Hawaii Family Travel: Kauai Hidden Gems and Travel Tips with Jessica Sanders— Ep 30

Experiencing Kauai: Planning, Highlights, and Hidden Gems with Jessica Sanders

In this episode of Hawaii Travel Made Easy, host Marcie invites her friend Jessica Sanders to share her experiences from her recent trip to Kauai. This comprehensive Kauai travel guide offers real insights perfect for first-time Hawaii visitors and Hawaii family travel planning to the Garden Isle.

Jessica discusses her Kauai vacation plans, including Hawaii family travel dynamics, Hawaii vacation budgeting tips, and favorite Kauai activities. Highlights include enjoying beach volleyball, snorkeling with sea turtles, and savoring local Kauai delicacies like Puka Dogs. This Hawaii travel guide addresses challenges such as long Hawaii car rental waits and emphasizes the importance of good sunscreen for your Hawaii vacation.

Perfect for Hawaii vacation planning, other topics include Kauai hidden gems like the Cold Pond and essential Hawaii travel tips for first-time Hawaii visitors. This episode offers valuable Kauai travel insights for anyone planning a Hawaiian vacation, particularly to Kauai. Essential Hawaii travel tips for exploring Kauai's beaches, tours, and local Hawaiian culture.

Learn insider Kauai vacation advice, Hawaii family travel strategies, and practical Hawaiian Islands travel tips from real family experiences.

00:00 Welcome to Hawaii Travel Meet Easy

00:26 Jessica's Recent Trip to Kauai

00:46 Family Adventures and Island Connections

03:50 Budgeting for a Hawaiian Vacation

06:33 Memorable Moments in Kauai

09:27 Exploring Kauai's Hidden Gems

14:37 Delicious Eats in Kauai

19:15 Excursions and Tours Worth Taking

22:55 Tour Highlights and Cultural Insights

25:01 Car Rental Challenges and Tips

27:51 Packing Tips for Hawaii

32:53 Daily Schedule and Relaxation

38:15 Hidden Gems and Recommendations

39:58 Final Thoughts and Farewell

Guest: Jessica Sanders, @jessicahappiestblogonearth

Who this episode is for: Families planning a Kauai trip who want real insight into hidden gems, food, tours, and daily pacing from someone who just went.

What you'll learn: What a real family Kauai trip looks like, including hidden gems, favorite activities, food finds, car rental challenges, and how to structure a relaxed daily schedule.

Places discussed:

• Kauai
• Cold Pond (hidden gem)

Activities discussed:

• Beach volleyball
• Snorkeling with sea turtles
• Touring and excursions
• Budgeting for a Hawaii trip
• Car rental logistics
• Daily schedule planning and relaxation time

Restaurants discussed:

• Puka Dogs — local Kauai delicacy

Marcie's recommendations: N/A this episode (guest-led trip report; see Guest recommendations)

Guest recommendations (Jessica Sanders):

• Try Puka Dogs as a local Kauai food must-do
• Visit the Cold Pond as a hidden gem worth seeking out
• Go snorkeling with sea turtles and build in beach volleyball time
• Book tours and excursions in advance, especially ones with strong cultural components
• Budget realistically for a Hawaii family trip
• Plan for potential long waits at car rental pickup and build in buffer time
• Pack good, reef-safe sunscreen as a non-negotiable
• Build a daily schedule with real relaxation time, not just back-to-back activities

Related Hawaii Travel Made Easy episodes: 

• Where I Eat on Kauai— Ep 102
• North Shore Kauai: Everything You Need to Know Before You Go— Ep 125
• Every Kauai Luau I've Been To, Ranked Honestly — Ep 131

Related articles: 

• Your North Shore Kauai Guide: Beaches, Hikes & Hidden Gems (2026)
• Stop! Don’t Make These 10 Kauai Mistakes (I Learned the Hard Way)

Guest links:

• @jessicahappiestblogonearth (Instagram)

Additional resources:

• Flytographer Photo Shoot – Save $20

About Your Host: Marcie Cheung is a Certified Hawaii Destination Expert who has visited Hawaii 40+ times and spent 20+ years as a professional hula dancer. Through Hawaii Travel with Kids, she helps families plan authentic, affordable Hawaii vacations that respect local culture while creating unforgettable memories.

Learn more at hawaiitravelwithkids.com

Connect: @hawaiitravelwithkids on Instagram | Book a Consultation

🌺 Join 11,000+ families receiving free Hawaii travel tips, island guides, and insider advice - subscribe now!
https://hawaiitravelwithkids.com/free-5-day-email-course-how-to-travel-to-hawaii-like-a-pro/

Transcript

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 Aloha and welcome to Hawaii Travel Meet Easy, the podcast that helps you plan your dream Hawaiian vacation. I'm Marcie, a Hawaii travel expert who has visited the islands more than 40 times. And today I'm excited to introduce my friend Jessica Sanders, who just got back from Hawaii.

