Saving Money vs. Jumping at a Vacation Deal

Tags

hawaii, hotel, miles and points, travel, travel deals, tripalertz

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How do you normally travel?  Do you plan it out far in advance and search for the best airfare deals first?  Or the best hotel deals first?

I’m in a bit of a predicament right now (albeit a good one!)

For the next 12 days, TripAlertz has this deal for 1 week’s worth of hotel stays for only $395… and that’s not per person.  There are a lot of countries to choose from, but my main focus is Hawaii.  Right now there are a few resorts in Kauai that offer 2 bedroom apartments and can house up to 6 people (if friends decide to join us.  That would up the savings even further.)  Justin and I have enough points for 5 round trip tickets to Hawaii but at the moment we don’t have any for hotel stays.  If we were to buy this and go alone, we’d only pay less than $60 per night for 7 nights.  This seems like the perfect opportunity to book a quick 1-week vacation to Hawaii!

But… there are a few caveats.

1. Justin won’t have enough vacation time until next year.
2. The TripAlertz deal can only be used within 1 year of purchase.  Therefore, with Justin’s vacation limitations our time to travel will be between January, 2013 up to August, 2013.
3. You can only reserve the TripAlertz deal within a 60 day travel window. “Ex:  If you are planning to travel on February 1, 2013, you will not be able to view available hotels until December 3, 2012.”  If I didn’t have the flights covered, I wouldn’t take this deal.  Buying a flight only 2 months out would most likely end up with an expensive fare.
4. Our airlines award miles can only fly Alaska Airlines, and I’ll have to reserve flights less than 2 months out to match the hotel stay.
5. We’re already going to Fiji for 2 weeks in May, 2013.
6. Even though this will be an inexpensive vacation, we’ll be spending a lot of money on food, excursions, shopping and car rental (on top of what we’ll spend in Fiji.)

My main concern is #6.  On top of Fiji vacation spending, we’d be spending MORE money that we could be saving for the future.  I’m also a little concerned about hotel availability matching up with my airfare rewards too.  I just checked hotel availability from now until September and there seems to be a lot of hotel locations available.  If I were to book, I’d shoot for January or February… which won’t be a busy season compared to summer time.  So potentially, January would be in Hawaii… and May will be Fiji.  A 4 month spread.

Its funny that one of my main priorities in life right now is going on vacation, yet I’m concerned that I’m taking TOO MUCH vacation (and spending the money that comes with it).  I really wish I could take this trip during the 2nd half of 2013 to spread it out a little bit more.

In Hawaii we normally pay around $100 or so for a place to sleep.  Over a 7 night stay, this would save us $280 in hotel costs in comparison.  Is saving an extra $40/night worth it?  Or should I just wait until the end of 2013 for another trip to Hawaii?

This is all a matter of timing, really.

What do you think I should do?

Hawaii 2012 – Kauai Part 4 *pic heavy*

Tags

anuhea, bali hai, hawaii, kauai, soja, south pacific, travel, Vacation

Previous posts in this series:

• Kauai Part 1
• Kauai Part 2 
• Kauai Part 3

Besides seeing J. Boog, Justin and I were lucky enough to catch Anuhea and SOJA concerts in Kauai as well.

We experienced a beautiful sunset on the way to the concert:

If you haven’t heard of Anuhea, you should!  She does a lot of acoustic live performances and her music is great.  Her voice is really soulful and I love her love songs… its hard not to feel happy listening to them :}

I’m not a big alcohol drinker and I don’t like the taste of beer… but I did try a bit of white wine.

Wine wine wine make you feel so fine!

SOJA on stage:

One of my favorite SOJA songs, “You and Me” (another romantic love song)

Towards the end of our trip we tried our best to see more natural landmarks, like Waimea Canyon, aka “The Grand Canyon of the Pacific”:

The mist in the air made it a bit hard to see, but it was still breathtaking nonetheless.

Wailua Falls (Justin loves waterfalls!)

We also stopped by an interesting man-made beach, aptly named “Glass Beach.”

This beach is entirely made from glass debris that has been pummeled by the ocean.  The color and amount of the glass varies depending on the tide.

I had a hard time capturing the sparkles in the sand.

Another beach that we enjoyed was Tunnels Beach.  Right behind the beach access there were these huge caves underneath a mountain:

Tunnels has great snorkeling too!  The next time I go snorkeling though, I’ll make sure to bring some fins and some kind of swim noodle… snorkeling and treading water for long periods of time is so tiring.

