Kauai Travel Guide | Hawaii

Does anybody else have travel plans on hold because of COVID-19? Oh, man. This will likely be the first year since maybe 2013 that I haven’t been on a plane. And after this year, we all need a vacation! So, while we are stuck dreaming, I thought it would be the perfect time to finally blog about our trip last year. Kauai had always been one of those dream destinations for us, so when our five-year anniversary was approaching, we knew exactly where we wanted to celebrate! Gorgeous beaches, tropical mountains, and the legendary Nā Pali Coast make for a pretty epic vacation. Not to mention it’s where they filmed the scene in Jurassic Park when the cast is in the helicopter flying into Isla Nublar (as well as many other parts of the movie).

Like I always do, I did a lot of research on everything we needed to see and eat. Those are always my top two priorities. I didn’t care too much about where we stayed because I knew it would mainly just be a place to sleep since we would be out all day. I just knew I wanted it to be conveniently located so we could explore as much of the island as possible. For that reason, we decided to stay on the east side of the island at Kauai Beach Resort since it was basically the halfway point between everything we wanted to do. We had a great experience staying there — a beautiful property, and it felt reasonably priced comparatively.

We also rented a car, which feels like it’s definitely a must. I will say that they will try to up-sell you to a jeep by telling you it’s absolutely necessary, and while it was fun, it was never something we needed. The saleswoman told us that when we would explore Waimea Canyon we would NEED it, but everything was paved and easy to get to. So, if it’s your dream to explore in a jeep or you have some crazy off-roading adventure planned, do it. If you’re feeling pressured, don’t do it.

After five days on the island, let me share some of our favorite things!

Favorite Beach: Hanalei Bay

Hands down the best beach on Kauai. Not only are the north shore waters much calmer than the south, but it’s so lush and green and has the perfect bay for swimming. It has a long pier you can walk down and plenty of room on the sand! And it’s right next to the cutest little town. I would recommend getting there before noon if you want easy parking, as it tends to fill up quickly in the afternoon.

Favorite Hike: Awa’awapuhi Trail

One of my biggest wishes was to spend as much time seeing the Nā Pali Coast as possible, and this was a great way to do that. It’s a 6.7-mile out-and-back trail that is rated as difficult. Being from Colorado and used to hiking, I wouldn’t say it was super hard, but there were definitely difficult things about it. It’s mainly downhill on the way to the coast, which makes the way back the more difficult part. You also have to keep in mind the rain. If it has rained recently (which is likely), parts of the mud trail can be pretty slippery when there’s an incline. You also want to give yourself a lot of time (maybe around 4 hours), so it’s definitely not something you want to squeeze in between other plans. Parking fills up pretty quickly, so the earlier you get there, the better your chances are of finding a spot. There are mile markers along the way, so you have somewhat of an idea of where you are at. And because it’s a longer trail, it never felt crowded to us, which was nice.

I’m all about views when I’m hiking. I need some kind of reward to make it all worth it. So when you reach the coast and get this view, it’s pretty special!

The trailhead is located off Kokee Road, which goes by Waimea Canyon State Park, so it’s also a great time to pull off at several of the overlooks for that while you’re driving by the canyon. Definitely worth seeing!

Favorite Activity: Kauai Boat Tour

I’ve always loved being out on the water, and I knew I wanted to see the Nā Pali Coast from the shore, so we booked a boat tour with Capt Andy’s. Now, while I absolutely recommend this, I will start off by saying that we both got really seasick for 1 hour of the 4-hour trip, and Ryan threw up, so if you know that you get motion sickness easily, this may not be for you. I regret that we didn’t take Dramamine before getting on the boat. I’ve been on boats my entire life, from small fishing boats to large ferries, and I’ve never been seasick before, but when we got to the west side of the island, the waves were getting huge, so big that we had to turn around, and a lot of people got sick. But that being said, aside from that 1 hour, it honestly was amazing. The views were unreal, the food was delicious, and the staff did a really wonderful job. We also got to see dolphins!

Favorite Poke: Foodland

This is a trick we learned from my sister, who lives on the big island. You don’t have to spend $12 for good poke. Now I’d never buy seafood from a grocery store deli anywhere in Colorado, but on the Hawaiian islands, it’s about as fresh as it gets! Foodland is one of the local grocery stores, and if you head to the deli area, they’ve got a few different mixtures of fresh poke and hot rice ready to go. It’s only $6 for a bowl that’s enough for a meal. It’s half the price of poke at any restaurant or food truck, and the fish pieces are huge and so delicious.

Favorite Tacos: Tiki Tacos

Fresh corn tortillas and dozens of fried or grilled flavors — fish, pork, chicken, veggie, beef, etc. We went here twice because we liked it so much (my husband went three times).

Favorite Shave Ice: The Fresh Shave

When you’re on the islands, you have to have shave ice! This was our favorite spot because the flavors were so fresh and filled with real fruit as opposed to fake syrups. It’s the perfect treat for a day at the beach.

Favorite Market: Kauai Community Market

One of our favorite things to do in the morning was to hit up the local farmer’s markets. The best one was at Kauai Community College on Saturday morning. There, we stumbled across the best pastries ever from Midnight Bear Breads. They also have a storefront if you aren’t able to make it to the market. We also had Kauaʻi Sugarloaf Pineapple, which are white pineapples with the lowest acid, sweetest, most delicious, and fullest flavored fruit. It’s a great way to taste local produce and great local food!

Kauai really was everything we hoped it would be! With so much to see on this beautiful island, I hope this guide can give you some ideas when planning your own visit. Enjoy!