Hanalei

I loved, loved, loved Hanalei! Duh. Who wouldn't love the town where Puff the Magic Dragon lived by the
sea? But seriously. Hanalei is the cutest little laid-back, surfer town on the northeast coast of the island of Kaui in Hawaii.

We were staying at The Kaui Marriott Resort in Lihue  just after New Years and decided to drive up the coast to Hanalei and the north shore beaches. We drove north all the way until there was no more road to drive on.(Hawaii Route 560 or the Kuhio Highway) It dead ends into the parking lot for the famous Kalalau Trail, an 11 mile trail that leads from Ke'e Beach to Kalalau Beach along the Na Pali Coast. (Made famous by the creepy movie A Perfect Getaway with Steve Zahn. Have you seen it?)

We backtracked from there stopping at a few of the beaches - and let me tell you, they were some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen!

Funny story about the above beach. We were the only people there besides a group of five people of different genders, race and age. All five were dressed very nicely and were running around laughing and jumping in the waves in their clothes. I would love to know the back story on that!

It was time for lunch so we drove through Hanalei - it's really small - and found a cute outdoor place to eat lunch, Kalypso Island Bar and Grill. Walked through town and did a little window shopping. I'm pretty sure I could pack up and move there in a heartbeat!

On the way back to Lihue we stopped at the impressive Princeville Resort. We got a drink at the pool bar and sat overlooking the beach. I'm told they have a sunset ceremony every evening which I didn't know about so we didn't stay. Next time!

Tips on visiting Hanalei and the North Shore of Kauai -

-Parking is limited. We were there on a weekday morning in January and there was no place to park at the beaches. It may take awhile to find a spot to park.
- Hanalei is small with limited number of restaurants. You might want to think about packing a picnic to take to the beach.
- Beaches are public with lifeguards but be careful to stay off of private property of houses along the beach.
-Princeville Resort has valet parking but there is also self-park. You can visit the resort and eat or drink at the bars and restaurants there.
-There is a pull-off with a good view on the left just before you get to the Princeville Resort.
-If you don't want to drive all the way to the end of the road, there is a public beach park and pier located on the bay in Hanalei
-Have fun and enjoy all the South Pacificy (just made that word up) beaches!



I'm linking up for  Travel Photo Thursday with Budget Travelers Sandbox,Weekend Wanderlust at A Brit and A Southerner, Weekend Travel Inspiration at Reflections Enroute and Friday Postcards at Walking On Travels  so please go give them a look see!