A Cinque Terre Proposal

Let's just get right to it, shall we? This happened:

If you just went, "Wait... huh? What??" please take a minute read the story of Aaron and me, and then proceed. : )

It was October 2, 2012 — a Tuesday, and the fourth day of our two-week trip through Italy. We woke up in Manarola, the second southernmost village of the Cinque Terre (Five Lands), which are perched on Italy's west coast above the Ligurian Sea.

And we woke up a little... hungover.

The previous day, Italy had rained all over our Cinque Terre parade. Aaron and I managed to explore Monterosso under cloudy skies, but got completely drenched by a merciless downpour the moment we arrived by train in Vernazza.

Aaron braved the rain to take this photo while I cowered under cover nearby.

The only thing to do in the tiny town was find shelter at a restaurant and wait out the rain over glasses of vino rosso, but the rain persisted long after we emptied our glasses. We decided to skip the third town, Corniglia, and head straight to our room in Manarola to get dry.

Endless stairs led up, up, up to our room...

...which was absolutely adorable...

...and had a killer view of the sea.

The rain cleared up just in time for us to walk out to a viewpoint and catch a glimpse of Manarola bathed in light from the glorious sunset.

We then grabbed dinner and a few glasses of wine, ate gelato (just as we did every. single. day. of the trip) and bought a bottle of local wine to take back to our room.

Aaron fell asleep relatively early after a few more glasses of wine, but I stayed up late to fill out paperwork for my new job on the iPad (I got an offer the day before we left, and I negotiated my pay while waiting for my flight out of JFK!). It's much more fun to do paperwork while drinking wine, obviously.

And here's where things got a little strange. 

Aaron woke up around 2 a.m. and couldn't fall back asleep. He said he had a headache — probably from all the wine — and we didn't have any painkillers on hand. I felt terrible that he couldn't sleep, so I just stayed awake, too. He watched a movie on the iPad, and I devoured a really interesting book.

Around 5 a.m., I was so tired that I started to feel loopy and hungry. We didn't have any food, and there was certainly nothing open in the tiny village at that hour, so I drank lots of water and tea to appease my stomach. 

At 7 a.m., we were both starving and figured some place would be open for breakfast. We walked all around the village (which only took about 10 minutes) and found nothing open. I got really cranky and started exasperatedly saying stuff like, "Do Italians not eat breakfast? Aren't they hungry when they wake up? Who are these people??" Clearly, I had much to learn about the Italian way of life.

Eventually, we found a tiny grocery store that opened around 7:30. Miraculous!! We bought two apples and a four-pack of strawberry Activia yogurt — not what I would deem a great breakfast by any other standard, but heavenly that particular morning.

I was in much better spirits after we ate "breakfast" and got ready for the day.

We checked out of the room around 10:30 and grabbed more sustenance — mmm, focaccia — on our way out of town.

All five of the Cinque Terre towns are connected by hiking trails, as well as a quick train. We had used the train to travel through the first four towns, but planned to walk the 15-minute trail between Manarola and Riomaggiore. 

The walk is called the Via dell'Amore (Pathway of Love) because, after World War II, it was used as a lovers' meeting point for men and women from the two towns. It's now popular for lovers to enclose a padlock on a cable or railing along the trail to "lock" their love forever.

We came prepared and had our padlock all ready to go, and wouldn't you know... the trail was closed due to a recent landslide! No Via dell'Amore for us.

Aaron was not happy about this and said he was determined to put our lock somewhere. He suggested we walk back to the area where we had watched the sunset the night before and place our lock on the fence that overlooked the sea, but I said we should just take the train to Riomaggiore and find somewhere to put it there.

It felt like the train took forever to arrive. I started feeling hungover as we sat waiting on a bench, and Aaron said he still didn't feel well — he eventually put his head on my lap to rest. We were kind of a sorry-looking pair.

Finally, the train arrived and whisked us to Riomaggiore in just a few minutes. We both perked up as we got off the train and became excited about exploring a new town. There were signs directing tourists to the Via dell'Amore, so we decided to follow them and check out the status of the trail on the Riomaggiore side.

We walked up some stairs and turned a corner to find that the trail was fenced off on this side as well, but that plenty of people had placed locks on the fence anyway. A few small groups of tourists were doing the same and taking pictures, so we decided to go for it.

