Kountry Kitchen in Kapaa the little town on the road from north shore to the rest of the island. Good food independent diner. Entire town of Kapaa is funky cool with very old buildings and bars etc.

https://www.kauaimuseum.org/ in Lihue. Worth a few hours if your into history at all

The coffee plantation and rum distillery but pro tip but the Koloa rum at Walmart there or even total wine when you get back home. It’s cheaper.

The Shops at Kukui‘ula Nice open air mall with all kinds of variety of stores and restaurants.

Hanalei bay is, imo, the best bay, beach, etc in all of Hawaii. Don’t be surprised if you see a well known actor or musician in the area if you are out eating, etc. You’ll understand Hanalei once you stand on the beach in front of the state park. The breaks are extreme left, and extreme right. People will be surfing both. Hanalei is straight out of a movie and I don’t have the words for how magnificent it is. If you are Oceanside there you are in for a treat. If it were me I’d wouldn’t be doing much else but staying right there and suckling it in all week, it’s that good.

Things to do. #1, and I cannot stress this enough, do nothing. 50% of your time, do nothing. Sit on the beach, go for a swim, but stay away from the automobile. You don’t need to tourist drive around constantly like so many do there. Getting in and out of there is a small little road and you’ll understand once you sit behind 10 or more vehicles coming in to the area or leaving the area. Everything you need is on the North side of the island.

#2, the Costco is right next to the airport, Lihue. I land, get my rental car, then go get everything I need at Costco for the week. If you’ve got a kitchen I wouldn’t waste my money dining out sans food trucks, pickup window type food. They get you for the sit down waiter restaurant places and it adds up. Costco has local eggs, ham, and a selection of fish to die for. They have steamed rice bowls that you can microwave to go with fish. And purple sweet potatoes which do nice on the grill next to a piece of grilled fish. Grab some Papaya too as the local fruits are likewise, to die for. Sans a food truck or a snack, I don’t dine out there. Maybe once the entire time I’m there for a sunset meal in Poipu maybe. And if you drink beer Maui Brewing is the beer of choice. They have it at Costco for like $7.99 a 6 pack. Bikini Lager and Sunshine Girl. They have seltzers as well.

#3, I would take a day to drive around the island, and you’ll have to drive all the way around it from Princeville, to go to Waimea state park. This is the Grand Canyon they referred to in the thread. There are so many stops as you go up in elevation and I would stop at every one. You’ll get to one of the most elevated stops and you’ll be able to walk out there to the ridge, staring down into that Canyon, then to your left you’ll see the forbidden island of Niihau. And Lehua will be visible too. It’s like a carbon copy of Molokini off Maui. They are both craters and just marvelous to look at. The one thing you want to do is look up before you leave. Make 100% sure there isn’t cloud cover so go on a clear day. Waimea is one thing, and you’ll gawk at the canyon from every angle. It’s another thing to be up there and see Lehua and Niihau. Foreigners are not allowed there so this is as close as you get.

There are several forests to check out but a lot of work via driving, walking, etc. And I would suggest stopping in Poipu if you go to Waimea. I would get to Poipu for sunset as it’s magnificent there. Southern point on the island. Several restaurants to have a sunset meal where you can watch it go down right behind the glass.

I was supposed to go back for my 50th next month but it didn’t work out but it is my next trip there. I’ll stay at the Westin in Princeville, and after getting all supplies at Costco I’m staying in Princeville/Hanalei area the entire 2 weeks. Have a good trip.

Got married in Kauai 12 years ago. Love the island.

Things I loved:

Captain Andy's catamaran trip up thee Napali coast. Mile high cliffs straight to the sea. The food was great and the price included never ending mai tais. On the way back, over 200 dolphins swam with the boat.

Tubing down old sugar cane canals. Very fun. Same outfit did an ATV tour through old sugarcane fields. We saw Jurassic park. Where the galomimuses were attacked by the T Rex and they hid by the log. And I swung from a rope swing from the same tree Indiana Jones did into the river!

Beach House. Fabulous restaurant south side. Pricey, but awesome.

Glass beach and sleeping giant are great hikes. The clay in Kauai is red/orange. Everything I wore on the hike was permanently stained. I wore tennis shoes and they were fine, but I couldnt clean them when I got home. Hanelie is a beautiful beach on the North shore. Be careful, parts of the year it has strong current and sometimes riptide. But it is beautiful.

Waimea canyon...the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.

I splurged and did the helicopter tour. Do the Hughes 500 doors-off. We flew through the Waimea canyon and into the crater of the volcano. Can only go in the volcano maybe 30 days a year, but we got lucky and saw maybe 20 small waterfalls flowing down the crater.

