I'm out of here #7: Kauai - The Garden Isle

I couldn't leave Hawaii without visiting Kauai. I've always heared from friends that it's an amazing Island surrounded by junglish landscapes. So I decided to spent one of my last Weekends in the Aloha State by heading to this natural Beauty.

We based our home in the town of Kapaa, which is centrally located and makes every Point of the Island easily reachable by car. We stayed in a dome, a huge tent complete with outdoor kitchen and a nice jungle themed bathroom, where we took Relaxing baths in the evening when we got back from a busy day.

There are several nice beaches that surround the Kapaa area, like Donkey Beach, good for Surfing or Kealia Beach, where, with some luck, is possible to experience some whale watching in the early morning. Even if Kauai is so popular, the beaches are never overcrowded, which is amazing for me. The sand is golden everywhere and the nature is untouched.

Kapaa

Donkey Beach

On our second day we explored the northern part of the Island driving up to Hanalei to enjoy the Little surfer town life by having a bite in one of the cute Restaurants up there. We stopped at Anini Beach for snorkeling during the day. The water there is very calm compared to the rest of the coast in Kauai. I had a blast in the Crystal clear Waters seeing a lot of amazing creatures between the corals. I really hoped to see some turtles but I wasn't lucky enough or it might just was bad Timing I guess :)

Anini Beach

Haena State Park

To end this perfect day we drove to the very end of the road, to the Haena State Park, where the trail of the Naapali Coast Begins, to enjoy an amazing sunset on the beach and watching the sky turning into a faboulous violet. We found also some great lookouts on our way, like the one overlooking Kilauea lighthouse.

After all this lazyness we tried to add some adventure into our trip by booking some ziplining into a Little jungle reserve. It was a lot of fun and I discovered a bit of the child in  me again. Close to the zipline park we went to visit the Wailua Falls,  the biggest I've seen so far in Hawaii.

Wailua Falls

For anyone who's planning to visit Kauai, I'd reccommend a Minimum of three days, better four, just to enjoy the laid back Feeling of the Island. Being stressed on Kauai isn't really the best mood in my opinion ;)

Useful Tips

Where to stay: Kapaa Town is perfect, it's also the place where most of the locals live. Amalia's Dome is the perfect gateaway and better than any Hotel experience. You can book it here.

Getting around: renting a car is highly reccommended. If you're planning the Naapali Coast hike you should have an extra day for that, since the trail takes some time.

Random: Mosquito spray is a MUST on the garden Island :)

I'm out of here #6: Oahu - My favourite Beaches in Paradise

The first time I came to Hawaii was almost five years ago. And I actually had no clue of what I was doing. The most important Thing to me was getting out of Switzerland, and this for a Long period of time. My savings were supposed to last for about two months and I didn't want just to sit on my tiny butt by doing nothing, I wanted to come back with something more. So I decided to book myself an English class, just to improve it some more, and be able to make a proper conversation.
Since I was working in sales and basically was earning almost nothing, I informed myself about several places in the US, and was forced to choose the cheapest one to go and take classes. That's when the City of Honolulu came up. Being the cheapest place to book (weird, I know), I spent a good bunch of my savings on one month of School, a room in a Student condo on Kapi'olani Boulevard, and everything sounded sooooo exotic to me!

That's how I ended being in Hawaii for the first time, and, Boy, I really liked what I saw. I'm back for the third time already, and it feels like I never left.
I see things that became Routine, like grabbing my coffee almost at the same place everytime, or sit around in my favourite park listening to some Music. On the other Hand, I Keep on learning new things, seeing new places and Meeting new People. And that's another Point that makes me leave this place with some difficulties sometimes: you always feel welcome.
The Aloha Spirit is something that is taken as serious as the Hang Loose: it doesen't really matter who you are, you always fit in. Ok... you should be polite, at least ;)

I have to admit, my Christmas surrounded by sand Santas was pretty weird in the beginning :)

Honolulu is an enourmous City in the Pacific, and sometimes it feels crazy to me that I'm actually Standing in the middle of the ocean while being here. Waikiki  is world famuos, Ultra touristic, and I've experienced some packed streets between Christmas and New Years while living here. But still, everyone is chilled and doesen't seem to get stressed at all.

Oahu is so much more than Waikiki, even if I have a couple of places I really love here. The Ala Moana Beach Park for example, is one of the parks I really like. You're in the middle of Honolulu, but there's some real peace there. The beach is pretty big and the water is mostly calm, so perfect for a swimmer like I am or for a stand up paddeling beginner. The park itself  is lovely and full of charm especially for art deco Lovers: the bridges in there were built in that era.

Ala Moana Beach Park

Another favourite beach of mine is the one of Kailua. The white fine sand and the clear turquoise Waters reminds a lot of carribbean postcards, and in fact, it's a pretty good competition to that area in the pacific. The beach is pretty huge and invites for a walk, and it's never overcrowded.

Kailua Beach

If heading a Little bit  more east on the same day from Kailua, you'll reach the Makapu'u beach park, which is also very nice to see. It could be a good stop after hiking the trail nearby, to enjoy a refreshing swim. Watch out though, the sun goes down around 3 already here, there's a mountain just behind the beach.

Makapu'u Beach Park

If you dare, (I did!) take an hour walk from Sandy Beach to Hanauma Bay. Yes, you'll be actually Walking on the Highway, but nobody is going to hurt you. Plus: you'll experience some very amazing scenic Points where the rocks look amazing. The ocean does amazing works down there and you won't be disappointed.

How water makes its way into the rocks

Useful Tips:
Getting around: you're on vacation, so I guess you gonna have some time (or might get used to the Hawaiian time:p). I never rented a car on this Island, because I think that Oahu has a pretty good bus System. TheBus, in fact, takes you all over the Island for $2.50, two Transfers included. Routes are avalaible through Google  maps.

