Several years late but my wife and I have finally booked a trip to Hawaii, and we settled on a week in Kauai, after reading a lot of opinions on where to go. We'll be spending a week on the north shore in Hanalei in an oceanfront room at the Hanalei Colony Resort.

Direct flight from Oakland to Lihue is booked (on Hawaiian Air), but I have lots of blanks to fill in and I am hoping for some suggestions!

It seems like we'll want a car, no? Any particular reason that we would need something with extra ground clearance or any basic vehicle will do?

Previous threads on Hawaii has helped start a so-far short list of things to do, such as a chocolate farm visit and a rum distillery visit.

We'll want to do a luau, I'm sure. Never been to one. Any particular one that is the best?

A boat tour of Na Pali coast seems like a given... any particular charter company or specific tour that we should prioritize?

We are looking forward to sleeping in and waking up to the sound of waves and not being super busy... however, we will want to do at least a few hikes through some lush foliage in search of awesome views and waterfalls. My wife is very keep to get eyes on some waterfalls. Any specific trails that you have done that we should consider?

And regarding hikes... talk to me about footwear. We do hikes in our greater region now, but the climate is very different. I am wondering if we should have waterproof/water resistant trail running shoes or even hiking shoes? Right now we just use typical running shoes and they work fine for our dry area, but I'm thinking they may act a bit too much like a sponge to be ideal... Regarding clothing, I'm guessing light layers with rain protection of some sort?

Should we bring a pair of binoculars? If so, I'll need some suggestions...

We are up for snorkeling too, so what are the good places you've been for that?

Food suggestions on the island? The room has a kitchen so we can prep our own if we want, but we like to experience local cuisines too.

I know some would suggest a day trip to Oahu, but I don't think that is in the cards. My wife doesn't seem to like to the idea of island hopping for a day and would prefer to save the Oahu tourist stuff for another future trip.

Is something like a half day fishing charter an option? I like to fish, but never done it in salt water...

Thanks guys!

it has been a long time since we went. A long, long time. The Bali coast. ???

I was there many years ago.
You will definitely want a car, the island is not that big and easily traveled in a car.
I remember watching the sky and driving to areas that were not raining.
I also remember the surf being very aggressive so finding a safe area to enter the water was of paramount importance. Also some beaches were pretty much for local use only, they did not like outsiders on there beaches and surf.
Much slower pace than the other islands.

A typhoon had gone through the island several years before I was there. They were still cleaning up after it. Several large hotels on the ocean were still closed and showed major damage. Talking to locals at the time revealed the absolute fear some of them still had from the typhoon experience. I will never forget the look in there eyes when talking about it.

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Should we bring a pair of binoculars?

I remember sitting on the beach watching the spinner dolphins, wishing I had some binocs.

Might also suggest a kayak trip up the Hanalei River, being the inspiration for the river in "Puff, the Magic Dragon."

I remember the Honolulu airport waiting for a flight to the Big Island as a hurricane approached Oahu and Kauai. The airlines continued to fly tourists to Kauai. No mention was made of the weather. A week later we met numerous tourists on Maui. They flew into Kauai,had rented a car,saw broken telephone poles and found that their hotel was in the ocean. No food, limited water and no return flight for three days. You never forget things like that.

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It seems like we'll want a car, no? Any particular reason that we would need something with extra ground clearance or any basic vehicle will do?

First off, understand that the rental car companies do NOT like having their vehicles doing any kind of off-roading. There's horror stories of people being hit with a full vehicle replacement after they found undercarriage evidence of off-road excursions.

That said, I have also heard people say there were a couple times on Kauai where they wished they'd rented an SUV. Even the regular roads can get wierd, plus the elevated view makes turny roads easier to accomodate.

(Also FWIW, we did not rent a car at all the time we went, and did just fine. Kauai is smaller and more low key.)

