My Rejuvenating Trip to Kauai

Do you ever stop to think about the life you’ve been given? The legacy that has been passed onto you? Do you ever think about the fact that you were blessed with beauty and you can find this beauty in every moment, no matter where you look?

On my recent rejuvenating trip to Kaua’i, where I traveled for the first time, I came into contact with a woman named Puna Kalama Dawson, Hawaiian Cultural Guide to Wellness at The St. Regis Princeville Resort. She reminded me to remember:

How important it is to take the time to appreciate what is directly in front of me.

To be inclusive.

To be humble.

To listen.

To be kind to others but also myself.

To create memories.

And most importantly, to live in the moment – not to count the tomorrows, for they may not come.

The word “Aloha” actually means a shared space, a special moment. As I was greeted with this word during the rest of my stay in Kaua’i, I remembered and breathed in her words. It wasn’t hard – after all, I was in Hawaii.

I had been invited on a Rejuvenation Press Trip. For five-six days, I would get to know the island escorted by representatives from the Kaua’i Visitors Bureau. I was given an amazing opportunity, while there on assignment for several publications, to get to know an island I had never been to.

And I discovered so much about the island, while breathing in Puna’s words and the refreshing air. After a long, cold winter in NYC, I was thrilled to be in the sunshine, amongst amazing women, also there as writers covering the parts of the island we were shown. Kaua’i is the fourth largest of the main Hawaiian islands. Its land area encompasses roughly 552 square miles and only 3% of the island is developed for commercial and residential use.

That fact became more clear to me as I scanned the island from above on a Jack Harter helicopter ride, where I gawked silently at the many wonders of the island, from the 3,567-foot deep Waimea Canyon, and the mountain cliffs that rise from the ocean floor to form the magnificent unspoiled Napali Coast. It’s simply breath-taking, and when you are surrounded by all that beauty, it is easy to take in the moment.

The trip was amazeballs, full stop. It was hard not to pinch myself at times, particularly when I gazed at the gorgeous Hawaiian sunsets. We stayed on both the North Shore and South Shore in lovely hotels, sampling the island’s activities and cuisine. Our accommodations ranged from luxurious resort hotels to more moderately priced hotels, from The Grand Hyatt Kaua’i Resort & Spa to The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas to Kaua’i Beach Resort. They were all beautiful yet different. I experienced a range of adventurous activities from a Kaua’i Sea Tours Napali Coast Snorkel Sail to a Spa Treatment at ANARA Spa Grand Hyatt Kaua’i Resort & Spa to a downhill bicycle ride on Waimea Canyon with Outfitters Kaua’i to a Waterfall Picnic Horseback tour with Princeville Ranch Adventures to Mountain Tubing with Kaua’i Backcountry Adventures.

I’m going to stop talking as I have several posts coming out on various sites where I’ll be going into depth about my trip. I’ll post them in the “My Writing” section here on this blog.

Kaua’i is more than rejuvenating. My senses were awakened, memories were created. The sunsets, the waterfalls, the sound of the waves as I drifted off to sleep, horseback riding through wide fields, biking down a canyon at sunrise, witnessing pure spectacles of nature.

I can’t wait to tell you more.

Disclosure: I was on a press trip hosted by the Kaua’i Visitors Bureau. As usual, all opinions are my own.