Aaron pointed out a tourist and said, "That lady is wearing TOMS, so maybe she speaks English. I'll ask her to take a picture of us doing our lock." He handed me the lock, and I put our bags on the ground out of the way as he asked the woman to take our picture and she agreed.

I began walking toward the fence, but realize the lock wasn't open. "Where's the key?" I asked Aaron. He looked thrown, and went digging through his bag to find it. I started chatting with the woman who was holding our camera, and then Aaron walked up to me and put something heavy in my right hand, saying...

"I think we should use this lock instead."

I immediately clapped my left hand to my mouth and started shaking.

I looked down at the big lock that he had given me and just saw "BOO" engraved on it twice (we call each other Boo... I know, I know... gimme a break here). I had no idea what to do with this lock. He started gesturing at it, but I thought he was telling me to open it when he was really telling me to turn it over and read the engraving on the other side.

Before I could do that, he got down on one knee and asked, very simply, and with a huge smile on his face: "Will you marry me?"

It took me a second to catch my breath before I could choke out my answer through my happy tears: "Of course I will!!!"

Thanks to that wonderful woman who shot continuous photos throughout the proposal, here it is in handy GIF format. : )

If I had understood Aaron's directions to read the other side of the lock, I would have seen that the engraving said the exact same thing he did:

After a big kiss and hug, I got a better look at the ring. It was absolutely perfect.

We are engaged!!! I get to marry my very best friend, the guy who makes me laugh and smile more than anyone else in the world, and who makes me happier than I ever thought possible.

I can't wait to call him my husband.

We're forever grateful to the woman who took all these great pictures. When I wasn't listening, Aaron whispered to her that he was going to propose and that she should just keep taking pictures. She did an amazing job, and we thanked her profusely! It helped that Aaron's Canon 5D Mark II takes continuous shots.

There were quite a few people who watched the proposal unfold and applauded when I said yes. All the women clamored around to congratulate us and look at my ring. It really was a fun little scene.

After everyone dispersed, we actually did put our lock on the railing, as we'd originally planned. We kept the big, engraved lock as a keepsake, of course.

I suspect they cut off all the locks from time to time to make room for more, but I hope ours sticks around for a while. The next time you go to Riomaggiore, look for it and let me know if it's still there!

UPDATE: As of March 1, 2013, it's still there!!!

After we finished with our lock, we went to a nearby cafe to giggle and excitedly recap the proposal. Any trace of a hangover I had before was completely gone, replaced by pure joy and giddiness. Aaron confessed that he'd been horribly nervous throughout the whole trip, and he was so glad he could finally relax! Of course, the reason he wasn't able to sleep the previous night was because he was so nervous.

I also learned that he had taken each of my parents out to dinner a few weeks earlier to ask for their permission to propose. My mom was overjoyed and immediately said yes, but apparently my dad grilled him for three hours before he gave his permission. My dad also gave Aaron not one, but three books about how to have a long-lasting and successful marriage — complete with sticky notes to designate the really important parts. I started crying when I heard that... I love that my dad cares so much!!

This post is getting long, so I'll do a "part two" post about the rest of the surprises Aaron had in store for me that day. There was definitely champagne involved!

But before I leave you hanging, I'll answer a few questions you may be wondering about.

First: Did I know Aaron was going to propose?

I wasn't 100% sure — and I didn't want to get my hopes up in case he didn't — but I had a pretty strong feeling that he would propose at the Via dell'Amore. He started to act a little strange the previous day, saying things like, "I think tomorrow is going to be the best day of our trip!" Then, he couldn't sleep. Then, he became really insistent about putting our lock somewhere even though the trail was closed.

And even if all that hadn't tipped me off, my dad gave me a pretty big hint when he started sounding all weepy on the phone the night before we left for Italy. : )

However, I was still really shocked when Aaron gave me the engraved lock and got down on one knee. I lost all control of my body and emotions, and just cried and shook the entire time. It was a perfect proposal!

Second: What's the story with the ring?

It really is my dream ring. You know why? We picked it out together!

Aaron says he always knew he would marry me. Our relationship definitely went through some bumps (like when I straight-up left the country to travel by myself), but as soon as I returned in May, I knew I would marry him, too. From that point on, we always talked about our future like, "When we get married..." It was never an "if."

