Today was a slow day, and unfortunately far from the most fun to report on, so I expect this narrative to be more brief than the others. Exhausted from the Luau, we slept in later than we had all trip. Around 8:30 we started moving, and unfortunately had to set ourselves right into packing. We’d saved our leftovers from the Kihei Caffe earlier in the week for just this occasion. Sadly, we had no folks. I took a trip down to the waterfront – for some souvenir sand – and forks from one of the poolside bars. Returning to the room, we were impressed at how well the leftovers had held up and felt good about this aspect of our planning.
Through the next hour we finished packing up the room and headed downstairs to check out. We had our final parting views of the Grand Wailea and its oceanfront property. It treated us well and we were sorry to go (though also excited about new adventures). Check-out went smoothly and we hopped in our car and returned to the airport.
The drive and the airport were both unexciting – which is exactly what you want from those. We arrived at our gate without hassle, but then had to wait about 90 minutes to board our flight. It was a short flight, about 45 minutes, and it too went smoothly. Our first real excitement from the day came when approaching Kaua’i. The island was green and stunning. We flew in around the side of the Nā Pali Coast State Wilderness Park. The waves crashed beautifully into its sands and rocky base. The hills rose quickly into jagged mountains with ravines. Everything was so lush and green – it was impossible to not be excited about staying on an island that looked like this.
Before long we landed, and getting our bags and rental car went smoothly. We hit the road and headed, around the coast, to the northern part of the island. The drive was about 45 minutes to our hotel and wound around the coast of the island. The beaches continued to be stunning, and sometimes the road cut inland towards the sharp, green peaks. It was entertaining, to learn along the drive, that chickens and roosters are everywhere! They are even considered a pest by some here. They’re in the road, swarming picnic areas, hanging out by buildings. Everywhere!
Arriving at our hotel was the most harrowing part of the day. Confused by some of the names we’d received and had, we headed to the Princeville Resort. This was not correct. So after a few chaotic minutes we learned that we were actually at the Westin Princeville. Fortunately this was just a few minutes back up the road. Check-in was smooth and our room was great! The Westin is less a typical hotel and more a collection of condos or villas. Our room provides us with access to laundry and a kitchen, so we hope to do some shopping tomorrow and more cooking this week. Our room itself has a wonderful view north across a golf course and into the endless blue of the ocean.
By the time we were checked in it was about 4:30 and we were exhausted. Not sure what to do for the evening or for food, we explored the hotel options and ended up at the poolside bar for a drink and a snack. Archer had a "Bite the Bulleit" and I had a Tai Chi, a blend of 3 different rums on ice. Together we shared an order of Parmesan truffle fries and they were surprisingly tasty! After this, and having seen the on-site dining options, we agreed to head into town and see what we’d find. In this case “town” was not that far and still felt primarily like a tourist hub, but we found a small place and ordered some Thai takeout. We returned home and sat outside on our porch, overlooking the ocean to eat dinner. It was quiet, and nice, and far more “low key” than any other evening this trip. It was nice to slow down for a day, but we’re excited to do some more exciting things in the coming days.
No comments:
Post a Comment