May 2022 in Kauai we rented a Jeep from Avis, it was somewhat scratched and used, so we didnt feel that we’d be adding any additional wear to it that they would care about. THe rental process went smoothly and no issues with scratches, sand, etc added.
We also rented kayaks from bringmeakayak.com. Their daily rate was $125 per kayak for the whole day. We choose to pick up 2 double Kayaks, (family of 4) which they strapped to our Jeep roof, and then we drove about half a mile to the boat ramp in a nearby park and put them in the Wailua river. (The kayak guys gave us detailed instructions of where to go and what to do) We paddled up the river to a beach area, dismounted and hiked through the woods and a lot of foliage to the “secret falls” Was a memorable trip for my kids.
My kids also wanted to do the SPCA take a dog for the day thing where you go in and check out a dog from the Kauai humane society, and do whatever you want with it for the day. We took the dog to the beach, and on a hike. The dog rode in our rental Jeep too, so add dog hair and more wet sand to our rental…

Edit to add hiking footwear comments…the hikes we did through the foliage and to waterfalls involved some shallow river crossings (knee depth) and lots of mud on the trail. We read a lot of info prior and watched some YouTube videos of people ruining nice hiking and trail shoes because of all the mud. We finally chose to all wear nicer water shoes. (I think we just bought at Big 5) They had solid soles and mesh like coverage on top. I suppose a sport sandal like keen or teva would be fine too. Anything that you can clean the mud and dirt off easily and will dry well too all the while keeping your foot protected on the hike.

Helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon of the Pacific and out over the coast. Also seeing waterfalls up close freom the air!

Our best memories from trip to Kauai:
1. The Kilauea Lighthouse bird sanctuary: yes absolutely bring binoculars. Excellent views of tropicbirds, blue-footed boobies, frigate birds, and others you will not see in the mainland US.
2. Helicopter flight over the Na Pali Coast, close-up views of waterfalls and canyons
3. Drive up through the Grand Canyon to the top of the mountain, which is swampy and rainy but gorgeous. The road and a short walk will take you to where you can look down on the Na Pali Coast.

We did not kayak or take a boat to view the Na Pali coast, so cannot comment on that. We did rent kayaks and went up the Wailua River including a hike to the “secret waterfall”. Fun trip.

Hanalei Bay where you will be staying is beautiful and peaceful. One can hike a trail from there along the coast but it is not easy. We didn’t do it, so can’t comment.

You will definitely enjoy your trip!

Aloha

Ponchos.

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And regarding hikes... talk to me about footwear. We do hikes in our greater region now, but the climate is very different. I am wondering if we should have waterproof/water resistant trail running shoes or even hiking shoes? Right now we just use typical running shoes and they work fine for our dry area, but I'm thinking they may act a bit too much like a sponge to be ideal... Regarding clothing, I'm guessing light layers with rain protection of some sort?

A man from California was killed from a fall just a couple weeks ago whilst hiking at Waipo’o Falls. He was found 120 feet below the falls. Don't know what kind of footwear he had, but I personally would not go on a waterfall hike without a good pair of hiking footwear. Slippery, slippery, slippery.

As far as clothing, for that island I would think a good light windbreaker would be sufficient.

(Damn, I'm getting as excited about your trip as you probably are!)

Spent a week on Kauai in July. I'll send you an email.

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We'll want to do a luau, I'm sure. Never been to one. Any particular one that is the best?

Haven't been to a luau on Kauai, but I know there's a lot of good ones. Probably the one that gets recommended the most is the Smith Family Garden Luau.

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Originally posted by ridgerat:
Helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon of the Pacific and out over the coast. Also seeing waterfalls up close freom the air!

^^ THIS ^^

I've been to Hawaii 7x, been to 4 Hawaiian Islands, and went to Kauai 1x. Not many views from Kauai's limited road system and it's the only island I took a helicopter tour. The helicopter ride was excellent and got to see the Jurassic Park waterfall, the beach from 6 Nights 7 Days, the Na Pali coast, etc.

King Kamehameha conquered the main Hawaiian islands with the exception of Kauai. First try, the current and waves drowned a good portion of his army and they turned around. Second try never occurred as his army got ravaged by an epidemic, but he had been building a completely different boat style in hopes to overcome the waves and tides for attempt #2. Why am I writing all of this? The currents, riptides, and long pauses between big waves made the water the least safe out of all of the 4 islands I've visited. My hotel was just up the coast from beautiful Poipu Beach, but the currents were miserable that week I stayed there so I never ventured in the water past my knees. I had to drive to the north side of the island to actually swim in the ocean.

BTW, I wouldn't spend money on one of those lunch or dinner whale seeing cruises. For the same money, I saw just as many whale and dolphin on a snorkeling or fishing vessel and then got to do something fun on top of seeing the whale and dolphin.