Flashback to May: On crutches, in love.

I'm a very particular girl and knew exactly what kind of engagement ring I eventually wanted, so I suggested in July that we should look at rings sometime. I sort of expected Aaron to freak out, but instead, he said, "That's a good idea. Let's go today!"

As we looked through several stores, he got an idea of the style that I liked and started picking out rings for me to try on. I rejected each one for one reason or another — so picky, I know. Finally, Aaron pointed to one ring in a glass case and said, "This is the one." So I tried it on. And he was right — it was.

It turns out he (secretly) went back and ordered it the next day.

The ring is extra-special because the center stone is from Aaron's mother's wedding band; she now wears her mother's beautiful wedding band. I love having a little piece of the Pass family in my ring even before I officially become a Pass myself. : )

That brings me to...

Third: When are we gettin' hitched?

October 2014! We're in no rush, but we're having a great time planning so far.

I obviously have a lot more to write about — from the rest of our Italy trip to my new job to wedding planning — and I apologize for neglecting to keep this blog updated as I adjust to several life changes at once.

There's more to come soon. Stay tuned!

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My Travel Must-Haves... And What to Leave Behind

Since returning from my RTW trip, I've packed for smaller trips to Portland and Kauai, and I'm now about to pack for my trip to Italy.

Packing always makes me a little anxious — what if I leave something vital behind?? — but it's certainly gotten easier now that I have my own RTW packing list to refer to.

Of course, I don't need to bring as much stuff for a two-week trip as I did for a three-month trip, so I can eliminate several items from that list right off the bat.

On the flip side, I find myself packing several key items over and over, no matter where I go or how long the trip lasts, and I want to share those favorite things with you here — as well as my not-so-favorite things that I'll likely leave at home in the future.

Keep in mind that I determined my "love it" and "leave it" items through my own experiences, and you may very well need some of the items I would leave behind! It all depends on the circumstances of your trip and what makes you feel comfortable. Feel free to leave your own must-have travel items in the comments.


TECHNOLOGY

Love it:

• Kindle Keyboard 3G with lighted case. Nothing helps me get through international plane trips and 12-hour bus rides like a good book, and the Kindle is a lightweight, easy-to-use digital alternative to print books. The free international 3G was often spotty, but it was great for checking email and updating Twitter from time to time. The lighted case was essential for reading in dark hostel dorms and kept my Kindle well-protected.

• Belkin mini surge protector with extra outlets. If you're like me, you have multiple electronics to charge when you travel: phone, laptop, camera battery, Kindle, etc. Guess what? So does everyone else! Save yourself from the woes of jockeying for one or two coveted outlets in your hostel and plug in this surge protector to instantly produce a few extra outlets, plus two USB chargers. You win.

• Canon S95 digital camera. I love my big DSLR, but I don't always want to lug it around when I travel. I was incredibly surprised by and pleased with the quality of the photos I shot with the compact Canon S95 (the newer, shinier version is the Canon S100). I found myself reaching for it more and more throughout my trip.

One of my favorite photos from Australia — shot with the Canon S95.

Leave it:

• Steripen Traveler. I used this handheld water purifier once or twice in Thailand just to test it out, but it was incredibly cheap and easy to just buy huge bottles of ice-cold water everywhere I went. The other countries I visited either had safe tap water (New Zealand, Australia) or filtered water available in my hostels (Singapore, Malaysia), so the Steripen hardly saw the light of day. If you plan to spend more time in less-developed countries, the Steripen is a great tool. For me? It's a "leave it."

MISCELLANEOUS

Love it:

(Source)

• Ear plugs. Pack them now, thank me later. You'll want to have ear plugs handy on planes, trains and buses, as well as at your bedside when you try to fall asleep. You never know when your ears will be assaulted by a crying baby, loud cell-phone talker or drunk-and-noisy hostel-mate. Bring several pairs, since ear plugs are like socks — one always mysteriously disappears.

• Sea to Summit waterproof compression sacks. My backpack would have been a hot mess if I hadn't had these sturdy compression sacks to keep my clothes under control. I used an extra-small compression sack for sports bras, underwear and swimwear, and a large compression sack for all of my other clothing items. Some travelers prefer packing cubes, but I love how these sacks condensed my clothes to a fraction of the size they would otherwise occupy.