Kayaking down the Waialua River.

It rains a bit every day, but usually not long. I wouldn't get a jeep. Don't leave ANYTHING in your car. Meth is in the water and car burglary is common. Personally very safe though.

It's been a bit, I can't guarantee everything I mentioned is still a thing. I want to go back. Have fun!

Hee Fat General store for shaved ice. Best I have ever had.

Also Tiki Iniki bar/restaurant on north side of island, great food and drinks.

quote:

shaved ice

Uh-uh! That's "shave ice", Bruddah.

Helicopter tour was fantastic. Shop around the different charter companies to see what they offer and what equipment they fly. We went with a company that flew Hughes 500's and left the doors off. Much better than an A-Star listening Enya over the headphones. Our trip also included landing at a waterfall where we could swim in the pool under the falls.

Set aside $16.00 for the large French fry at Mc Donald's

quote:

Kauai

It's been many years, but we loved it there. We went to the Plantation House for brunch I believe, looks like they are now closed Sundays. Again, this was 2 decades ago but remember it being terrific, and in a beautiful setting.

The Plantation House

I'll second the Plantation House, it was a fantastic experience.

Koloa Rum is a great visit if you like rum, which I do.

Rent a 4x4, you'll appreciate it.

For the Na Pali coast: 1) its no bullshit about the hiking, if you can't hack slippery, fairly narrow trails with a drop off that will kill you, don't go. 2) if you have a good back, do the Zodiac tours, if you don't: the catamaran.

Here (and the volcanos on Hawaii) are the only places I'd say a helicopter tour in the Islands is worth it.

For snorkeling, Tunnels at Na Pali is the best hands down but weather dependant, and when I was there in 2018 non-accessible due to road conditions. I would hope that this has been fixed but knowing the Islands . . .
Also, know that the weather can be "directional" i.e. raining and rough on one side and clear and calm on the other, have back up locations.

The Waimea Canyon is not to be missed if you decide not to helicopter.

It's no bullshit about "locals only" places.

It's a small town vibe. Things will close WAY earlier than you would expect, plan for that.

There is a Costco in Lihue. You can stock up there if you are a member for snacks and such.

I have been to all the islands and lived on Oahu for five years as a kid. Kauai is by far my favorite of all of them, having visited several times.

One more quick tip, if you're planning on that luau, reserve as early as possible, perhaps even now. They tend to book up quickly.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
Hanalei bay is, imo, the best bay, beach, etc in all of Hawaii. Don’t be surprised if you see a well known actor or musician in the area if you are out eating, etc. You’ll understand Hanalei once you stand on the beach in front of the state park. The breaks are extreme left, and extreme right. People will be surfing both. Hanalei is straight out of a movie and I don’t have the words for how magnificent it is. If you are Oceanside there you are in for a treat. If it were me I’d wouldn’t be doing much else but staying right there and suckling it in all week, it’s that good.

Things to do. #1, and I cannot stress this enough, do nothing. 50% of your time, do nothing. Sit on the beach, go for a swim, but stay away from the automobile. You don’t need to tourist drive around constantly like so many do there. Getting in and out of there is a small little road and you’ll understand once you sit behind 10 or more vehicles coming in to the area or leaving the area. Everything you need is on the North side of the island.

#2, the Costco is right next to the airport, Lihue. I land, get my rental car, then go get everything I need at Costco for the week. If you’ve got a kitchen I wouldn’t waste my money dining out sans food trucks, pickup window type food. They get you for the sit down waiter restaurant places and it adds up. Costco has local eggs, ham, and a selection of fish to die for. They have steamed rice bowls that you can microwave to go with fish. And purple sweet potatoes which do nice on the grill next to a piece of grilled fish. Grab some Papaya too as the local fruits are likewise, to die for. Sans a food truck or a snack, I don’t dine out there. Maybe once the entire time I’m there for a sunset meal in Poipu maybe. And if you drink beer Maui Brewing is the beer of choice. They have it at Costco for like $7.99 a 6 pack. Bikini Lager and Sunshine Girl. They have seltzers as well.

#3, I would take a day to drive around the island, and you’ll have to drive all the way around it from Princeville, to go to Waimea state park. This is the Grand Canyon they referred to in the thread. There are so many stops as you go up in elevation and I would stop at every one. You’ll get to one of the most elevated stops and you’ll be able to walk out there to the ridge, staring down into that Canyon, then to your left you’ll see the forbidden island of Niihau. And Lehua will be visible too. It’s like a carbon copy of Molokini off Maui. They are both craters and just marvelous to look at. The one thing you want to do is look up before you leave. Make 100% sure there isn’t cloud cover so go on a clear day. Waimea is one thing, and you’ll gawk at the canyon from every angle. It’s another thing to be up there and see Lehua and Niihau. Foreigners are not allowed there so this is as close as you get.

