Having been to three of the four major Hawaiian islands, I can see why Kauai is called the garden isle. The entire island is so lush and green which is mainly a result of all the rain the island gets. In fact, Kauai is one of the wettest places on earth. But like any of the islands, the weather can vary dramatically depending on which side you're on. This was a major factor for us when deciding which area to call our home base for the week. Since we were going in the winter which is during the rainy season we decided to avoid the north shore and opted for the east side which positioned us well to access all sides of the island in decent time.

We ended up staying at Kauai Shores which we booked through Costco (another travel hack to save $$!). The resort had recently been updated and offered a lot of amenities for guests including bike rentals, a pool and hot tub, and direct access to the beach. The hotel is also home to Lava Lava Beach Club which is the only toes-in-the-sand dining experience on the island. My only real complaint was the parking. The spaces were very tight and it was a hassle to find a spot when we would arrive back later at night. They do offer free valet with the resort fee so keep that in mind.

Below I've included a breakdown of how we spent each day of our trip. I will be writing more detailed guides about our time in each area of the island but I hope this post helps you plan out your days and must see sites! 

Is "instagramable" even a word?! Maybe not but I vote it should be! I'll be the first to admit I'm sometimes as basic as it gets when it comes to traveling. When I'm deciding where my next destination should be I almost always do some good old fashioned Instagram stalking. I spend a lot of time researching locations and hashtags on Instagram because I love looking at other people's adventures (it's one of the main reasons I decided to become a travel blogger in the first place).

I'm not ashamed to admit I've sipped Frose at Bry's Estate in Traverse City or made a trip to Grand Rapids to seek out the most adorable coffee camper just because I saw it on "the gram." So in the spirit of all things colorful wall murals and Insta-worthy sunsets I've rounded up my favorite spots to snap a pic while visiting Maui.

One of the main reasons I decided to start this blog is because I LOVE creating travel itineraries for my trips. And when I'm planning my vacations I find myself spending hours on Pinterest reading about how other people were spending their time in the places I was going and what things I simply had to see. But honestly, I found a lot of general guides highlighting cool places and very few that broke down how travelers spent their time each day.

Now don't get me wrong, this isn't a minute-by-minute list of where you need to be (it's still a vacation after all) but more of a list of the things I want to make sure we see and when it makes sense to see them which is mainly determined by location. If you've never been to Hawaii, all of the islands are pretty much divided into sections (north, south, east, and west) and it can take an hour or more to get to the other side. So instead of wasting a bunch of time driving, I typically plan our days based on which section we will be in and go from there. This strategy has helped us to see and experience SO much of the islands (other than just the beautiful beaches) in a relatively short amount of time. This was also our second time visiting Maui and we wanted to experience some different things than our last trip. Read more about that here.

I plan to write more detailed posts on each of our days and break down my complete reviews of our excursions and activities but I hope this will give you an idea of what activities you may want to add to your trip and how to plan your time on the islands.

Comfort, Style, Organization: A Backpack for Today's Women.

This is the idea behind Parker Design Co.'s Rosa Pak and it certainly delivers on all aspects. I was so happy to discover this bag before my recent trip to Hawaii. And best of all they are a Michigan made company and I always love being able to support local small businesses whenever possible.

​As someone who travels a lot, I am always looking for ways to make the experience more enjoyable. I'll be honest I have a self diagnosed case of flight anxiety. I do not enjoy airports and am constantly checking to make sure I have everything and my passport didn't fall out of my bag or I left my phone charger plugged into the wall. Not to mention having to worry about a heavy purse or tote bag shifting from one shoulder to the next while dragging a suitcase behind you. Phew! With the Rosa Pak I didn't have any of these issues. I had easy access to all my items at all times and going through security was a breeze. 

If you've ever been to Hawaii you know how amazing the food scene is. If you haven't, you may have a hard time resisting the urge to Google flights by the end of this post. This was our second time visiting Maui and we made a point to try a variety of new places and also seek out the food and drinks we've been dreaming about ever since our first trip in 2017.

The best part about being on an island is a majority of the ingredients are fresh and locally sourced. I have to admit I am not cut out to be a food blogger -- mainly because by the time the food comes I'm so excited to eat it that I forget to document it. But I did my best to capture some of our favorites from our trip. Let's dig in!