Travel Guide: Kauai, Hawaii
Kauai is the oldest & northernmost island in the chain of Hawaiian islands. Lush & beautiful, get ready to see a lot of red soil, roaming roosters & lush greenery everywhere you look. If you’re the outdoorsy & adventurous type, there are a number of hiking trails that lead to stunning waterfalls & you can even hike the Napali Coast. It’s no wonder that over 60 movies have been filmed on the island, including Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Tropic Thunder & Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
We hope this list helps you plan out your itinerary when visiting Kauai! If you have any other questions, please leave them in the comments below or send us an email at hello@theinspiredabode.com.
KAUAI TRAVEL TIPS
Flights to Hawaii are downright expensive! Once you have an idea of when you’d like to go, we highly suggest downloading Hopper & setting alerts. The app will send you a push notification when good deals are happening & will even predict whether you should keep waiting or purchase before it’s too late. We saved $400 roundtrip each thanks to Hopper!
Kauai is known as “The Garden Island” & it’s so green because it rains…a lot. While the weather will still likely be perfect temperature-wise, pack a light windbreaker or be prepared to get a little wet.
Rent a car! Having your own vehicle will give you the freedom to explore all parts of the island & not just the area near your hotel or what’s accessible via bus.
Kapaa (Kapaʻa) is the most centrally located town on the island. Going north will take you towards Princeville & Hanalei, and heading south will take you to Lihue – where the airport is located, Poipu & Waimea Canyon.
WHAT TO EAT IN KAUAI
Java Kai in Kapaa, Kauai
Kauai Juice Co
Java Kai in Kapaa, Kauai
Wailua Shave Ice in Kapaa, Kauai
Street Burger in Kapaa, Kauai
JAVA KAI (Yelp)
We visited this cute café for breakfast two times on our five-day trip. Seating is limited compared to the number of patrons waiting in line, but there’s quite a bit of table turnover & everyone is really friendly, so don’t be afraid to ask to share space. We highly recommend trying the Surfer Girl Sandwich featuring scrambled eggs, spinach, onion, cheddar, pesto aioli, bacon & tomato on a croissant instead of a bagel. The JK Breakfast Burrito with scrambled eggs, potato, onion & cheddar cheese is also a hit – you get your pick of two types of salsa or pesto for dipping. Java Kai also has a delicious-looking lunch menu that we can’t wait to try next time we’re in Kauai.
Tip: If the line is out-the-door long, order pickup via ChowNow so you can walk around the shops instead of waiting in line & then grab your food to enjoy while watching the waves crash along the sandy beach just a couple hundred feet away.
KAUAI JUICE COMPANY (Yelp)
Located next to Java Kai in Kapaʻa & with two more locations in Kilauea & Poipu, Kauai Juice Company serves up cold-pressed juices, hand-pressed nut milk drinks, kombucha & wellness elixirs, all in reusable glass bottles. They even have their own brand of hot sauce & we only wish we’d known about it sooner.
Wailua Shave Ice
Also located in Kapaʻa, you’ll find a collection of food trucks & picnic tables. Front & center is Wailua Shave Ice selling Hawaiian-style shaved ice made with fresh local fruit. Unlike most Hawaiian shaved ice stands you’ll see around the island that use syrups reminiscent of state fairs, Wailua Shave Ice uses fresh fruit juice & finishes the shaved ice with delectable toppings. It’s no surprise that they even have locations on the mainland in San Diego & Portland!
KAUAI BEER COMPANY (Yelp)
We stopped here for lunch after landing at Lihue airport around lunchtime due to its close proximity & great reviews. It’s a laid-back, casual restaurant in Lihue & a great place to try local beers. We highly recommend trying the baja fish tacos & of course getting anything made with beer cheese, like the mac n’ cheese.
DA CRACK (Yelp)
This may or may not surprise you, but there are no Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants in all of Hawaii. Although we’re big fans of Chipotle, we did not miss it in Kauai thanks to the delicious custom-made burritos at Da Crack. The casual, order-at-the-counter restaurant serves up food that is made fresh in-house daily. They don’t use MSG or any trans-fatty oils, and they use only Hawaiian sea salt and locally caught fresh fish. The menu is simple – decide if you’re having a burrito, tacos, or a bowl, choose your protein, add rice & beans (the Mexican rice is SO good), add salsa (hello, lava sauce!), and top if off with cheese, one of three sour creams (plain, chipotle or sriracha), cabbage, olives or guacamole. Like Chipotle, if you order a veggie meal, you won’t be charged extra for the guacamole. There aren’t many places to sit apart from a couple of benches, so we suggest taking your burrito to Poipu beach & enjoying it with views of the waves.
STREET BURGER (Yelp)
Dinner at Street Burger was quite possibly our favorite meal of the whole trip. It’s an upscale burger joint that still has a Hawaii-style casual atmosphere. The people, the ambiance & the food were all impressive. The restaurant partners with local businesses & are proud to sell local beers and 100% Kiawe Reserve Hawaiian grass-fed beef, in addition to a homemade veggie patty. As life-long vegetarians, we always love when burger joints let us swap a burger patty for a veggie burger on any of their menu items, especially when a restaurant has as many burger options as Street Burger. While you can always opt for a classic burger, we suggest trying the Greek burger topped with olive tapenade, feta, thinly sliced cucumber, tzatziki & spinach or the Southern burger topped with a fried green tomato, pimento cheese, greens & buttermilk-chive dressing.
