Kauai
Our 5 Day Adventure In Kauai, Hawaii
Kauai is the best spot for adventure, scenery and beautiful beaches. This island you experience the richness of the tropical landscape without it being too commercialized, but you still can find amazing resort hotels. We were given a place to stay in Lihue' which was a huge gift. Located by the airport and the central hub of the island. Kauai has some interesting weather, however, and I must say this sun-seeking girl was a little concerned with the forecast. I'm from Oregon so I don't go to Hawaii for more rain. Accuweather app proved to live up to its name, so we planned our sightseeing based on where the sun was going to be that day. The one thing we'd find that if the East Shore was socked in, chances were on the South there was a ton of sun, or vice verse.
Hiking in the morning and then beach time in the afternoon is perfect as long as you get to the beach by Noon. We did 3.5 hikes together this trip. The Little Giant, Ho'opi'i Falls, Secret Falls, Queens Bath (that was the .5) He did extra hikes on Waimea Canyon and a North Shore Hike all while I enjoyed the beach.
Our meal time was really simple. We did splurge on our last night at this amazing restaurant in Poipu. Watching the sunset and the waves crashing was so beautiful. Our other meals were suggestions from friends and places we just happened to hear about or stumble upon. We had on a few disappointing meals like the shack that said "the best bbq in Kauai" can't believe everything. We loved the beachside happy hours and one of our favorite things to do was get a woodfired pizza to go, a glass of wine and take it to the beach lawn chairs and watch the sunset. MUCH better than staring at each other in a fancy expensive restaurant. Check out our Kauai Restaurant list on this page here Restaurants!
The Waialua River Kayak Adventure to Secret Falls.
This was so much fun and a nice adventure. I would highly recommend doing this in the morning and having lunch at secret falls. If you end up later the crowds get really thick. We rented from a little shack right at the Wialua Bay. There are guided tours as well but we chose to go on our own (always). Along the river, we also noticed a really quaint spot called Kamokila Hawaiian Village. This would be a great spot to start as well and cut your time down!
Wear good shoes, the roots are pretty big on the trail and can be pretty slippery. There is one river crossing but it has a rope to hold on to and wasn't super deep at the time. The hardest part of the kayak trip was on the way back going upstream against the wind. The trip is definitely worth the money and took us about 3 hours at a fairly quick pace.
Hotels
GRAND HYATT KAUAI & SPA
One of the things I like to do is check as many hotels as time allows. Walking the grounds and night with the beautiful lights, smells and sounds of the ocean is so romantic. Most of the Hotels have open grounds and nonguests can walk around and enjoy the sights.
Hyatt at Kaui's PoiPu Beach is absolutely breathtaking. Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa.
Staying here is definitely on my bucket list. There are pools all around, wildlife, the ocean, gorgeous. Basic Rooms will run you about $550-600/night, so I definitely will have to be saving for a while. There is just something about going to Hawaii and staying at a gorgeous resort with Palm trees, pools and all the amenities you could imagine.
We had months to plan but of course we were cramming the last bits of planning and info into the last minute.. on the flight there! It actually helped to drive around a while on the island to get a lay of the land and then re-read some of this book to get a better idea of what they were referring to. I feel the next time we will have an even better schedule of planning now that we have been there.
Kauai is the best spot for adventure, scenery and beautiful beaches. This island you experience the richness of the tropical landscape without it being too commercialized, but you still can find amazing resort hotels. We were given a place to stay in Lihue' which was a huge gift. Located by the airport and the central hub of the island. Kauai has some interesting weather, however, and I must say this sun-seeking girl was a little concerned with the forecast. I'm from Oregon so I don't go to Hawaii for more rain. Accuweather app proved to live up to its name, so we planned our sightseeing based on where the sun was going to be that day. The one thing we'd find that if the East Shore was socked in, chances were on the South there was a ton of sun, or vice verse.
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| Sleeping Giant |
Our meal time was really simple. We did splurge on our last night at this amazing restaurant in Poipu. Watching the sunset and the waves crashing was so beautiful. Our other meals were suggestions from friends and places we just happened to hear about or stumble upon. We had on a few disappointing meals like the shack that said "the best bbq in Kauai" can't believe everything. We loved the beachside happy hours and one of our favorite things to do was get a woodfired pizza to go, a glass of wine and take it to the beach lawn chairs and watch the sunset. MUCH better than staring at each other in a fancy expensive restaurant. Check out our Kauai Restaurant list on this page here Restaurants!
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| Beauitful Veiws At Poipu |
The Waialua River Kayak Adventure to Secret Falls.
This was so much fun and a nice adventure. I would highly recommend doing this in the morning and having lunch at secret falls. If you end up later the crowds get really thick. We rented from a little shack right at the Wialua Bay. There are guided tours as well but we chose to go on our own (always). Along the river, we also noticed a really quaint spot called Kamokila Hawaiian Village. This would be a great spot to start as well and cut your time down!
Wear good shoes, the roots are pretty big on the trail and can be pretty slippery. There is one river crossing but it has a rope to hold on to and wasn't super deep at the time. The hardest part of the kayak trip was on the way back going upstream against the wind. The trip is definitely worth the money and took us about 3 hours at a fairly quick pace.
Hotels
GRAND HYATT KAUAI & SPA
One of the things I like to do is check as many hotels as time allows. Walking the grounds and night with the beautiful lights, smells and sounds of the ocean is so romantic. Most of the Hotels have open grounds and nonguests can walk around and enjoy the sights.
Hyatt at Kaui's PoiPu Beach is absolutely breathtaking. Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa.
Staying here is definitely on my bucket list. There are pools all around, wildlife, the ocean, gorgeous. Basic Rooms will run you about $550-600/night, so I definitely will have to be saving for a while. There is just something about going to Hawaii and staying at a gorgeous resort with Palm trees, pools and all the amenities you could imagine.
Sheraton Kauai Resort
Just down the way from the Hyatt is the Sheraton Kauai. A nice hotel that sets right on the Ocean and has a decent pool. The body surfing at this beach is absolutely the most fun! I spent literally hours watching and laughing other people getting hammered by the waves and having a ball. Sheraton pool is nice but you can't just buy one pass to use it, you have to buy 2, which I thought was really strange and it was way too expensive for what the pool had to offer. Rooms are about 1/2 the price of the Hyatt.
Marriot Kauai
Location is perfect right on the Kalapaki Beach. The grounds are really nice and the pool is huge with 4 hot tubs. Fire pits surround the area near the poolside lounge and I must say their Pina Colada was the best we had. Love the bay where there is a ton of places to lay, play beach volleyball and watch the gentle surf or learn out to paddleboard. A perfect way to end a long day was eating our Margarita pizza with a glass of wine on Kalapak Beach. Rooms $300-$500 per night. |
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