#12204 Pigging Out at Your Own Private Luau in Kauai's North Shore, Hawaii

A pink piglet, no bigger than a football, scuttles around the pit where its mother steams away beneath layers of banana leaves and wet burlap sacks below. It’s a strangely happy scene on Hanalei Beach Park. The chef, Lynn Alapa, tells you how she and her husband Mitchell came to live in this sleepy North Shore community, while her grandchildren chase after the family dog and young pig. The Alapas run the surf rental hut just a few yards away, and if you ask nicely, they’ll slow-cook a traditional island pork feast—just for you and your friends—while you’re off enjoying the town’s legendary waves. Grab a six-pack of your favorite island brew in time to watch Alapa carve up your dinner, and then dine alfresco on the pier as the sun sets.