since I heard rave reviews about the hotel. We were greeted with beautiful lei’s and pineapple infused water which was awesome.
I had called the hotel a week before to request an extra refrigerator and microwave and they were both set up in the room for us. They gave us a room with a pullout sofa bed which was twin size and a crib for the baby. We were very pleased with it.
Monday morning my kids went to the hula dance lessons and after that the parrot encounter, but were cute and provided by the hotel for free. We explored the hotel a bit and then headed out. We drove to the North Shore area and tried going to the Queens bath but the gate was locked and we couldn’t figure out another way to get in. Next we went to Hideaway Beach but true to it’s name it was not easy to find. First we tried following the signs that said beach but after going down 1,000 steps we were told that was a different beach so up 1,000 steps we went. Nobody in the area knew where to go so we tried a path that was by the parking lot but came to a dead end. Finally some construction workers explained how to get there but were adamant that children could not go since it would be too dangerous. I wanted to just see the path for myself since we came all that way and once we got to the “path” that goes down to the beach my oldest daughter decided it doesn’t look that bad and she would check it out for us. You need to hold on to the ropes on either side of the steps but if you go slow it is doable. She got to the bottom and called for the rest of us to follow. We all got down in one piece and found Hideaway Beach, it really is a gem like Kauai Revealed book calls it. The kids enjoyed playing by the sand and putting their feet in the water.
We then went to check out Tunnels beach but did not go snorkeling since the water was too rough. Our final stop was at Ke’e Beach but were turned away since we did not have a permit. Everyone was pretty exhausted by this point but the kids wanted to stop at the Dry Caves since we were passing them on the way back anyway.
We had brought food along and an electric burner to cook with.
Tuesday we were booked on a helicopter ride with Blue Hawaiian in the morning. They gave us the safety lesson and our seat assignments. My son and DH were the lucky ones who got to sit in front but nobody complained. The kids were so excited to be on a helicopter for the first time and it was fantastic! The baby slept through the whole flight which was great. Visibility was amazing and the views were just breathtaking.
After the helicopter ride we ate lunch and drove to the East Shore. First stop was Opaeka’a Falls Lookout which were not really interesting but across the street was another lookout where you can see the kayaks going to Secret Falls, my kids had a lot of fun yelling hi to all the kayaks. Second stop was Wailua falls, that was a really nice view of the waterfall. I noticed people at the bottom of the fall but couldn’t figure out how they got there. Finally I saw a couple jump the fence and climb down so we decided to give it a shot. Halfway down with my 13 DD leading she said she couldn’t go any farther since it was so slippery with mud and the next step was too far for her to reach. Oh well, there’s always next time. Our third stop of the day was Lydgate beach park/kamalani playground. The kids had the best time playing at that park and when they were done we went across the street to the inclosed beach made for kids. It was very relaxing for me and fun for the kids. Our fourth and final stop was the Spouting Horn. On our way to the blowhole we passed these trees that people had written their names on the leaves which was cool to see and we found leaves to add our names as well. We got to the blowhole and it was nice but nothing compares to the blowhole in Maui.
Wednesday my kids learned about the Koi fish the hotel has on the grounds and that at 9 am every day you can feed the fish. After all the fish were fed we checked out the South Shore starting with the Glass beach that was really cool to see all the different colors of glass and a Seal sleeping on the sand. Then we drove to Salt Pond Beach Park where the kids went swimming in the ocean by the lifeguard stand. Since everyone was hungry we went to Lappert’s for yummy ice cream and walked around the little outdoor shopping center. Someone at our hotel recommended we go to the Makauwahi Cave Reserve so we hiked to the caves and then saw the tortoises they have roaming around. Our final stop for the day was at Po’ipu beach park where I took the kids snorkeling and my DH stayed back with the baby. We saw all kinds of fish and massive turtles just swam right by us. We got out of the water around 5:30pm and there was a whole crowd of people sitting around. I was very confused what was going on but then someone explained that every night from 5-8pm they close off this part of the shore because approximately 40 turtles come to sleep for the night. So every evening crowds appear to watch the turtles. We waited with everyone else and it was amazing to see how the turtles one by one came from the ocean to this spot to rest.
Thursday we decided to do Ho’opi’i falls hike. We lathered up on sunscreen, took lots of water and were on our way. We had a hard time finding the falls and after several attempts we finally found it. My kids are great swimmers and love jumping in from high places. After seeing some locals do the cliff jump they were determined to do it. To the disbelief of all the onlookers my girls did it. I have a great video of my youngest daughter jumping but I am not sure how to attach it here. After the hike we drove to the airport to pick up the food from Oahu Kosher I bought for shabbos. We then stopped at Walmart to get some more items we needed. We got to the hotel and set up everything we needed for shabbos and lit yartzheit candles.
Friday we hung out by the pool all day. The kids loved the slide, lazy River and the hot tubs. I was not a fan of the lagoon since the “sand” was made out of tiny rocks.
Shabbos was very nice and in the afternoon I took the older kids to walk by Shipwreck beach where we saw whales breaching in the ocean. Motzi shabbos we made havdallah by the fire pit and roasted marshmallows. We had a night swim and could see so many stars in the sky.
Sunday was our last day and went to the West Shore. We stopped at the side of the road on our way to the Waimea lookout because my kids said it looked like mars. It was these sand dunes made out of bright rust colored sand with water flowing through it. It was beautiful! We continued to Canyon Trail where we hiked to the pond and small waterfall. It was pretty intense for us and took about 3 hours in total. We stopped by the lookout (I forgot which one) which had picnic tables and ate lunch. We started driving back and all the kids had fallen asleep in the car on our way to Polihale beach. They were woken to their heads getting hit from side to side as we tried avoiding all the potholes. Thank god our car made it to Queens pond and we walked to the water. We stayed for sunset and it was stunning. The way back the kids had a much better attitude about the pot holes.
Monday morning we had an early flight back home and it all went smoothly BH.
