KAUAI 2016

There’s a lot to do on this island, but it’s also the perfect place to do nothing. There aren’t many beaches you’d be dissapointed in, or places that you’d hate. But here’s some of our favorites. This list is not meant to be your only guide to the island, but out of the three times we’ve been, what we’ve found to be our favorite things and places! Also, go in to this trip expecting clouds and rain. If you expect all sun and perfect Hawaiian weather all the time, you will be bummed out. Just embrace Kauai’s temperamental weather 🙂 We’ve also found that it’s super important to us to find lodging that we really love spending time at. Because while there are less expensive options for rooms far from the ocean, or small basement apartments on VRBO, for us nothing beats having a deck overlooking the water that you can spend the first and last part of your day on enjoying the view. But, to each their own.

Beaches:

–Aliomanu Beach – Least people of any beach we’ve been to on the Northeast side. Great for snorkeling, hammocking, and being alone. 5-10 minute walk from the parking lot though, once you get to the beach, turn right and walk for at least 5 minutes down the beach until you find your perfect spot 🙂 – http://www.kauaibeachscoop.com/east-shore/south-aliomanu-beach#scoop

–Anahola Beach Park – Spacious, great views, also pretty quiet. – http://www.kauaibeachscoop.com/east-shore/anahola-beach-park#scoop

–Kealia Beach – Easy access from Kapaa, where we’ve stayed, and has a great paved path running by it in and out of town. It’s a massive beach, so crowds don’t really matter too much.

There’s a ton of great beaches all over, but figure out exact directions to them before heading out, as many beaches are not marked, and will not be in your GPS. Oh and we love Tunnels Beach, it’s super beautiful and huge, but watch out for the huge waves. For that matter, watch out for waves everywhere you go. Depending on the time of year especially, when in doubt, don’t go out.

Hikes:

–Kalalau Trail, starting at Ke’e Beach. INSANE VIEWS. Hike as much or as little as you’d like, but at least do the first 2 miles to Hanakapiai Beach, and from there you can go 2 more miles inland to the incredible Hanakapiai Waterfall, or keep going down the trail (with a permit). Insane views the whole way. Get there EARLY to find parking, it can be SUPER crowded. We haven’t ever hiked the whole thing and spent the night at the end, but it’s on our bucket list. – http://www.kauaiexplorer.com/hiking_kauai/kalalau_hike.php

–Waimea Canyon – You can’t miss this place. The grand canyon of the pacific. The views from the road are also insane, but you can hike in and see it even better! This is the best hike we’ve found there (It goes down the canyon to the top of the massive Waipoo Falls). http://www.kauai.com/waipoo-falls-trail

-Two great hikes past Waimea Canyon that are on the NaPali coast are the Nuilolo Trail and the Awaawapuhi Trail. Both give you insane views, both will drop you a few thousand feet, so be prepared for a tough return to the trailhead. Worth it though. http://www.hawaii-guide.com/kauai/hiking_trails/awaawapuhi_trail – Make sure you see the Kalalau Lookout and Pu’u O Kila lookouts while you are up there. (No hiking involved, best view of your life though) If you aren’t up for a greuling hike or drive up there, drop the cash on a helicopter tour of the NaPali Coast and prepare to weep.

-On this most recent trip, we just discovered the Kalepa Ridge Trail. And we think it beats out the Nuilolo and Awaawapuhi trails, because it’s easier and has better views. This hike is the #1 thing we’d recommend in Kauai. http://kaleparidgetrail.com/ It’s not a maintained trail, and like some of the others, has very treacherous cliffs that need to be taken very seriously. Not for kids, or beginning hikers.

 

–Sleeping Giant Trail – Fairly easy, and great views from the top. Great for a quick hike if you are on the east side. http://www.kauai.com/nounou-east

 

Etc:

-There are tons of companies that offer kayaking up the Wailua river. (One we’ve used: http://www.kayakwailua.com/ ) Kayaking up the river and then hiking to Secret Falls though is a ton of fun and well worth the time!

-The Kilauea Lighthouse on the north shore is fun to stop at, worth your time. http://www.kauai.com/kilauea-lighthouse

-Renting bikes and riding down the Kapaa bike trail is cheap, super fun, and a great way to see some awesome coast line that you couldn’t otherwise. Bring a picnic and towels, there are some remote beaches you might want to spend some time at.

-Queen’s Bath is cool (north side) but parking is impossible and again, crowds. Go early or late if you want to see it.

-Poipu Beach park (and many other southside beaches) are usually fairly crowded and usually pretty windy. But, nonetheless beautiful and can be worth the lower cost of lodging in that area.

-Watch out for bugs. Tons of them. Bring bug spray on hikes especially.

-There’s a place called The Olympic Cafe in Kapaa that has the most incredible ice cream pie called Kauai Pie. Seriously. The best. It ranks in the top 5 things we’ve ever eaten.

-Shave ice is everywhere, and we’ve never been seriously bummed about any of it. But Hee Fat General Store in Kapaa is our favorite, as well as JoJo’s shave ice in Waimea.

-We think the best beer in Hawaii is from Maui Brewing Company, and you’ll find it in local stores. Kauai Beer Co. is quite good though, and they have a rad little brew pub located in Lihue.

-We’d suggest restaurants, but we stock up on fish and veggies at Costco and cook at home, so we haven’t really eaten out much in Kauai. We also like eating like 12oz of delicious fish for dinner, which costs like $7 at Costco, and not spend $30 on a 6oz filet from a restaurant.

-As far as lodging goes, pick something you love. We highly suggest finding a rental through this company though, they have some great locations and are really great to work with. http://www.kauaivacationrentals.com/