Traveling to Kauai, Hawaii
In August my family and I traveled to Kauai, Hawaii. A vacation we had been planning and preparing for 3 years. The original plans were to fly to Maui, stay for 6 days, fly to Kauai for 6 days, and then back to Maui for 2 days before flying back to the mainland.
Hiccups and Headaches
Then Tuesday, August 8th happened and Maui was on fire. We had tickets to fly out early on the 11th. On the 9th we realized how bad it was and started making calls to adjust our plans. We cannot say enough good things about Delta Airlines, within half an hour we had new plane tickets to Kauai. I was able to cancel all our rental cars and consolidate them into one car for the entire trip. And thankfully I found a VRBO for the beginning of the trip!
Extremely grateful that all the last-minute changes worked out!
Favorite Area to Visit
Our favorite town was Kapa’a along the east coast.
It was a super cute small town with lots of shops, restaurants, and beaches. Although the two lanes through town would get very congested every day.
Paco Taco is a great Mexican Restaurant
Great public library
Simple quiet beaches all along the town
Chicken in a Barrel BBQ food truck
Java Kai is a great coffee shop, but also very busy. Pono Coffee and Bakery is a great simple substitution
Two highlights of the trip;
Waimea State Park and Kauai Sea Tours
Waimea State Park was spectacular! It’s a long drive through the mountains, but you see a variety of landscapes. It starts out like the Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Colorado and then morphs into a mini Grand Canyon. As you drive the scenery goes from desert-like to lush greens. I’m thankful we rented an SUV because the roads were rough, especially towards the end of the park. There’s only one road in and out. At the very end of the road, there is a small parking lot that has an amazing hike and overlook. It’s also the only view of the Napapi Coast inland without an extreme hike. The view is absolutely surreal! You cannot tell where the ocean ends and where the sky begins.
Tips:
The final parking lot gets very full, so arrive early. I had to risk it and park illegally but was totally worth it!
Bring an all-wheel or four-wheel drive vehicle. The road is paved, but has very large potholes and cracks
Kauai Sea Tours was so amazing. It was not cheap, but very worth the expense. They do a morning version and a sunset. I think both of them are around 6 hours long. We did the sunset cruise.
The crew & passengers boarded the catamaran and departed around 1:30. Because the boat is not huge and you’re on the ocean, the ride is very rough. A number of people got seasick (which I was not prepared for). Thankfully the three of us did not!
The crew was so fun and friendly. It was a great option to see the Napali Coast because it was a long tour. (but I’m sure seeing it by air would be spectacular too)
Tips:
Take motion sickness medication if you get seasick
Be aware that you cannot wear shoes
You might get wet (probably;)
They feed you but don’t expect the best meal of your life
You might see dolphins! (more likely in the morning cruises)
Kauai Travel Tips
Everything is expensive! The first morning, I needed to get some snacks and breakfast so I went to the local market. I bought 2 boxes of cereal, a gallon of milk, a bag of goldfish, and a box of cookies and the total came to $75.
There is only one Walmart on the island, but it’s worth planning out a trip to get groceries there.
There are A LOT of places to eat that are not on Google Maps. And most of those places are fun to eat at!
There are a number of one-lane bridges especially east of Hanalei. If you come across them, usually 5-7 vehicles cross then switch. They can be intimidating especially if it’s hard to see if cars are coming from the other side. So keep that in mind when planning travel times.
Island time is a thing! Do not be in a rush! I suggest embracing the shaka spirit.
Sea Glass Beach is disappointing. There is no sea glass and it’s near an industrial manufacturing area.
Highly recommend Nanea Coffee Truck. The owner is amazing and the coffee hits the spot.
Poipu Shopping Village was disappointing. It felt like very mainland suburbia shopping centers. I would 100% skip
There are wild chickens and roosters everywhere! You will be woken up in the mornings by them.
Kauapea Secret Beach was my favorite beach. But it’s quite a hike down to it, so be prepared for the way down and back up. It was super quiet and had some awesome sand and large black rocks to climb on.
You have to set up a reservation and print tickets to visit Kilauea Lighthouse, but you can see it from an overlook with some parking spots here.
We really enjoyed Na ‘Aina Kai Botanical Gardens. It was easy to set up a reservation and not super expensive compared to others. The grounds were gorgeous to wander too!
Lastly, remember Hawaii is a sovereign nation. Visit as a visitor, not a tourist. Everything we do has consequences, always keep that in mind when visiting this beautiful land.
