Kauai Island, Hawaii USA (1/20-1/29/2020)
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| Beach at Allerton Gardens - Kauai |
There are
many reasons we find the relaxed laid-back Garden Isle of Kauai so wonderful such as: 1) less crowds and still some ‘real’
Hawaii here, 2) no high rise buildings (by law nothing can be higher than the tallest
coconut palm tree), 3) oldest island in Hawaiian Islands so more land has been
created creating a lush green environment (especially in the north), 4) beautiful
tropical beaches with warm ocean water– many not crowded, 5) great dining... and
we have FUN!
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| Amazing Helicopter Rides - Kauai |
Kauai also
offers adventure-seeking visitors
snorkeling & scuba diving, surfing, hiking, kayaking, biking, ATV trips,
camping, fishing, zip lining, horseback riding, amazing helicopter rides &
boat tours (see photo), etc. Relaxing spas are available for those who have some pampering
in mind.
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| Map of Kauai |
We
recommend dividing your stay in Kauai
between the south and north shores to better enjoy the features of both.
Here are just a few of the outstanding highlights to enjoy on this beautiful
island...
Wonderful Kauai South Shore Attractions
Kauai’s south shore has become more developed with nice
accommodations and more upscale restaurants. It is a better bet for sunshine,
especially during the winter, because it rains more in the north.
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| Poipu Beach - Kauai |
Poipu Beach is Kauai’s best all-around beach
for tourists on the south shore. Many would say the best beach overall (see
photos). Nice wide and rather long beach with a grassy park next to it overlooking
a beautiful post-card ocean scene. Because a reef protects it, normally the
waves are small making it great for swimming, snorkeling, and safe for
supervised kids. There is good parking and Brennecke’s
is a nice restaurant there that also sells food, drinks, etc. for the beach.
Try their smoothies – great.
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| Beautiful Poipu Beach - Kauai |
A better
place for swimming at Kauai’s Poipu Beach (see photo) due to fewer rocks is to the right (looking
at ocean and before the Marriot). Do be careful because less doesn’t mean no
rocks. Get some beach shoes and you can swim with much less worry. The best snorkeling is just to the right of
the lifeguard station – you will probably see several other snorkelers right
where you want to go.
Down the
road a few miles, there is another popular Kauai snorkeling place just to the
right of the Beach House restaurant.
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| Waimea Canyon - Kauai |
Driving up
Kauai’s Waimea Canyon State Park is
a wonderful excursion (see photo). If you don’t start too late, you can have a day with the
afternoon spent at a wonderful Kauai beach – paradise! Waimea Canyon extends 14
miles long, one mile wide, and more than 3,600 feet deep. The Waimea Canyon
Lookout provides panoramic views of crested buttes, rugged crags and deep
valley gorges. The grand-island vistas go on for miles (see photo).
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| Amazing Waimea Canyon - Kauai |
Stop at the
lookouts ($5 parking fee) and let your nature loving begin. Don’t miss the Waimea Canyon Lookout (see photo) with
parking lot marked with a sign just past mile marker 10. Walk up the few steps
and let it all in. If you want an early glance of beautiful Kauai’s Walmea
Canyon, you can pull to the right of the road between markers 3 and 4 and enjoy
a wonderful view.
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| Map of Waimea Canyon - Kauai |
We also
liked the Puu Ka Pele Lookout in Waimea Canyon (see map) and the view to the ocean at the
Pau o Kila Lookout at the top. We found the Kokee Museum (pass marker 15) to be interesting for nature lovers
like us. Next door is Koke’e Lodge
serving lunch. For the best route to view Kauai’s Waimea Canyon use highway 540
up and back starting at Waimea.
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| Pat at Allerton Gardens - National Tropical Botanical Garden |
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| Spouting Horn - Kauai |
Love
beautiful gardens? A guided tour of Allerton
Gardens in Kauai’s National Tropical
Botanical Garden should be very highly considered by nature lovers – we
loved it! Your admittance fee helps them preserve endangered trees and plants
helping them take a slow march back from the edge of extension. We felt the
tour was interesting and well worth the price - knowing it goes to a very good
cause makes it even better. Movie lovers will also like the many nature scenes
of movies and TV series filmed here. Nearby Spouting Horn is delightful for a quick stop (see photo).
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| The Dophin Restaurant - The Shops at Kukuiula |
South Shore
Restaurants... We
liked Kauai’s The Shops at Kukuiula, a popular modern shopping and restaurant
center. We loved the restaurant The Dolphin (see photo) for its great seafood and
outdoor seating – come early 6PM to secure a table. Other nice restaurants here
include Eating House 1849, Garden Island
Grille, Merriman’s Fish House, The Lanai, and Ruth’s Chris Steak House.
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| Tidepools Restaurant at Grand Hyatt Hotel - Kauai |
Just down the road in the Poipu Shopping Center, Keoki’s Paradise offers good food with an
interesting ambiance. One of the best and romantic restaurants on Kauai’s south
shore is Tidepools in the Grand
Hyatt Hotel – well worth the extra cost (see photo). A walk around Grand Hyatt’s beautiful property should
be included in your visit there.
