Kauai is by far our favorite Hawaiian Island to visit. Granted, we haven’t been to all of them, but between Maui, Hawaii Island, and Kauai, Kauai tops the list. It’s the perfect combination of adventurous travel and a relaxing beach vacation. There’s something for everyone, whether you want to spend your trip hiking and taking in incredible views, or if you want to spend the whole time on Poipu beach watching the surfers and monk seals. We prefer a mixture of both which is probably why it may be our favorite place to travel to! This itinerary will give you hikes to do in the morning before the weather gets too hot, then spend the rest of the day relaxing by the pool or at the beach.
Day 1
Fly into Kauai
Pick up your rental car and check in to the hotel. I recommend staying on the Poipu side of the island for the best sunset views and the best beaches.
Lunch at Anake’s Juice Bar or Puka Dog
This juice bar is in a grocery store, but the açaí bowls are great! They have a few tables you can sit at to eat your lunch. After you’re done, pick up some ingredients to pack your lunch for the big hike tomorrow. If açaí bowls aren’t your thing or if you’re still feeling hungry, check out Puka Dog and try their unique take on hot dogs.
Relax at the pool or beach for the rest of the day. You can also spend time shopping at The Shops at Kukui’ula or Poipu Shopping Village.
Dinner at Brennecke’s Beach Broiler
Try Hawaiian shave ice at The Fresh Shave
Day 2
Kalalau trai
Probably the most popular thing to do in Kauai. There are a few options along this hike. You can hike the full 22 miles round trip and camp in the middle, hiking back in the morning. You will need a permit to camp. Or, you can hike to Hanakāpīʻai Beach and turn around which is what I would recommend. The hike to the beach out and back is 3.7 miles. It’s a moderate hike with a 1,220-foot elevation gain, but the views of the Napali Coast are incredible. There is an in-between option to hike 8 miles round trip to Hanakāpīʻai Falls. If you aren’t camping, you still need to make reservations to enter the park, including purchasing a parking pass or shuttle ticket. You do need a permit to do this hike and a parking pass to enter the State Park. Reservations are available 30 days in advance and they do sell out. If parking passes are sold out there are shuttle bus compaies that will drive you into and out of the park.
– Get permits here: https://gohaena.com/
– Get shuttle bus tickets here: https://kauainsshuttle.com/
Dinner at Sleeping Giant Grill
They’ve got great plates. Very casual spot, local vibe.
Day 3
Maha’ulepu heritage trail
Get up early to avoid the heat and walk this trail that takes you along the coast. It’s a very easy, flat 3.7-mile out-and-back trail.
Lunch at Da Crack
This is just a little walk-up counter with no indoor or outdoor seating. Most people take it to go or grab a seat on the sidewalk to eat their meal. I recommend the chipotle garlic shrimp burrito. These are huge so you could share one between two people.
Helicopter tour
These are expensive, but it’s also one of the coolest things we’ve ever done. Kauai is one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever been and seeing it from the air was unreal!
Dinner at Lava Lava Beach Club
The food is pretty good here but the draw is the location. You eat at tables on the sand right on the beach.
Day 4
Ke ala hele bike path
This is a beautiful path along the east side of the island. You can either walk or bike it, but I recommend biking so you can do the entire 16 miles round trip. When we stayed at the Sheraton Coconut Beach they had bikes you could take, but the first time we just rented bikes from a little trailer at the beginning of the path. There are also a lot of food trucks at the beginning so you could grab lunch at the end of your bike ride. It’s a little steep at times but overall, not too difficult and the views are great. It took us about an hour and we stopped for pictures.
Lunch at Kalalea juice hale
The best açaí bowls we’ve ever had. Get the King Kong bowl.
Wailua Falls
Drive by these falls on the way back to the Poipu side of the island. There is also a hike that takes you down to the falls, but this is technically illegal. It’s also less of a hike and more of a mudslide down the hill due to all the rain the island gets. The views were cool from the bottom if you decide to make the trek!
Luau
The Sheraton hotel in Poipu does a great luau.
Day 5
Waimea canyon
Known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. Check the weather before you go, when we went it was cloudy and rainy, but still cool to see. There are a bunch of hikes around the canyon but we didn’t do any of them so we don’t have any to recommend.
Lunch at Ishihara Market
OK, so this is a grocery store but it has the best poke bowls we’ve had on any island. Head to the back of the grocery store and order from the counter. They’ve also got malasadas in the fridge if you haven’t tried this Hawaiian dessert yet!
Spouting Horn
Stop by this blow hole on the way back to your hotel.
Dinner at Rum Fire
Make sure you make reservations at sunset to get the best views while you’re dining!
Check out our other Kauai posts: https://followthefischers.com/top-10-things-to-do-in-kauai/
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