She runs the popular Disneyland blog, the Happiest Blog on Earth and co-host the Castle Talk Radio podcast. Are you ready to  📍 hear her honest thoughts on Hawaii? Let's jump in.   📍 Hi, Jessica. Thank you so much for joining us today.

It is always a pleasure to talk about one of the best places on planet Earth, which is Hawaii.

Absolutely. Well, can you give us a quick rundown of your trip? Kind of like where did you go, how long were you there? Who did you travel with, things like that.

For sure. So we go to Hawaii often, and the most visited island for us is Kauai, and that's because I have family there. So they've lived there for over 40 years. And growing up I went there a ton. And I always, like experiencing all those things for myself as a kid, you wanna take your kids back. So since I started having kids, we've tried to take them like every five years and that, you know, over the course of a child from zero to 18, that's not a lot. So after this last trip too. My kids are like, we can't stay away. And it's not only because of the island and its beauty, but because of the people who are there and whether you have family there or not. Like everyone there is your family and you make those connections and it's just a place that you wanna be. So we went. After graduation for my son's senior trip, we do senior trips for our kids and sometimes we pick, sometimes they pick, sometimes it's a little bit of a combination, and we just loved being there as a family.

So it was a family of five. And then meeting up with probably a group of like 18 or so, like I've got cousins and they've got kids and my aunt and my grandparents. So it's just a great time.

That sounds amazing. Oh, I'm so glad that you went to Kauai. 'cause it is one of my favorite islands too, and it's just, I don't know, it's just kind of magical. It's different than the other islands. I think sometimes people think any island in Hawaii is the same, but kauai is just a little bit more special maybe.

I don't know.

Perfect.

Why did you choose Hawaii for this trip? Was this something that you picked, your kids picked? How did this trip come about?

Yeah, so like I mentioned about like every five years or so, we take the kids. So my husband and I go every year, but we tend to go on our, like, couples trip to Maui. One being we love Maui, and two, if we go to Kauai on a couples trip, we're plusing that by 18 as well. You

Right.

can't go and not be with our family. So it was definitely time to go back to Kauai and. Just planning out that senior trip and my cousin has kids the same age as my son and it just felt like the right time to get back there. I have another cousin who just had a baby and we wanted to meet him, so lots of different factors playing into that.

Plus I absolutely love going to Kauai. At the end of May and into early June because our schools get out a lot earlier than some others. And so by the time we leave, there's still some schools that have like a week or two of school left, things like that. And they haven't hit like the peak summer travel.

So we got to enjoy so many things without those heavy summer crowds.

That sounds amazing. Our school didn't get out until June 25th this year and it just felt like so many people I knew from other parts of the country had been out for like a month at that point. So you're really lucky to be able to travel a little bit before the summer crowds hit. So how did you budget for your trip to Kauai?

Or did you budget? Were there any ways that you saved money or anything that you were thinking about? 'cause I know you're a family of five.

Yeah, we always save up and pay for our trips before we go. So everybody has a different dynamic, different budgets. But I'm definitely, a planner and a budgeter as far as that goes. Like I have a savings account, multiple savings accounts that just auto deposit from my income and like the savings account is literally labeled like Hawaii or

Nice.

place that I'm working towards.

And I just put in a little bit over time. So like the very, very first time I took my kids, was actually when I started content writing because was like, I wanna just take them on these vacations and experience those things. And that side job turned into what I do now, which is writing full time at the Happiest Blog on Earth. So I was like, if I could earn at this time a long time ago, if I could earn a hundred bucks a month freelancing and save a hundred bucks for five years. I'll have $5,000. And that's what we did at that time so long ago. And it paid for everything. So for this one, I just figure out like what I want to do and how much I need to save.

And now we're on like a up saving because we wanna go back in two years and I save up all the things. I usually book a vacation rental and I usually book that about a year in advance. I will say that having people that I know on the island definitely helped with that because we got like some really amazing rates and places or a place to stay and that was just fantastic.

So I also utilize like points a miles type of thing. We usually end up paying for half of our flights, if not more, on points. that definitely helps cut out the cost.

Absolutely. Points are such a great travel hack, I think, and it doesn't have to be a. Complicated as I think some of the other bloggers and podcasters out there. They really kind of almost get caught in the weeds about how to stack things. And it just becomes overwhelming when you think about it.

But it doesn't have to be like regular people like you and me can book flights, hotels, whatever, on points, miles. It doesn't have to be super complicated.

