My Kauai Travel Guide

Aloha!

I think we all can say we look forward to vacations and time away to disconnect and experience new adventures. My husband and I recently celebrated our twenty-year anniversary. We splurged on “us” and traveled to Kauai, Hawaii. Kauai is known as the Garden Isle. This Island’s simplicity washed us of the busyness and clutter we have been living in. We experienced happiness in a newfound way together. I was told by a few friends that I'll never be the same. I think they were right. If you've been before, you know what I'm talking about. While in Kauai, my husband used the word "crafted" when talking about God's design to give us all of the mountains, waterfalls, beaches, and more to enjoy. We use the word "create" when talking about God's creation, yet "crafted" seems more weighty, more intentional, and more specific.

When sharing about our trip to others, we hope it inspires them to take the journey as well. We've had lots of questions about the details of our trip so, I figured I'd share our experience here to help others plan their trip. I don't know everything about the island of Kauai, but I can give some tips from our experience.

First things first, if you are a Costco member check out Costco Travel for packages. We booked our trip with Costco Travel and got a great deal on a bundle consisting of airfare, accommodations, and a rental car. In addition, we received a Costco shop card, daily coverage of resort fees, and a food credit at our resort. We definitely saved so much going this route! I also think traveling in May before the summer break crowd emerged benefited us when it came to rates. We stayed at The Royal Sonesta. It was so nice and clean!

Pool area at The Royal Sonesta

Morning view from our lanai at The Royal Sonesta

Weather:

We traveled in the month of May and the weather was perfect. Kauai has two seasons a rainy season(November to March) and a dry season(December to January). Kauai is also the island that gets the most rain out of all the islands. The forecast showed rain and clouds every day of our trip, but we only experienced a few sprinkles and had lots of sunshine. I was so thankful as I contemplated rescheduling due to the forecast predictions. It can be rainy on one side of the island while sunny on the other side. Because of all the rain, Kauai is the most lush and beautiful of the Hawaiian Islands.

Activities:

Our splurge, The Na Pali Coast Catamaran Snorkel Tour,  was so memorable! The views were dramatically beautiful! We sailed near the location where the opening scene of Jurassic Park was filmed, saw dolphins swimming alongside the boat, and snorkeled with turtles. We felt so safe with the crew and learned so much from them as they shared the history and details of the islands. We loved Holo Holo Charters for our tour! Don't forget Dramamine if you tend to get seasick. The ride out was smooth as glass, but on the way back to the port the winds picked up giving us quite the roller coaster ride.

The Kalalau Trail Hike winds along the edge of the Na Pali coast. We've never seen topography so beautiful! The hike can be dangerous in some conditions. Be sure to check the weather as the trail gets muddy and slippery with any precipitation or flash floods. The winds can be very strong and you'll want to be aware of any falling rocks. The mountains are made of lava rock which is very porous and can break away easily. Thankfully, we didn't have any rain but the trail was still muddy in some parts. Good hiking shoes and poles are recommended. I'd advise bringing lots of water! There is a stream and river you can filter water from along the way. Reservations and purchasing an entry pass are required. We hiked two miles to the first beach and then two miles out, rounding us out at four miles total. A word of caution, the beach we hiked to is a non-swimming beach. Many have been swept out by rouge waves coming up past the beach resulting in drownings. Be alert and stay up on the rocks. The hike continues for 11 miles where you can camp overnight if that's your fancy. Finally, there is a beautiful beach at the beginning of the trailhead where you can cool off in the water after your hike.

Breathtaking view from the Kalalau Trail!

The Kauai Coffee Plantation has a free walking tour and free coffee samples. You can also buy coffee to bring home that is Kauai-grown. We stopped here after our Catamaran Tour.

Wailua Falls is a beautiful sight and an easy drive to get to. Be sure to look up while driving around as there are waterfalls everywhere!

Hanalei Bay has the cutest church where you can have your wedding! We met a couple staying at our resort who were going to marry there that week!

Ke’e Beach. Great for snorkeling! Close to Tunnels beach which is also a great snorkeling spot.

We didn't have time to drive to Waimea Canyon, but the locals say you can't miss it. We'll add it to our itinerary for next time! A few other things we heard from locals that we will try next time: Secret Falls Tour, Helicopter Tour, Kilauea Lighthouse, and Princeville Botanical Gardens.

Shopping:

Hanalei is an older beach town with the cutest church. It has lots of shops and restaurants. Poipu has a more upscale shopping area. My favorite find was Malie(pronounced Mah-lee-ay), an organic fragrance shop. The Plumeria scent is delightful! Plumeria is the flower used in creating the famous Hawaiian Leis.

Beaches:

Poipu Beach (poy·poo) is famous for the turtles and monk seals that come to the beach at sunset to sleep. We spent most of our beach time at Hanalei Bay (ha·nuh·lay) and it quickly became our favorite beach. Hanalei has a long stretch of sand along a shallow bay surrounded by mountains and waterfalls. It is great for paddle boarding or surfing lessons when waves are present. There's also a pier you can jump off. Joe's jump was way better than my jump...uh or my fall :) Tunnels Beach is beautiful and has lava tunnels off the beach where people flock to snorkel. Be sure to rent or bring your snorkel gear before heading to this beach!

Landscape:

The North Shore is very green and lush as it gets most of the rain. The South Shore is still green, but not as much as the North. 

Food:

Dukes - highly rated, located near our resort, and where we enjoyed our anniversary dinner. Holy Grail Donuts - tasty taro(locally grown) donuts. Aloha Juice Bar - the best fresh and refreshing fruit smoothie bowls, located in Hanalei Bay. We had smoothie bowls here at least four times! Shave Ice (Jo Jo's) - a local favorite. The Royal Sonesta's Kukuis - is great for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We ate outside for every meal. It was amazing and we didn't have any flys or bugs bugging us. Most restaurants in Kauai don't have walls giving you a great view at every meal.

Shave ice! So Good

Taro root donuts from a local food truck.

What to pack:

We lived in our bathing suits and coverups. Outside of hiking clothes, we wore bathing suits 99% of the time. Everything is casual. Leave the dressy clothes at home and invest in comfortable bathing suits. We brought these Brita water bottles to filter our water and used them every day. It was nice to be able to fill our bottles up anywhere and have clean water to drink. A waterproof case for your phone is also a good thing to bring.

Let me know if you decide to travel to Kauai. I'd love to hear about your experience!

Mahalo!

Sharing together,

Jess

Fun Fact: The Hawaiian alphabet has only 13 letters. You'll see many road and location names looking similar due to the minimal letters available to use!