Kauai's North Shore

Our honeymoon in Kauai was wonderful. Kauai's beauty is indescribable, so green, so lush, it really takes your breath away. Kauai is slow, quiet, and is perfect for a honeymoon (cough, everything closes at 9pm which makes Maui more fun if we're going to compare islands here, but that's neither here nor there. =P).

We stayed on the East Shore in a not so awesome hotel. I try to keep things positive around here, so I'll keep the name to myself. Feel free to email if you want to know more. ;) Although our hotel wasn't the best, it was in a decent location. We were about 45 minutes from the North and South Shores and a little over an hour from the West Shore. East Kauai is also less touristy which means lower prices and much, much better food than we had on other parts of the island.

And now I give you,
Kauai Day 1.

We woke up early on our first morning and made our way North for a full day of exploring and snorkeling. Our first stop on the North Shore was Tunnels Beach. Arrive early when visibility is best, and you can actually get one of about 7 parking spots on a side street. The snorkeling at Tunnels was so so good. We saw so many tropical fish, and even found ourselves at a "turtle cleaning station", which is basically a name for an area where sea turtles come to have their shells cleaned by little fish that eat whatever has collected on their shells. It's really amazing to watch.
**We also happened to arrive at Tunnels just as the most intimate elopement was taking place on the sand. It was magical. I was almost a teensy bit jealous that we didn't have such an intimate wedding, but then I remembered that our wedding day was the best day of my life and instantly felt better. =P

Nadav: You're seriously going to post that photo of me on your blog?! Tammy: Don't worry just think 'messy hair don't car' Nadav: *Shakes head*

Have I mentioned that I am a mosquito magnet? I already had about 10 bug bites on my legs on our first day in Kauai. ;)

After we had had our share of snorkeling at Tunnels we drove to the end of the road and made our way to Ke'e Beach. Parking is rough at this beach, but the scenery and beauty is worth the shenanigans. Ke'e also has great snorkeling, and sits along the most beautiful Napali Coast cliffs. I've heard that the water can be rough here, but it was quite calm on the day we visited. We swam out into the water and made our way along the rocks to a little secluded beach, which became a lot less secluded once a kayaking tour landed right next to us. ;)

After a few hours at Ke'e Beach we drove South to Princeville and checked out Queen's Bath. Queen's Bath is a small pool that forms when the waves crash over the rocks. It's really pretty, but would probably be best appreciated in the early morning when there aren't a ton of tourists there. What can ya do? ;) Either way explore the rocks and water around Queen's Bath there are cliffs to jump off of (obviously I did no such thing =P) and lots of sea turtles.

After a couple of hours at Queen's Bath we continued our drive south and found ourselves at a stop that overlooks the Hanalei Valley's taro fields. Gorgeous right?!

We ended our day with a fancy dinner at Tidepools restaurant at the Grand Hyatt in Poipu. The restaurant and views were beautiful, the service was good, but to be totally honest... the food was okay, and it was really expensive. I wouldn't recommend it. ;)