Yeah, and you don't have to go into debt over it.

Yes. Yes, for sure. Yeah, I wanna make that clear. Like people, as much as I love Hawaii, it's not worth going into debt to get to Hawaii for sure. So your trip sounds amazing, and I know you had a lot of family connections and stuff, but what were some of the other highlights of your trip?

Like, kind of like wow moments that you won't forget?

So I love the simple joys of life, and you can find those anywhere, right? But a couple of these things, and as you're, we always have this thing that after trips the last day, like when we're flying home and we're driving home, we always ask everyone like, what was the best moment for you? And we go around and talk about it. So some of my favorites and wow moments was. Playing volleyball on the beach. I didn't play. Let's be real. I watched my son and my husband, my nephew my cousin and their friends play beach volleyball while the sun sat over the ocean. Like, hello. Just chilling with my girl, cousins, watching them have a blast having a barbecue on the beach. It's those things that you can do anywhere, but then it amps it up because you're in Hawaii and you're loving the company. You're loving the spot. Another thing that we absolutely loved was our last full day. We were at Hanoi Bay because of course,

Mm-hmm.

we were at the beach. We put on our sunscreen and then it just started to pour. And that's so normal on Kauai

Yeah.

Anytime that it rained, which we actually got very little rain on the north shore, which is rare, but anytime it rained just for fun. I looked at my weather app and it showed no rain at all because it goes so quickly.

Mm-hmm.

had just got on our sunscreen, started to rain. Everybody else who doesn't know the drill, packed up their stuff and

Mm-hmm.

this is like nine 30 or 10 in the morning. We have a full day of fun. And we're just laughing because again, grew up doing this and we just

Yeah.

the water. 'cause we're like, we're wet anyways, and the

Yeah.

warmer than the rain coming down. So just being in the water as it rained with my kids and my nephew was such a special thing. And a great thing to look back on.

Oh, I love that. Yeah. You bring up a really good point about the rain in Hawaii and it's for all the islands, but I think especially Kauai, because it is a little bit Rainier and especially North Shore, it's. Frequently rainy but it's not one of those rains. Like I live in Seattle and when it rains it can rain for a week straight, you know?

So it's not like that in Hawaii, that they're usually really quick showers and maybe it will dump on you briefly, but sometimes it's five minutes, sometimes it's 10 minutes. Like it's not a big deal. And you can get into the water. You can. Hide under, you know, trees. People do all kinds of things, but it is kind of fun when you see all the other tourists that don't know the drill leaving because it just frees up more beach for you.

It just makes it a more private experience. So it is kind of fun when you're like, just wait, you know, just hang out a little bit longer. Was there any specific activities or beaches or hikes or tours or anything that stood out and made this trip feel extra special for you?

So there for sure are plenty, and we'll talk about some of those later. But I wanted to share a little bit of a Kauai secret because those are hard to find,

Yep.

but I was able to go to my cousins. Kids. So he's my cousin, but I call it my nephew

Yeah.

graduation at Ley School. So if you've ever been to Ley Town, you've probably shopped in Old Ley School, and then you've seen

Mm-hmm.

And during that graduation, they talked about how the sixth graders each year do a mural. On the school walls in different spots, and each year they have like a local artist who mentors them and helps them come up with a concept for their mural, which is very Hawaiiana centric. And then the kids work on that throughout the year and paint that and hearing the story of like what they painted and how it plays tribute to the islands and the history is so beautiful. I guarantee you the tourists don't know about these murals. And so after we went through and like took some pictures in front of the mural that they worked on and looked at the other murals, of course I want you to go when it's not school hours.

Right.

crawling the school grounds, but they're so beautiful. And then look up what these things mean because there's so much history and so much culture into that. And I felt so happy. And I actually lived on Kauai for a short period of time and went to Hanoi school as well. So it was really cool to like go back there and be a part of something at the school and see that mural.

So they are tucked. Like you wouldn't just pull up to the school and see them because they're painted on the sides of the buildings. And if school isn't in session, you're welcome to wander the grounds a little bit and take a peek at those murals.

Oh, that's amazing. I will admit I had no idea about those murals, so this is a COI secret that I'm really excited that you told me about because I will definitely be checking those out, and I'm glad that you mentioned that they're on the outside of the building. So that you aren't trying to like enter the school and creep around.

So that's awesome. Oh, that's so special. It's, I feel like Hawaii does such a great job of promoting arts and culture throughout the islands. And so this is just one more example of kinda showing that like, every kid can be an artist, which I think is amazing. Do you have any unexpected or serendipitous moments that made your trip extra memorable?

