Speaking of flights, Kaua’i is easy to get to, with direct flights from most western cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Denver, and Vancouver, and numerous daily connections from Honolulu. There’s only one problem: how to plan an itinerary that takes full advantage of Kaua’i’s natural beauties, from towering cliffs and sheer-sided canyons to white-sand beaches and coves swirling with brilliantly colored fish. Here, a guide to all Kaua’i has to offer, organized for ultimate enjoyment.
10 Things to Do in Kaua’i
Where to Stay
A serene enclave on a sheltered bluff overlooking Hanalei Bay, the Cliffs at Princeville makes the perfect base to experience the north shore’s special gift for inducing restoration and relaxation. Sink into serenity with the help of The Cliffs’ extensive menu of onsite wellness and fitness activities, such as cliff-top yoga flow classes taught by renowned movement and pain specialist Noah Peragine. Or take advantage of The Cliffs’ concierge service to craft a customized regimen from an extensive selection of outdoor activities including surfing and stand-up paddleboarding lessons, snorkeling at Tunnels Beach, kayaking, botanical garden tours, and more. The Princeville Makai Golf Club, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., is renowned among players for its ocean views and challenging 7th hole and popular with runners and dog walkers for the broad paths that circle its serene lakes. Guests gather every evening on the Cliffs’ ocean view lawn to watch the sun sink beneath the waves of the Pacific, sighing together at the end of another spectacular day. Everyone has room to breathe in these airy abodes, where floor-to-ceiling windows frame stunning sea views and a one-bedroom suite offers 917 square feet of living space, not to mention a lanai big enough to seat a festive group. Rates start at $375 for a one-bedroom suite, $435 for a two-bedroom and include complimentary parking with no resort fees. Just south of buzzy Kapa’a and steps from popular Lydgate Beach Park with its sheltered swimming bay, the Hilton Garden Inn Kaua’i Wailua Bay will please families with its friendly, relaxed vibe and impress those seeking a central location with its prime convenience. Don’t miss breakfast, served in the retro lobby with its soaring ceilings and airy, mid-century decor. Rates start at $200. Equally popular with families and couples seeking romance, the expansive Koloa Landing Resort in sun-drenched Poipu boasts three pools, including one of Kaua’i’s most over-the-top complexes featuring swim-under waterfalls, two water slides, an infinity pool, and multiple Jacuzzis. Rooms and suites range from 500 to 3600 square feet and rates start at $587.
Where to Eat
Don’t be daunted by the line at Hanalei Dolphin - dinner here is worth the wait, whether it’s for a table in the torchlit riverside garden or a seat in the lively sushi lounge. Follow the lead of the locals who frequent the restaurant’s fish market and sample the day’s fresh catch, be it delicately flaky Opah (moonfish), sweet Opakapaka (pink snapper) or firm-fleshed Hapu (Hawai’ian black sea bass,) along with traditional favorites like Haole chicken, breaded, sautéed, and topped with sweet and sour sauce. At nearby Northside Grill, the equally fresh daily catch comes miso-glazed, crusted in coconut and citrus zest, or sliced into the tenderest teriyaki-infused sashimi, enhanced by a stunning view of Nāmolokama Mountain and its waterfalls from the second-floor dining room. It’s a bit of a hunt to find Mamahune’s, tucked behind the Hilton Garden Inn Kaua’i Wailua Bay, but this retro-chic outdoor tiki bar draws a crowd night after night to sip clever concoctions like a Kool Guy (house-infused cucumber vodka, elderflower liquor, lime and ginger beer) or classics like a true Trader Vic Mai Tai, authentic down to the generous orgeat. Sail the Napali Coast Instantly recognizable thanks to their prime place on the world’s most popular screensavers, the jagged jungle-clad cliffs of the Napali coast have to be seen in person to be believed. And it’s only from the sea that you can fully appreciate the otherworldliness of this landscape, from the sea caves featured in Pirates of the Caribbean to the plunging waterfalls of Jurassic World. Numerous outfitters offer Napali Coast excursions; among the best is Blue Dolphin Charters, which offers a snorkel and sailing trip and a sunset dinner cruise on a 65-foot catamaran departing from Port Allen on the west side of the island. The more adventurous may prefer Blue Dolphin’s raft trip, which offers the chance to enter the sea caves if tides and conditions permit. In the summer, Holoholo Charters offers early morning trips departing from Hanalei Bay on a rigid hull inflatable raft that includes snorkeling in one of several protected areas. Stock Up on Local Goods at a Farmer’s and Maker’s Market On Tuesday afternoons and Saturday mornings, Anaina Hou Community Park in Kilauea becomes even livelier than usual as local vendors set up tables to showcase produce, crafts, and artisanal foods and goods. Farmers display freshly harvested mangos, coconuts, greens and tomatoes while purveyors tout their latest herbal teas, tinctures, and elixirs, beauty products, jewelry and more. The Tuesday Maker’s Market also features food trucks, a full bar, and games to keep the kids busy while their parents browse. Kayak the Wailua River Paddle inland on the calm waters of the Wailua River and you seem to travel back in time, surrounded by densely forested shoreline unbroken by house or road. But this is only the beginning; this half-day adventure led by Kayak Wailua includes a hike to Uluwehi or Secret Falls, where you enjoy a