I love Kauai; there, I said it. Seriously though, everyone who had been before had told me how great it was and how much fun I would have and I believed them, but at the time, I didn't know just how intensely true it would be. Kauai has a lot of charm, it's a gorgeous island, and the Napali coast is out of someone's dreams.
We saw the coast from the water, from the sky, and actually hiked it as well. I highly recommend all three options, though, hiking it was the most enjoyable.
The flight to Kauai from Oahu was super quick and easy. We flew via Hawaiian Airlines. We took off, the flight attendants came around and gave us juice and then all of a sudden, we were landing.
Here's my map:
We got a rental car (via Dollar) for the duration of our stay. Due to the shortage, it was pretty expensive for the four days (over $1,300) but I would recommend having a car in Kauai if you plan on doing more than just stick around the hotel.
On our way to the hotel, knowing we wouldn't be able to check in right away, we stopped for breakfast.
Luckily it wasn't too busy when we got there, but later in the trip we tried to come back a second time and the queue was insane. We each got an acai bowl and shared the vegetable bagel.
We dropped our stuff off at the hotel but we couldn't check in yet so we changed clothes and decided to try out this hike. The views and landscape are so pretty and we burned some calories. Luckily it wasn't overly sunny so we managed to do it without overheating; important to note because there are long portions of the trail with little to no tree cover.
We stopped at one cliff to watch sea turtles getting tossed around in the waves and it was so much fun.
Before heading back to the hotel, we routed to lunch. I'd read such good things about Koloa Fish Market so we got a poke bowl to share. We regretted that we didn't get individual ones for ourselves.
Similar to the hotel in Waikiki, I chose this hotel because it's a Marriott branded spot but also it was rated the best pool in America. And I get it; there's a water slide, there are multiple pool areas including an infinity pool and waterfalls, the seats are plush and luxe, and it's just a super chilled out and relaxing place to hang out.
Keoki's was good, but it was probably my least favorite place we dined at. That being said, their complimentary carrot cake muffins were awesome.
We shared the kale salad, fish and chips, hoisin ribs, coconut shrimp, and then for dessert we had the hula pie. The portion sizes were insane so we were overly stuffed, but it was satisfying.
Even though we're both prone to seasickness, we knew we wanted to do a boat tour of the Napali Coast. We chose one that also went to Ni'ihau (the Forbidden Island)
Holo Holo is an awesome organization. The staff are cheerful and friendly and the boat is comfortable and everything was great and enjoyable.
The view of Napali from the water was stunning. If you've ever seen Moana, this is Te Fiti in real life.
We stopped at a snorkeling spot off of Ni'ihau, which was super fun.
After spending a few hours at the pool, we headed out to dinner. This was the farthest commute we made for a meal. Was it worth it? Meh. I mean, delicious for sure, but maybe not worth the drive around the winding island roads in the dark.
The menu is tapas style. We got crispy duck salad, octopus with risotto, a vegetable curry, ceviche, and a crispy quail. It was delicious.
The next morning, we watched the sunrise at Shipwreck Beach and Makawehi Bluff. Our hotel had a flashlight so we borrowed it and it came in handy because it was dark initially climbing up the trail.
After sunrise, we headed towards Waimea and on the way, we stopped at G's Juicebar for breakfast. We each got an acai bowl and got greeted by a cute little pupperoo on her way to handle her daily errands.
I absolutely loved Waimea Canyon. It is gorgeous and accessible and the park is so large that if you're not keen on being around too many people, you can definitely find a less crowded spot. There are several hikes and the views are spectacular and it's worth the $10 parking and $5 (per person) entry fee.
After Waimea, we booked it back towards the airport, as we had made a reservation for a helicopter tour. We stopped for lunch at Hamura Saimin. Saimin is a traditional Hawaiian noodle soup dish, akin to ramen, and it's delicious. I forgot to take a photo of the crispy wontons we also ordered.
The star of the meal was this lilikoi chiffon pie. We watched the lady sitting across from us order it and it was compulsory that we try some as well.
A helicopter tour is not really my vibe and not something I would've ever done. However, in this case, we were looking for splurge-y fun things to fill our time (since we hadn't traveled in two years) and if there's anywhere to take a helicopter tour, it's Kauai. The landscape is so beautiful and the island itself isn't overly developed so everywhere you look, it's just nature showing off.
The helicopter landed by the waterfalls that are featured in the opening scene of the original '90s Jurassic Park, which was super fun. It was pretty and picturesque and quaint and really cool to be somewhere that's basically inaccessible except via this tour.
For dinner at Merriman's, we ordered the beet salad, fish & shrimp & chips, and a fish of the day with prawns. All of it was yummy, though, nothing was mindblowing.
In the morning, we got up really early to head to the northwest side of the island. Though it technically would've been closer and faster to drive westward, we had to go east and then north and then west to get to Haena.
Setting up this day was a whole ordeal. First of all, to gain entry to Ha'ena State Park, you need to get entry tickets. These only open up 30 days in advance. There are a couple of ways to book: just entry, with parking, and with a shuttle. The parking options fill up incredibly fast and also are limited to half day only. So, I paid $5 per person and booked two days, in case the weather was uncooperative.
Because I couldn't get parking, we got up to the area early and parked at Haena Beach Park, which is about a mile away from the Kalalau trailhead. It's free and it's practical.
The Kalalu trail is several miles long and you're able to camp it if you're keen. It's not an easy hike by any means, but the first couple of miles are definitely doable for the average person, though, expect some mildly strenuous conditions and also be prepared to ford a rushing stream. We were there during an unusually dry period so we did okay in regular trainers but there were some gooey, soggy, clayey portions that made us wish we had sturdier footwear.
We only went as far as Hanakapi'ai Beach, which is about two miles into the trail. There's also a waterfall that's popular but to be honest, we were tired and hadn't packed enough water or food to sustain us the additional two miles (each way to the waterfall) that would've been tacked onto the trip.
Hanalei Food Trucks
For lunch, we got papaya salad, summer rolls, and Thai iced tea from the Thai Elephant food truck in Hanalei.
Hanalei Bay
There are loads of beach options to choose from on the north shore. We checked out Haena Beach Park and then Tunnels Beach and even considered going back to Haena State Park to hang out at Ke'e Beach. However, we decided we wanted lunch so we ended up in Hanalei and naturally, Hanalei Bay was easy to test out. It ended up being a great place to hang out as it wasn't overly crowded. We saw a cute dog and the water was refreshing and the sun was glorious and I would love to be transported back there right now.
For our last dinner in Kauai, we ate at the Beach House and it was perfect because this was one of my favorite meals of the trip.
The complimentary bread was delicious, and I think that's the best sign for a meal to come.
We got indulgent and ordered two salads because we couldn't choose between the one with the mac crusted goat cheese and the watermelon one. Both were great.
For our mains, we got mac crusted mahi mahi and seafood linguine. Both were sublime.
And for dessert, we managed to snag the last coconut creme brulee. It had slight sunscreen vibes, but in the best way possible.
For breakfast, we stopped at Little Fish Coffee, hoping to get acai bowls but the queue was nuts and we didn't want to wait. So, we then went to Kukuiula market hoping to get acai bowls but the booth wasn't open yet. However, there was a nice man selling all sorts of croissants so we got a couple of those instead.
We took our croissant treats to Shipwreck Beach and ate them with our toes in the sand.
Poipu Beach
Since we had a few hours before we had to check out of the hotel, we decided to spend a little time at the beach.
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