kauai

SEE/ DO

South Shore

• The Jack Harter Helicopter Tour without doors is a must-do if it is your first time to the island.  It will allow you to experience the full beauty and see what you won't be able to by land.  It is the best flight tour we have taken in our travels so far - you will see where Jurassic Park was filmed, the open ocean cave, a valley full of waterfalls, and more!

• Kalalau Valley Lookout/ Pu'u o Kill Lookout  (The best view of the island, in our opinion.  The Rim Hike is amazing...and a little dangerous.  When we went, it was raining and muddy and a bit of climbing, but was a cool adventure with great views!)

• Waimea Canyon

• Beaches we like: Poipu, Brennecke, Polihale 

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North Shore

• Napali Coastline Sea Caves - can see via boat or Kayak tour

• Kayak in the Hanalei River + Bay

• Queen's Bath

• Beaches we like: Ke'e, Tunnels, Hideaways

• Snorkel at Ke'e Beach

• Hike a portion of the Kalalau Trail, the most beautiful hike we've ever done (or get a permit to backpack and to do the full thing)

EAT

South Shore

• Red Salt

• Keoki's Paradise (fun atmosphere)

• Tidepools at the Hiatt

• Lappert's Ice Cream

• Jojo's Shaved Ice in Waimea

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North Shore

• Bar Acuda (need reservations)

• Tahiti Nui

• Aloha Juice Bar

• Farmer's Market in Hanalei (eat some of the best fruit of your life here!)

• Hanalei Bread Co

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Luau in Wailua

• Smith's Tropical Paradise (very pretty garden setting with a show.  Don't remember the food very well other than good Mai Tai's, but a fun event!)

STAY

We recommend splitting up the trip into two parts to limit driving time (driving is slow on the island)

• South Shore - We recommend staying in Poipu.  We love the Ko'a Kea Hotel + Resort, which is a small boutique-style resort with excellent food.  It is quiet, so great for couples!

• North Shore - We like Hanalei.  Our last Airbnb experience in Hanalei didn't have A/C - Yikes!  Next time, we'd like to check out the Hanalei Colony Resort.

Tips

• We love Andrew Doughty's blue Hawaii guidebooks for visiting the Hawaiian Islands.

• The South Shore is warmer and drier, whereas the North Shore is more wet. From our experience, it gets quick spurts of rain that can come out of nowhere.  This is why it is so lush on this side!

• Snorkel Bob's is an inexpensive place to rent snorkel gear.

• ​When planning your day at Ke'e Beach and/or Kalalau Trail: Pre-purchase tickets to use the shuttle, as the parking lot is tiny.  We recommend packing beach gear and setting up a good spot at Ke'e in the morning, hike 2 miles on the Kalalau Trail to the first beach on the trail, eat lunch there, then hike back to swim and snorkel at Ke'e for the rest of the afternoon.

• Bring Black or Brownish clothing and shoes that won't stain for hiking.  The infamous Kauai Red Dirt will stain your clothing.