This Flyaway Friday is all about my favorite island in the world–so far! My sweet husband and I went to Kauai for our second anniversary, and it was the most beautiful, majestic place I’ve ever seen. Here are a few reasons why!

10. The Glass Sand Beach

Kauai’s unique glass sand beach is an example of beauty from the unbeautiful. The grains of “sand” were not formed by a lightning incident or any other scientific reason. This used to be a dumping ground! Other garbage washed away or has been cleaned up, but the glass from bottles and other trash got beat against the rocks and smoothed over by the salt water, so now it looks like sand. It’s pretty!

9. Free-range Chickens

These little guys are truly free-range! They’re just about everywhere, but surprisingly we didn’t see too much poop around, and they were friendly to people. Having grown up with some angry roosters on a farm, this was a pleasant and entertaining surprise!

8. The Sound of the Shore

Looking for a peaceful place? Kauai is it. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore, whether rocky or sandy, is just the sound I love to hear while I’m relaxing on an island.

7. Flowers

Kauai is called the “Garden Island” for a reason! Everywhere we looked, we saw natural beauty in vibrant color.

6. The Rainbows

The rain that makes the flowers so bright and beautiful also brings beautiful rainbows. They pop up quickly and are gone almost as fast, so be watchful!

5. Kauai Coffee Company

I need my coffee every day, but I don’t consider myself a coffee connoisseur. However, Kauai’s coffee is smooth, not over-powering, and smells incredible! The Kauai Coffee Company plantation and museum are open for tours, and you can try every variety while you’re there! I bought some to being home, and every time my husband brings it to me in bed (because he loves me), I’m reminded of my favorite island!

4. Waimea Canyon

Known as the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific,” Waimea Canyon is vast and stunningly beautiful. The hiking trail is popular, but was not over crowded when we hiked it. It’s pretty impressive!

And there’s a little surprise on the hike, which leads me to #3…

3. Waterfalls

We love waterfalls! And Kauai has more than its fair share os beautiful ones. Here’s a sampling:

2. Kalalau Trail

This is possibly the most popular hiking trail on the island. It follows the Na’Pali Coast, and while it’s quite long and some places are treacherous, the views are worth the effort!

1. The Na’Pali Coast

This is, by far, the most majestic, stunning, and beautiful place I’ve ever seen in my world travels. We took a small plane tour for a 1-hour tour of the island from the air, and it was the perfect way to start our trip. The North Shore’s coastline looks like a movie set, as if it couldn’t possibly be real, but it is! The Na’Pali Coast is sacred to the native Hawaiians, and they’re protected from development so they will remain just as beautiful for generations.

So what do you think? Is Kauai on your travel bucket list? Let me know in the comment section!