Hawaiian Adventure Day 11 - March 23, 2011

Sad to admit...this was our last full day on the island! Just as our skin was getting adjusted to the sun, our bodies have adjusted to the time change and we are finally stepping out and enjoying everything the ocean has to offer! We decided to spend a good part of the day at Hanalei Bay. Body Surfing was the activity that Noah and Leah enjoyed the most. Despite the high winds and current advisories. We found a great beach area that was clear and had wonderful waves for the kids to ride. Our only wish is that we would have rented a surf board. Everyone was making it look so easy. However, the kids did get to experience the thrill of "catching the wave!"

After a long day in the sun, we headed over to Bubba's Burgers for a late lunch! This is a must visit establishment! Bill Clinton and Adam Sandler were some recent visitors! All of us enjoyed a double bubba, except for Leah, she requested a corn dog.

We thought we would catch one final sunset from the St. Regis Hotel and a quick cocktail. It was wonderful and the music was exceptional. Dinner options weren't too great at the St. Regis, so we thought we would try the new The Tavern at Princeville on the Prince Golf course--well, it was EXCEPTIONAL!!! Food was fantastic, atmosphere was fabulous and they totally catered to the kids. The kids menu was better than most fancy restaurant entree's. This is a place we would certainly recommend and we all gave it a thumbs up!

Finally, we decided to sneak 18 holes in at the new Kauai Mini-Golf Course. This too, was a highlight. Noah allegedly beat Mom by 1 shot. I think he cheated. We all enjoyed this one! Four thumbs up!

Hopefully we get everything packed and to the airport in time. We start our journey back home tomorrow. Our flip flops should be back on the ground in Minneapolis on Friday morning--so get rid of the snow!!! Aloha!

Hawaiian Adventure Day 10 - March 22, 2011

We have really adjusted to the hawaiian way, taking it easy! Today, we started out with a visit to Hanalei Bay. We visited the famous pier and Noah and Leah posed for a quick shot! Afterward, we headed south for a little golfing (and to visit Crazy Shirts-Leah's demand! She wanted the cool shorts that changed designs when they got wet).

We golfed Puakea Golf Course in Lihue, Kauai. We had a great time, the front 9 was VERY windy, the 2nd was beautiful!!! Noah did a great job, Leah mastered putting, I loved the Nike driver that I rented and Guy only lost a dozen golf balls! Afterward we thought we would visit Scotty's BBQ in Kapaa. It was a very yummy local BBQ joint, with a stunning view right on the water! Everyone took a break from our daily fish intake, except Leah! She opted for local fish and chips!

Another great day on the island! We'll better head to bed to rest up for our final full day!

Hawaiian Adventure Day 9 - March 21, 2011

Beach Day and a Luau!!! We had a great day today. The wind has been very strong and the ocean has been wild so we thought we would check out a safe beach, as Noah wanted to snorkel and Leah wanted to swim. We visited Anini Beach Park on the North Shore. It is very safe as it has a large reef out from the beach, so the waves break very far away. Great place for the kids! Noah did some snorkeling. Not realizing his Mom's fear of fish-(I didn't have my snorkel gear on), he exclaimed "Mom-careful, don't move there is a huge fish under you." I turned into an olympic swimmer and swam to shore. Noah is really good with snorkel gear! He would wear it all of the time, if he could. Doesn't want to miss anything.

Leah loved trying out the boogie board and hanging out in the crystal clear warm water! Finally, we snuck into Hanalei for lunch and Leah scored some custom made flip flops, from the Design your own flip flops shop in Hanalei. Careful gang, Leah is a real trend setter, she has a one of a kind pair of flip flops!

To close out our evening we headed south and enjoyed a Hawaiian Luau. It was really nice, the food was good, drinks were flowing and the shows was great! We would see it again! Well, every one is tucked away in bed, so I should run. See you soon!

Hawaiian Adventure Day 8 - March 20, 2011

First day of Spring! We tried to sleep in again, but decided to visit church down on Hanalei. St. William is an open air church that is really quaint and neat to visit. Then we headed back to visit the cool surfing town of Hanalei Bay. There are so many neat shops, etc..., we visited the fish market and Noah and Dad picked out yet some more fish for me to grill tonight. Opah and Ahi...jury is still out--not sure what their favorite is yet.