Of course. So we got to see plenty of Hawaiian green sea turtles

Ah,

was

nice.

special moment. So we went to the South Shore to Poipu to see them you know, those are productive species, so you need to keep a specific distance away and really respect their space. And we were trying to do that.

We were trying to do that, but sometimes they swim into your space. So as we're in the water, there were so many that were swimming up to shore. we counted around eight to 12 that were on shore by the time we got

Wow.

So we're in the water and we're standing crouching 'cause it's super shallow.

And my cousin's daughter, two years old is in there with us and a mama and a baby swam right under her. Like

Whoa.

straddling them because like they swam right under her. And we just like picked her up and tried to get away, like, so that we can give the space that is required. And oddly enough, she had just had a dream the week before.

That was the first dream she communicated to her parents, which was, and she lives on Kauai, so this makes perfect sense that the turtles came and bit her. And so she was so nervous because the turtles had come and literally brushed her toes. And so we were telling her that was. So funny that the turtle was tickling her toes. So all day she kept repeating this story. Mama Turtle, tickle my toes. So funny because I think she was trying to convince herself that it was funny,

Yeah, that it wasn't a scary experience.

but it was so funny and so just precious and then

Aw,

able to like. See them sunning and see them swimming and they are so camouflaged, right?

Yeah.

don't see them until they are right there and you're like, oh,

Right.

a turtle. And that was just a special, funny moment.

Oh my gosh, that is so cool. Yeah. Poipu is fantastic for seeing sea turtles for sure. It's anytime somebody asks me where they can see them on Kauai, I always say, go to Poipu Beach because I mean, there's a good chance you're gonna see them and that sounds so amazing that you saw like eight to 12 of them because it is just, it's just crazy to see them in real life.

It's so awesome. Okay, let's switch gears and talk about food, because that's one of my favorite things about Hawaii and Kauai specifically. I feel like they have a really great food scene. So was there any like best meals that you had on Kauai and what made it so good?

Yeah, so we'll stick to poi PO Beach. Pka Dogs is now on POI po, so it used to be in one of the poi po shopping centers and they

Mm-hmm.

and that also happens a lot on Kauai. Like maybe you've been to a place that you love before and they might not even be around when you come back, or they might have moved. So it was crazy busy and it's a mostly, like, it's not a dine-in place. This is a quick service and let me tell you what pka dogs are. So they're hot dogs, but they are. The it hot dog.

Yeah.

and I'm gonna describe a little bit of what it says on their website. So it says, first we toast the puca. Puca means whole in the center of our freshly baked buns.

Next, we add your choice of our garlic, lemon secret sauce in mild, spicy, hot, or lava, along with a selection of one of our six original tropical relishes. Now see if you can choose mango, pineapple, papaya, coconut, banana, or star fruit. Finally, we top it off with a tasty local favorite anti Lili Coys passion fruit mustard. So it the anti Lili Coys passion Fruit mustard is like a spicy garlic, lemon secret sauce with mango relish. I mean, is your mouth watering already? Puka dogs was so crowded and there's a line around the building and we waited for an hour like I've had pka dogs before and I knew that's what I wanted. I don't know if I would send someone there and say, wait in an hour you're gonna love it. Like it's

Right.

But

Yeah.

I don't know if I would've been like. Happy or sad that I waited in that line, like for my first time. But I was

Yeah.

want it. I'm waiting. I don't care. And it delivered still it's also, it was a long wait.

So kind of plan that out. It's right at the beach so you can keep your people at the beach. You can walk over and you can stand in line or you could get some other sucker in your group to do that, but like, give yourself a buffer. So you're not like starving. and then they have really good lemonade as well.

Yes, no, totally. Pka dog is one of my must eats on Kauai when I go with my family,

Mm-hmm.

because it's just so good and I just, I end up craving it. Like as soon as I land I'm like, oh, I really wanna hit pka Dog. I've only been to it while it's at the shopping center where there's never a line or it's like maybe two people.

So I think this was a really smart decision for them, for their business to be close to the beach, obviously. But I've been, I'm in all these like Hawaii Facebook groups and people post photos that they're like in line before it even opens, which kind of blew my mind. Like I just saw that yesterday and they were like, Hey, I'm the first person in line at Puka Dog.

And I was like. Why would you do that? And now, like as you're talking, I was like, oh, I bet the line is crazy long now. Where it never was in the shopping center, you know?

smart move and they way back used to have one in as well, but I know this one is doing so well for them. It's also connected to. Another like fast market type of thing that has like

Yeah.

Sandwiches or coffees and drinks that you can grab and go. So like while I was in line, I went in the other side and grabbed it's the same door that you enter.

