Hawaii has been on my bucket list for quite a while. Every time I planned to visit Hawaii, somehow, someway, it didn’t work out. It wasn’t until fate would have it that my husband and I found it necessary to move our scheduled honeymoon in Aruba to another venue at the last minute, that Hawaii became our final destination.
I’ve had many friends go on their honeymoons, weddings, anniversaries and other occasions to the Aloha State, so I had this image of several islands filled with romance, brilliant sunshine and an overabundance of Pina Coladas and Mai Tais.
However, what I didn’t expect, was the sheer physical beauty of the island of Kauai in particular, that had me bewitched from the moment of our arrival, not to mention how accommodating the food and beverage programs at hotels and the local restaurants were to my healthy and often gluten-free lifestyle.
Adventure Awaits
One of the most awe-inspiring landscapes I may have ever seen in person was the vista of the Na Pali Coast. That’s the thing to do when you’re on the island, but choosing which mode of transportation you do it with is the real kicker. We had two choices: a helicopter ride or boat tour. We opted for the latter because my husband’s face contorted at the mere suggestion of climbing into a helicopter. Friends had raved about their experiences with Captain Andy’s, so we booked a romantic, sunset dinner tour with the picturesque Na Pali Coast being our backdrop.
The evening sail included an in-depth tour of the island with amazing history and plenty of photo opportunities, as well as a three-course meal and an open bar. It might have been one of our most substantial wins of the trip on multiple accounts.
The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about the Na Pali Coast and was kind enough to stop and answer questions for eager tourists who wanted to learn more about the breathtaking landscape. The entire crew also seemed to be trained in action photography and made all of us onboard feel like social media stars for a few hours.
As for the meal itself, I was assured that when I purchased the ticket that a gluten-free meal would not be a problem and that they often catered to people with food allergies on their sails. For this particular ocean jaunt, the menu included a mixed green salad and a surf and turf dish served with a baked potato. They held the bread for me and my dish came in a separate plastic covering that was labeled a gluten- free meal, followed by a gluten-free dessert.
Another bucket list experience I had in my sites for our trip was to attend a traditional Hawaiian luau. The Smith Family Garden Luau came highly recommended from a few friends. While some people might argue that this was a “touristy” thing to do—it was well worth it for a number of reasons. Firstly, we got lei’d with some lovely beaded necklaces upon entrance, then secondly, taken on a short tour of their beautiful property where we were able to take a variety of photos.
Finally, we sat down to a surprisingly delicious pig roast buffet that had many different types of foods. The selections were labeled to aid those with any type of food allergy that might exist—with close to half of the buffet items being gluten-free.
There was also the unlimited open bar, juice bar and Mai Tai station we were able to indulge in while listening to a live performance from some of the Smith family members who sang traditional songs as well as a few Elvis Presley classics. The end of the evening culminated in a Hawaiian stage show that included countless dance and musical numbers that told the story of the Hawaiian people and their many cultural influences. My favorite moment of the evening was the flame thrower tossing around huge sticks of fire.
Another great aspect about being in Kauai is being able to completely take in the island’s raw, natural beauty. While we love a good organized tour, we also appreciate getting in a car and exploring, just the two of us, seeing where any given day might take us. Because of this, a friend encouraged me to download the Shaka Guide, an app that offered driving tours and directions around multiple Hawaiian Islands.
You have the ability to purchase different driving tours and routes. We chose the day trip to Waimea Canyon in Kauai. This was one of the things we wanted to see but didn’t feel like a 12-hour guided hike or anything else too extreme. We wanted to cruise, take photos, walk around and soak in the scenery. This app was invaluable and even suggested cute places to stop along the way like the Kauai Coffee Company.
We found ourselves enjoying this app, but then pausing it and going off on our own way and even stopped at a small farmers market in town to get some fresh roadside coconut water before returning to our regularly scheduled programming.
A Culinary Delight
One of the culinary highlights of our trip came when we spent a day with Tasting Kauai food tour as a way of seeing the island through the lens of local food purveyors, farmers and business owners. If you’re a sustainable eater or traveler and care about what food you put into your body, then this is right up your alley. This incredible, intimate food tour brought us to local restaurants, juice bars, proprietors and even food trucks and introduced us to the men and women who are producing high-quality food in Kauai and who care about their local communities.
This eye-opening experience taught us about the connection between the food that we eat and the overall health of our bodies, but what I appreciated most was meeting local entrepreneurs who cared about these ideals so much that they’ve dedicated their careers and lives to furthering that mission. A few of my local favorites that we visited were Kauai Farmacy and Kauai Juice Company. We had the opportunity to speak with the owners themselves to hear their stories and their paths that began as simply a dream to an entrepreneurial small business.
Kauai Farmacy is an organic farm that produces tea grown in rich, volcanic soil and herbal health and wellness products. During the tour, we were able to sample a variety of teas and here from their staff the different medicinal properties for each delicious, hand-picked batch of tea. The Kauai Juice Company had a similar connection to the juices they produce—using only the highest quality local ingredients in any of their concoctions that include seasonal fruits, dark leafy greens and naturally occurring herbs found on the island.
We also loved our more casual encounters at The Taro Truck- a food court focused on locally grown taro root as well as the Wishing Well Shave Ice stand that uses only organic, fresh colors with zero artificial colors in their products. SushiGirl is also a must-try. All of their menu is entirely gluten-free and wickedly fresh.
Fine Dining
The best overall meal in terms of elegance, food quality and execution as it relates to fine dining, was at JO2. Don’t let the location in a strip mall fool you---this menu that showcases mostly fish and vegetable dishes will knock your socks off. Chef and owner Jean-Marie Josselin believes in clean, natural food with bold flavors and that’s exactly what we received.
We ordered a variety of their gluten-free dishes and shared them between us. We especially loved their eggplant in coconut milk, that I would eat every day if I could, and their refreshing jicama tacos filled with green papaya, avocado and heirloom tomatoes. We split two main courses in addition to our plethora of appetizers, just so that we were able to get a full gastronomic picture of the menu options, including the lemongrass seasoned Mahi Mahi with coconut Tom Yum broth and the seared ahi with Hokkaido scallop dressed in a port vanilla sauce and yuzu butter.
Some of the dishes were truly transcendent and the staff’s dedication to serving those with food intolerances and allergies was comforting and consistent.
Meal Prep and Planning
We made the Marriott Vacation Club Kauai Beach Club our home base during our time in Kauai. My husband’s family have been long-standing timeshare owners and were kind enough to gift us their weeks for our honeymoon. What was particularly great about vacationing in this fashion was having a full kitchen at our disposal. It makes meal prep easy, safe and in our control.
On our first few days on the island, we stopped at local super markets in town and picked up breakfast items including coffee, almond milk, organic turkey and gluten-free sandwich fixings to last for most of our days. This was a safe and economical way to spend a longer stay in Kauai.
Hawaii can be a very expensive place in terms of restaurants, supermarkets and overall dining, so consider finding a place to stay with at least a small kitchenette and refrigerator that can help you save costs for daily breakfast, lunch and snacks. Spending time and money on culinary experiences in the evenings were where we found the most value in our experience.
The best part about the island of Kauai is its undeniable connection with the land. If you look hard enough, you can find local restaurants, purveyors, farmers and business owners who are going back to their roots and connecting with the very thing that makes Hawaii so special. Take advantage of such unique places and avoid the overly processed tourist traps that only make dishes with imported, low-quality products.