THE DOLPHIN (Yelp)
We were first introduced to The Dolphin when it was featured on Guy Fieri’s Diner’s Drive Ins and Dives. The original location is situated in Hanalei & features a fish market, sushi lounge & full service restaurant, but you’ll find another restaurant location in an upscale outdoor mall in Poipu. All of their fish is fresh & locally caught. We’ve been told that the poke bowl does not disappoint!
THINGS TO DO IN KAUAI
Poipu Beach Park in Kauai
Waimea Canyon Lookout, Kauai
Hanalei Beach in Kauai
Napali Coast with Holo Holo Charters, Kauai
Aerial view of Kauai
Aerial view of Kauai – Tropic Thunder film location
Visit Poipu Beach
Poipu Beach is perfect for families and people all ages. One end of the beach is situated in front of a shallow crescent near a reef that is perfect for snorkeling. Even without snorkel equipment, the water was so clear that we saw 30+ fish swimming around from above. On the other side of the reef just a short walk away, you’ll see the waves start to break. If you’re lucky like we were, you might even see a sea turtle & local sea lions resting on the sand.
Spend a Day in Hanalei
The wine glass-shaped beach is one of our absolute favorites on Kauai. With gorgeous views of the Napali coastline, one end of the beach is designated specifically for surfers & the other side is great for swimming. On the swimming side, there’s a long pier that juts out into the ocean & it is quite the photo op. In town, you’ll find a number of dining options! While there are some dine-in restaurants, there are a number of grab & go restaurants and markets surrounding a grassy area with picnic tables. This area is perfect for a family or group of friends that are craving different cuisines!
Explore Waimea Canyon
Dubbed “The Grand Canyon of the Pacific,” Waimea Canyon is a must-see in Kauai. The drive to the various lookout points is curvy & uphill along Kokee Road (Highway 550), and the main lookout point is just past mile marker 10. After taking all of the photos & videos you could ever want, we recommend that you keep driving along Kokee Road another 8 miles to the Kalalau Lookout. We didn’t know about this lookout point the first time we visited Kauai, but we’re so glad we went this past time. It offers a gorgeous view of the Napali coastline cliffs & the expansive Pacific ocean.
Get Caffeinated at Kauai Coffee Company
If you’re a coffee lover, you must visit Kauai Coffee Company. It is the largest coffee farm in the United States! The visitor center includes a gift shop, mini museum, coffee shop & help-yourself coffee samples. They also offer free walking tours in which you can learn all about how the coffee is grown & roasted on Kauai.
Adventure with Holo Holo Charters
There are so many boat tour & adventure companies on the island, but we loved our experience with Holo Holo Charters. They have a number of tours to choose from, but we had heard glowing reviews about their Niihau + Napali Super Tour. On the tour, you will not only see the famous Napali Coast from the sea via a 65’ catamaran, but they also take you to the “forbidden island” of Niihau to snorkel near the Lehua Crater. They keep you well-fed too! The trip starts out with eggs, potatoes & chocolate nutella croissants, as well as juices, water & sodas throughout, and finally a make-your-own deli sandwich display + beer after snorkeling!
Because Kauai’s weather is so volatile, there’s always a chance (especially in the winter months) that your trip may be postponed. We suggest booking the tour at the beginning of your trip to give yourself a buffer in case the trip is rescheduled. The day we were supposed to be on the tour, there was a crazy storm approaching Kauai, but we were able to reschedule to the next day. The waves & weather still weren’t optimal for the tour & the captain advised that we wouldn’t be able to visit Niihau thanks to the waterspout (basically a tornado above the water) on the other side of the island, but he was able to find a snorkeling spot off the coast of Kauai for us instead.
Tip: If you get sea sick, this adventure isn’t for you – even people on our tour who don’t normally get sea sick got sea sick. We also heard from the crew that if you’re going to take Dramamine (or similar), take it with dinner the night before because it will keep working for 24 hours. They have found that the people who take it an hour before the trip (as suggested on the package) end up getting sick or extremely tired anyway. If you do get sea sick, the crew is quick to give out buckets & make you feel anything but embarrassed.
See the Island From Above
Helicopter tours are quite popular on the island considering 70% of the island is not accessible by foot. Rather than shell out your hard-earned cash on a helicopter tour, we opted for an aerial tour of Kauai by plane via Wings Over Kauai (Yelp). You get the same benefit of seeing Kauai & the Napali Coast from above, for about half the price. The photos we captured are unreal & it was the experience of a lifetime!
Let us know of your favorite go-to Kauai spots in the comments! We’d love to try them out the next time we’re there. If you’re interested in viewing a recap of our family vacation to Kauai, check it out on our YouTube page. We’re going to try our best to start making videos for most vacations we go on moving forward! It’s such a great way to remember the fun times that were had & we hope you enjoy!
Planning another trip? Take a look at our travel guides for Cabo San Lucas, Lake Como, Bahamas & Nashville! Or if you haven’t decided where to go on your next vacation, get inspired by 15 US cities perfect for a long weekend getaway & these stylish Airbnbs & vacation rentals.