• Klean Kanteen. I'm a water-guzzling freak and keep my Klean Kanteen by my side 24/7, so I had to bring it on my RTW trip. It was great to be able to fill this practically indestructible stainless-steel bottle with safe tap water and filtered water, when available. I definitely saved money and plastic by not buying bottled water in four of the five countries I visited.

• TSA lock and combination lock. My sturdy little TSA lock kept the contents of my backpack secure on buses, trains and planes, as well as in hostels. It was also never, to my knowledge, actually opened by the TSA when I checked my bag. The combination lock was essential for storing valuables in hostel-provided lockers. Often, hostels that feature lockable units will sell locks at the front desk, too.

• Deck of cards. It can be tough to make friends every time you arrive at a new hostel. I found that the easiest way to attract fellow travelers was to bust out a deck of cards in the common area and start a game of something... anything. Bonus points if you have a box of wine to share! I loved my TrekDek playing cards; everyone had a blast reading the different travel activities suggested on each card.

Leave it:

• Point-it dictionary. This compact book of pictures is great for someone who plans to travel through areas where the locals speak little English. I could have used it once or twice in Asia, but simply forgot I had it! It remained tucked away in the depths of my backpack, and I did just fine using hand gestures and such, so I'll probably leave it at home for my trip to Italy. It does make a great gift for travelers, though, and doesn't hurt to have just in case.

CLOTHING AND SHOES

Love it:

• Lightweight, waterproof jacket. I endured torrential rain in nearly every country I visited, so I got a lot of use out of my Helly Hansen shell. It was lightweight enough to keep me dry without making me too hot in humid Asia, and it packed into a tiny ball in one of my compression sacks. I also layered it over a fleece hoodie for extra warmth at the tail-end of my time in New Zealand.

• ExOfficio underwear. I bought seven pairs of this quick-drying, anti-microbial underwear based on recommendations from other travel bloggers, and I'm a total convert. It's the only underwear I wear even now that I'm home! It is incredibly comfortable and has held up well over many rounds in the washer and dryer. It's expensive ($18 to $22 per pair for women), but worth it — and you may find certain colors on sale at REI from time to time.

• Yoga pants. I will never be one of those people who gets dressed up to travel by plane, train or bus. I need to feel cozy and comfortable above all else, and my stretchy, high-quality Lululemon Groove pants served me well throughout my trip. Here's a tip: If you board a plane/train/bus wearing shorts and flip-flops because it's hot as hell outside, have pants and socks easily accessible in your carry-on — nothing is worse than enduring 10 hours' worth of frigid transit A/C with bare legs. If you board wearing pants, keep shorts easily accessible if you're heading to a warm destination to minimize sweating upon arrival.

• Comfortable, stretchy jeans. I did not bring jeans on my trip, but I should have. In New Zealand, the evening weather was often chilly enough to require pants, and convertible travel pants just aren't cool enough to wear out to bars and clubs (see "Leave it" below). I wound up buying jeans on my last day in NZ, but made the mistake of buying them in my regular size. I should have gone up a size, or at least gone for extra stretch... because I love to eat. Let's just say I quickly grew out of those jeans, and they remained in the bottom of my bag for most of the trip. Sigh.

• Wrinkle-free dress. I packed the GoLite Cayambe Reversible Dress in black/gray and couldn't have been happier with it! (Many online retailers are sold out of it, so I just linked to a Google search in case you have luck finding it somewhere.) It was the perfect, comfortable little black dress for many occasions. I especially loved having it in Yosemite; while my extended family members took turns ironing their clothes for a fancy dinner out, I simply removed this polyester dress from my compression sack and unrolled it to reveal instant, wrinkle-free perfection.

• Durable flip-flops. I lived in flip-flops for 98% of my trip, but the cheap Old Navy pair I initially wore fell apart quickly. In Wellington, New Zealand, I bought a pair of silver Havaianas after noticing that many other backpackers favored them. Those comfortable and durable Havaianas stuck with me through the rest of my trip, and I still wear the exact same kind, although I did replace my original pair — they took quite a beating.