Tunnels beach is really beautiful!  Check out this interesting mountain view:

Now, compare with this still image from the movie musical South Pacific (1958) with the famed mountains of “Bali Hai” in the background…  Maybe you’ve heard of the song by the same name?

…this still image was taken from the movie’s original movie trailer here:

Speaking of South Pacific…this is for the ladies! Cuz ‘there is nothing like a dame’ ;D

Moving on…  If you’re in Kauai and looking for some great local food, make sure to visit Mark’s Place!

They also have some homemade snacks and cookies for sale:

What we bought:  Butter mochi, baked parmesean crisps, and a spam musubi

Korean-style fried chicken and rice:

And Mark’s Famous Mixed Plate:  Katsu, beef stew, and teriyaki beef. The beef stew was my favorite!!!

On our last morning in Kauai, we woke up extra early to see the sunrise for the last time. I brought the camera and Justin brought his ukelele:

A fisherman set up his fishing poles along the beach:

The sun came out and it was time to say goodbye.

I love Kauai!  Out of the two islands I’ve visited thus far (Oahu and Kauai), Kauai is definitely much prettier and it has a much more peaceful feel.  I can see why its nickname is the “Garden Isle.”

Thank you so much for coming by to read my about my vacation adventures!  As of now I have no idea where my next trip will be…  I’m currently saving up credit card rewards points as well as extra cash in anticipation though.

♥ E&I

Hawaii 2012 – Kauai Part 3 *pic heavy*

Tags

dolphins, geocaching, hawaii, kauai, na pali, travel, whales, whalewatching

Previous posts in this series:

• Kauai Part 1
• Kauai Part 2 

While recovering from my mosquito bites we visited the south side of Kauai at Poipu / Sheraton Beach.

The beaches on the south shore are postcard pretty!  We saw a sleeping monk seal taking a nap while we were there.

This is also where Justin was bodyboarding in the ocean near some boogie boarders… he saw a shadow in the water and quickly got out.  From the shore I thought there were dolphins in the water because some fins kept popping out of the waves.  Turns out they were HUGE manta rays… one was at least 6 feet in length and the other one was a little bit smaller.

We had lunch at Bubba’s Burgers (there are a few locations in Kauai), which feature 100% grass fed Kauai beef.  I hadn’t tried grass fed beef prior to this…  It was pretty good.  Nothing to write home about except for the fact that the meat tasted very fresh.

The following morning was our long awaited Na Pali coast snorkel adventure!  We picked the Capt Andy’s after perusing a few Yelp reviews.  Unfortunately the visibility in the water that day resulted in no snorkeling.  :(

BUT!! Winter months are the perfect opportunity for whale watching!  This was the first time I had ever seen any wild marine mammal other than a seal.

A view from the bow:  (bow = the front of a boat, starboard = right side if you’re sitting in the boat, stern = rear of the boat, port = left side)

* Random fact about me:  I was briefly a coxswain for the UCLA Men’s Rowing/Crew team as a freshman in college.  Coxswains steer the boat, yell out directional commands… ex: “HOLD PORT!!!” I was recruited on the sole fact that I am petite, despite not having any rowing experience whatsoever!  Anyway, long story short…its been so long that I’ve forgotten the various parts of a boat.  haha! *

The tour group provided a delicious breakfast of danishes, juice, and fresh pineapple.

The first sighting of the day was a little turtle swimming towards shore:

Our first whale sighting!  By law we’re only allowed to be a minimum of 100 yards away from a whale.  Honestly we were SO far away from the whales sometimes it was hard to visualize their true size.  (Most of these photos are zoomed and cropped)   But, check out the whale in comparison to the boat next to it:

Spouting!

We didn’t see any full breaching (jumping out of the water) but it was still amazing nonetheless.

The Na Pali coast:

The Na Pali coast is roughly 15 miles long and its nearly inaccessible unless you kayak, hike or take a boat.  There are no roads to this area.

If you look closely here, you can see pods of spinner dolphins!

There were SO MANY dolphins swimming around us!  It was truly unforgettable.

Spinner dolphins are smaller than the dolphins we normally think of.

Some spinning in action:

Small waterfalls trickle down along the coast:

Some movies that were filmed along Na Pali: King Kong, Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides

One afternoon we decided to rent some bikes and bike along the east coast!