We did get a chance to hang out and enjoy the park nearby. Of course playing catch, flying our kite and swinging were the favorites! Of course a dip in the pool too.

Then...I finally got this blog going again! I am sure I will still add pictures, but thought you could see what is going on, as we are negligent with our postcards too!

Hawaiian Adventure Day 7 - March 19, 2011 (Dad's Birthday!)

This was a very busy day for us! First and foremost, it was Dad's birthday! Noah and Mom went on a zipline tour (a special activity that Noah picked) and we moved north to Princeville!

The zipline tour was "AMAZING!" "The best ever." --Noah. I thought it was a stunning experience, once I got past the fear of being suspended in the air weighing more than I think is appropriate for a woman of my age and size. (I even asked if they wanted to weigh me before we left, as I was sure they needed to know. Safety was my number one concern for both of us! We took the tour with Outfitters Kauai. We took the Nui Loa trip. Our longest zip was 1800' through a valley over 350' in the air. Thrilling to say the least. We finished the trip with a dip in a dormant volcano.

Dad and Leah packed up and hung out by the pool and got another Lapperts to tide them over, while Noah and Mom played in the jungle!

Then we headed north to check into our BEAUTIFUL townhouse: Villas on the Prince-Unit #34. We really lucked out getting to know the owner, as she too is from Minnesota and has such a beautiful home here in Kauai that she rents to lucky guests like us! After checking in and taking a quick dip in the pool. We headed to the St. Regis Hotel overlooking Hanalei Bay for a beautiful dinner at Sunset to celebrate Dad's birthday! Dad called the view, "the most amazing view in the world!" We enjoyed dinner at the Makana Terrace. Guy and Noah both continued on their endeavor to find the best hawaiian fish, Guy selected Opah (a moon fish) and Noah picked Opakapaka (a snapper). Afterwards we headed back for a big piece of birthday "crust cake." Guy did have the good fortune of getting his birthday present from everyone, that Noah hid in his luggage for nearly a week-an Ipad 2!

Hawaiian Adventure Day 6 - March 18, 2011

Well this was to be our last full day in our condo on the southern part of the island. This part of the island is considered the "sunny south shore." Guy and I decided that this is certainly a place we would love to visit again! We loved Whaler's Cove, but Poipu Shores would be a great place to stay as well! Perhaps we someday will have a place to call our own here--one can always dream!

Noah and I decided to grab lunch from a local vendor that served shrimp out of a van on the side of the road. Apparently, a local favorite: "Savage Shrimp." We tried to visit it earlier, but they had sold out. The Cierzan Trip Advisor review: "two thumbs up!!!-Delicious!"-- Noah and Mom, "too messy, too much work (had to take the shells off)"- -Dad!!! Overall, a must visit!

Hawaiian Adventure Day 5 - March 17, 2011

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! We decided to spend some time at the condo again today! Since we had to wake up early for our sailing adventure, we figured we deserved to sleep in. We enjoyed Hawaiian Sweet Bread French Toast on our Lanai! A special treat!

Then we head over to town to check things out...can you believe it...they have a COSTCO in Kauai! We made a quick visit! Finally, we visited Old Koloa Town, the first sugar plantation town in all of the islands. Needless to say, they have now outsourced ALL of the sugar production, but the history remains! They have many small shops, an amazing Fish Market and even a small pharmacy. Noah even scored a 17% discount on his Hawaiian Necklace as he was wearing green while shopping.

Lunchtime, we decided to picnic at Poipu Beach Park and check out Baby Beach. This was a special treat too! Leah and Mom built some sandcastles, while Dad and Noah played a little catch. We also got a sneak and up close peak at a Hawaiian Monk Seal that was resting on the beach!

The kids had sampled yet some more hawaiian fish: Woo-Hoo and Mahi-Mahi. We grilled the fish on our grill back at the condo. Guy gave the fish high marks!!! The kids loved it again too!

We did make a trip to our favorite ice cream shop "Lapperts" for desert! Unfortunately, we still weren't wearing our "green" as we could have scored a free dip of ice cream! However, as usual the ice cream did not disappoint!!!

