Kauai, Hawaii - My 3 Week Vacation

Aloha from Kauai!! I decided to go on an extended vacation.... three weeks to be exact. I feel the need to explain this in detail since most 25 year olds can't take that much time off of work.

WHY?

A month and a half ago, I found out my work assignment was changing up, and I had free time before I would need to start my next assignment. I was on my previous assignment for awhile and I needed a break before getting burnt out. My PTO balance was increasing and it hit three weeks of available time off. The opportunity was too perfect to not take advantage of. I had 400,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, and started looking all over the world for where the perfect spot would be to enjoy a three week vacation. I kept pricing out different spots, but Hawaii was the most affordable, beautiful and exhilarating.

For this trip, there wasn't anyone who could take off for three weeks. Instead, Dan and one of my friends, Joanna, decided to come for parts of the trip. Dan came out for the first half, and Joanna is coming for part of the second half. The last few days will be by myself. It will give me a good glimpse of solo-travel!

HOTEL

I was checking out all the Hawaiian islands for specific criteria: beach location, updated resort, budget friendly, and general location to get to other areas on the island. I came across the Courtyard Kauai at Coconut Beach. I started reading about the hotel details and soon learned they were finishing up a 2 year renovation to upgrade to the Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort.

New rooms, pool, tiki bar, fitness center....EVERYTHING. It was too good to be true. I arrived to the property and everything was better than I expected. My hotel room is spacious, equipped with a smart TV, and a view of the ocean and pool. The pool is AWESOME, and has all new outdoor furniture, including fire pits for night time. It's the perfect spot for people of all ages, and it feels like the perfect Hawaiian home for the next few weeks.

The hotel location is convenient and fun! Located in Kapa'a, it's a great middle point to the southern and northern areas of the island - makes it easy for day trips all over the island! Also, there is a cute downtown in Kapa'a with chic boutiques and restaurants.

If you want to go to the beach, the hotel offers free use of beach chairs, beach umbrellas, beach mats, coolers, and Go Pro rentals for the day! That has been a huge perk to the amenities of the hotel for us.

AGENDA FOR HAWAII

For this vacation, there has been no set plans. Everyday, we've been waking up, checking the weather and then deciding what we feel like doing. Only one of the days, we made plans ahead of time because it was for an off-roading tour. BESIDES THAT, everything has not been planned. It's been so relaxing to just decide day by day which beaches to check out, national parks, etc.

Mostly this trip, we have been beach hopping and some sight seeing. Here are some photos from the trip thus far:

Gillin's Beach