So if you just want those things, you're gonna bypass the line and you're gonna go in the door anyways. And people are gonna be like, what the heck are they doing? But I went and grabbed some drinks so that we could just sip on those while we were waiting in line.

That's really smart.

let's go over to the North Shore. always loved the Hae juice bar, smoothie bowls. Had those a couple times, and then if you're heading to the North Shore, stop for acai bowls in Ola

Mm-hmm.

It's my favorite acai bowls like ever in life I had. Them there before they started like mainstream coming to the mainland. And they serve theirs with organic juices, coconuts, they also have smoothies, shave ice, coffee and it's just amazing.

It's legit. You know, I think when people have their idea of kind of like, you know, juice bars, AC bowls and everything in Hawaii, like this is the place to get it like it is. It's just real, it's authentic. It's not, you know, you don't feel like you're in this chain restaurant. It's not like a Jamba Juice or something.

Okay, let's switch gears again and talk about any excursions or tours that you might have done and whether or not you felt like it was worth it. Because everything in Hawaii is. A lot more expensive than it used to be, pre pandemic. I feel like the prices kind of just keep creeping up and so it's important to kind of share whether or not you thought it was worth it.

Yeah, definitely. And I am just like a beach girl. Like I love to just spend the day at the beach pack my lunch. So when we go to Hawaii, a lot of our. Budget is just put into the flights and are lodging and then buying groceries. But of course you still wanna like feel that vacation thing. And our favorite excursion that we did was in a poly coast.

And we had done that before with just my husband and I. 'cause I felt like my kids were a little bit too young and we took out a personal watercraft and were able to do that like on our own. But this time I was like, you know what? I don't wanna bother any of the family with trying to like. Borrow someone's boat or work with their work schedule. Luckily enough, my cousin's son, so again, referring to him as my nephew works for Nepali Catamaran. So

Nice.

we were gonna go with them and you are going to want to as well because they leave from ha lei so

Nice.

so you're not going over to the other side, especially if you're staying on the North Shore. But I feel like leaving from ha lei and returning to ha lei, it makes it for a better. Nepali coast experience. Nepali catamaran went into this thinking like a blogger, thinking like a podcaster, you know, because when I travel, even when it's not for Disneyland, which is what I write about, turn off that brain.

So I'm thinking, what will other travelers like about this? What will they want to do? Will they like it? So first you check in. Town, which is perfect. And they have a little location there that you check in. They give you dry bags. They have a beautiful setup there and it already feels like you're being taken care of, which I loved. Especially On Kauai where like everything isn't super, don't know if modern is the right word, but it's just, it's still island. It's still like a little rustic. But you felt like, okay, this is a professional place. They're gonna take good care of me and this is gonna be good. And then they have a shuttle from. Ley town that takes you down to the water so you don't have to worry about finding beach parking. And that shuttle's like five minutes, but it makes it really comfortable. So they said you get, you pick your sandwich beforehand that they pick up from a local sandwich place and then onboard they have snacks and drinks.

Okay. I've been on other boat tours and on other things where they're like, yeah, we have. Water for you, whatever. And it's like the water is hot and I

Yeah.

find out where to get it. And it's only like if you're about to lose your stomach overboard. They had tons of snacks, tons of different drinks, like a variety of sodas and waters and. Energy drinks, like they were taking care of you and you felt special. Not only that the boats don't hold a ton of people and our tour wasn't even full, so it felt, so VIP

Nice.

and you have like a canopy, so you're still gonna get wet for sure, especially depending on like where you sit. And that's also by choice, like if you wanna sit in the front of the boat, but. Having that shade when needed was ideal. They're also constantly watching like the weather and other things like that. And they take like your full kind of time when you're on the island in case they see something coming up that they might wanna modify your tour so they're doing the work for you. I love that. And then the coast itself, you can only get to the Nepali coast through, like air tour helicopter, right? You've probably covered this before boat or through hiking, and there's no way I am doing that and every one of them is gonna give you a different experience, but

Mm-hmm.

really loved this. see.

Other highlights. They talked a lot about the island and the history during the tour. loved that as well. It wasn't like, Hey, have you ever seen Jurassic Park? Does this look familiar? Hey, have you ever seen this movie? In that movie? Like there are places and times for movie tours and we've done that as well.

But this was like, these are how the people got here. This is where they lived. This is the history of it, and it just brings all that into perspective and helps you have. Such a respect for the land and the people, which you really need as part of your Hawaii experience, because there's no Hawaii without that, and we need to protect and honor those things.

No, I totally agree with you on that. And I love when tours bring that cultural and historical element into it. Because you're right though, a lot of them just reference Jurassic Park or 51st dates or whatever movie is relevant to wherever they are. And so it is nice when they're like, Hey, like this is a real place with real people who live here and.

