I spent the last day of my Hawaiian honeymoon on the lonely shores of the Sheraton Hotel at Poipu beach. I didn’t think my husband and I would come back to this beach for a second time in the 4-day Kauai portion of our trip, but due to some unfortunate weather circumstances on the northeast side of the tiny garden island, we ventured south searching for a magical dry spot to enjoy our last moments in the (literal) sun.
We had planned our last day around a helicopter trip that would never be. Booking through a company that had smaller aircrafts, and therefore cheaper prices, than their competitors – it was more than slightly frustrating that our flight ended up be cancelled only an hour before scheduled departure time (and sadly to do glitches in the matrix and our Canadian cell phones, we arrived at the heliport having no idea the trip was cancelled). More frustrating was the fact that 90% of the other airlines were still flying due to their quadruple jet engines, or whatever. Not that I’m complaining about the safety aspect of it – I would much rather not fly than die, so there’s that.
We put too much emphasis on this helicopter trip, and in hindsight, should have booked it within the first day or two in case of this… Kauai being one of the wettest places on earth for a reason. Sadly, a heli tour is touted as the best and truly only way to see the Napali Coast, or the Jurassic Park coast as some movie buffs like to call it. Needless to say, our day was kind of screwed.
Without a plan in place for the last 8 hours of our day (our flight back home was at 11pm) we repacked ourselves into our rental convertible and headed south.
The amazing thing about Kauai – and most of the Hawaiian islands – is that it has multiple microclimates. In plain english: if it’s raining in one part of the island, drive 30 minutes in another direction and it’s not. So, south we drove chasing sunshine and rainbows.
Luckily, we found them at Poipu Beach. We spent a few hours sitting at the beach-side area of the Sheraton hotel, reading, until we were kicked out trying to order and pay for drinks. So we moved 15 ft closer to the water, and did the same on the sand – which I much prefer.
After 10 days of endless activities, it was essentially the most boring, lackluster day of our trip.
It was the perfect day to end on.
We sat, drinking Wailua Wheat beer, reading our books, staring into the ocean, watching families frolicking with their kids in the surf, and enjoying some well-earned peace and relative quiet.
photo: the-beach-house.com
As the sun slowly lowered itself towards the horizon, we packed up yet again, and decided to take a chance on an oceanfront dinner at the renowned Beach House Restaurant. It’s listed as one of the best spots in Hawaii to watch the sun set, which is an understatement. We made it just in time. It’s also nearly impossible to get in without a reservation, but with the help of some incredible timing and a little table stalking done by yours truly, we ended up scoring a prime patio spot just after the darkness set it.
View from our table: http://www.the-beach-house.com/
After an outstanding meal of Wasabi Crusted fresh Mahi Mahi with lilikoi lemongrass beurre blanc, we savored the last sips of our wine and counted down the minutes until we had to drive back up north to the airport. It was a bittersweet end to a memorable vacation. I really hope that life takes us back to Hawaii again, but for now we will enjoy being at home 🙂
Wanna read about all the super fun activities we did on Kauai? Check out my post: Top 3 Things To Do on Kauai.
Sheena Yap
I know exactly how you feel.. The weather thwarted my plans in Iceland and ruined the one chance I had to see the eruption of the Bardarbunga eruption from an aerial perspective ): But that also opened up the opportunity for some pretty amazing things to happen, which we would have never enjoyed if we had proceeded with our plans, so I’m really glad that yours worked out too! (:
Kelsinwonderland
Sheena YapAw, man, that’s too bad 🙁 Iceland is on our list of places to visit in the next few years… very cool that you made it there! I guess it really is all about perspective. We never would have had the chance to see the sunset like we did in Poipu, and I think that is a Hawaiian rite of passage 😉 Thanks for reading!
Alexa Meisler
Rain is almost always a factor on Kauai if you stay long enough. Glad you created a day you will remember!
Kerri
Out of adversity (or just plans gone wrong) there will always be sunshine of some sort. I would be exactly like you though, and the words I’ve just said would come from my husband telling me to calm down. Hawaii is such a stunning place that I think it’s great to go slow sometimes. Also loving the sound of your final meal. The lilikoi lemongrass beurre blanc – OMG yum !!!
Kelsinwonderland
KerriThe food was soooo good, and we never would have even heard of or made it to this restaurant if we hadn’t been in the area. Small things can make a huge impact 😉 Thanks for reading!
JessicaLippe.com
I went to Oahu when I was nine, and I’m going to Maui next month, but Kauai sounds like a wonderful place as well!
Kelsinwonderland
JessicaLippe.comOahu was on the list for us but time restrictions didn’t allow for it. Maui is my favourite, by far! Thanks for reading and for your comment!
Tarah Vongbouthdy
Sometimes its hard to not be disappointed when the weather throws a wrench in your vacation plans, but usually it all works out in the end! Hope you guys had a great time your honeymoon!
Kelsinwonderland
Tarah VongbouthdyThanks so much for reading and commenting! I agree though, weather plays such an important part in special destinations — especially ones that are supposed to be warm lol. We had an amazing time regardless 🙂