As you see, the Highway doesen't hurt :)

I'm out of here #5: Maui - Picturesque Towns & Hidden Treasures

Getting back to Maui is always soulbalm for me, it's a sweet spot that I would definetly call paradise. Getting around is pretty easy, since the Island is so small compared to the last I was, Hawaii itself. We arrived already in the morning and had the Chance to settle down in the sweet Wailuku, a Little town that faces the big Maui Forest Reserve. It feels very cosy here, it's a local town with a bunch of Shops and cafes, almost everything Closes at five, despite one Restaurant or two. It's a nice place to get back after exploring the Island and driving around all day.

The first Thing we've done after checking in, was heading to Paia. I love Paia! It's an historical Plantage town located on Maui's North Shore, that has a very strong Hippie vibe and actually seems to be Standing still in the Woodstock era (or it might just is my Impression, having a Hippie heart). The houses are colorful, streetart is around and Paia Beach is a good spot for Windsurfing too. There are also some local Restaurants worth to try! Café Mambo is a good address for mexican Food and tonight's hunger brang us to Thai Spice for some yum Curry and Tom Kha soup.
There is a nice variety of alternative Shops as well, selling local products and clothing like Mahina for clothing or jewels and Pakaloha for original Maui Bikinis (I have one and I am amazed!)

Another must, speaking of sweet Little towns, is Lahaina, the former royal capital of the hawaiian kingdom. There's a lot going on here, and you won't miss loads of tourists, but I like it a lot. There is lots to do for activity Lovers, like parasailing and whale watching, just make sure to bring a good filled wallet with you. I love to be on the fine dark sanded beach over there. It's never too crowded and the water is mostly calm, perfect for a swim. Make sure to be there on a second friday of the month, to enjoy some live Music, movies under the stars or just a walk on Front Street.
Try to make a stop on the way there at the scenic Points, you'll have breathetaking moments and bring home some great memories.

Clear Waters of Lahaina Beach

A typical scenic point

Earlier today, we decided to hit the curvy road to Hana. This Little village is just 50 miles away from my homebase, but since the road is full of curves, it takes around 2 hours to get there. It's totally worth the drive actually! Hana and surroundings have a lot of amazing beaches to offer. The first one we went to was the Red Sand Beach, a Little hidden treasure, that takes a Little hike down the hill. Watch out, it could be very slippery sometimes, so don't do it in flip flops like me :)
The water temperature is amazing and snorklers surely will be entertained by all the beautiful creatures Swimming between the rocks. I tried to make some Pictures with my ABC Store underwater camera, I'm pretty curious to see how they turned out.
After the Red Sand Beach, we went to see the Venus Pools by advice of a local guy of Hana. Unfortunately, the sun was already gone, but if you find yourself there in the morning, it's a total must. There is no sand to lay down, just rocks, and Swimming is only an Option if you jump down from them, but the water and the view are something out of this world. The Venus Pools are located around  mile 48.5 on Hana Highway and here is my advice again to bring at least a pair of Sneakers to walk down easily.
Our last stop for today was the Black Sand Beach (Waianapanapa State Park), which includes also the famous blow holes (if you're lucky enough you'll see the water coming out between the rocks) and a trail to some sea Caves. There is also a Camping facility in the park, in case you want to spend the night under stars Close to the ocean.

Red Sand Beach

Venus Pools

View over the blow holes

I'm out of here #4: Big Island of Hawai'i - Lava Flow, Cascades & Hilo Bay

Being sick wasn't exactly my plan in These days, so I'm apologizing already for a shorter post than usual. But there are some things in life that aren't predictable, that's why I'm trying to make the of it by being deep in love with a couple of painkillers.

We drove to the town of Pahoa, which was affected by Lava flow back in November 2014. It was pretty impressive to see closely how thick actually Lava can be, and how much it can destroy on ist way. There were also some People that died under the flowing heat, which made me very sad. Pahoa is a Little town 15 minutes away from Hilo, so it's pretty easy to reach.

After our short stop in Pahoa we went up to Volcano to visit the Volcano National Park. The Park is really huge, and surrounds two craters that are still active. It was quite interesting to see the earth fuming everywhere. The shorter part of the trail takes around 2 hours and it's a pretty easy hike, so it won't be a big Problem if you'll bring Kids. It took us around 1 hour to drive up there. There are entrance fees: 10$ for vehicles and 5$ for pedestrians.
The park includes the pretty volcano house, a Hotel with Restaurant overlooking the active crater, and the Volcano art Center, which Features a lot of local art, mostly inspired by the heat and the volcano goddess Pele.

Today instead, we decided to visit the closer located Akaka Falls, a beautiful state park fullfilled by jungle plants and the lovely cascades coming down from the hill. It's a nice asphalted trail, so it can even be walked in flip Flops. The entrance for pedestrian is 1$ if you park your car just before the park Begins.

Later we went back to Hilo to see our homebase by day. It's a lovely vintage City overlooking the bay, the most buildings were built back in the beginning of 1900, and there are plenty of Little cafes, vintage Shops and Restaurants for every taste. Another pleasant surprise was the Farmer's Market, which Features a lot of local Food and fruits, and some Souvenirs.
If you have more time, make sure to visit the art deco building of the Tsunami Museum. For those who want to hit a lovely beach, Richardson Ocean Park was my favourite, as I showed in my latest post.

I am a big fan of colorful places and vintage homes, that's maybe why I liked Hilo so much. I really hope to come back soon to this lovely place. And my host Kawehi just made it a lot better <3.