Combining Business with Pleasure in Kauai

Aloha ~ what better place to celebrate a honeymoon or a wedding anniversary than on the beautiful Hawaiian island of Kauai. On our 10th anniversary my husband and I did exactly that! After picking up our mid-size car rental, we headed to the Outrigger Kiahuna Plantation resort in Poipu; approximately 25 minutes south of the airport … easy to find and a great location, across the street from the Poipu shopping village.

As would be expected, though …when travel agents travel, the trip sometimes also includes hotel inspections and learning-related activities. Even though I have been to Kauai several times, I always want to know what’s new and so the next morning, I met with Brooke from the Kauai Visitor’s Bureau. We talked about favorite Kauai activities, like whale watching in the winter, hiking, kayaking and zip lining. Among other things, we also discussed resorts that provide complimentary vow renewals – now THAT is romantic!

After some site inspections, we then headed to Kapa’a – to the Outrigger Waipouli Beach Resort, where we'd be staying the next 2 nights. This resort is amazing! It's one of the nicest condos I've ever seen; we had a very large 2-bedroom ocean-view unit and I felt like a celebrity. Both bedrooms had a lovely lanai (balcony) and the unit included 2.5 baths – definitely a good property for two couples or a family with children.

One evening, while at this resort, we went to Kilohana Plantation for the train ride and luau. Kilohana Plantation is about 15-20 minutes from the Outrigger Waipouli Resort. While there, one can ride the train through the plantation and farm and see all the beautiful plants and trees; the train stops briefly where the animals are (horses, pigs, goats) to allow passengers the opportunity to feed the animals and then it continues on. The Koloa Rum factory (rum tasting) and a shop with unique Hawaiian handmade items are on site as well – a nice place to tour. The Luau at Kalamaku was awesome. The show was like Cirque du Soliel, incredible choreographed dancing, fire poi ball twirlers, Polynesian fire knife dancing, hula dancing and it had a nice story line. The music was awesome. They served the Luau buffet style; food was good. The show was great!

After several more days of combining site inspections with relaxation and personal time, it was time to head back to reality. Since it was an evening flight back to the mainland, we requested a late checkout and headed to Hanalei in the morning to stretch our sightseeing as much as possible. The drive and the weather were beautiful. After walking around Hanalei for a bit in the morning, we headed south to Poipu, had a nice lunch at our favorite place … Brennecke's Beach Broiler before finally returning the rental car at Lihue Airport in Kauai and boarding our Delta flight for home. I am always happy to share thoughts and ideas with you on how to make your visit to my favorite islands the best it can be!