Kauai Recommendations

Over the summer Adam and I went to Kauai and we LOVED IT! Seriously, there are so many incredible things to do. And apparently, we aren’t the only ones that love it because we had a ton of people send in their favorite things to do when we asked for recommendations. So rather than try to remember it all every time someone asks for our recs I decided to compile one giant Kauai recommendations list. And even better than that? I have added in all of our friend’s recommendations too! Let’s make it real easy for you, am I right!? I will make sure I note which ones we have done with our personal experience.

First things first, we went with no plans or agenda or expectations. Our trip was directly after my subchorionic hemorrhage ER visit when I was 11 weeks pregnant with Hayes. So we just wanted to relax and enjoy because I wasn’t supposed to push it too hard until we could make sure everything had cleared up at my 20 weeks appointment. We had one thing booked, but for everything else we just took the recommendations and decided day by day!

My number one recommendation is to download the Shaka Guide Kauai App! It will take you on a GPS guided tour of the whole island! We used it every single day we were there. The thing we loved about it the most is that we could explore the island at our pace and while we drove along we got a ton of the island’s history. Also, it is created by locals so you get to experience what Kauai really has to offer - things you wouldn’t get by googling or just driving along. The North Shore driving tour was my top fave. But there are options for driving and hiking so you can pick whatever tickles your fancy.

Next, if you’re going to rent snorkels we found an awesome place on the south shore, so either go when you fly in or if you go to the south shore early in the week. It’s called Kauai Bound right near the beach by the Marriott resort. It was about $25 for the week and the equipment was well kept and high quality. In addition, the guy that runs the shop is super chill, friendly, and knowledgable. He gave us some good tips on what beaches to snorkel at and spots to snorkel on each beach to see what we wanted to see.

Alright. Now let’s get to the lists!

BEACHES

Okay, so the tours on the app I mentioned take you to almost every single beach listed - so we saw them all, but we only swam or snorkeled at some of them and some we just got out, looked at, and moved on.

Poupoi beach (south shore) was awesome for seeing turtles. They were there at dawn and dusk. Since we were still on Mountain Time we would wake up early to go out and the first morning we were there before the beach got too busy and there were two turtles just chilling out on the sand. We heard there are sometimes beached seals too, but we didn't get lucky on that front. There are two parts to Poupoi too - there is a more shallow and calm part for snorkeling which is wear the turtles sun bathe and then there is a deeper and more rocky part which is great for body surfing and boogie boarding. When we went body surfing over on that side there were giant turtles that were just hanging out swimming with us too!

Annini beach (north shore) was our absolute favorite for snorkeling. It was super shallow and easy to snorkel for a long time because we could take breaks when we wanted. It is deemed one of the safer beaches to swim and snorkel at. There were tons of fish hanging around so we saw some pretty ones there and we saw turtles there too. The snorkel guy told us they hang out like 100 yards from the pine trees because that’s where the coral starts. And it was spot on!

Secret Beach (north shore) was INCREDIBLE. It is a hike getting down there but totally worth it. So beautiful. We loved it for just hanging out and enjoying a little day break.

Ke'e beach (north shore) needs a permit. So we saw it and drove on.

Tunnels beach (north shore) we heard was good for snorkeling, but there is minimal parking so we just got to see how pretty it was while driving by.

Anahola Beach (north shore) is another one we didn’t stop to swim at but just like the rest of them, it is pretty!

EATS

Costco is on the south shore near the airport. We ate at the food court and it didn’t taste like the main land, but it was a great place to grab a few groceries so we could throw fruit and snacks in our bag each day while we explored.

The Fresh Shave is a cute little trendy snow cone truck. Totally “Insta Worthy”. It is all natural - homemade syrups, organic, farm fresh, all that good stuff!

JoJo’s is the traditional snow cone shack on the island and I was a big fan - maybe it was the memories or working in a snow shack growing up or maybe it was the ice cream in the bottom of the treat. But let me tell ya, if you can - GO TO JOJOS.

Chip Wrecked was OFF THE HOOK. Seriously, I would go back again and again. Adam and I got a large and split it. When we went there was just a food truck and you can grab their schedule off their IG account. But they are opening a brick and mortar pub in 2020 too!

Puka Dog is Hawaiian style hot dogs. And while I originally was thinking the fruit relish sounded weird but let me tell you. YES. I wanted to go back multiple times! So freaking good. It is like a little bun pouch filled with delicious fruit relish, sweet mustard, and basically all I can say is go to Puka Dog and you will not regret it.

Restaurant Recommendations from Friends: Hee Fat General Store for Shaved Ice, Tropical Dream, The Beach House, Duke's, Keokis, Da Crack, Porky's, Chicken in a Barrell BBQ, Nom, Coconuts Restaurant, Sleeping Giant Grill, Pietros, Olympic Cafe, Wailua Shave Ice, Lava Lava Beach Club, Lau Lau, Ono Family Restaurant, Kountry Kitchen, Feliz Tacos, Garden Island Grille, Anake Juice Bar

ACTIVITIES

Chicken Sightings are a nonstop activity on the island because there are hundreds (or thousands even?!) just roaming the island. It is actually a good laugh to watch them roaming around.

The Napali Coast is amazing and there are tons of ways to see it. We decided to drive up to the Napali Coast viewpoint the first day we got there. The roads were so windee (which was not ideal for pregnancy) but it was well worth it. SO BEAUTIFUL! It was about an hour drive up the the view point but there are lots of beautiful things to see along the way. There is also a Napali coast Hike which is a canyon trail that is about 3.4 miles round trip. We also did a sunset cruise to see it from the ocean. We did the dinner cruise with Captain Andy’s - they were awesome, the service was great, good was wonderful - but if you are on a budget it is pricey. A majority of my friends said it has been a highlight of their trip and they would do it over and over. For us it is was a one time good time and we probably won’t do it again. I would absolutely recommend Captain Andy’s for any tours you want to do though! They were fabulous.

Waimea Canyon is known as the Grand Canyon of Pacific. We were able to stop and get a good view of it on our drive up to the Napali Coast viewpoint.

Hanalei Pier Bay is a really beautiful view point and scenic place to take in the island and the ocean.

Queen’s Bath is a nice hike down to the tide pools. Parking is super limited - like only 8 spots and the entire neighborhood around it is residential so you cannot park in front of their houses. We tried to go three different times before we were able to get a parking spot. My recommendation is to go first thing in the morning. The day we got a spot easily we left right when the sun was coming up.

Kalalau Trail runs along the Napali Coast and is about 11 miles long.

Kilauea Lighthouse is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 4pm. And I believe they only take cash. When we went they were closed so we just saw it from up above.

Spouting Horn is a blowhole located on the south shore. We saw this while we were doing the South Shore tour on the Shaka Guide App and it gave a really cool historical story to go along with it.

Kauai Tree Tunnels are SUPER awesome. We drove threw them every single day. From where we were staying they were on the way to Poupoi Beach. I loved it. So beautiful.

Fern Grotto is on the Eastern side of the island. It is a natural lava-rock grotto, lush with hanging ferns and tropical foliage. We didn’t see it, but it is on the list for next time!

There are tons of waterfalls on the island too - most of them are a hike to get to which I passed on due to my minimal activity order. But one day when I was taking my pregnancy nap Adam went on the Shaka Guide Waterfall tour and said they were amazing. Some of the most popular are Wailua Falls and Secret Falls.

Hanalei Surf School is great for surf lessons.

Kayak Wailua for a great kayak adventure.

Warehouse 3540 is a really darling community space. It is a former industrial warehouse on the south side of the island that has been turned into a community space for local businesses and vendors.