Monday, November 3, 2025
Early in my career, I spent six weeks traveling between Kauai and Maui. I couldn’t have asked for a better project — I fell in love with Kauai’s natural beauty and immediately understood why so many Hollywood productions were filmed here. Even now, simply driving around the island is one of my favorite things to do.
We drove from Poipu up to Kapaʻa, about 45 minutes. Passing through Wailua, I noticed the Coco Palms was still fenced off. It’s the iconic hotel where Elvis filmed the wedding scene in Blue Hawaii. Hurricane Iniki destroyed it in 1992, and ever since, there’s been endless talk of redeveloping it. Sadly, it still sits there today — fenced off, decayed, and frozen in time.
We had breakfast at Kountry Kitchen, one of my longtime favorites. Sophon went all in with the pork loco moco — shredded pork over rice, topped with an egg and smothered in gravy. I stuck with my usual Eggs Benedict. From there, we continued up to Hanalei Bay, stopping along the way to take in the views. When my parents retired, I used my miles to bring them to Kauai, and they absolutely loved it. I always think about how special that trip was.
Back at the hotel, we eventually headed out for a late lunch at Keoki’s Paradise. It’s touristy — but in the best possible way. Lunch in an open-air tropical setting just hits differently. I didn’t realize it was owned by the same group behind Duke’s and Hula Grill. We already knew we’d have to come back later for their Hula Pie.
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