Skip the binos,

Big mistake that people do is OVER PLAN their vacation. I'm a spreadsheet, schedule-making, checklist kinda guy but, after 20+ years of travel, I've learned to not plan too much and attempt to shoehorn an activity into everyday and account for every hour. You're there for just a week, make sure you plan to relax and have some fun, this is a vacation after all, its ok to get lazy, no need to plan meals, noshing is ok.

quote:

And regarding hikes... talk to me about footwear. We do hikes in our greater region now, but the climate is very different. I am wondering if we should have waterproof/water resistant trail running shoes or even hiking shoes? Right now we just use typical running shoes and they work fine for our dry area, but I'm thinking they may act a bit too much like a sponge to be ideal... Regarding clothing, I'm guessing light layers with rain protection of some sort?

Waterproof footwear is not necessary, you're in a tropical environment, from a jungle warfare perspective, you need to learn to live with moisture, you will be sweating a lot, learn to live with that fact. Closed toe footwear is good, whatever you choose, from shitty sneakers to dedicated hikers, having a few higher-performance socks is nice to have. A pair of closed-toed sandals are popular such as Keen Newports or, Teva Omniums. You're very likely to spend the vast majority of the time wearing flip-flop sandals; consider a pair of Olu'Kai's for going out.

quote:

Food suggestions on the island? The room has a kitchen so we can prep our own if we want, but we like to experience local cuisines too.

Kauai is a rural island, even the resorts are isolated and minimal, particularly where you're at, most of the hangouts and eateries of note are in Kapa'a and teh South side of the island. I've not been there's since pandemic shutdowns so, not sure who's survived. I always went to Bouchons, I heard it might be closed.

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I know some would suggest a day trip to Oahu, but I don't think that is in the cards. My wife doesn't seem to like to the idea of island hopping for a day and would prefer to save the Oahu tourist stuff for another future trip.

If you're only there for a week, I'd try to just enjoy one island, Oahu isn't going anywhere. You go from Kauai to Oahu, is like going from Sonora into San Francisco...rural to metro/built-up/urban. The only way to that would make sense is you start your trip on Kauai, then end your trip on Oahu or, vice-versa. Remember, you're there for vacation, relax, turn-down the tempo and enjoy the time away.

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Originally posted by Shaql:
Spent a week on Kauai in July. I'll send you an email.

Email sent

quote:

Originally posted by Mutiny:
May 2022 in Kauai we rented a Jeep from Avis, it was somewhat scratched and used, so we didnt feel that we’d be adding any additional wear to it that they would care about. THe rental process went smoothly and no issues with scratches, sand, etc added.

My kids also wanted to do the SPCA take a dog for the day thing where you go in and check out a dog from the Kauai humane society, and do whatever you want with it for the day. We took the dog to the beach, and on a hike. The dog rode in our rental Jeep too, so add dog hair and more wet sand to our rental…

Edit to add hiking footwear comments…the hikes we did through the foliage and to waterfalls involved some shallow river crossings (knee depth) and lots of mud on the trail. We read a lot of info prior and watched some YouTube videos of people ruining nice hiking and trail shoes because of all the mud. We finally chose to all wear nicer water shoes. (I think we just bought at Big 5) They had solid soles and mesh like coverage on top. I suppose a sport sandal like keen or teva would be fine too. Anything that you can clean the mud and dirt off easily and will dry well too all the while keeping your foot protected on the hike.

Thank you for your input regarding vehicles and the footwear. I appreciate it! My wife would probably love to "rent" a dog for the day if they are still doing that, I will add it to the list of potentials.

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Originally posted by armored:

I also remember the surf being very aggressive so finding a safe area to enter the water was of paramount importance.

I've read several times that the waters can be quite treacherous, but we aren't too adventurous when it comes to ocean waters. We'll probably snorkel where it is common for people to do so and perhaps wade just up to the knees or so at best elsewhere. The kids aren't coming with us so it will be easier to stay out of the water.

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Originally posted by sjtill:
Our best memories from trip to Kauai:
1. The Kilauea Lighthouse bird sanctuary: yes absolutely bring binoculars. Excellent views of tropicbirds, blue-footed boobies, frigate birds, and others you will not see in the mainland US.
2. Helicopter flight over the Na Pali Coast, close-up views of waterfalls and canyons
3. Drive up through the Grand Canyon to the top of the mountain, which is swampy and rainy but gorgeous. The road and a short walk will take you to where you can look down on the Na Pali Coast.

We did not kayak or take a boat to view the Na Pali coast, so cannot comment on that. We did rent kayaks and went up the Wailua River including a hike to the “secret waterfall”. Fun trip.