Leave it:

• Convertible travel pants. You'll find many travelers who swear by a good pair of convertible pants, but I'm not one of them. Sure, my roll-up pants were comfortable and fit well, but I just didn't wear them that much — and when I did, I felt like a conspicuous tourist. I realized early in my trip that, in most situations, I would be just fine wearing athletic shorts, regular shorts, athletic capris or even jeans. When you pack, it helps to ask yourself this question: "Would I wear this in my normal life?" If not, you probably won't be reaching for it much on your trip.

• KEEN Whisper sandals. "Would I wear these in my normal life?" Nope, and I wore them maybe twice on my trip. Lesson learned. I'll be sticking with flip-flops and running shoes from now on!

PERSONAL CARE

Love it:

(Source)

• Diva Cup. Ladies: Drop everything and get a menstrual cup right now! Imagine not having to worry about keeping tampons or pads on hand, not dealing with leaks, not creating messy waste — basically not having to worry about your period much at all. I've found that the medical-grade silicone Diva Cup is very easy to insert, remove and clean, and I would never go back to using tampons. It's a life-changer! Check out the Amazon reviews for more details.

Leave it:

• Travel towel. I brought a quick-drying Sea to Summit DryLite travel towel on my trip, but wasn't thrilled with its small size and relative lack of absorbency compared to a regular bath towel. I accidentally left the the travel towel in a New Zealand hostel, and instead used a smaller, thinner version of a regular bath towel for the next few months. I never missed the travel towel! My regular towel was more comfortable to use but didn't dry as quickly; I managed that by showering at night and hanging the towel from my hostel bunk to dry overnight.

• Sink stopper, portable soap sheets and clothesline. I was a bit paranoid about having access to laundry facilities abroad, so I brought all the items I would need to wash my clothes in a sink if I had to. I did laundry about once a week for three months, and I always had access to a coin-operated washer and dryer — or, in Thailand, access to someone who would wash, dry and fold my clothes for a fraction of the cost of coin-ops in other counties! If you want to save some money or plan to travel far off the beaten path, you can certainly hand-wash and line-dry your clothes. I always went the washer-and-dryer route, and often saved money by going in on a load of laundry with one or two trusted hostel-mates. I never had enough clothes to make a full load anyway!

What are your must-have travel items? What would you leave behind next time?

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Note: All links to Amazon.com are affiliate links, which means if you purchase an item using one of those links, my travel fund will grow a tiny bit and I'll be very grateful. Just wanted you to know. : )

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Soaring Over Kauai

I apologize for being absent from this blog lately. In a complete reversal from this time last year, I've been job-hunting rather than writing about my travels.

I want to finish posting about my trip to Kauai, though, because Aaron and I are going to Italy very soon! I know I'll want to post yummy photos of pizza and pasta and gelato — trust me, there will be a lot of them — once we return, so I'll do my best to wrap up Kauai before we leave in order to "make room" for Italy.

Although, who am I kidding? There's always room for gelato.

***

Aaron and I kicked off our first full day on Kauai with an incredible view.

Make that more than an hour's worth of incredible views.

We figured the best way to get our bearings on the Garden Island would be to tour it from the air, and what a great idea that was! A big chunk of Kauai is not accessible by motor vehicles, but we got to see all of its stunning landscapes from above.

Our knowledgeable, friendly pilot and tour guide was Bruce Coulombe, the owner (with his wife, Ellen) of Wings Over Kauai. He made us feel nice and safe as we climbed into the tiny plane — me in the co-pilot's seat and Aaron right behind me, for even weight distribution.

I got a little nervous once I saw all of the dials and gadgets up close. Those things really work, right?

Luckily, Bruce went through the pre-flight checklist with me, explaining all of the functions of various instruments as we worked through the laminated list. This guy knew what he was doing (which made one of us). Whew!

Wings Over Kauai shares a runway at the Lihue Airport with Hawaiian Airlines, so we waited for this massive airplane to take off before we could begin our taxi.

Then... we were off! I was surprised by how smooth the takeoff felt. In Australia, I rode a rickety little plane over Fraser Island and felt like the whole thing could fall apart at any moment. This plane was a dream in comparison.

Aaron chose to sit in the back so he could have an unobstructed view of the island for photos. You'll see that some of my pictures feature parts of the plane, but that was fine by me. I preferred to be up front, where all the action took place.