I don’t know about you but I prefer the old school coaster-break bikes that I rode as a kid.  So much easier than ones with hand breaks.

The last time I rented a bike was in Japan in Kurashiki in 2010.  I swear, nothing compares to the feeling of biking when you’re outside in a pretty environment like this.  It’s so incredibly calming.

Of course we had to do some geocaching!  Whenever we travel we’re going to try to find at least one.  (There are LOTS of caches internationally too).  I think Justin found this one on the bike path around a bunch of rocks.  We signed our names on the little slip of paper inside to say that we were there.

More geocaching… whoops.  We thought this was the cache but turns out it wasn’t.

Found it!  It was a little tupperware tub!

Yeah… the ocean makes me happy.

I love how the simplest of experiences can really make you appreciate life and reflect.

We visited Donkey Beach while we were biking.  What a name, huh?  From my travel book:  ”So named by drifters in the 60′s who observed burros and mules being used by the sugar company to haul seed cane to the fields nearby.”  It is also an unofficial nude beach.

I don’t know why I’m so attracted to these little tree entryways.  It makes me think of enchanted forests…a little bit magical and mysterious.

Donkey beach in its entirety:

Justin found another cache!

On the way home we stopped by a small activities fair.  We checked out a jewelry booth and Justin found a necklace that he fell in love with.

Keoni Durant carves sculptures and also makes the most beautiful Polynesian inspired jewelry.

The necklace:

Justin had been looking for a necklace like this for years… I’m really happy he waited and bought this one since it was such good quality.  Expensive, but worth it.  Buy here.  Keoni also explained to us the meaning of the design.

A powerful tool, the Double Barb Makau was the hook of choice for Kauai fishermen.  Inspired by an ancient Hawaiian fish hook found in the Bishop Museum archives, the pendant is a symbol of fortitude — it means “you can.”

So much biking made us SO hungry so we stopped at this tiny food truck.  There’s no sign but our travel book called it “the Happy Shack.”

This tiny little truck has a HUGE MENU with a variety of foods:  Chinese, Hawaiian, Mexican, Thai.  Candies, shaved ice, sammies, hot dogs, smoothies!  It took a while to make a decision because the dizzying amount of options is incredible.  We only saw the owner (a middle aged Asian woman) inside.  How can one woman produce SO MANY items! Amazing.

Justin hamming it up while we wait for our food:

Me calling my parents back home.

Justin’s favorite Hawaiian lunch is the Kalua Pork plate.

I had garlic shrimp.  It was no Giovanni’s, but MUCH better than the shrimp at the Shrimp Station in Kapaa.

Part 4 is coming up!  As always, thanks for reading about my vacation adventures.  :)

