Photos and videos by CodyContent
Last month, we enjoyed a six-night stay at the beautiful Hanalei Bay Resort in the quiet northernly town of Princeville on the lush island of Kauai, Hawaii, courtesy of ResorTime and Grand Pacific Resorts. Check out scenes from our journey as well as our recommendations for many fun things to do in Kauai. Then book your own ResorTime Hawaiian vacation through SanDiegoVille and save 10%!
Kauai is known as "the Garden Isle", and rightfully so, as tropical rainforests cover much of the island's surface. Hanalei Bay Resort is located on the northern end of the island near the town of Princeville. A magical spot on Kauai’s North Shore, the resort's property truly captures the beauty of the island. Named the Best Pool in the U.S. by Fodor's in 2010, a free-form lagoon pool and volcanic rock grotto spa, surrounded by waterfalls and lush tropical gardens, overlook Hanalei Bay. It also offers the island's only swim-up bar - Ukulele Bar.
Hanalei Bay Resort also boasts four hard and four artificial turf tennis courts, a 24-hour onsite fitness center, a complimentary hospitality lounge, onsite shopping, and a beachfront on a pristine strip of sand on a reef-lined stretch of Hanalei Bay. As far as dining, Hanalei Bay Resort's Happy Talk is a favorite bar and restaurant among locals and tourists alike, offering daily lunch and dinner service, a full bar with a top-notch beer list and live entertainment nightly.
There are plenty of fun activities to enjoy nearby Hanalei Bay Resort. One of the highlights, Queen's Bath is a beautiful swimmable tide pool surrounded by igneous lava rock located just minutes from the resort. Pack a lunch and some cold beverages and prepare for a somewhat difficult, yet very rewarding, downhill hike to the shoreline. (Be forewarned: the return trip uphill, especially after a rain, is fairly challenging). There is also a beautiful, flat hike through a Mahogany forest accessible from behind Banana Joe's Fruit Stand and Kaua'i Mini Golf & Botanical Gardens, about a 15 minute drive from the resort. The journey goes through fields of trees and loops around to a picturesque pond that even has a rope swing.
In addition to the lovely stretch of beach at the foot of the Hanalei Bay Resort, Hideaways Beach was a favorite. We had a great time saddling up there and making a firepit before trekking it westward to Ke'e Beach for the perfect sunset view. Ke'e is also the starting point for the famed, eleven-mile Kala-lau Trail along the Na Pali Coastline which many adventurous hikers devote days to explore.
As far as dining and nightlife goes, we were frequently exhausted at the end of our active days, so spent most nights either cooking in our fully equipped condo or dining at Hanalei Bay Resort's onsite Happy Talk bar and restaurant, which makes amazing burgers, wings and entrees and has excellent live music every evening. Those looking for groceries should head to Foodland in Princeville to stock up. If you're looking for dining outside the resort, venture about 10 minutes west to the small stretch of Hanalei town, where there are plenty of options. We enjoyed fresh-from-the-sea ahi poke along with live music at Tahiti Nui, eclectic bar bites at Kalyspso Island Bar & Grill, and upscale tapas at the hip Bar Acuda. For nightlife, one of the only spots in town is Tiki Iniki in Princeville, a hip bar decorated in Polynesian decor minutes from the resort property.
ResorTime wants SanDiegoVille readers to make their own perfect Hawaiian vacation, so they have provided us with a trackable discount link that gets our readers and followers a 10% discount on booking their own condo-style accommodations at their three properties in Hawaii. Just head to Resortime.com/sandiegoville and get started on your own adventure. With the help of ResorTime, we've already enjoyed vacations to Lake Tahoe and Coronado!
In addition to the lovely stretch of beach at the foot of the Hanalei Bay Resort, Hideaways Beach was a favorite. We had a great time saddling up there and making a firepit before trekking it westward to Ke'e Beach for the perfect sunset view. Ke'e is also the starting point for the famed, eleven-mile Kala-lau Trail along the Na Pali Coastline which many adventurous hikers devote days to explore.
As far as dining and nightlife goes, we were frequently exhausted at the end of our active days, so spent most nights either cooking in our fully equipped condo or dining at Hanalei Bay Resort's onsite Happy Talk bar and restaurant, which makes amazing burgers, wings and entrees and has excellent live music every evening. Those looking for groceries should head to Foodland in Princeville to stock up. If you're looking for dining outside the resort, venture about 10 minutes west to the small stretch of Hanalei town, where there are plenty of options. We enjoyed fresh-from-the-sea ahi poke along with live music at Tahiti Nui, eclectic bar bites at Kalyspso Island Bar & Grill, and upscale tapas at the hip Bar Acuda. For nightlife, one of the only spots in town is Tiki Iniki in Princeville, a hip bar decorated in Polynesian decor minutes from the resort property.
ResorTime wants SanDiegoVille readers to make their own perfect Hawaiian vacation, so they have provided us with a trackable discount link that gets our readers and followers a 10% discount on booking their own condo-style accommodations at their three properties in Hawaii. Just head to Resortime.com/sandiegoville and get started on your own adventure. With the help of ResorTime, we've already enjoyed vacations to Lake Tahoe and Coronado!