Hawaiian Adventure Day 4 - March 16, 2011

Well, not sure where to begin here...we had signed up to take a snorkel and sailing trip up the Napali Coast. "Captain Andy's" adventures...our Trip Advisor evaluation is "Captain Andy's Barfing Adventures." (per Noah). We did take some motion sickness medicine, but that really didn't help. (Noah and myself spent much of our time on the back of the boat, praying for it to turn around).

We would love to share some pictures of the unbelievable Napali Coastline, it truely takes your breath away! (The new Pirates of the Carribean was filmed all over this coastline!) However, we couldn't take any as Noah and I were holding on to our white paper bags and Sprite and Guy had to keep a handle on Leah! We did however, get to see some Whales up close, a ton of Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins and some Green Sea Turtles.

The swells we were sailing in were 6-12 feet, and the winds were 40+ mph. We couldn't even snorkel as the water was too rough. Unfortunately, we sailed for 5 1/2 hours, and had to rest when we got home! Fortunately, the views from our condo were superb! The sunsets were amazing too...

Hawaiian Adventure Day 3-March 15, 2011

This was a first full day here...so we thought we would indulge ourselves in a little R&R, however, our bodies had not yet adjusted to the five (5) hour time difference. I (Penny) answered my phone at 3:00 am, Guy was up and moving at 4:30 am and both kids were ready to go by 7:00 am.

We headed out for breakfast and started shopping as the shops opened their doors at 10:00 am. Then we decided to spend the day at our hotel and enjoy the property and pool! Noah and Leah ended up with ugly sunburns on their faces! We weren't fully prepared for the intensity of the hawaiian sun!

We did take a break for lunch and headed off to the "Famous" Puka Dog vendor in Poipu (Featured on the Travel Channel and Food Network) per Noah's request! They feature hawaiian style hotdogs! They were amazing! (Leah wasn't a fan however!)

After a quick bite, we headed off to see Spouting Horn Beach Park. This is a small lava shelf where water from the waves thrust through an opening, causing water and air to blow out the blowhole. Dad, Noah and Leah posed for a quick shot.

After a day in the sun, we decided to head out for a sunset dinner on Poipu Beach. We visited Brennecke's Beach Broiler-this is were Noah and Leah started their fish eating adventure! Noah loved "Opah" and Leah loved "Ono." No chicken strips and fries for these two!

Hawaiian Adventure Day 2-March 14, 2011

We arrived in Kauai, Hawaii, tired, hungry and hot! Our Minnesota attire was a bit out of place. However, we were just excited to be there!

Dad (Guy) picked out a really cool car for us! A cherry red, four door, jeep that we could remove the top off of. A compromise to the Convertible Car idea that Leah had; that our luggage never would have fit into.

We finally arrived! We rented a condo at "Whaler's Cove" in Koola Town (near Poipu). It was FANTASTIC! We stayed in unit #212. It was "HUGE" and had everything we needed, most importantly it had the view of the ocean out our patio door. We enjoyed many sunset dinners out on our patio. Here are some pictures of the the condo...(We would highly recommend this condo!) We have posted a couple of pictures from our lanai too!

After unloading...we decided to check out the infinity pool out our doors...(Dad, Noah and Leah posed for a quick shot!)

The Cierzan's Hawaiian Adventure (March 13-24, 2011)

Forget, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," we now are all about "Planes, Planes and more Planes!"

Yes, it is true...we are TIRED of the long Minnesota Winter and heading off for a hawaiian warm up. We are headed over to Kauai, Hawaii, despite the recent earthquake in Japan and Tsunami warnings in Hawaii. We were assured by our Hawaiian contacts, that it was PERFECT in Kauai.

We ended up traveling overnight, taking flights from three different airlines and experiencing the chaos of the LAX terminal! So here is the abbreviated Cierzan Trip Advisor summary:

United Airlines was the least comfortable, Alaskan Airlines has the BEST customer service (all of our attendants were wonderful!) and Delta was the least reliable. However, we made it on time in the end--safe and sound!!!

We also had a brief layover in Seattle, so decided to catch a few Zzz's at the Radisson right by the airport. Guy properly announced it was certainly a "socks on" establishment!

We promptly checked out and continued our airplane adventure to Hawaii!