♥ E&I

Hawaii 2012 – Kauai Part 2 *pic heavy*

Tags

atving, hawaii, kauai, kipu ranch, travel, Vacation, ziplining

• Kauai Part 1

Kamalani Playground at Lydgate beach park

Lydgate beach park is on the east side of Kauai.  It’s very kid friendly and has two rock-enclosed coves (great for new snorkelers) and an AMAZING children’s playground.  I’ve never seen such a beautiful playground… maybe if I have a kid in the future I’ll bring him/her back here. There are so many creative details in this park.  I would have really loved it as a child. A giant slide enclosed in a wooden volcano: A concrete cave leading underneath the volcano: The islands of Hawaii depicted in a wood carving: A xylophone (?) with instructions on how to play children’s songs! Wooden towers that remind me of Hogwarts: When the storm came we were hit with a lot of rain.  Pummeling rain.  I wanted to see if we could chase the sunshine across the island but to no avail…  Some bridges were flooded so we headed back.  We spent the afternoon in the resort hot tub while it poured. Actually the rainiest spot on earth is on Kauai:  Mount Wai’ale’ale!  Luckily only one day of our trip had rainy weather. The next day we visited the Shrimp Station in Kapa’a.  I was craving shrimp because Giovanni’s in Oahu was so spectacular. I ordered the “Got garlic” shrimp plate with white wine sauce.  It definitely looked appealing.. ..but on the first bite I tasted a lot of alcohol in the white wine.  Blech.  It was too much.  Honestly this was nothing compared to Giovanni’s, and the $12 price tag didn’t help.  Justin ordered beer battered shrimp.  His verdict:  nice batter but the shrimp inside was tiny.  Oh well.  I wouldn’t recommend going here if you’re in Kauai. Since Justin has ziplined in Maui he asked me if I wanted to try it.  I’m afraid of heights!  But I said yes anyway… It did sound like a good time. We booked Princeville Ranch Adventures in Princeville.  It has 9 ziplines, with the longest being King Kong at 1,200 feet.  We paid $145/pp that included all lines, lunch and swimming at a pretty swim hole: Justin bought a Go Pro camera a while back and it is well worth the initial investment!  For the ziplining adventure he attached it via head mount. A closer look at the harnesses: My harness was pretty nasty though.. it smelled like sweat! Gross. The Princeville Ranch is a working cattle ranch. “Please do not feed or pet the horses… They are well fed and much loved” The weather was absolutely perfect…  you wouldn’t have known we had torrential rain the day before. I felt like Maria in the Sound of Music! haha Its hard to see in these shots but the lines were quite high up.  It seems like bushes are below the line but they are TREES.  Eeeep! We had to cross wooden bridge to get to more lines.  Each wooden plank was  a foot apart from the other!  Needless to say.. I was scared. Haha! Here’s me.. There was barely any wind so we were advised to tuck into cannon ball-formation.  I tried my best.. I didn’t want to get stuck in the middle of the lines!  But after I got over my initial fear.. I LOVED ZIPLINING!!  Landing is the hardest part though.  There were a few times where I landed backwards. Here’s my first attempt at editing a Youtube video!  (I don’t know how people can do this on a regular basis.. it took me forever!)  This was the last line, King Kong.

On our way to the swimming hole: We had a nice little lunch (sammies, cookies, chips, drinks) on this little deck. The water was a bit cold, and deep at around 30 feet! The scenery while we were swimming was absolutely breathtaking.  Here’s the view from the water, looking up: It was one of those moments where I had to pinch myself.  I was swimming in a freshwater pool in the middle of Kauai!  I want to keep travelling so I can have that feeling again and again.

After ziplining, we visited Banana Joe’s…they are famous for their frosties and they carry locally grown produce.

This is a true mom and pop shop!  Here is their simple menu: By the time we visited in the early afternoon, their smoothies had sold out.  But we weren’t looking for smoothies… we wanted their pineapple frosty!

Their juicer/blender is so powerful that it whips fruit and ice into an ice cream-like consistency!  This is pure pineapple and ice:

Some of their local produce:

I liked this little sign… “no weird stuff added!”

My first concert in Hawaii: J Boog!

No, I’m not talking about the J Book from B2K (remember them?)  I’m referring to the J Boog originally from Compton with a distinct R&B-meets-reggae style.  Justin and I fell in love with his music while we were in Oahu listening to Island 98.5 on the radio.  Honestly I never was into reggae until recently.  When its mixed up with pop & R&B it’s quite catchy and easy to listen to.  And recurring themes are island life, happiness in general, loving someone, losing someone or missing someone.

This is one of my favorite J Boog songs, “Let’s Do It Again”…  Every time it came on the radio we’d turn up the volume, laugh and dance in the car like maniacs and sing along.

Ahh I love that song.

Anyway moving onto the next adventure:  ATV’ing at Kipu Ranch!

Kipu Ranch is another privately owned property that has been owned by a single family since the 1850′s when the kingdom of Hawaii was still in existence.  According to our guide, Ryan, he said that William Hyde Rice bought the land from  Hawaiian princess Keelikōlani and promised to always keep the land in the Rice family.  And it has ever since.  I think that’s amazing!

The owners now allow two tour companies to access the property, including Kipu Ranch Adventures.

Here’s our guide Ryan… if you’re to book a tour with Kipu Ranch I recommend that you request him as your guide!  He is incredibly knowledgeable, friendly and hilarious.

Before entering the property we had to drive through a huge stretch of tall trees, one row on each side.  Apparently the trees were planted to signify you were entering royal grounds.

Isn’t it beautiful?

A lot of movies were filmed here… Jurassic Park, The Decendents, Pirates of the Caribbean ‘On Stranger Tides.’

Our vehicle:

Justin drove and I sat in the back, gripping the bar handles for stability (and holding on for dear life~!)

I had never been so close to such beautiful mountains and valleys before.

