We are currently planning a trip to Hawaii’s island of Kauai for later this fall and I revisit the first trip we took there, originally posted on She Has Moxie. It seems like our recent Cancun trip, we were just looking to get someplace warm and beautiful! It’s so interesting to compare the experience to our Cancun trip. This is where Rob first learned to SCUBA dive and I saw my first ocean beach. This post was written in 2003 and I’ve edited some of the details and locations, but it’s interesting how our perspective has changed since.
We had some money saved a year after our wedding, but not enough time to really plan a trip with many sites. So I remember just clicking a button on a travel website and telling Rob we were going to Hawaii for our first anniversary. The point of this is to say I had never dreamt of going to the beach and I didn’t ever dream of going to Hawaii, at least not then. But it was one of the most relaxed times that renewed me deeply.
We stayed on the west side of Oahu at a great resort- I will always recommend such a resort because it was very quiet, but more family oriented. Waikiki was so young and, well, fast. We felt much more at ease at Ko Olina. Oahu is an island of extremes, though, with Honolulu on one end, quaint towns and farms in the middle.
I remember the beautiful drives, along the North shore, where sand- and salt-washed cottages lined the road, and the waves crashed so brilliantly. There are such diverse ecosystems on the island- arid & dry to rain forest. I remember hiking in a rain forest full of bamboo and narrow mud paths, and a whole day walking along a the dunes at the Ka’ena Point and the albatross preserve. There are extreme micro-climates, too, and a great way to get away from the bustle of the resorts and cities, having to leave the car two miles away from the point.
One of the highlights was this restaurant, Chef Mavro. Either of us will probably always list it in our top five food experiences ever, and it started us on a real foodie kick for a while. The menu was all about the art of pairing wine and food, and we each had a different pre-fixe dinner. Pretty much every fancy dinner we have now is compared to that because it was elegant and we are still impressed at how balanced all the flavors were- rich but not overpowering. I’m sure the experience was amplified by the pampering they give you. Certainly, the waiter asking if we were restaurant professionals because of the questions we were asking didn’t hurt our egos or impression of the restaurant!
We also went to the Byodo-In temple, surrounded by Japanese gardens.The temple is impressive. There’s a certain weight to it that accentuated the natural beauty around it. I remember ringing the three ton peace bell and wishing for something special to happen to us. I always think of that when I remember Rob being laid off about a month after we got home. But the meditation house and the garden walk resonated with my need for perspective at that point in my life, which probably also explains my need to wish on a bell.
For me, it was the first time being on an island, and really my first time near salt water at all. I came home feeling invigorated and rejuvenated. I look back on this as a luxury vacation and a very pampered experience. When I write about our Kauai plans in the coming weeks, I’ll highlight the shift in perspective since 2003.
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