Bruce allowed us to swing open the window once we got up to the proper elevation, which gave both of us an even better view. The wind blew pretty viciously into Aaron's face, though, while I was unaffected in the front! Consequently, we only opened the window for certain photo ops.

Our headsets allowed Bruce to tell us all about the island that he has called home for 16 years. Soothing Hawaiian music played softly in the background as he described the various landscapes, beaches, waterfalls and other points of interest, like expansive coffee farms and famous places that have appeared in movies.

Waimea Canyon, known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, was particularly impressive from above.

But my favorite sight of all was the breathtaking Na Pali Coast. It has been featured in everything from Jurassic Park to Nicki Minaj's "Starships" video (random!), and it's just stunning in person.

Spoiler alert: Later in our trip, Aaron and I took a boat tour of the Na Pali Coast, but it did not go into the cool cave that this boat is going into. I would like a do-over!

The only scary part of the plane ride was when we flew through some heavy fog and got battered with fat raindrops. It was only for a few minutes, though, and we were rewarded with a magical full rainbow afterward.

Since the previous few days had been particularly rainy, we saw plenty of waterfalls. According to Bruce, these ones aren't always there.

This one is always there — Wailua Falls. Gorgeous.

While it wasn't as action-packed as our ATV tour, I really enjoyed our time with Wings Over Kauai and recommend it as a relatively affordable option ($125/person) for touring Kauai from above.

It felt very safe and peaceful. I even felt sleepy near the end, thanks to the gentle Hawaiian music and the subtle vibrations of the plane!

If Aaron and I had bigger budgets and could do it again, though, we would opt for a helicopter tour. We heard other vacationers raving about their helicopter adventures and we were jealous that they got to land at the same waterfall that's shown at the beginning of Jurassic Park! Some helicopters even fly sans doors for the benefit of avid photographers.

That said, not everyone can afford a plane tour, and I'm grateful we could and did. We'll just have to add a helicopter ride to our bucket list. : )

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8 Places to Stuff Your Face on Kauai

Before Aaron and I went to Kauai, I received a ridiculously long and amazingly informative email from Brandon, whose family has vacationed on Kauai every year for the last 10 years (lucky!).

In it, he listed his top recommendations for activities, his favorite beaches and — of course — the best places to eat. Aaron and I took him up on a lot of his advice, and now I'm here to share with you, in no particular order, the eight highlights from the food-and-drink portion of our vacation.

1. The Kalaheo Café & Coffee Company

This bright, sun-drenched café was just two minutes away from our jungle studio, so of course we ate breakfast there three times!

Twice, I opted for my favorite breakfast of all time — Eggs Benedict — which is the café's house specialty and served on toasted bagel halves instead of English muffins. My other breakfast was the daily special, which was a California scramble with hash browns and a toasted corn muffin. I really just wanted the corn muffin so I could slather it with melted butter, but the scramble was incredible, too.

Aaron's mission, apparently, was to leave no carb behind, so he enjoyed pancakes, waffles and a cinnamon roll. He normally sticks to the Paleo diet and doesn't eat conventional carbs, so he was in vacation heaven. I stole bites of everything and can attest to the deliciousness.

2. Brick Oven Pizza

Brandon recommended this pizza place, which is right across the street from The Kalaheo Café (there is also a location in Kapaa). We ordered a pizza with half pepperoni and pineapple and half BBQ chicken, and both sides were fantastic.

Aaron has high standards for pizza, and this was an absolute winner with plentiful toppings, gooey cheese and thick, flavorful tomato sauce. The crust was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside — perfection. Be sure to ask them to brush it with garlic butter!


3. The Feral Pig

We scrambled over here for dinner after a tour guide recommended the not-on-the-menu Feral Burger, which comprises a half grass-fed beef/half pork patty, two strips of thick pork-belly bacon, grilled onions, cheddar cheese, spicy house-made aioli and a toasted taro bun.

It was outrageous — the best burger either of us had ever eaten. We enjoyed it twice during our trip!

Run, don't walk, to The Feral Pig.

4. Brennecke's Beach Broiler

Located right across from Poipu Beach — a popular, family-friendly stretch of sand to set up shop on a sunny day — Brennecke's offers everything you could want to reenergize after splashing around a bit, plus super-fresh seafood.

