Leaving the busy mainland for Hawaii makes for a perfect holiday.  Especially if you leave during the winter months!  Here are some highlights from LaDawn about her family’s adventures in Kauai.

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Once we figured how to convince Santa to deliver Christmas early, leaving the busy mainland for Christmas seemed like the perfect Ho Ho Holiday or Alohaliday!  This was our Mele Kalikimaka Kauai Christmas…

Surf Lessons with Kauai Surf School is perhaps the funnest 2 hours we’ve ever had as a family.  Maybe it’s because I felt super cool as a 40 somethin’ riding the waves? Or maybe it’s because my boys thought I was super “sick” for doing it!

Maybe it was the instructors?  On land, Alan and Nick showed us proper form on surfboards. We practiced til we all felt ready to take on the water.

Family Surf

Maybe it was the time?  They suggested we do the 8:00 am early slot, and NO ONE was on the beach.  We had every wave to ourselves.  Good tip guys.

Maybe it was the beach?  This was an “epic” surf day for beginners.  This beach had glassy waves and a sandy bottom. Alan and Nick were in the water with us, making sure we caught wave after wave.  Whether they helped us straighten our board, or give us an extra push, they made it successful for our 6, 10, 13, and 14 year old boys, as well as for John and I, to stand up and ride them in.

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Maybe we are just “mega rippers”?  Maybe not. After all the instruction and surfer-dude help was over, they gave us free time to ride on our own. It was definitely harder with out their help!  But, it was also really satisfying to on our own, catch it…surf it..and paddle out again.

Maybe it was everything?  Kauai Surf School treats you right.  We loved everything about Alan, Nick, their school, and our RAD morning at the beach!

Contact Info: Kauai Surf School, 808-651-6032 or email:  info@kauaisurfschool.com

Kayaking and Hiking to a Wailua Waterfall

December 25, 2013 is one for the Christmas Day memory book.  Not only was is very merry, but very muddy!  We decided to celebrate the holiday with Ali’i Kayaks by kayaking an easy 4-mile stretch of the Wailua river.  The scenery was lush and at times we were floating through tunnels of mango trees and rain forest greenery.

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Then we hiked for 1.5 miles to a stunning…and gushing waterfall tucked deep in the forest. Now, I understand this waterfall is always beautiful, but it was gushing because of all the rain Kauai had the previous week.  That’s where the “muddy” came in.

We have 4 boys, and I don’t think I’ve ever said “hey kids…go play in the mud!”  Well, this was their chance.  They were wearing water shoes and it was every boy’s dream!  I even embraced the mud and started to actually like the feeling as it squished through my toes!  The path we hiked took us through the historically rich land of the former Hawaiian monarchy, where we not only learned a bit of history, but saw some remains of this past era.

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I think the boys always say it best, so here it goes:

“The falls are so worth it”

“It was like a massage pounding on your back”

“This was the perfect combo of kayaking and hiking”

“This was a cool Christmas”

…and I couldn’t agree more!  We had a Merry Muddy Christmas!   Thank you to Ali’i Kayaks for the special day!

Contact info: Ali’i Kayaks, 1-877-246-ALII

Scuba Excursions

We had played on the water, now we wanted to play UNDER the water.

Bubbles Below Scuba Charters was the place to go!  Bubble Below offers a “Discover Scuba Diving” mini course in a pool, where my non-certified son learned and practiced what he needed to know to safely dive with us the next day on a 2-tank dive.  Sharks, eels, turtles, and a very friendly staff made for a great day under the sea!Mahalo Bubbles Below!

Contact Info: Bubbles Below Scuba Charters, (808) 332-7333, or email:  aloha@bubblesbelowkauai.com

 

One Comment

  • Dana says:

    So awesome, Kauai Surf School is the best! The owners are super friendly, fun and helpful. They also opened up a new surf shop, Aloha Exchange, in Kalaheo, Kauai with the “sickest” apparel 🙂 Stop by next time you’re on the island!

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