If you get the chance to vacation to Kauai, Hawaii – take it! It’s truly remarkable. I don’t think Ryan and I have ever seen a place so lush in trees, exotic plants, roosters (more on that later) and beautiful mountainsides.

There is history every where you turn – from the filming of Jurassic Park to a mountain that looks like King Kong to a little bar called The Nui where they filmed The Descendents. The North Shore was filled with so many great stories. I’ll walk you through some of our adventures and our tips on what to do when you’re in Kauai a bit later.

But first, we start at the pool. Day One of paradise, Ryan and I hung out at the St. Regis resort pool for five hours. Five. Hours! I had to pry Ryan off of his chair, only because we had a dinner to get to. I would argue with you that this was the best resort pool and beach in Kauai.

The Pool at St. Regis Princeville is a large infinity pool overlooking Hanalei Bay and the views do not disappoint. Get their early before everyone else and you’ll get some great photos. Walk down to the beach and you may see some roosters. They are everywhere.

The poolside restaurant is the Nalu Kai Grill – which opens for cocktails at 10:30am. Yep, you guessed it. We were first in line for drinks – Mai Tai for him Pele’s Lemonade for me. Here’s a peek into what the pool area and beach looks like.

This is real life. I didn’t even edit this photo.
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Before settling into a lounge chair, we walked around the beach.
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This is Hanalei Bay. The view was unreal.
 

Chickens. Roosters. Everywhere!
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Private dining, anyone? It’s only $890.00 per couple. Only.
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My handsome husband.
. Lava rocks, I assume.
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This was the view from our room. Ugly, isn’t it?

And, the bar opens at 10:30am.