Kauai adventure

Kauai hadn’t been on our list of places to visit. But when we saw photos this past January, we thought this is the island to go to! We knew a few of our friends had gone and the pictures looked stunning.

This trip felt like our second honeymoon and to be honest, was probably even better!! We were so excited to explore the whole island, putting lots of miles on the Jeep! Everywhere we went, I found myself snapping photos on my iPhone, videoing roads of canopy trees, and awing at the deep green forest of Kauai. We will never forget this trip!

Kilauea Lighthouse Kalihiwai beach

We might have forgotten to put on sunscreen!

We booked our flights through airline miles and started planning the trip just a few months before hand. If you are looking at booking an Airbnb, I’d definitely plan in advance as places are gone quickly on the island. We ended up staying at the Marriott resort (which we loved) and got a great discount through a friend.

Our view from the hotel room at the Marriott in Lihue. We would definitely stay here again We enjoyed margaritas and fish tacos at the restaurant Dukes next to the hotel. Plus, the pool and jacuzzi have a beautiful view of the ocean so just a prime spot all in all. 

We came to Kauai the week after the flooding in the North happened. Due to all the rain, many of the hikes were closed, including the Na Pali coast. The only way to view it was from a plane or boat. We chose both!

Our boat tour included snorkeling, however, the waves were super rough this day and it was unsafe to swim. We still saw some incredible views of the coast and enjoyed our afternoon ride on the water.

Kauai has waterfalls EVERYWHERE. It’s absolutely gorgeous so don’t miss out hiking these! Many of the areas do not have specific signs on where the hike is because it’s all at your own risk. We found that most of the “paths” were doable, just pretty muddy from the rain. It’s way easier just to to take off your shoes:)

Wailua Falls (see photo from above further into the post)

We loved our air tour over the island! The best part was getting to see the Na Pali coast from the sky. We were curious about the doors off helicopter tour, but it was little pricey for us this time!

Wailua Falls 

Waimea Canyon

One of my favorite things to do when in a new city is visit ALL the coffee shops, which we totally almost did 🙂 I was not very impressed by the Kauai coffee roasters (probably because I like my coffee super strong) but we really enjoyed all the artisan coffee shops and tried out their espresso. I’m always either ordering espresso over ice with milk, cappuccino or cortado!

—Driving around the island—

• North (Hanalei)
  • Kilaluea lighthouse & town
  • Queens bath
  • Kaupea beach
  • Hideaways beach (next to St. Regis)
  • Kalihiwai beach
  • Anini beach
• Where we ate
  • Kalalea Juice Hale-yummy acai bowl
  • Makana Terrace at the St. Regis- go for sunset drinks & sushi!
  • Harvest market- another yummy acai bowl
  • Federico’s Hanalei- Kosta ordered a seafood burrito
  • Trilogy-amazing Inteligentsia espresso
    • next time: Pat’s Taco Truck, Chicken in a Barrel, Sushi Girl, Hanalei Bread Co. & Coffee, Bar Acuda (higher end tapas)
• East (Lihue, Kapaa)
  • Wailua Falls-hike to the bottom
    • next time: Opaeka Falls, Waimea river kayak
• Where we ate
  • NOM Kauai-the best chicken & waffles and yummy burgers!
  • Hukilau Lanai-our fancy night out (first time trying Filet Mignon & the mixed grill was incredible!)
  • Kauai Juice Co.-great kombucha on top & save your bottle for a discount on future purchases
  • Dukes-this restaurant was at our hotel so it was perfectly convenient, also amazing view of the water and great Taco Tuesday + happy hour!
  • HaCoffee bar- this coffee shop is close to the airport and has good iced espresso!
  • Java Kai-can’t miss this coffee shop in Kapaa! If the line is long then head to the back bar and order your coffee! I loved the almond cortado and also came back for an iced espresso with cream. Enjoy your coffee by the beach or take a walk in town while doing some shopping!
    • next time: Fish Express (right by the airport), Porky’s Cart, Tiki Tacos, Cafe Portofino (fancier), The Spot (go for acai bowls), Small Town Coffee Co. and Lapperts Ice-cream
• South (Poipu)
  • Poipu Beach
  • Kauai tree tunnels (gorgeous quick drive!)
  • Shipwreck beach
  • Maha’ulepu Coastal Trail
    • next time: Kekaha Beach Park, Polihale State Park
• Where we ate
  • DaCrack-ordered pork tacos
  • Kalaheo Coffee Co. & Cafe-great breakfast spot
  • Little Fish Coffee-my favorite acai bowl and the cutest town!
  • Aloha Roastery-fancy artisan coffee in a beautiful setting
    • next time: Beach House Restaurant (go at sunset), The Eating House 1849, Koloa Fish Market (poke bowls), Makai Sushi (local favorite) and Loco Coco Save Ice (fresh fruit syrups!)
• West (Waimea)
  • Waimea Canyon Hike
    • next time: Kokee State Park and Pihea Trail
    • Eats: Island Taco and Ishihara Market for poke

We received this restaurant recommendation from a friend and I’d highly recommend it. I would totally go back. Fancy night out at the Hukilau Lanai restaurant (probably the best meal we had on the island!!)

Filet mignon with the most incredible gravy sauce. Melt in your mouth like butter.

I can’t even tell you all the names of the fish but wow so flaky and the coconut sauce was perfection.

Lava chocolate cake and Lappert’s ice-cream capped off the night.  

Even when it was rainy & cloudy, it was a beautiful walk along the beach!

We went off roading a few times (lots of trails around!) and fully took advantage of driving as close to the water as we could get. Actually, there are beaches that you can drive on further west that we didn’t get to!

So we went to a Luau. And it was very Luau-y but ya gotta do it when you are in Hawaii and the experience was worth it! We saw some peacocks, walked around the beautiful gardens, ate a lot of yummy teriyaki beef and enjoyed the beautiful dancing.

ACAI BOWLS. Just really couldn’t get enough of these. Like I think I had 4 in 7 days. And they were just sooooooo good!

Most of our time was spent beach hopping. Meaning, driving to a beach, walking around, taking lots of photos, and enjoying the sun. The water was truly so beautiful, but most of the places weren’t safe to swim in from the flooding. We still loved exploring and discovering the beauty of Kauai!

Alright, our last night was spent watching the sunset from the St. Regis in Princeville at the Makana Terrace. Yes, the drinks and apps are pricier, but guys, the view here is just stunnnnnnning. Spend the afternoon in the town Kilauea (make a stop at my favorite coffee shop Trilogy!) and then come to the Makana Terrace and hour before sunset (you’ll want a good spot on the balcony!)

All in all, I would definitely go back to Kauai. The best part is renting a car and just driving around the island, stopping at different food trucks a long the way, walking through towns and enjoying the beaches!