I always crave fish in Hawaii, so I went with a pupu platter of ceviche, ahi sashimi, smoked fish, shrimp and king crab one time, and fish tacos another. Aaron really loved his fish 'n chips — the breading wasn't too thick or greasy, and the fish was moist.

Brennecke's is a great place to people-watch, since it looks right out to the beach, and I imagine it's an ideal spot to grab a drink and watch the sunset, too.

5. Roy's Poipu Bar & Grill

When we went to Oahu last year, Roy's in Waikiki was our fancy, romantic date-night restaurant. We decided to hit it again on Kauai because we each received a coupon on our flight for $10 off an entree! We needed no further excuses.

The coupons were valid for the three-course prix fixe menu, so we both went for it. The first course included a BBQ rib, a spring roll and a shrimp skewer. Aaron had eaten to-die-for short ribs at the other Roy's, so we both chose it for our entrees (still amazing) along with heavenly, cheesy potatoes au gratin and roasted veggies. Last, but not least, the dessert I can never resist if it's on a menu: Chocolate-raspberry lava cake. I felt like I was going to burst afterward.

Not only was the food fantastic, but our server was incredible. He was energetic, knowledgeable, fast and friendly. We couldn't have asked for more from the experience! I hope to keep Roy's a tradition for years to come.

6. Hukilau Lanai

Clearly I was a bit sunburned for this dinner at Hukilau Lanai, which is located at the Kauai Coast Resort and looks out onto the beautiful hotel grounds, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the best steak of my life.

This was our fancy-schmancy, romantic meal of the trip (Aaron surprised me with the reservation), and we started with red wine, salad with really tasty papaya-seed dressing and tortilla soup. Aaron sprang for the filet mignon, and I went with surf 'n turf (above).

Somehow, some way, my tenderloin just blew Aaron's filet out of the water. Some sort of black magic was used to sear the most incredible flavor into the outside of the meat, and the inside was perfectly medium-rare. The creamy gravy was divine. The fish was great, too, but the steak made me nearly die of happiness. Aaron's filet was great by any other standard, but in comparison... poor him. Don't worry — we shared bites. : )


7. Tortilla Republic

A Facebook friend of mine recommended Tortilla Republic for great Mexican food and inventive margaritas. Aaron didn't expect much and I just wanted to eat some guacamole, but we were both blown away by what we ate.

First of all, bring a group of guacamole-loving friends and order the Guacamole Tableside. The restaurant's guac specialist will roll a cart full of ingredients to your table and proceed to make you a massive bowl of fresh guac, just the way you like it. Aaron isn't an avocado fan, so I couldn't justify the $16 custom-made guac for myself, but I ordered a regular side of guac and chips and happily polished off the entire thing. I had an octopus appetizer as my entree, which was super tasty.

My cucumber-lavender margarita was incredibly refreshing (and boozy), and I would happily go back just to sample more of the margaritas.

Aaron had something (carne asada, maybe?) that was unexpectedly tender and flavorful — I was jealous. It also came with the rice and jalapeno mashed potatoes in the photo above.

And who can resist crispy-but-soft, melt-in-your-mouth churros with chocolate and caramel dipping sauces? Certainly not I.

8. Lappert's Hawaii

If you're got room for ice cream, Lappert's is the way to go on Kauai. We hit the Koloa location quite a few times, but you can also find it in Hanapepe, Kapaa and Princeville.

This was another recommendation from Brandon that hit the mark. You can really taste the difference between mass-manufactured, store-bought ice cream and ice cream that's made in small batches with the best ingredients. I especially loved Lappert's cookie dough flavor, which was just as good as any I've ever had — and I've had a lot.


Bonus! A place to drink: Duke's Kauai

I don't have much to say about the food at Duke's Barefoot Bar — the nachos and fish tacos were just meh for me — but it does have yummy drinks, a great location right on Kalapaki Beach and a fun atmosphere. It was the first place we went to grab a bite when we got off the plane from Seattle, and the last place we hit up to pass the time as we waited for our flight out.

I really enjoyed the pineapple mojito; Aaron liked the frozen mai tai. Drink up!

***

Whew! Now I'm hungry for all of the great things I ate on Kauai. We'll probably have to go back someday.

Until then, I'll be dreaming of that Feral Burger...

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