There are several forests to check out but a lot of work via driving, walking, etc. And I would suggest stopping in Poipu if you go to Waimea. I would get to Poipu for sunset as it’s magnificent there. Southern point on the island. Several restaurants to have a sunset meal where you can watch it go down right behind the glass.

I was supposed to go back for my 50th next month but it didn’t work out but it is my next trip there. I’ll stay at the Westin in Princeville, and after getting all supplies at Costco I’m staying in Princeville/Hanalei area the entire 2 weeks. Have a good trip.

Thanks for the info, it is good to hear that it sounds like I picked a winner. Our accommodations are right on the water in Hanalei so it seems like we'll be in for a treat.

Our lodging has a kitchen in it, and we don't necessarily want to eat out at fancy restaurants... more into the low-key dining scene so I can see us making use of the kitchen to some extent.

Been almost 30 years for me ... but I would for sure drive up past the Grand Canyon of the pacific and then to the top of that 'hill' and walk over and look down at the beach.. over 3,000 feet below. I wonder if they have finally put a guard rail up. then turn around and look down into the rain forest... which was part of the CCG image in Jurassic Park.

quote:

Originally posted by thumperfbc:

Thanks for the info, it is good to hear that it sounds like I picked a winner. Our accommodations are right on the water in Hanalei so it seems like we'll be in for a treat.

Our lodging has a kitchen in it, and we don't necessarily want to eat out at fancy restaurants... more into the low-key dining scene so I can see us making use of the kitchen to some extent.

You’ll save yourself a lot of dough skipping the dining out. I’m not saying be militant like me when you go, but I’ve trained up some friends. First trip they ate out for most meals, and spent a lot of money. 2nd trip, they made their own breakfast/lunches, but ate dinner out, most nights. They said it made a hell of a difference because it freed up $ for more activities or curtailed the overall expense. My advice is to meet it in the middle. Your wallet will thank you.

The one thing I didn’t mention, super important…
Check for cloud cover at night each night. If you get a clear night, star gaze. I usually go in the winter but the stars at night, are so much bigger and brighter in Hawaii than they are in Texas, that it’s not even comparable. At the Westin in Princeville, there is a pretty good hike downhill to the beach from the property (And hell on Earth with drinks in you hiking back up). But that beach, whatever it’s called, on a clear night is something to behold. A lot of it depends on what time of year you are there, etc, my point is just look for a clear night. Milky Way at 12-1am, North end of Kauai, just like Kaanapali on Maui, no words for it. Bring a towel, lay down on the beach and just gawk at the Astronomy. Very little light pollution, and being so isolated (most remote place on Earth in terms of distance to a continent), well there are reasons why there are major telescopes, world class with price tags to match, on Maui and Big Island. You’d be hard pressed to find a better place on Earth to look at the galaxy with the naked eye. It’s ridiculous. I’m not into photography enough to have a rig to take shots of it. But I looked for photos from a professional and couldn’t find anything close to what I saw with my naked eyes. That’s the thing about the state, there is something for everyone. But I have friends that are like family there and they don’t even stop to look up. I learned my first trip one night where I was so worn out from surfing, and busting my ass learning, that I took a nap in the afternoon and didn’t wake up until 10pm. I got up and moving, grabbed some killer fish that I had bought at Costco, and a purple sweet potato out to the grill. Both are cooking, I look up, and literally almost fell over. Milky Way was rotating in view so I stayed up and 12:30am to 2am, what I saw was one of the most memorable things I’ve seen in my entire life. So much so that every time I’ve been back to the state since, I’ll check cloud cover at night. Cloudy I chalk it. If it’s crystal, I’m staying up. Night time on Kauai or Maui, well things close early and most of the Haole tourists are in bed early so they can get up early to get in the car and do tourist shit. I’ve talked to dozens of people who never bothered to look up at night. May not be your thing but on a good night, jaw dropping sky. And something most miss out on because they are too busy wearing themselves out in the rental car driving all around all week. Almost nobody is at the beaches past 9 or 10pm so I’ve had so many nights on these beaches, with the entire beach to myself. Go for a swim, staying real close to shore, for safety, and with the moon and stars it feels like it’s light outside from all that light from the sky. If that makes sense. I’ve got some shots from the phone where you’d think the moon was the sun, it’s that bright. I’ve never seen Hanalei super packed, it’s not Honolulu. But there is always people there, but at night, you might get a nice big piece to yourself. Take advantage