Holo Holo Blog

We have some exciting news to share with you! We’ve partnered with Naisla Kitchen & Cocktails and Java Kai for a Giveaway, and you are the first to know about it! 🔊 Truth be told – this is one incredible GIVEAWAY! 💰

✨ Here’s the insider’s scoop! ✨

One lucky winner will receive:

⁃ Holo Holo Sunset Boat Trip for 2

⁃ Naisla Gift Certificate for $100

⁃ Java Kai’s locally roasted coffee and a brand new travel tumbler

All you have to do is:

• Like the post on our instagram page

• Follow @holoholocharters @naislakauai and @javakaikauai on instagram

• Tag three friends who love to have a good time!

We can’t wait to award our winner! The contest will end at 6 P.M. on Friday, March 15, and the winner will be announced on Saturday, March 16, 2024.

✨A look inside the trio of this all-star Giveaway ✨

Cruise the stunning Nāpali Coastline with Holo Holo Charters

Most people familiar with Kauaʻi know that the Nāpali Coastline is a breathtaking, eye-show extravaganza, a uniquely magical place adorned with tall, deeply carved sea cliffs and bright, rainbow-studded waterfalls. If you have yet to experience a tour with us, here is your friendly invite. Let us be your guide and experience the Nāpali like never before. Come see why Holo Holo Charters was voted the Best Boat Tour in the US! And for those of you returning, welcome back. We look forward to creating more magic together soon! 🌄

Naisla Kitchen & Cocktails: “Where Fusion, Flavor, and Aloha Meet”

Do yourself a favor, make a reservation right now, and get down to the East Side’s hottest new restaurant, Naisla Kitchen & Cocktails. You know the place I’m talking about, and if not, well, here ya go. You can thank me later. 😉

Naisla is located at 4-369 Kūhiō Hwy, Kapaʻa, HI 96746. You know you have landed someplace special from the moment you enter the door. The ambiance is rustic and modern, giving an urbanized industrial feel that is cool and edgy yet warm and inviting. There is an energetic, welcoming vibe as you move through the restaurant to your seat, a palpable excitement in the air.

Naisla Kitchen & Cocktails has created something new for Kauaʻi, and their website says it best. “Our vision is to provide an unmatched dining experience that blends the refinement and sophistication of high-end restaurants with Kauaʻi’s renowned warmth and hospitality.” I am happy to report they are delivering on all of these fronts and then some. 🍽️

Let’s start with their craft cocktails and drinks.🍹 Naisla has “curated a cocktail menu that offers an innovative twist on classic concoctions.” Let me be the first to say I like the twist. You’ve probably seen the SUNNY BUBBLES craft cocktail sensation go viral on Kauaʻi’s social media platforms. This tantalizing cocktail is made with Gin, Limoncello, basil, & agave. It is served with a big, sensationally smokey bubble on top, which pops when you squeeze your orange peel on top of it. I enjoyed the SOUTH SIDE SAZERAC, a smooth combo of Bulleit Bourbon Rye, Peychaud Bitters, and orange peel. Additionally, there is a well-balanced, extensive wine list and a nice selection of sake.🍷

Culinary craftsmanship is an essential component of Naisla’s mouth-watering menu. As we move into their menu, their culinary intention becomes clear:

At Naisla Kitchen & Cocktails, we take pride in offering an exceptional fusion of Italian and Japanese flavors that cannot be found anywhere else on the island. Our menu is a journey through taste where two diverse culinary traditions come together to create something truly unique and unforgettable. The result? A symphony of tastes and textures – a creative approach that pays homage [to] both Italy’s rich heritage as well as Japan’s own while embracing modernity at its finest level possible!

Our reservation was for 5:30 P.M. on a Friday night, and the restaurant was filling quickly. We started with the Hamachi Kama Special, reasonably priced at $18 and highly recommended. 🐟 This pupu featured Japanese Yellowtail Collar Bone lightly deep fried, served with pickled onion and ginger garlic soy ponzu. The collar bone meat was buttery, soft, delicate, and seriously delicious.

Their diverse menu was quite appealing. I am excited to return and try the Lobster Linguine featuring butter-poached lobster tail, squid ink linguine, and lobster bisque. 🦞 I opted for the Hamachi Crudo and Endive Salad, paired wonderfully with the Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc from Sonoma with fresh notes of lemongrass, grapefruit, and flowers.

Ok, back to the Hamachi Crudo. This was the most delicious, fresh, thinly sliced raw Japanese Yellowtail I have ever enjoyed. It was accompanied by dark garlic ginger soy, and pickled fresno chili. Seriously, check this dish out! 🤤

The Endive Salad was divine on the palate and aesthetically appealing to the eye. Picture a beautiful, artistic display of Belgian red endive filled with goat cheese dollops and bright orange mango chutney, finished with honey tamarind agrodolce. 🥭

Also greatly enjoyed at my table was the Black Cod showcasing a miso-marinated fish set on top of phyllo crisps inside a beautiful butter bibb lettuce bowl with red pepper sliced on top, drizzled with garlic ginger soy. Last but certainly not least was the Fettuccine Pomodoro. 🍅 This dish offers fresh fettuccine, San Marzano tomatoes, and ginger-soy-braised meatballs. The meatballs were perfectly textured and seasoned, and this dish stole some limelight of its own for sure. 🍝

Naisla Kitchen & Cocktails is open Wednesday-Monday (5-9:30 P.M.). Reservations are strongly recommended. To book a table, either visit their website directly or call 808-855-0294.📱

Java Kai Kauaʻi serves up ono drinks, grindz & positive vibes!

Java Kai is the place to be. Their website tells you all you need to know. They’ve been, “Serving you delicious coffee, rad merchandise, and good vibes since the 90’s” and this statement couldn’t be more true! With two locations in Kapaʻa and Kīleaua, and a third location coming soon to Old Kōloa Town, you can get your premium coffee fix, tasty fresh breakfast and lunch options, and the raddest Java Kai swag no matter what side of the island you stay. ☕

Java Kai chooses select organic beans that are roasted in house and can be conveniently delivered straight to your door. 🫘 Their roasters and bakers rise with the sun to lovingly prepare for you daily, and this is evident in the taste, quality, creativity, and selection of their coffees, baked goods, smoothies, and more! They make it easy for you to order online and “skip da line” for quick and convenient pickup. 🏃🏾

Some of my favorites (though don’t take my word for it – check them out for yourself):

– The Deli Egg Sandwich featuring a toasty bagel, fresh dill, scrambled eggs, cucumber, local greens, and cream cheese.🍳

– Curried Chicken Salad Sandwich served with roasted chicken salad, yellow curry, scallion, and pickled zucchini on country bread. 🥪

– Their Latte, Mac Nut Latte, Wired Monkey, Iced Shark Bite, and Lava Glow smoothie will set you up proper for the start of your day, or offer a nice mid-day pick me up when you need some extra juice.🧉

Aloha abounds at Java Kai where the shops are open from 6 A.M.-6 P.M. serving coffee, smoothies, and pastries. Breakfast and lunch are served daily from 6 A.M-2 P.M., with a wide assortment of gluten-free and vegetarian selections. Check their website for exact location hours.

Kapaʻa Location: 4-1384 Kūhiō Hwy, Kapaʻa HI, 96746

Kīleaua Location: 2555 Ala Namahana Pkwy #600, Kīlauea, HI 96754