The island of Kauai is one of the many islands that make up the state of Hawai’i. It’s nickname is the Garden Isle due to the tropical rainforest that covers most of the surface. It is a beautiful island with so many things to do and eat!
Quick Link to:
Transportation
- Lihue Airport: We flew on Alaska Airlines through Seattle into Lihue. It was a somewhat long but comfortable journey. The Lihue Airport is small and easy to navigate.
- Rental Car: We definitely recommend getting a rental car to be able to see everything that the island has to offer. Using ride share would not have been sufficient enough for us to see everything without costing an arm and a leg.
Accommodations
- Poipu Shores Condominium: Located in Poipu, this condo was central to a lot of things to do and it came with an incredible view! It had all of the amenities both inside and out and boasted a full kitchen, washer and dryer and a relaxing pool. It is not cheap to stay in Poipu, but a lot of things in Hawai’i aren’t and you’re on vacation!
To-Do
- Poipu Beach Park: The first day in Kauai we headed to the beach to do some sun bathing and snorkeling. The waters were a bit rough so we definitely would only recommend snorkeling here if you are a strong swimmer. We did see some cool fish though!
There were a lot of chickens and roosters wandering on the beach, which are quite common for Hawai’i.
- Wailua Falls: These waterfalls were very easy for us to reach. Located right next to a parking lot, we didn’t have to hike in order to get up close and take some great pictures.
It is legend that Wailua Falls was where some Hawaiian men would test their endurance by jumping from the 80 foot waterfall into the 30 foot pool below. It became famous during the 70s and 80s when it was featured on the TV series, “Fantasy Island”.
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Smith Family Garden Luau: Going to Hawai’i, we definitely wanted to check out a Luau. This family run Luau has been in business for over 50 years and they definitely know what they are doing. It is $108 per person for adults but very much worth it!
Once we were let into the garden, we rode a tram and then were free to roam the areas. We saw a lot of gorgeous animals and plant life.
Something that was definitely a highlight for us was the ritual they did at sunset. One of the Island customs is to cook a pig in an underground oven. The Kalua Pork literally means “pork baked underground”. The entire pig is placed in a pit lined with banana leaves and hot rocks and then lit on fire. It is then covered with sand and dirt and bakes for a whole day.
The cherry on top of an amazing night was the entertainment they provided for us, in the form of dancing. We heard a lot of different traditional songs and chants from the Hawaiian hula, Tahitian drum dance, and Samoan fire knife dance.
- Waimea Canyon State Park: Also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, this state park is massive and pretty much took the better half of the day. Since we read that it was better to start at the top of the Canyon due to fog, we got an early start and worked our way down.
We took the Pihea Trail and were able to take in some breathtaking views!
On our way down, we stopped at the Waimea Canyon Lookout and this was where we were able to really see the resemblance between the Waimea Canyon and the Grand Canyon. This 14-mile-long, mile-wide and approximately 3,600-feet deep gorge was very impressive.
It had some awesome waterfalls and a lot of lush greenery. We think that this might be even more stunning than the Grand Canyon in Arizona!
- Polihale State Park: This remote beach is located on the western side of Kauai. It was definitely a wild ride to get there and you want to make sure to have all wheel drive on your rental car with high clearance. We saw a lot of mini vans attempting to make the drive and it did not look fun. Thankfully our car was well equipped, but it still took a while to navigate the bumpy dirt road. We thought it was worth going to since it is the most west you can go on the island.
Once arriving, we strolled along the soft sandy beach until we reached the end, which was very rocky. It was nice to relax, feel the sea breeze and just take in all the beautiful views.
- Makawehi Lithified Cliffs: Located next to Shipwreck beach, these Limestone sea cliffs were super cool to see and we were able to get some good views and pictures!
We parked the car in a small parking lot next to the beach and then took a walk on the easy trail to reach the top of the cliffs.
Once we reached the end of the trail, we were able to see the sea and explore the cliffs, making sure to not get too close to the edge of course. We were also able to spot a couple sea turtles from above!
There didn’t seem to be any official trails for anything, but we just stuck to the worn in path and didn’t get too adventurous. It was very windy so definitely be prepared for that if you do end up going.
It didn’t take too long for us to see everything but we could have definitely spent more time just taking in the beautiful views from the cliffs.
- Spouting Horn: The strong waves on the south coast eat away at the lava rocks and create narrow blowholes, such as this one, located near Poipu.
Every time a wave came up, the water was shot upward through the blowhole and it made a loud hissing noice. Some of these were very impressive, looking to be at least 25 feet in the air! It was a very cool thing to get to see and a lot of other tourists were there to take in the sights.
- Kauai Coffee Company Estate: Since Sierra loves coffee, we made sure to check out the largest coffee farm in the U.S.
We were able to see the coffee orchard and learned how the coffee is grown, harvested and roasted all on the island. We were also able to sample some different kinds of their delicious coffee. There was also a gift shop so we had the opportunity to get some gifts for the coffee lovers in our life!
