Hawaii was home to our honeymoon adventures. Kauai gave us a chance to relax and take in the Jurassic Park scenery. Read more to learn about what we loved about Kauai!

Kauai, A Honeymoon Adventure

As travelers, we have always been pretty good at being flexible and rolling with the punches. Our honeymoon put all of that to the test. We had originally planned a trip to Kenya to go on safari. After I had already headed home for the wedding, we had to make the extremely difficult decision to cancel the trip due to terrorism. Insert panic and mayhem (not even the Mayhem Man could fix this one).

So, there we were—a wedding in two weeks, two weeks of vacation time scheduled, and no where to go. As great as a “stay-cation” sounded, we were determined to make some travel memories for our honeymoon. After lots of last minute research and panicked phone calls, we decided on Hawaii. Enter hustle mode. We tracked down friends with hotel connections for discounts, ignored the price when we booked our last minute flights, and made the executive decision to YOHO* it up.

*You Only Honeymoon Once.

In our YOHO state of mind, we didn’t follow a budget as strictly as we usually do, but here were our favorite parts of our kickass honeymoon to Maui and Kauai.

For our post about Maui click here. 

1.     Get Touristy at The Grand Hyatt Kauai

We followed the Google machine/honeymoon handbook and stayed at The Grand Hyatt Kauai. After staying in Hana, this resort was a bit of a culture shock. The Grand Hyatt was easily the largest hotel we’ve ever stayed in. We may or may not have drunkenly gotten lost trying to find our room a few times during our stay. That being said, the grounds are beautiful and it’s extremely family friendly.  The shock of having to wear a neon wristband to sit at the pool quickly diminishes when you get to take a ride down the water slide on your way from the pool to the beach. One of our favorite past times at The Grand Hyatt was sitting on the beach with a beer and watching the local surfers and cliff divers. If you choose to stay here, you should also keep your eyes peeled for A-listers as it’s popular among vacationing celebs (we saw hall of fame pitcher Randy Johnson strolling along the beach!).

Overall, The Grand Hyatt has lots of amenities, nice rooms, but is crowded and extremely touristy. If you want something more low key or authentic, we’d suggest checking out a smaller hotel or condo on the island.

http://kauai.grand.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html

1571 Poipu Rd, Koloa, HI 96756

2.     Sail Along the Na’Pali Coast

To take in the beauty of Kauai schedule a boat ride along the Na’Pali coast. We went for a catamaran snorkeling boat trip. The snorkeling left a lot to be desired, but bouncing around on the catamaran with wine in the Hawaiian sunshine made for one of our favorite days. We set up our experience through Captain Andy’s, which was a fan favorite of everyone we talked to on the island!

http://www.napali.com/

3.     Shoot Clays During the Afternoon

Looking to go rogue? Check out Kauai Sporting Clays (http://kauaiclays.com/ ). When your helicopter tour is canceled and you’ve met your poolside max, there’s nothing more romantic than shooting clays, right?! We thought so. The instructors at Kauai Sporting Clays were 100% and we had a blast. Shooting clays takes a few hours and now I can rest assured that my husband can protect me from inanimate objects flying through the sky. Win, win.

4.     Hike in Waimea Canyon State Park

A little bit Grand Canyon, a lotta bit pretty, Waimea Canyon is worth heading to the west side of Kauai for. The canyon is 14 miles long and over 3,600 feet deep and leaves you feeling a peon compared to mother nature. While looking out over the canyon from lookouts you can even spot waterfalls falling through the valleys. If you’re looking to get active, there are also a variety of hikes in Waimea State Park. This website can help you pick out the best hike for you:

http://www.hawaii-guide.com/kauai/hiking_trails/kokee_and_waimea_state_park_hiking_trails .

5.     Catch a Sunset at The Beach House Restaurant

We won’t claim to have discovered The Beach House Restaurant—took this one out of the Hawaii honeymoon playbook again, but it is a perfect spot to finish off your vacation. This restaurant had all of our favorite things: good food, good wine, an ocean view filled with surfers, and a gorgeous sunset view. This was our “upscale” dinner in Kauai. I said it once and I’ll say it again, treat your self!

http://www.the-beach-house.com/

5022 Lawai Rd, Koloa, HI 96756