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| Poipu Bed and Breakfast Inn - Kauai |
On Kauai’s
south shore, we enjoyed staying at the Poipu Bed and Breakfast Inn (see photo) located just
a few miles from most of Kauai’s south shore attractions. Nice relaxing place
with just four rooms offering a more authentic Hawaiian experience. A joyful
relaxing experience is having breakfast provided outside on the lanai with the
river flowing nearby enjoying the songs of exotic birds – now this is the
Hawaii we love. Great beds yield some of the best sleep we have had and beach
gear is available to borrow. Good restaurants, shopping, and a Long’s Drug
Store at the The Shops at Kukulula
(mentioned above) are a 5-minute walk away – very nice!
Travel Planning Tip: There is a seasonal pattern on
Kauai. During the winter more rainy season (October through April), there is a
better chance of sunny days in the south – although we were lucky having
glorious weather in the north during January. Summer season (May through
September) has better chances of sunny weather. Big waves can make ocean
swimming dangerous. Generally, waves are bigger in the North and West during
the winter and the South during summer. There are many protected beaches where
the waves are small providing safe swimming all year.
Wonderful Kauai North
Shore Attractions
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| Lush Green North Shore of Kauai |
When you
drive through the Kauai’s north shore (see photo) you
can’t miss how lush and green it is – so beautiful! Beaches are wonderful and the
mountains in the background provide an exquisite Jurassic Park like atmosphere
you will long remember.
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| Hanalei Town - Kauai |
Spending
time in Hanalei is a joy – our
favorite on Kauai! Located a few minutes west of Princeville below beautiful
green tropical mountains (think Jurassic Park), you will discover a serene Hawaiian
experience that seems to be lost in time. Hanalei is a lovely small town (see photo) with
characteristic restaurants, bars, and shops selling local arts and crafts. The
historic one-way bridges along the way add to the charm of this area.
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| Ke'e Beach - Kauai |
The beaches on Kauai’s north shore
are lovely. Two of
our favorites are Ke’e and Tunnels (see photo0. Both have large dangerous
waves in the winter and year round due to their popularity, access is limited.
Ke’e Beach now requires a reservation for parking or van service.
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| Animi Beach - Kauai |
Not to
worry... Animi Beach is (see photo) beautiful
and protected by a reef making swimming safe all year with some good snorkeling
opportunities. Very long Animi Beach also has lots of free parking available and plenty
of natural shade provided by trees. Beach lovers will discover many more lovely
beaches on Kauai’s north shore to explore.
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| Beautiful Birds on Kauai |
Although
you must now obtain parking or shuttle van transportation reservations, a visit
to Ke’e Beach and its surrounding Haena
State Park is interesting. During the summer, there is nice swimming and
snorkeling. This is also the start of the Kalalau
Trail along the Na Pali coastline for advanced hikers and campers that plan
ahead for this adventure.
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| Na Pali mountains & Coastline |
From Ke’e Beach you can get a nice view of the
beautiful Na Pali mountains and
coastline (see photo). Because the number of visitors here became too much to preserve
its uniqueness, daily limits are enforced and reservations are highly
recommended.
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| View from the Kilauea Lighthouse |
Some other
Kauai north shore highlights include: The views from the Kilauea Lighthouse as well as the Hanalei Valley Lookout are wonderful and worth a stop (see photo).
North Shore Restaurants... The fun and picturesque town of Kauai’s
Hanalei has some nice dining options such as: Hanalei Dolphin Restaurant, Kalypso Island Bar & Grill (for
local atmosphere), Chicken in a Barrel
(causal dining), and Tahiti Nui (for
causal fun and nighttime entertainment).
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| Pool at Hanalei Bay Resort - Princeville, Kauai |
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| Tropical Drinks in Heaven! |
We stayed
at the lovely Hanalei Bay Resort (see photo) in Princeville and so glad we did. The
beautiful grounds with large pool and heated spa with swim-up bar surrounded by
waterfalls and tropical plants made for a relaxing place to return to after a
day of exploring Kauai’ north shore attractions and beaches. The on-site
restaurant/bar is very nice with a view to iconic Hanalei Bay. Comfortable
rooms include a kitchen and nice furnishings. There is a concierge on site to
help you with booking fun excursions. You can walk down to the beautiful beach
at the Princeville Resort... or if
you fell a bit lazy (easy to do in Kauai), just call and they will take you or
pick you up with a golf cart.
Travel Tip: We found the Kauai travel book The
Ultimate Kauai Guidebook – Kauai Revealed by Andrew Doughty to be an
outstanding resource and greatly enhanced our stay in Kauai. The recommendations were spot on.
Kauai East Shore Waterfalls
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| Opaekaa Falls - Kauai |
Like waterfalls? A couple of very nice ones in along
Kauai’s east shore can be accessed by car. We highly recommend visiting
151-foot Opaekaa Falls accessed from
highway 580 and 173-feet Wallua Falls
on highway 583 – both beautiful.
When passing through Kapaa, look inland to see
the Sleeping Giant outline in the
mountain.
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| Beautiful Rooster on Kauai |
Something
that adds some ‘fun’ in Kauai is the wild chickens with incredibly beautiful roosters (see photo). You will hear their
sound everywhere – local residences will encourage you to take some home. Golfers will like the many beautiful
courses to be enjoyed on Kauai. Try some shave ice served around the island –
it’s delicious.
Enjoy Kauai – we do!
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