Well it’s official, I have a new favorite state! I have fallen head over hills in love with Hawaii!! For my first visit to the Hawaiian islands, I chose Kauai and based on feedback from pretty much 90% of the population this is the best island. The other 10% of people said Maui over Kauai and I look forward to exploring Maui one day as well! For Kauai though, the pairing of mountains and ocean was divine for me. Before this trip, I’ve said it many times I just am not a beach girl, I’m a mountain girl but Kauai made me a beach lover while also blessing me with the most beautiful luscious mountains! It was the best of both worlds! Kauai is an adventure seeker, beach lover, mountain enthusiast paradise and you need to visit asap! Like for real, as soon as you finish reading this post, through up your hang loose sign and go book your flight!
Where To Stay
To get around the whole island of Kauai it’s basically 2 hours. We stayed on the North Shore in Princeville which is highly recommended. I loved Princeville but in all honesty it was a little far from everything except for my favorite town on the whole island, Hanalei, which we will get all the way into a little later in the post! Princeville was a 45 min drive from the airport (Lihue), and beyond so it’s pretty far out. With that being said, there’s also so much to do in Princeville that you really never need to leave the area and you’ll find plenty to do on the north shore. It’s also a little cooler here and rains a little more but all in all Princeville is a great area to stay and I loved it! If you’re planning to explore the whole island during your stay then a more central location like Kapaa might be better. We chose the Club Wyndham Bali Hai for our resort accommodations and the grounds were absolutely beautiful! The suites are 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom with a full kitchen, spacious living room and can sleep 6. The resort has food trucks on site for breakfast lunch and dinner, 2 luxurious pools and hot tubs as well as many activities such as hula lessons and beyond! The concierge on site is also super helpful with recommendations on what to do and all the local spots. I thoroughly enjoyed the accommodations here!
What To Do
We decided to embark on the tubing adventure with this company and it was a lot of fun! First, you start out on a 30 min ride to the start of the tubing excursion. During this ride you get to take in beautiful views of places where Jurassic Park was filmed and famous look outs on the route. The tubing guides give you a lot of history about the land and specific spots. They’re also very fun and lively and make the whole 3 hour tubing experience interesting. Once you arrive at the property you hop on your tub and go on about a 45 min ride down a river and thru some pretty epic caves. Some you'll even go thru in the pitch black darkness complete with some fun drop offs. After the ride, you go to scenic a swimming hole spot and eat lunch which is included in the excursion. The cost of this tour is $130 and definitely a memorable activity to do while in Kauai!
13/10 would recommend seeing the island of Kauai via plane with Wings Over Kauai. This was the most breathtaking experience! I’ll also say this
was the highlight of my entire trip in Kauai. Our pilot Marcus was awesome and gave us a lot of history and explanation of what we were seeing throughout the entire 1 hour flight. Being able to see the coastline and mountains so up close and personal from the aerial vantage point was unreal and something I’ll never forget! The cost of the flight is $170pp.
Visit Waimea Canyon
It’s been said that Waimea Canyon is a clone of the Grand Canyon on the island. Somehow in all my travels I’ve still yet to get to the Grand Canyon but I’ve seen pictures and do feel like it’s similar but Waimea Canyon has a lot of green incorporated in it. Going to the lookout and seeing this vast mountain display will leave you speechless! There’s also many hiking trails here that you can take throughout the canyon. Many people tried to discourage me going here since I had already seen it by plane but I promise you walking it is just as epic as the plane view so definitely go and visit during your stay!
Shopping in Kapaa
Kapaa is the cutest kind of downtown area on the island. It has a lot of shops like Billabong and all they hip surfer and island upscale gear and souvenirs. There’s a bunch of great eatery’s including plenty of food trucks and a beautiful beach as well. You’ll definitely want to plan a stroll down this town.
Beach Days on Beach Days
If you’re a beach lover, Kauai has got you covered! There a tons of beaches literally everywhere you look there’s a different beach! Here’s my 4 favorite beaches on the island…
1. Hanalei Bay-the views of the mountains meeting the ocean are absolutely breathtaking. It’s also a great place to catch a wave surfing🤙 if I had to pick one this was my favorite! I actually went twice!
2. Haena Beach- a fun family friendly beach. Once you’re done swimming you can visit the Maninolo Cave which is located at this beach as well!
3. Anini Beach- the chilliest, quietest beach with bluest water and very low waves. Lots of spots for seclusion as well
4. Poipu Beach- a super lively beach that’s great for snorkeling and family fun. While you’re here grab a famous Hawaiian hot dog and the best shave ice! There’s also a restaurant at this beach where you can have a sit down meal
Visit the Town of Hanalei
This area of the island was my absolute favorite. I loved this town!!! It almost felt like I was in Bali here with the scenery, landscaping, plants and all the things. This town has restarauntas, shops and my favorite beach Hanalei Bay. I think it’s the mountain lover in me that makes this town my favorite. There are 360 views of the most green luscious mountains everywhere you look and it is so gorgeous. There’s just such a great feel here and I think you’ll love it as much as I did!
Kilauea Light House
With a reservation and $1 entry fee you can visit the historic Kilauea Light House. This is a beautiful landmark where you can see some of the islands famous birds, seals and turtles. If you’re lucky the attendant on duty will also give you a history lesson about the lighthouse that is an awesome story of courage and bravery of a Japanese man in Pearl Harbor! This was a very peaceful place that also gave you another stunning view of the island.
Queens Bath Hike
Said to be very dangerous but I call bluff. This was definitely not the most dangerous hike I’ve been on and it’s only a little bit dangerous if it’s been raining but if you have proper hiking shoes on you’ll be just fine! This is an absolute must in the Princeville area! It’s about a 20 min hike down, if that, and you’ll end up on black rocks overlooking the ocean and beautiful waterfalls. There’s also a space with small swimming pools where you can get in the water and jump off the rocks. It’s absolutely stunning! I still remember the bountiful breeze blowing through my hair down there and I’m so glad I didn’t listen to the “too dangerous” rumors!
Where to Eat
Listen, you may just want to go to Kauai for the food there! Some of the freshest, endless delicious options of food are on this island! And if you’re a health conscious, organic, plant based person you're going to be so pleased with your meal options on this trip! Here’s a list of some places I ate and would recommend! Hanalei Gourmet- Known for the best Mai Tai on the Island
Taste Of Asia Food Truck(Princeville)- The French toast with Hanalei fresh bread that was purple on the inside was out of this world!
Kalypso (Hanalei Bay)- A fun beach bar atmosphere with all kinds of food choices
Jojos Shave Ice-You can get this all over the island as it’s a Hawaiian staple. Defintiely get yours with the the Macadamia Nut Ice Cream in it!!! Out of this world good and a Hawaiian desert cuisine native to the island! The Fish Express (Lihue)- Build your own Poke Bowl which is a staple Hawaiian dish and it’s sooo good! Frederico’s Fresh Mexican Cuisine (Hanalei Bay)-The best mexican food I’ve had in my life! The mango grilled chicken salad just wow!
Puka Dog (Poipu Beach)- Hawaiian style hot dogs with mango, pineapple, guava and papaya relish options as well as a plant-based hot dog option!
Kauai Juice Co— The freshest organic cold pressed juice combinations I’ve ever had the pleasure to drink! These are located all over the island and you’ll want to have one everyday of your trip!
Hanalei Bread Company Coffeehouse- I’m not into coffee but I know a lot of people are and this place was hopping with lines out the door everyday so I’m pretty sure it’s a great spot.
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