• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Products / Baby Gear
    • Best Mom & Baby Products
    • Ultimate Baby Registry Guide
  • Pregnancy
    • Prenatal
    • Breastfeeding
  • Baby
    • Month 1-3
    • Month 4-6
    • Month 7-9
    • Month 10-12
    • Second Year
    • Toddler
  • #MomLife
  • About Us
  • Nav Widget Area

Rookie Moms

Pregnancy > Parenthood

You are here: Home / Blog / A week in Kauai? Kinda sorta.

A week in Kauai? Kinda sorta.

0 shares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Lucky me
I just got back from a week on the North Shore of Hawaii with my husband, two sons, mom and step-dad and I’d be totally lying if I said it wasn’t great. It was awesome. The weather was in the mid-eighties all the time; when it rained it was fun or refreshing; nobody was wacked in the face with a surfboard; and both Milo and I stayed relatively pale and un-sunburnt.

Hanalei Bay is a giant sandbox

Hanalei Bay is a giant sandbox

And did I mention that we were there with grandparents? Wow. Alec and I enjoyed a full day away from the kids, one afternoon, one after-dinner dessert, and one dinner (but who’s counting?!).

Right before we realized we missed the morning boat

Right before we missed the morning boat ride

Ok, but seriously, what am I doing wrong?
Now that I have all that mushy gratitude out of the way, let me get right down to it. What is the secret to having a fun vacation with a 3 year old and a 1 year old? Does it even matter where you go and what you do? At this age, they don’t have any patience or common sense.

Too rainy to hike Waimea Canyon. Oh well.

Too rainy to hike Waimea Canyon. Oh well.

I resisted my impulse to plan the crap out of the trip in advance and fear I lost my chance to be prepared. In the effort to go with the flow, we missed boats, mis-timed lighthouse open hours and drove back and forth a TON between various activities and attractions.

Best stuff of the trip
I know if you ask Milo what he liked best, he would say “roos” — his favorite thing was clearly chasing chickens and roosters. He wouldn’t go to bed until you assured him that the fowl was no longer frolicking.

If you ask Holden what he liked best, he would say the airplane. He was afraid to go in the water, even up to his ankles, until the last day preferring instead to dig in the world’s largest sandbox (AKA the beach).

As for kid-friendly activities and restaurants, I would be hard-pressed to give you much advice, but let me try anyway:

Best beach: Lydgate Beach with it’s waist-high on a 3 year old rock enclosed fish filled enclaves.
Best burger: Bubba’s Burger in Kapa’a. I thought it was fine, but Holden liked his first dining experience the best and kept wanting to go back.
Best tourist trap experience that’s better with kids: Boat-ride to Fern Grotto. This is a very lame boat ride with a short hike through plants with some traditional Hawaiian singing and dancing… which is good especially if you’re too young for luaus. Also, we enjoyed feeding the birds for $.50 at the Smith Nature Preserve when we missed the boat the first day.
Best of the best: Wild chickens running everywhere. Find an open lawn away from driving cars and let your clueless toddler run themselves straight for an early nap.

I never did find a particularly kid-friendly swimming pool. Anyone else have any (young) family favorites on Kauai?

October 29, 2008 8:54 am RookieMom Heather Filed Under: Blog, Having 2+ kids, Momoirs of a Rookie Mom

Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter

Primary Sidebar

Search our site

10 Best Strollers In 2023 – For Every Mom’s Needs!

10 Best Strollers In 2023 – For Every Mom’s Needs!

The 15 Best Nursery Gliders for 2023! [Traditional to Unique]

The 15 Best Nursery Gliders for 2023! [Traditional to Unique]

The 50 Best Toys for 2 Year Old Boys in 2023! [+ Toys of the Year]

The 50 Best Toys for 2 Year Old Boys in 2023! [+ Toys of the Year]

The Best 20 Stay at Home Mom Jobs in 2023!

The Best 20 Stay at Home Mom Jobs in 2023!

10 Amazing LGBTQ+ Children’s Books to Celebrate Pride Month

10 Amazing LGBTQ+ Children’s Books to Celebrate Pride Month

Toddler Won’t Stay in Bed? 6 Must-Know Tips for Toddler Sleep Regression

Toddler Won’t Stay in Bed? 6 Must-Know Tips for Toddler Sleep Regression

Join our Rookie Moms Facebook Page

Rookie Moms

Disclosure

Review Policy
Privacy Policy

This site is an Amazon affiliate.

Popular Articles

150 Unique Middle Names for Girls

Footer

Browse By Age

  • Pregnancy
  • Month 1-3
  • Month 4-6
  • Month 7-9
  • Month 10-12
  • Toddler
  • Preschooler

Problem Solving

  • Sleepy
  • Eating
  • Breastfeeding
  • Home
  • Baby Registry
  • Pregnancy
  • Baby
  • Toddler
  • Preschooler
  • Baby Gear
  • #MomLife
  • Holidays
    • Holiday Gift Guide
    • Holiday Entertaining

© Copyright 2016 · Pretty Lifestyle WordPress Theme by: PDCD