The ride was incredibly bumpy.  Well that’s ATV’ing after all!  Justin and I were the only ones in the group with the Can Am Outlander XT (aka “Bomber) while the other families chose the more comfortable Rhino vehicle.  We had a really fun time but for both driver and passenger… it’s definitely not for the faint of heart.

Some waterfalls we saw during the tour:

We also had the opportunity to swim in a river and swing from a rope swing into the water… (This is where Indiana Jones swung from in “Raiders of Lost Ark” to escape the Hovitos.)  Justin did it but I wasn’t feeling it.

Because when we stopped at the river, I started feeling VERY UNCOMFORTABLE.  I was wearing bermuda shorts, and I had taken off my jacket because it was getting hot while ATV’ing.  We were near fresh water… and fresh water meant mosquitoes.    I’m not sure why I didn’t get bit during our ziplining adventure in Princeville.. but at Kipu ranch mosquitos were flying around EVERYWHERE.  I quickly put my jacket back on and wrapped a large beach towel around my waist.

My mind and my body started panicking.  My arms and legs broke out in hives, and I asked Justin to spray me with more bug spray, which he did.  I felt a little better after that, and the hives slowly went away.  We went on with the tour thinking that the bug spray would deter them.  Nope.

We realized later that within the span of those few minutes, I had gotten bit ALL OVER my legs, my back and my arms.  Justin realized he had gotten bit as well.  :(

Our bugspray was 15% DEET.  DEET sprays can go up to 30 to 40%.  15% wasn’t nearly enough to protect our bare skin and we learned this the hard way.

I’m allergic to mosquito bites.  Maybe not death threateningly allergic, but I definitely have a skin reaction.  (When I was a kid, I spent a few summers in the Philippines… I still have scars from those summers.)  Anyway… a bite on my ankle made my left ankle and foot swell.  The bites on the backs of my legs and arms turned into huge welts the size of saucers.  Not pretty.  I tried my best not to touch those areas but it still felt like pure H-E-DOUBLE-HOCKEY STICKS for the next two days so I had to load up on Benadryl.    Luckily for me Justin was a sweetheart and did everything he could to keep me comfortable.  I grumpily stewed in my pain and self pity and he even tried to crack jokes to make me smile!  I’m so lucky to have him.

So the moral of the story is… I’m never going out on an outdoor adventure near freshwater without the proper protection: long pants, jacket, and the highest DEET spray possible.  And I’ll be bringing a variety of allergy sprays and anti-itch creams if I do get bit.

Would I go ATV’ing again?  Yes, in a heartbeat.  Was it worth it even after getting bit?  Well… yes it was.  It was a very fun experience despite everything.

Part 3 will be coming up soon!  Thanks for reading!

♥ E&I

Hawaii 2012 – Kauai Part 1 *pic heavy*

Tags

hawaii, kauai, travel, Vacation

Kauai! Kauai is Hawaii’s oldest island. The island is not very big… roughly 30 miles long and across so you can drive around most of it in less than 2 hours. So far I’ve only been to the island of Oahu and now Kauai.

In comparison the feel of it is very much countryside mountains, small towns, and gorgeous beaches versus Oahu’s big city feel. The highways are generally only 1 lane each way.  I took a lot of photos while traveling in the car… the scenery is beautiful no matter where you go.

Stores and eateries generally close very early. Shopping and nightlife isn’t prominent, but if you’re looking for a romantic, outdoorsy paradise with phenomenal beaches then this is it!

The flight wasn’t too bad… One stopover in Oahu and then you have to take a second flight (only 45 minutes long) to Lihue, Kauai.  I don’t think there are any direct flights from the mainland, but please correct me if I’m wrong.

After doing some research on car rentals on Flyertalk, I scored an awesome deal at Hertz.  9 days for roughly $40/day after taxes and fees!  And we were upgraded to a Mustang convertible!  I suggest if you go to Kauai, though, try to get a 4WD vehicle.  A lot of beaches are only accessible using 4WD.   Oh well!  I had never been in a convertible before and Justin was very excited to drive it!

Oh and if you’re curious… here are the approximate gas prices when I visited:

Justin and I stayed on the east side of the island in Kapa’a (KAH-PAH-AH).  In this town there’s an interesting mountain called the Sleeping Giant.

Can you see him?  Head, neck, torso, legs?

When I visited Oahu, I was surprised by the amount of Japanese tourists.  In Kauai  I saw mostly locals, young families, and retirees from the mainland.