picnic lunch before cooling off in a deep pool below the 120-foot plume of water. A newly completed boardwalk eases the challenges of hiking along the muddy riverbank, making this experience both more accessible and more fun. Hike the Kalalau Trail Few hikes in the world have the resonance of the Kalalau Trail, an ancient footpath that provides the only land access to the isolated valleys of the northern Nāpali Coast. Hikers come from around the world to challenge themselves on the rugged 11-mile route, which edges along the sheerest of cliffs and dips into and out of five deep valleys before ending in the sheer-sided Kalalau Valley and its white sand beach. The first two miles to Hanakapi’ai Beach and its waterfall make for a pleasant and popular day hike, but it’s necessary to camp overnight to complete the entire 22-mile round trip. Advance reservations are now required to hike the popular route, which departs from Ha’ena State Park, and an additional permit is required to camp. Visit a Botanical Garden that Preserves a Way of Life Walking into Limahuli Garden & Preserve, you’ll be awed by the abundance and variety of the tropical flowers, trees and vines showcased in this well-organized botanical garden, home to a host of rare and endangered plants found nowhere else in the world. Look up, and you’ll be wowed as well by the garden’s mystical setting, its ancient stone terraces shadowed by the looming Makana ridge. Tours, both docent and self-guided, introduce visitors to the Hawaiian ahupua’a, a complex system of natural resource management that fascinates modern ecologists. Discover Diving Yearn to go a little deeper and explore the undersea world from below? With its clear, warm water and a wide variety of reefs, lava tubes, ledges and underwater canyons just offshore, Kaua’is perfect for all levels of divers.. For those interested in obtaining their PADI open water certification, Seasport Divers in Kohala Landing offers a full program of PADI training courses, with small group and individual instruction and a choice of shore and boat dives. Half-day dive trips visit popular sites like Sheraton Caverns and Stone House, while mysterious Ni’ihau, the Forbidden Island, requires a full day to make the 33-mile round trip. It’s worth braving the sometimes rough waters, however, for the chance to swim with blacktip sharks and eagle rays and explore the 280-foot rock wall known as Vertical Awareness. But don’t worry if you’re not quite ready for this level of immersion—you can join one of Seasport Divers guided introductory, or discovery, dive and explore reefs, lava caves and more under careful guidance. Ruminate on Kaua’i Rum Commercial sugar cane production may be all but gone from Kaua’i, but rum made from sugar cane is making a comeback in a big way with the success of artisanal Koloa Rum. While you can sample the wares in daily tastings adjacent to the Koloa Rum company store, a far more immersive experience comes courtesy of the Rum Safari, just introduced this year. Explore the orchards, gardens and fields of Kilohana Plantation in an open-air jeep before arriving at a pavilion deep in the jungle where—lo and behold, a mai tai-making lesson awaits. But that’s not all— after a trip to meet the farm’s resident pigs and donkeys, a second farm-to-table cocktail session takes place in an over-water pavilion surrounded by tail-flipping fish. Road Trip to Waimea Canyon The Grand Canyon of the Pacific, as Waimea is often described, may be smaller than its mainland rival at 14 miles long and 3,000 feet deep, but boasts the added dimension of brilliant color as deep green forests and glittering waterfalls contrast dramatically with the rust and crimson rock walls. While a series of viewpoints in Waimea Canyon State Park make it easy to experience the canyon from above, a hike into the gorge creates a deeper appreciation for the intense geological forces at work. Popular Canyon Trail traverses a narrow ridgeback before dipping down to the verdant pools and terraces of Waipoo Falls. More spectacular—and more strenuous— Awa’awapuhi Trail in neighboring Kōke’e State Park offers a 6-mile vertigo-inspiring trek to a ridgetop perch overlooking the entire north coast. End your road trip with a visit the Kalalau and Pu’u O Kila Lookouts, which offer stunning aerial views of the Napali Coast and Kalalau Valley from 4,000 feet above sea level. Tour a Coffee Plantation While the name Kona associates Hawai’ian coffee production with the big island of Hawai’i, Kauai is actually a significant coffee grower as well, as you’ll discover at Kauai Coffee Estate in Koloa. Learn about the history and methods of coffee production, wander through a working coffee orchard, and challenge your coffee palate with a free tasting, and chances are you’ll take home a bag of fresh beans from the onsite shop. Explore a Limestone Cave that Preserves the Past Part archaeological site, part native plant garden, and part cave exploration Makauwahi Cave Reserve in Poipu is a unique project dedicated to restoring Kaua’i’s original ecosystem following a blueprint from the prehistoric past. Fossils found within Kauai’s largest limestone cave, including seeds, leave and wood from ancient plants, have guided the re-introduction of native species, including some dating back thousands of years. The preserve includes a refuge for giant African tortoises, which are being studied for their potential to control invasive species and support landscape restoration. Whether you prefer a vacation packed with exciting activities or one dedicated to restorative relaxation, Kaua’i will give you what you seek before you know you’re looking for it. Next, find out why millennials are embracing RV travel!
