DETAILED STAY REVIEW: KIAHUNA PLANTATION BY CASTLE RESORTS | KAUAI

When I first arrived at the Kiahuna Plantation by Castle Resorts, I was actually blown away. You know how some hotels say "beach front" or "beach views," but there is always some catch? At the Kiahuna Plantation by Castle Resorts, you are actually directly on the beach. If you are in a unit that is not on the beach, then it is a really short walk without leaving the property. 

The next thing that I liked was the parking accessibility. I know this is something most people do not care about on vacation but truly, it gets annoying if you have to valet or park far away on your Hawaiian Vacation. Parking is extremely difficult to find on the islands, so having something like this was a blessing. 

When I first walked into the rooms, I was also really impressed with the Villa-style rooms that are steps away from the beach. This room felt very spacious and has everything you needed including a full kitchen, bathroom, king-size bed, sleeper couch, and dining table. 

As I was exploring the new room, I was super excited to see that the Kiahuna Plantation stocked the rooms with a surfboard and boogie boards. I ended up doing a sunset session the next day, Poipu Beach which is actually a popular surf break on Kauai. This is when I realized Poipu is also one of the best spots to be on Island for the sunset. Being on the water till last light was an experience I will never forget. If you do not have any surfing experience, I would not go out. However, if you want to learn, I saw people getting lessons at Poipu beach directly outside the Resort. 

I explored the entire island and I quickly realized that most of the action and all of the best restaurants occur in the town of Poipu and right down the road in Koloa. This made it super easy to stock up on anything we needed on our adventures, local eats and coffee shops, and many luxury restaurants in this area as well. 

Food nearby the Resort my Kauai local friends told me to get: 

Friend #1 

Da Crack - "fish tacos so fire." 

Living foods - "best coffee (dirt chai is killer) and the food is good too. 

Little Fish - "good bagels and good coffee.

Friendly Waves - "all farm to table." 

Bubba Burgers (our version of In-N-Out) local beef.

Stevenson Library - "best sushi." 

That Indian Place - "good Indian food." 

La Spezia - "good pasta."

Annatas - "DANK THAI."

Koloa Fish - "best poke in Koloa." 

Friend #2 

Wailua Shave Ice - "best shave ice on the island in my opinion." 

Konohiki or Lawaia - "both local fish markets." 

As you know trips and vacations can go differently than planned. I was so busy I did not get to try everything, which means I have to come back... 

Ratings on the places I actually ate at: 

Koloa Mill - good grab-and-go breakfast burrito in the morning. They looked like they had some good options, including a cinnamon toast crunch cake which I have never seen before in my life. 

Eden Coffee - I saw two Eden Coffee food trucks in the area... and I went to both of them. I always judge a cafe/coffee shop by the quality of the frozen coffee they offer. I was impressed on how good this was. 

Keaki's Paradise - This was a little more on the luxury side but I really liked it. I was told the Mahi fish and chips would be high quality and filling... it was for sure. I really liked the vibe of this place. It reminds me of my favorite Oahu restaurant: Haleiwa Joes in Kaneohe. 

Big Monster Sushi Food Truck - I thought they did have some good options but my cameraman and I would not necessarily recommend this place. I should have gone with my friends suggestion to eat sushi at the Stevenson Library. 

On another note, I do have a Kauai YouTube video coming soon that highlights my Kauai adventures and a feature from the Kiahuna Plantation by Castle Resorts. Subscribe to my YouTube so you do not miss it. 

My 5 favorite things I did while visiting Kauai included: 

• Napali Coast Charter and viewpoint hike- 100% you have to do this while visiting Kauai. 
• Hanging out and surfing with some Kauai locals at Poipu Beach while walking steps from my room.
• Eating and shopping at local Kauai restaurants and stores. - I always have to get the Lululemon tag from each Island (most Hawaiian Islands have their own custom Lululemon local product which contains the island chain logo. 
• Hiking and jumping into Queens Bath 
• Visiting the beach Bethany Hamilton surfs at and the pier nearby - Tunnels Beach 

There are so many things to do on this small island, there is always more to do. In the YouTube video coming up you can see how special this trip was to me as I shed a tear from an incident. Stay tuned... 

I would highly recommend staying at the Kiahuna Plantation by Castle Resorts not just because we partnered, but because it truly is special and a place I will always come back to. 

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