And here's how it came about, or here's what we're doing to protect it so that, you know, we don't lose this you know, significant place. So I love it when tours highlight that and I think it's becoming a lot more mainstream now. Like, I think, you know, even 10 years ago it was hard to find any tours that did that.

And now I feel like it's popping up a little bit more. Like people are understanding the importance of it which I think is great. So was there anything I like to talk about challenges and surprises sometimes. And was there anything that didn't quite live up to your expectations or was a hiccup in your trip?

Well, this happens at a lot of locations, but renting a car takes a long time I feel like this was the longest experience I've had on KA renting my car. It's just there's not enough staff, there's not enough cars. You're

Mm-hmm.

an island. Hello? So like if someone doesn't return their car on time or it's

Mm-hmm.

they are literally, you're watching the people return their car, you're watching it go through the car wash

Yep.

it come out and yeah, there's my car.

Yep.

so it took a while and like usually when we rent cars, period. I go ahead. The rest of the family stays back and gets the bags

Mm-hmm.

come and pick them up. But it took probably 40 minutes I would say. And when I

Yeah.

there was like three people in line in front of me, like waiting for their car.

But it depends on what type of car you're getting, right?

Mm-hmm.

getting a bigger car for five people. 'cause we get a minivan and then we can throw in some extra cousins or whatever.

Yep.

It just took a while, so just plan for that and don't let it your vacation on first jump. And another thing that I'd like to do with car rentals is when you're looking at pricing, I don't know anyone that's loyal to one specific car brand like

Hmm.

I know some that I won't rent from, but

Right. Yeah. You have a horrible experience. I know.

They are so very close. So if there's one that's $15 more, $25 more, whatever in your mind, pick that one. The one that's a little bit more, because that means that the other place is undercutting everyone else and they are going to have the longest line.

That's a good tip.

paying $25 more or whatever it is. worth your time maybe. So I try to do that as well.

That is really smart. That's a good hack. I hadn't really thought of that before, so thank you for sharing that. Yeah, I know. Car rentals on coi. Yeah, especially depending on. When you're arriving, like if you're in the middle of summer, if you're there for winter break the lines can be crazy.

And it really is all of our responsibility as travelers to return our rental cars on time because they're counting on that. Like, it's just like when you are in a hotel or an Airbnb or something like you need to check out when they say, because they need that time to get it ready for the next guest.

And it's the same with car rentals. And I think sometimes people don't think about that or they think, well we can just return it whenever. And it's hard because there is a limited amount of cars there. So they really need you to kind of uphold your end of the bargain. Let's see. Was there something that you wished you had packed but didn't or something that you brought that you never used?

I feel like a lot of people have a hard time with their Hawaii packing list and any insight can be helpful.

I am not alone. When I say I always pack too many clothes, but

Yeah.

I go to Hawaii, I do so much better. And my teenage girls, one that's not quite a teenager anymore learned this, that they packed too many clothes because I didn't wear clothes. I was wearing my swimsuit

know.

and I was wearing a coverup.



Yep.

For us, for the guys, they packed two pairs of trunks and I think that's ridiculous. I think they need way more than that.

Yeah.

we probably packed six swimsuits each. You can do less, but

Yep.

packed a lot of swimsuits. And that I thought was actually good, especially like if you get a little burnt or you get a little red, then your other one is going to

Mm-hmm.

pattern.

So you're not like getting multiple sems in the same spot.

Mm-hmm.

never use like mini fans that maybe you would use at a theme park. I just, I didn't use 'em. Like we had them out every day, like right next to our, beach bag, but we didn't use 'em. I tried tons of mineral sunscreen beforehand. And was something that was great to try, especially, 'cause we had gone to Maui a few months before I did not like the mineral sunscreen that I had there.



Mm-hmm.

it's going to leave a white cast. That's pretty much a given. But I actually ended up liking the target up and up brand

Nice.

sunscreen.

Mm-hmm.

at mineral sunscreen on Reddit or on all these threads and. Websites like yours. A lot of people talk about face sunscreen and then body sunscreen,

Mm-hmm.

it really does make a difference.

Yeah.

I'm telling you this because it makes a difference in how. feel when you're at the beach, if you're

Yeah.

gross and like greasy and clunky and yucky, you're not gonna enjoy it as much. So you want something that like goes on smooth. So I light the up and up for the body and then I splurge for a face mineral sunscreen that is meant

Yeah.

face.

And that means you're gonna be probably spending like $40 for a two ounce bottle of face sunscreen that we all used and we all loved it. And I felt like it was so worth it. So that was something that we brought and absolutely loved. And then just keep the clothes paired down. And especially if you have a, washer and dryer,

Mm-hmm.

an outfit or two to do something a little bit nicer then that's perfect.

