[Poipu/Port Allen, Kauai, Hi, Feb 18, 2024]

My friends reminded me that Kauai is the chill island, so we obliged and had a very leisurely morning on our first full day in Hawaii. I enjoyed my morning coffee on the balcony overlooking the ocean and basked in the warmth of the sun.

The only thing we had on the docket was a sunset boat tour of the Na’Pali coast, which didn’t start till 2:30 pm. Unfortunately, the charter company texted us in the morning to let us know that due to rough surf on the Na’Pali coast, our tour would be relocated to the calm waters of the Lawai Kai coastline, on the south side of the island. Because there was no guarantee that conditions would improve later in the week, we decided to roll with the change of plans. Meanwhile, we thought, we’d explore some of the beaches on the way to the port, in the town of Poipu.

Poipu is a popular destination for those who want year-around sunshine and more resort choices compared to Princeville and the North Shore. We first checked out Poipu Beach. It was full of people about to get on one-person mini catamarans.

The winds were whipping! Even so, we saw a bunch of snorkelers just off shore.

There were a couple of beached honu (Hawaiian sea turles) near the kiddie beach.

Further down was Brennecke’s Beach. No snorkelers here – this beach was all body surfers and regular surfers, due to the much stronger waves. A big sign at the beach warned of rip currents and the fact that the nearest lifeguard was a few minutes away over at Poipu Beach.

Our final destination was Shipwreck Beach. This one was much calmer and seemed to favor people who just wanted to sunbathe, which is exactly what we did! The wreckage this beach is named after is long gone. Just a beached monk seal remained. The natural 40-ft cliff jump was busy with folks but we didn’t actually see anyone jumping – again, the winds were strong and the surf was high!

Unfortunately, we didn’t have too much time for laying around, as we needed to get to Port Allen for our boat our. We did make time to stop by Poipu Beach Golf Course and its newly opened Kauai Poke. It had great views of the golf course! The poke was pricey but fresh. They also had a brunch menu, mimosas and bougie bathrooms!

Our boat tour was on Captain Andy’s, a top choice for boat tours on Hawaii. Apparently, his sailing catamarans were built specifically for the Na’Pali Coast, and I could definitely see a difference between those and the ones right next to us belonging to Blue Dolphin Charters. The bow was the main difference; there were two sets of giant sections with a trampoline-like fabric stretched over the catamaran legs. That was the adventure section, where brave souls sat and bounced up and down with the waves. Behind that were two sets of benches as well as places to stand – the semi-adventurous section. And then in the back, there were comfy tables for those who wanted the least amount of motion.

We started out standing in the semi-adventurous section, braving the winds and getting used to the high waves. Ash had to go to the bathroom though, and from there his experience turned for the worse. While he was fine on the bow, being in the confined bathroom space on the bottom of the boat made him seasick and he did not recover for the rest of the boat trip. He improved a bit when we turned the boat around and were no longer facing the wind, but then we had to go west again, and the sea sickness returned with the waves.

With the Na’Pali coast off the table, the boat tour itself turned into a wildlife watching tour. Humpback whales are “in season”, as they come down here from Alaska for about 3 months to mate. We saw one pretty close to the boat, although I didn’t catch that one on camera. I did get one juvenile one flapping his tail in the distance.

We also docked close to Allerton Beach and enjoyed amazing views from there. Allerton Garden is also nearby, and I made a note to visit those two places next time we’re on the island. This area also treated us to a bunch of dolphins!

The boat tour included dinner, which was actually quite fancy! We had surf & turf (filet mignon and shrimp) and amazing cheesecake for dessert. Drinks were also included! Ash took his to go and enjoyed it back in our hotel when has feeling much better.

The sunset views were great! We also got to see glimpses of Waimea Canyon, which we are visiting tomorrow.

Ash’s sea sickness aside, we both felt a little underwhelmed by the boat tour. Maybe I would have felt differently if I had actually seen the Na”Pali coast. As it was, I thought it was just a bit boring. We did book another Na’Pali coast tour for later in the week before we boarded this one, but we ended up cancelling it. I think I’ll stick to land for now. There is plenty of hiking to do on this island, and that’s exactly what we were planning on doing for the next couple of days.