- Koloa Rum Company: The Koloa Rum Company has been producing rum from the island’s sugarcane since 2009. They are twice-distilled and we were really able to tell the difference.
We showed up at the visitor center and were able to request a tasting time fairly quickly. We did some shopping in the gift shop while we waited for our slot.
The free tasting session lasted about 25 minutes and we were told all about the company’s history and rum making process. We tried 5 different kinds of rums and they were all very tasty.
- Blue Hawaiian Helicopters: We read that the best way to see Kauai is by air since there is no road that circles the island. We thought that the best way to truly experience the island was to take a helicopter tour. They are on the pricey side (starting at $289 per person) but the views and experience were well worth it.
We arrived for our tour a little early so we could get checked in and then we were shown a safety demonstration. Soon we were waiting for our helicopter to show up to take us on the 45 minute journey!
During the tour we were able to see beautiful waterfalls…
As well as impressive canyons…
Our personal favorite part of the tour was seeing the Na Pali coast. It goes on for 17 miles and was truly breathtaking…
Food
- Puka Dog: Located in Poipu, this was the perfect place to grab some lunch. These Hawaiian-style hot dog are unique and delicious!
Now they do have a process for how to order your Puka dog. Step 1: Chose what kind of hotdog you want. Step 2: Chose which garlic lemon secret sauce. Step 3: Chose the tropical relish. Step 4: Chose mustard or no mustard.
Sierra ended up getting the polish sausage dog with mild sauce, pineapple relish, and Hawaiian mustard. Jonah got the polish sausage dog with hot sauce, mango relish, and mustard. We also got a fresh squeezed lemonade and some potato chips to go along with it. It definitely hit the spot!
- Kokee Lodge: Located right next to Waimea Canyon in Koke’e State Park, this small restaurant also has a coffee bar. This was perfect for a little pick-me-up.
Sierra got the jitterbug coffee which was espresso with milk and blended with ice. Jonah got hot chocolate. Both were very good! The quiet atmosphere was relaxing and we were able to take a moment to reflect on our day.
- Island Taco: With locations in Poipu and Waimea, this taco shop makes their own tortillas in house. They don’t sell just tacos though so if you like something else, there are burritos, enchiladas or quesadillas on the menu as well.
Jonah got the Kalua pork burrito, chimichanga style and it came with refried beans and dirty rice. It was very good as well as filling.
Sierra got the mahi mahi taco and it came with homemade tortilla chips as well. The fish was well seasoned and the taco tasted very good, although different from other kinds of tacos we have had in the past.
- Jo Jo’s Shave Ice: This cute shave ice store has been around since 1992 and we can definitely see why. There is a huge variety of flavors that you can get and you definitely get a bang for your buck.
Jonah got the rainbow shave ice, which consisted of strawberry, banana, and vanilla syrup ice over macadamia ice cream. Sierra got the locals south shore shave ice, which consisted of pineapple and coconut syrup ice over macadamia ice cream. Each one was delicious and huge, even though we only ordered the “small”.
- Lappert’s Ice Cream: Another good spot for something sweet is this ice cream store. Located in Koloa, it is right next to some cute shops. They serve a variety of items including baked goods and coffee, but we just ended up getting ice cream.
Jonah got a scoop of the chocolate chip cookie dough and nene tracks (Vanilla ice cream, chocolate covered honey roasted almonds, cashews, & peanuts, mini peanut butter cups, dark chocolate fudge, salted caramel).
Sierra got a scoop of the caramel coconut macadamia nut and had to copy Jonah and get a scoop of the nene tracks. All the ice cream was delicious!
- Anatta’s Thai Street Food: We were looking for something good to eat for lunch one day and found this cute food truck serving Thai food. The lady making the food was very friendly and we did not have to wait too long to get our food.
We both ordered pad Thai, one chicken and one beef and some BBQ chicken sticks to split. It was all super good and the portions were huge.
- South East Asia (SEA) Cuisine: Located in Lihue, this restaurant is not too far from the airport and it was a good meal for us to enjoy before leaving on our evening flight back home. Although we only came here for the sushi, this restaurant has many different types of Asian dishes to enjoy.
For our appetizer, we had the nori edamame. They had an awesome variety of rolls and each one tasted fresh and delicious. We had the following rolls: California, spicy tuna, spicy salmon, salmon avo (avocado), Alaska (kanikama, salmon and avocado), caterpillar (shrimp tempura cucumber topped with avocado, tobiko and unagi sauce), rainbow in Kauai (california roll topped with tuna, salmon, Hamachi, white tuna and tobiko), and the “My Favorite” roll (shrimp tempura, avocado, topped with salmon, tuna, tempura crumb, tobiko and eel sauce). This was definitely some of the best sushi we have had. It was a great way to end our stay in Kauai.
Kauai is definitely one of our favorite islands and we highly recommend taking the time to visit this lush vibrant place!
*Note: This trip was taken pre-COVID.