Hanalei Bay where you will be staying is beautiful and peaceful. One can hike a trail from there along the coast but it is not easy. We didn’t do it, so can’t comment.

You will definitely enjoy your trip!

Aloha

Thank you, Doc. I hadn't run across the bird sanctuary yet. I'll add it to the list to look into!

I've read several warnings about the hiking along the Na Pali coast and I don't think that'll be on the to do list as we know our limits. I'm not looking for large drop offs from potentially slick muddy trails... Not my style. We'll keep the hikes on the more "moderate" and below spectrum!

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Originally posted by TomV:
Ponchos.

Noted!

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Originally posted by corsair:
Big mistake that people do is OVER PLAN their vacation. I'm a spreadsheet, schedule-making, checklist kinda guy but, after 20+ years of travel, I've learned to not plan too much and attempt to shoehorn an activity into everyday and account for every hour. You're there for just a week, make sure you plan to relax and have some fun, this is a vacation after all, its ok to get lazy, no need to plan meals, noshing is ok.

quote:

And regarding hikes... talk to me about footwear. We do hikes in our greater region now, but the climate is very different. I am wondering if we should have waterproof/water resistant trail running shoes or even hiking shoes? Right now we just use typical running shoes and they work fine for our dry area, but I'm thinking they may act a bit too much like a sponge to be ideal... Regarding clothing, I'm guessing light layers with rain protection of some sort?

Waterproof footwear is not necessary, you're in a tropical environment, from a jungle warfare perspective, you need to learn to live with moisture, you will be sweating a lot, learn to live with that fact. Closed toe footwear is good, whatever you choose, from shitty sneakers to dedicated hikers, having a few higher-performance socks is nice to have. A pair of closed-toed sandals are popular such as Keen Newports or, Teva Omniums. You're very likely to spend the vast majority of the time wearing flip-flop sandals; consider a pair of Olu'Kai's for going out.

quote:

Food suggestions on the island? The room has a kitchen so we can prep our own if we want, but we like to experience local cuisines too.

Kauai is a rural island, even the resorts are isolated and minimal, particularly where you're at, most of the hangouts and eateries of note are in Kapa'a and teh South side of the island. I've not been there's since pandemic shutdowns so, not sure who's survived. I always went to Bouchons, I heard it might be closed.

quote:

I know some would suggest a day trip to Oahu, but I don't think that is in the cards. My wife doesn't seem to like to the idea of island hopping for a day and would prefer to save the Oahu tourist stuff for another future trip.

If you're only there for a week, I'd try to just enjoy one island, Oahu isn't going anywhere. You go from Kauai to Oahu, is like going from Sonora into San Francisco...rural to metro/built-up/urban. The only way to that would make sense is you start your trip on Kauai, then end your trip on Oahu or, vice-versa. Remember, you're there for vacation, relax, turn-down the tempo and enjoy the time away.

Thank you, I think you and I are largely on the same wavelength. At this time we are just building a list of potential activities for us to look into a little bit in the upcoming months and to ensure we bring what we need. We don't want to have a jam packed schedule and constantly be going and doing various things. I do think I'm probably overthinking the footwear issue! I'll have to get past that.

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Originally posted by Shaql:

quote:

Originally posted by Shaql:
Spent a week on Kauai in July. I'll send you an email.

Email sent

Thank you! I will go read it now.

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Originally posted by thumperfbc:

Thank you for your input regarding vehicles and the footwear. I appreciate it! My wife would probably love to "rent" a dog for the day if they are still doing that, I will add it to the list of potentials.

[QUOTE]

They still do it…

https://kauaihumane.org/service/field-trips/

Not a lot to add, it's been nearly 30 years since I was there (went over for my sister's wedding). A day trip to Oahu won't do it justice. You could spend the whole day at Pearl Harbor. I planned a one-day stop on Oahu on my way home from Kauai, just to see the Arizona Memorial (Missouri wasn't there yet). I rented a car and visited Pearl Harbor for most of one day. The next day was my flight home, but not until mid-afternoon, so I started to drive around the island but ran out of time and had to turn back to make the airport in time. Before that trip I had had no desire at all to visit Hawaii, but I found myself wishing I had allowed for at least another couple of days on Oahu. Better to make Oahu a separate trip.

We did a helicopter tour on Kauai and I'd recommend that as others have. The day we did it there was clear weather around the dormant volcano (I understand that doesn't happen very often), and the pilot flew into the crater, that was probably the funnest part of the flight.