But we really just didn't wear a lot of clothes, swimsuits.

I, I'm the same way. We, I normally bring probably about three swimsuits and I make sure that they're different styles, just like you said, for in case I get burned or, you know, tan lines and everything, just to kind of make sure that I am varying it up a little bit. And then I try to bring a couple of different coverups.

Only because I know I'm gonna be taking photos while I'm out and about, and I wanna change my outfit a little bit, but I still wanna be comfortable. So I usually bring a lot of sundresses or like, there's like resort pants. I just get them at Target. And you can wear them for real pants too. Nobody said anything.

But I just slip them on over swimsuits and it kind of changes things up and it gives kind of a different form of coverage too. Sometimes if you've had a little bit of sun, it's good to kind of cover up a little bit more. And then I love what you talked about, sunscreen, because I don't know about you, but like I don't wear a lot of makeup when I'm in Hawaii just because it's so humid and I don't know, it's just kind of a lot.

And so. It's better to invest in good face sunscreen where you feel like you're covered and you feel like you don't feel gross, you know? And then re safe sunscreen is so important. It's all the rest of the sunscreens are banned in Hawaii, and so it's really important that you get one that you like.

I like the kind that are in the spray bottle, not the aerosol ones, because that is. That's a whole nother conversation. But those are horrible and you should not use them and it bothers everybody. But I just do like the, the pump one? Yeah, the pump spray because I feel like it soaks in better 'cause it's a little bit thinner.

'cause sometimes those sunscreens are really thick and then you feel like you've just kind of almost like painted yourself and kind of like mud or something. And then it's just, it's hard to kind of get over and you just feel kind of gross. So I like the ones that soak in. I like that you brought up to kind of test some things out to make sure you like it before you go.

Another point about sunscreens. Like you said, the other sunscreens are banned in Hawaii, so they're not gonna

Yeah.

those. So I'm in the store and I'm looking to get like a little bit extra of something or whatever, some sunscreen and someone is on the phone with their spouse, like. I'm looking at all these, but you said mineral based, like, I don't know which one.

Like which one's Mineral. And I was like, Hey, they're all mineral based here

Yeah.

sell the other one. So if you do need to get some there because you're like, I don't know, maybe I'm getting the wrong thing, you're

Yeah,

the right thing there.

Absolutely. That's a great point. What is one thing that you did really well in planning your trip that you'd recommend for other people?

My favorite was just our schedule, so it was beach, lunch, shower, and naps,

Mm-hmm.

dinner. In the pool.

I love that.

like, get up, have breakfast, pack our lunch, go to the beach. And then also like the showering, this is so girly. Girly, right? With like the sunscreen and the showering. But like

Mm-hmm.

you are gonna want to like. way too often. So

Yeah.

we're showering after we know we're done at the beach. And then if you want to like go to the pool, then you can like rinse off and you're

Mm-hmm.

hair like twice

Yeah.

All that beautiful locks that you work so hard for. You know, I'm also a mom of girls.

Yep.

so. I loved that schedule for us, and again, like I mentioned earlier in the beginning is like my youngest is 15. Everyone was super excited to have naps every day

Yeah.

our naps time coincided with my cousin's kids' nap time. So we're all just like, nap time, let's go. And then we'd wake up and somebody would cook dinner and we'd chill out by the pool or have dinner by the pool.

And then a couple other things that I. Do have to shout out because family there if you need anything for like, hair, makeup, especially weddings, and you know about the wedding scene. My

Yep.

Salon is in Hanoi Town. It's called Style Studio, and that's just across from Old Hanoi School in the Ching Young Village.

So if I were planning any special event or thing there, or I needed like. To fix a nail or I'm like, oh my gosh, I need something done. Go to styles.

I love that. That would be perfect for photo shoots too. I'm a really big fan of Flytographer photo shoots, especially on Kauai, and I've done them in Hana Lei before. It's such a gorgeous location to do that, and that would be really convenient to do your hair and makeup beforehand because if you're gonna take a time outta your vacation to do like nice photos, if you just go that extra little bit, it's gonna look so much nicer.

And you're gonna love the photos even more. So I'm glad that you brought that up.

who knows how to work with hair and

Yeah.

the island because

it's so humid.

and you're gonna try to do your hair

Mm-hmm.

it at home, and it's not going to turn out.

Yes, and you're gonna be frustrated and that's gonna show in your photos or during your wedding, you're gonna, you know, just be cringing a little bit. So it's always nice to outsource that kind of stuff. For sure. If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?

