Dawn Wentzell

Kauai Recap: “Chicken Island”

Posted on October 10th, 2010 in travel

I just got back (ok, I got back a week ago) fromKauai, Hawaii for what was my first vacation in a long time. Kauai is one of the oldest Hawaiian islands. It’s covered in feral chickens, and was a filming location for Jurassic Park. Here are a few of my (sober) highlights from the trip:

Search & Social Woot!

Search and Social Woot was the initial reason I went to Hawaii. I won a pass to this intimate, little conference. The topics ranged from beginner to advanced internet marketing and attendees ranged from some of the founders of SEO to newcomers to internet marketing, and from small independent shops to companies like Microsoft.

Seasport Divers

A group of us went diving with Seasport Divers out of Poipu. We were given full gear rental and shallow water lessons before setting out on two boat dives. The first boat dive was more about getting used to the water, but it was beautiful. Lots of fish species I couldn’t identify, and coral. The second dive took place at Sheraton Caverns, home to many sea turtles. Getting to not only see, but swim with, such magnificent creatures was unbelievable.

We also got to see a pod of spinner dolphins, who played in the boat’s wake. Simply amazing.

Waimea Canyon

On the last day, we took a drive to the western side of the island to check out Waimea Canyon. It’s the second largest canyon in North America, second only to the Grand Canyon. It’s unbelievable to think that such a large landform exists on such a small island.

Garden Island Inn & Banyan Harbor Condos

The Garden Island Inn and Banyan Harbor Condos were my home-away-from-home for the week. It’s an adorable little place across the street from Kalapaki Beach. Staff were wonderful and welcoming, views were gorgeous, and the condos were cute. We had a two bedroom condo with 1.5 baths – essential for three girls. The decor was totally kitschy, but it was so appropriate for a vacation rental.