I have to dedicate an entire blog post to perhaps my favorite part of our trip - our sweet few days at The Palmwood. To make the most of our time on this island, we knew we needed to stay on the north shore and the south shore. For as small of an island as Kauai is, the most amazing part of it is how drastically different the landscape is from one five mile stretch to the next. And everything we read said the north shore, although a bit of a gamble because it is far wetter than the south, is where the jaw-dropping beauty of Kauai can be found. And since the second leg of our trip would involve a beautiful resort on the beach with several people we knew, we wanted a secluded, quiet, and romantic spot for just the two of us to connect while we explored this beautiful place.
And then I found The Palmwood.
The Palmwood is a remote five-acre estate on the top of a hill that overlooks the lesser known but breathtakingly beautiful Moloa'a valley. It's perfectly located just off the main highway, yet gave us the feeling that we were in the middle of nowhere. When we first pulled up the circle drive, we heard nothing but birds of all kinds serenading us from the lush greenery around us. Nothing else. After taking in the view of both the property and the forest around it, we were greeted by a barefoot Eddi, owner and visionary behind the Palmwood. We quickly learned that Eddi's Japanese roots were weaved into every element of this place. Her passion for filling up mind, body, and soul through detail, food, and experience was felt in every way. She led us to our private area of the house down a palm tree lined path with an expansive water feature that included five little waterfalls lined with orchids and other native flowers. Tucked behind the water feature was an outdoor shower, a hot tub for two, and perfectly simple room. The windows were all open, a breeze swayed the curtains back and forth, and the bamboo wood and white bedding created a peaceful, inviting place to call our own for a few days.
Beyond our private suite included a backyard with incredible views of Kauai, a beautiful pool steps away from our room that Eddi promised was worth getting up for the sunrise, a fire pit for a night under the starts, and an outdoor kitchen with a sink, grill, and several tiki torches to create that island feel. There were exotic flowers everywhere I looked and it was clear Eddi shared my love for the details. Since Eddi lives in a cabin down the hill from The Palmwood, she said she would stay out of our way, but coffee would be brewed at 6 for early risers, and breakfast served at 8. The sitting room on the main floor was ours to use as we pleased, as were the bikes and beach towels hanging from the hook on our patio. We were set.
We were absolutely blown away by the beauty of this place and won't forget our first night there. We got cleaned up and drove less than two miles down the road to the first of two secluded beaches Eddi and Mychael told us about. The first, Larsen's Beach, required a bit of a downhill trek to get to, but was well worth the hike as we were soon surrounded by wild foilage, black lava rock, and foamy Pacific waves that crashed with mighty force. We talked to a local, retired flight attendant that said he spent a good chunk of his life exploring the world before calling Kauai his retirement home. He was a joy to talk to, recommending all the best places to dine in Hanalei and offering to take a picture of the two of us. And as he was getting the camera just right, he grinned big and said a family of humpback whales was trying to get in our frame! Thanks to him, we watched them dance in the Pacific for a half hour, mesmerized by their size and playfulness. Then we hopped in our Jeep and felt like celebrities driving up the coast to Hanalei Bay for the night. To say we felt on top of the world would be an understatement.
We had one of the best dinners at Postcards, the cutest little restaurant that looked like, well, a postcard. I had wasabi crusted fresh ahi and sweet potatoes, and Beau had the stuffed lobster tail. We sat on the front porch of the homey little place and gushed about our day while we watched surfers carrying their boards home after another day chasing waves. Then anxious to get back to our oasis for the night, we grabbed some wine at a little wine shop and drove under a star-filled sky to our piece of paradise.
Imagine our surprise when we pulled up to The Palmwood and realized we were the only ones there. Expecting to see lights on in the other rooms or cars in the driveway, we soon realized we had the place to ourselves, learning the next morning that it is a very rare occurrence here. We pretended we had rented the entire property ourselves and had the best time. I hope I never forget sitting in that hot tub and looking up at all the stars in the sky, feeling a million miles away and so thankful to be sharing this place with the love of my life. We stayed up well into the night, moving from the pool to the hot tub to the fire as we pleased, feeling like two teenagers on top of the world.
And as much as that night will be cherished as one of the best, the mornings at The Palmwood were just as wonderful. Still not quite adjusted to the time change, I was up before the sun. I tiptoed out of bed, found the coffee Eddi had promised, and snuck down to the pool with my journal and a blanket. The mornings were a little crazy in Kauai - or I guess I should say the chickens were! We didn't see many chickens on Eddi's property, but we could hear what sounded like compounds of chickens in the distance. It was such a distinct sound and it made me smile. I watched the sun come up and pinched myself several times to make sure to stay awake to it all.
And then came breakfast. One of the highlights of The Palmwood was Eddi's homemade, locally sourced, absolutely mouth-watering breakfasts every morning. From the upside down banana french toast to the coconut nectar honey drizzled over yogurt and island apples, we were absolutely treated every single morning. It was as if we had stepped into the pages of a magazine. We would have stayed here all day if it weren't for the fact that we had so much to see!
No comments:
Post a Comment