Of course I would stay longer. So hard to leave. Right? But Kauai to me is at least if we're pushing it five days,

Yeah.

A week we did 10 days, weeks is fantastic.

Mm-hmm.

Like there's definitely things we didn't do or see, but again, like I've been there so many times, lived there when I was a kid, so like I've done the things. but it's always good 'cause you wanna get on beach time, right? You wanna get on the

Yeah.

vibe, so you wanna slow down and. the middle of it, I definitely did get on that vibe and I did not wanna leave.

Oh, totally. I know. I think it definitely takes a couple of days just to kind of let yourself relax a little bit. You know, it's just such a different piece of life and, I guess lifestyle in general. So it does take a little bit of time. So I always feel bad when people say, oh, I'm gonna be on Kauai for, you know, three days or four days.

'cause I'm like, oh gosh, you're just gonna be racing around the whole time. You're not gonna just be. And so I love that your family got to have that experience of kind of just slowing down and enjoying the beach and just resting and I don't know, just soaking in all the vibes. I think that's fantastic.

Yeah,

do you have any tips.

another note, if you're. If you've listened this far into this episode, you probably want to go to Kauai. But if what Marcy just described doesn't sound fun to you, you might not like Kauai, or you might just wanna be doing hiking trails while you're

Mm-hmm.

it is a very slowed down, relaxed place, especially in comparison to like Waikiki on Oahu.

Oh, for sure. Yeah. I mean, there's plenty of stuff to do, but it's not a race around and check off all these attractions or sites or something. It is much more about just kind of embracing Kawaii, I guess. Do you have any tips for first time visitors who might be overwhelmed planning their trip to Hawaii?

Yeah, I would just say keep it simple and don't try to go like crazy out of the way just because someone said you must do this thing,

Mm-hmm.

Like if someone's like, you must do North Shore and you're staying on the South Shore, I don't think it would be. To your advantage to try to go hit up every North Shore spot in one day. think you

Oh, for sure.

to Ley Bay and enjoy the day there.

No, I totally agree with you.

But again, same thing. You're staying on the North Shore and someone says, oh, but you need to see this, and this on the other side of the island. Like maybe pick one thing

Mm-hmm.

someone said you have to do this you come home.

They might ask you if you did it, but they're not gonna not be your friend because you didn't do it.

That's true. I love that. What's a hidden gem or a lesser known spot that you discovered on your trip and that you would recommend to future travelers?

Discovering things is a little bit different for us since we've been doing it for so long. But one thing that I would say is the cold pond near the end of the road, on the North Shore. it's just a great little spot. A lot of times people stop there to take photos 'cause it has some really cute waterfalls that honestly.

It's probably so many landscapers copy and paste because it looks so familiar. It's oh, I've seen this in someone's backyard. Like this is, this is the original. Right?

Yeah.

But if you are going to like High State Park at the very end of the road or like tunnels cold pond is right near there. And. You can't miss it like you will see it. But the other thing that is cool is if you don't have a reservation at the end of the road, 'cause you still need

Mm-hmm.

to go there, you can still go to Cold Pond and it's cold 'cause it's the water coming off the mountains.

Right.

so refreshing. So that day it was my cousin's birthday and that's what she wanted to do.

So we just drove down to Cold Pond, jumped in, swam around for a little bit. And then went back home and like did more birthday stuff, but it's a beautiful spot. It's kind of shaded and it's right on the side of the road and it generally has enough parking right there on the side of the road because people are usually going to another destination there, like they're going to the end of the road or they're going to tunnels and that's not like their one thing that they're doing.

And you could totally stay there for a lot longer if you want to.

Oh, I love that. That's really cool. Yeah, it's so pretty up there. Finally, can you sum up your trip in just three words?

Oh my gosh. Okay. Three words, I to say. Family, aloha and sunshine.

Perfect.

that

I.

I could use that as my like life motto, I would take that. That sounds good.

Oh my gosh. I love that. Well, thank you so much for being here, Jessica. Where can people find you?

Well, I have all of my Disneyland planning essentials on the happiest blog on Earth social media in abundance, but I just started making a reappearance on TikTok, so you can find me there at Happiest Blog on Earth.

Oh, I love that. Yeah, you definitely are my go-to person for Disneyland stuff because you go so frequently and you just always know all the hacks and the ways to. Maximize your time and minimize your spending. So I love that so much. If you found this episode helpful, I'd appreciate it. If you subscribe, leave a review or share it with a friend who's planning their Hawaii trip.

It helps more travelers find the show, and I'm always so grateful for your support. Thanks so much for hanging out with me today. Until next time, Mahalo for listening and I'll  📍 see you in the next episode. Aloha.