Finally, our first vacation for 2018! And just in time to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary! Thanks and congratulations to our friend Cheche and her now-husband Richwood, we got some vitamin sea on their destination wedding.
Planning the trip
Initially, we booked our flight, hotel and car via Expedia but after learning from our friend that they booked their latest Florida trip via Costco, we decided to explore that option as well and I'm so glad we did! The Costco package we got includes:
Obviously, I highly recommend Costco travel. It was cheaper than anything else we looked at plus it pretty much did the planning for us. I'm surprised we haven't tried this before.
For the itinerary, we tried limiting ourselves to kid friendly activities based from Internet searches as usual and Lonely Planet's Kauai book. Unfortunately, a lot of places were already obsolete due to a recent flooding last spring affecting mostly the north shore and businesses closing. On the other hand, it helped relax our itinerary.
Another thing that we started using as part of our itinerary planning is Google Maps (My Maps), this helps us plot and mark all the locations we plan on going to. Unfortunately google does not allow you to save custom maps for offline use (boo!!)
Day one: Arrival Lihue
We arrived afternoon so first thing on our agenda was to get lunch. Our plan was to go to Hamura Saimin (recommended by travel book and Cheche) but when we got there it was closed for the entire week that we were there!:((
This lead to our next option Duke's which turned out for the better. We got our first 'taste' of sand and sea while waiting to be seated and had hula pie for dessert.
We weren't expecting to get wet before checking in the hotel but Lily couldn't resist the waters of Kalapaki Beach.
After which, we headed to Walmart to get some supplies. They were not kidding when they said that there are chickens everywhere and I'm not referring to the ones on the frozen section. Lily got a kick spotting them and running after them.
After checking in and getting settled at the hotel, it was already dinner so we headed to Kauai Family Cafe to get some Filipino food but it was closed! Why?! After an internet search, we ended up in Saimin Dojo. At least, we got a dose of saimin (noodle) for the day.
With the 3hr difference, Lily was already sleeping by the time the order arrived but she still enjoyed her Keiki (kids) chicken teriyaki meal for breakfast the following morning.
Planning the trip
Initially, we booked our flight, hotel and car via Expedia but after learning from our friend that they booked their latest Florida trip via Costco, we decided to explore that option as well and I'm so glad we did! The Costco package we got includes:
- Round trip TUS-LIH flights
- Alamo car rental (full size sedan)
- Add-on choice of activity: we chose Luau Kalamaku with train tickets
- Accommodation at Hilton Garden Inn Wailua Bay which includes:
- Welcome drink vouchers for days! We weren't able to use them all... That's how much it was.
- Welcome shell necklace for each person
- Use of beach mat, beach towels and cooler
- 2 hour bike rental
- $30/day meal credit. Tip: Breakfast buffet before 730am is only $15.
- Sunrise ceremony
Obviously, I highly recommend Costco travel. It was cheaper than anything else we looked at plus it pretty much did the planning for us. I'm surprised we haven't tried this before.
For the itinerary, we tried limiting ourselves to kid friendly activities based from Internet searches as usual and Lonely Planet's Kauai book. Unfortunately, a lot of places were already obsolete due to a recent flooding last spring affecting mostly the north shore and businesses closing. On the other hand, it helped relax our itinerary.
Another thing that we started using as part of our itinerary planning is Google Maps (My Maps), this helps us plot and mark all the locations we plan on going to. Unfortunately google does not allow you to save custom maps for offline use (boo!!)
Day one: Arrival Lihue
We arrived afternoon so first thing on our agenda was to get lunch. Our plan was to go to Hamura Saimin (recommended by travel book and Cheche) but when we got there it was closed for the entire week that we were there!:((
This lead to our next option Duke's which turned out for the better. We got our first 'taste' of sand and sea while waiting to be seated and had hula pie for dessert.
We weren't expecting to get wet before checking in the hotel but Lily couldn't resist the waters of Kalapaki Beach.
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After checking in and getting settled at the hotel, it was already dinner so we headed to Kauai Family Cafe to get some Filipino food but it was closed! Why?! After an internet search, we ended up in Saimin Dojo. At least, we got a dose of saimin (noodle) for the day.
With the 3hr difference, Lily was already sleeping by the time the order arrived but she still enjoyed her Keiki (kids) chicken teriyaki meal for breakfast the following morning.
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