We stayed at a private vacation rental at the Islander at the Beach (which I found through vacation rental ratings on Tripadvisor for ~$90/night after taxes and fees).  I highly recommend this resort as it was central to everything.  Close to the airport and equidistant from the prime north and south beaches.

The resort had a pool, bar and jacuzzi (which we used quite frequently)

View from the lanai with a bit of ocean peeking out:

Our room was a small furnished studio complete with kitchenette.  No maid service here, since it was a vacation rental.  I found it to be a plus though.  It helped us keep things tidier in the end and we felt our belongings were very secure.

The couch converted to a bed as well.  You can easily fit in 4 people and split the $90/night costs quite nicely.

To save money we managed a lot of eating in with our little electric burner, cooking tools and rice cooker.  (Yes! Rice cooker!  I was so happy!) Most days we went to the beach, and by the time we got home a lot of eateries were closed or too far to drive (street lights on the road are sparse).

Before I go on with this post, I want to mention this travel book.  This is the first trip I’ve done with a travel book and I’m hooked!  I highly recommend this series.  No ads, honest opinions, and no BS.  There are also travel books for all of the other islands as well. We bought this one for $12.99 at their local Costco.  But you can buy it via Amazon prior to your trip as well.

Another random fact about Kauai:  There are chickens EVERYWHERE.  In the parking lot at Walmart, in the mountains, on the road, EVERYWHERE.  They crow at all hours, not just the morning.  This is another reason why Kauai is a true “country” island.  Lots of plantations, cattle ranches, and green lush land.

Shopping really only consists of smaller boutiques or shops.  The only really big places to go are Walmart for basics and a small outdoor mall with a Macy’s.

Our first beach stop was Moloa’a Beach.  This beach, like a lot of the beaches, is close to privately owned homes.  So you have to park on the road instead of a designated lot.

I noticed a lot of these homes are off the ground with parking underneath, probably to get a better ocean views.  Almost like living in a treehouse!

Gorgeous!

Rough waters at Moloa’a Beach:

An interesting seashell from the beach!  Did you know its illegal to take shells from Hawaii?  I had no idea until this trip.  Honestly there weren’t a lot of shells to be found.  But a lot of the touristy shops sell shells, mostly from other places like the Philippines though.  Nothing local.

I wish I could buy a beachfront home.  I wonder how much these houses cost.

Next up is our favorite beach in Kauai: Secret Beach.  Secret Beach is a little difficult to get to; you have to park on a dirt road walk a short hike down a hill.  Supposedly nude sunbathers come here but we didn’t see any.

The trail to this beach is right next to a new, beautiful house.  Seriously this is my dream house!

Graffiti on the construction site:

Good things happen to good people!

The start of the trail:

This is such a secluded beach!

No one was around for miles!  I think because of the hike down not too many people visit.  Especially families.

After the beach we decided to check out the grocery stores and stock up.  We bought a few groceries to cook with at Safeway and Foodland.  Grocery prices are high in Kauai, unfortunately.  One local we befriended said one time a gallon of milk was ~$9!!!  Kauai has a lot of cows but non are dairy cows.

Many varieties of poke at the deli:

Local sodas (unfortunately I didn’t like the pink one… tastes like cough medicine to me)

Our favorite snack from Foodland:  Butter mochi!!

Coffee for the mornings in our little coffee machine: Kona vanilla mac nut!

Ok this isn’t food, but do you remember this from the Charlie’s Angels movie?  That’s what it reminded me of.  This helps you stick to your surf or boogie board.

Some loco moco in Princeville… unfortunately I’ve had better.

A hotdog with bacon (Justin’s choice):

Lappert’s Ice cream!  Supposedly this has originated from famous locally made ice cream to hit-or-miss flavors.  We still loved it.

We chose Kauai Pie!

Black Pot beach:  There used to be a huge black pot here for residence but now its gone.  A really nice place for boogie boarding or to watch the sunset.

The water is SO shallow so its easy to go far out.  We saw a lot of surf classes here.

Boogie boarding on our cheap board from the ABC store:

One nice thing we bought from Walmart that helped with shade:  a little cabana!  We split the $40 cost and took it home with us!  Easy to assemble and great for taking naps and preventing too much sun exposure.  Little bags can be filled up with sand on the sides so it won’t blow away.

More Kauai posts coming soon!

Read Part 2 here.

♥ E&I