Honeymoon: Day 2

So we were finally in Hawaii. Our first day we knew we wanted to take it easy and regroup after traveling. First we headed to Walmart for some munchies. We got some snacks, bread, and peanut butter just so we could have something to snack on in the room. (Note: There was one Walmart on the island and they don't use plastic bags. You either need to buy their reusables or carry things out one by one). When we returned, we got to know our resort. We stayed at the Kauai Marriott and it was fabulous - I highly recommend it! Right outside our room (both off the balcony and right out the front door) was the garden area.

Then we went to check out the pool area and beach - it was cloudy out. Andy and I were so worried that a week of cloudiness was in store for us. However, around 9:30 am the sun was blaring out rays (that was the last we saw of the clouds). It was so nice. The hotel opened up to a large balcony-type area. There was a bar and five columned sections which all overlooked the pool. Underneath the columns were five hot tubs connected to the pool. Here is Andy standing in one of the columned areas.

And here is the pool area. Sooo fabulous. And you can see the ocean in the back.

There was a grassy area in the back with lawn chairs followed by sand/the beach.  I don't really have a picture demonstrating this, but you'll get the point after seeing photos later on. I should also note that in order to hang around the Marriott's pool and beach area, you need wrist bands. You get pool cards at check in to exchange for fresh towels and wrist bands each day so staff can identify the guests. During our stay we saw them ask several people to leave because they weren't guests of the resort (politely, of course).

We ate lunch at the grill by the pool, and rotated from swimming and lounging. We hooked up with the concierge and planned a handful of activities for the week - super convenient! After showering, we went to dinner at Cafe Portofino, an italian restaurant connected to the resort. I got spaghetti and Andy got lasagna and they were both really good.  Since we sat on a deck area overlooking the beach, we had a glorious view.

After a day in the sun, we took a drive around. We had nowhere in particular to go, we were just ready to go see the island. Here are some of the highlights..

What I could capture of the tunnel of trees

I think I said "It's so pretty" a million times during that car ride. We grabbed some gelato back by the resort and hit the hay. Ready to go on an adventure the next day!

Honeymoon: Day 1

Andy and I were on the same page from the start about where we wanted to go for our honeymoon. We'd both always dreamed of going to Hawaii, so it was a no brainer. That, along with the fact we had a travel agent, the planning for the trip was pretty effortless. Mind you, I did get a few pointers from my parents who are frequent Hawaii-goers, but I pretty much just showed up to the airport for this one..

I will preface these posts by saying I'm trying to be as detailed as possible about our travels. I know I will forget these things in a short time, so bear with me!

We left for our honeymoon on Monday, June 10 giving us a day of rest after the wedding. Of course, we put off packing so Sunday was kind of chaotic. That paired with our excitement of the trip, we got little sleep on Sunday night. I woke up at 3:45 am on Monday and was raring to go. We were both ready with plenty of time to spare for our driver to pick us up at 5:30 am to trek to O'Hare...

Side note: I was completely against getting a driver to and from the airport at first. I figured it was wasted money that we could save. However, it really was our saving grace. Plus when you consider airport parking fees, it probably wasn't much more. Seriously, so thankful I caved in on that.

Anywho, we go to O'Hare around 7:30 am and got through security in a flash. We were at our gate by 8 and our flight wasn't set to depart till 10:05. I should put that once we got to the airport I became a complete nut case. I am an anxious person to begin with, but with the lack of sleep and craziness from the wedding I was really at a 10 on the crazy scale. Andy was insistent we eat a good breakfast because we'd be in the air without food all day, so we went to Chili's right by our gate. When I'm anxious, I cannot eat. I literally make myself sick and physically needed to sit at the gate to ensure I didn't miss the flight. I am aware of my neuroces... I even texted my mother at some point saying "Andy has concluded I need crazy pills." It may be true..

So we board our flight and are lucky enough to get the side aisle to ourselves (the plane has three sections of seats 2-5-2). The flight was dreadfully long and boring (just over 8 hours straight to Honolulu). We made it to Honolulu and prepped for our 2.5 hour layover. Again with the nerves, I was a wreck about getting to our gate even though we had so much time to spare. We had a heck of a time trying to figure out where our gate was, and ended up having to walk completely across the airport to find it. 

Andy and I waiting at the gate in Honolulu

Finally we board our second flight to Kuaui, and again had a row of two to ourselves. It was a quick half hour flight and with pretty views! We got our luggage immediately, picked up our car, and made the 5-10 minute drive to our resort. We unloaded and looked around before deciding to grab a light meal to tide us over. We had salads on the terrace by the pool and called it an early night.

Stay tuned for more exciting reports..