All you Need to Know for Your Trip to Kauai, Hawaii
All photos taken by yours truly, SariRisbeyPhotography
Planning your first trip to the Hawaiian islands?! I’ve got you covered with everything you need to know! Marcus and I spent some time on the island of Kauai and we learned a ton of things that are sure to make your trip planning a little bit easier.
Photo By Sari Risbey Photography. Shipwreck Beach, Kauai, Hawaii
“Adventure is worthwhile.”
Groundbreaking, right? Although this is the most simple quote I could have chosen, it really hits the nail on the head! Look, I’ll be real, Hawaii is not the most affordable destination. There are of course always ways to travel cheaper, especially for the more adventurous people, but at the end of the day, the Hawaiian islands will likely cost. Luckily, the adventure you’ll have is worthwhile and ya girl can help you cut costs and maximize adventure!
Accommodation
Back when the hubby and I visited Kauai, Covid-19 was in full swing and the latest variant was on a rampage. Although an AirBnB/Vrbo would have been the cheaper option, we decided to book a hotel as the cancellation policies were MUCH better than the policies of AirBnBs. If we had to cancel last minute due to sickness or testing issues, we wanted to get some of our money back. With that being said, it cost us… a lot (I may or may not have hyperventilated when we paid). If you can avoid a hotel, I would! Book yourself a cute condo or home instead for a fraction of the cost. There are new rules in Hawaii for homeowners who rent their property which limit the AirBnBs/Vrbos available, so book super early to make sure you can stay where you’d like! A few things to ensure your accommodation has are:
a kitchen
This is a must! Accommodation isn’t the only pricy thing in Hawaii and eating out for every meal will add up fast. Make sure you have a kitchen so that you can cook for yourself.
2. parking space for the car you should rent
You’ll want to have a space to park your car. Some accommodations charge extra per night if you’ll be parking a car, so make sure to look into the details of your home away from home!
3. a good location!
The south side of the island is where it’s at. It’s safe (yes even Hawaii has its areas you should avoid), and it’s central! Many vacationers choose to stay in the Poipu area and I couldn’t recommend it more, but we’ll touch more on location a bit later in this article.
If you are a hotel person or are having a hard time finding a place to rent, I can say that our hotel was great! We stayed at The Point at Poipu which was located in Poipu (surprise lol)! Our room was more of a condo itself with a living room and a kitchen. It was clean, the bed was comfy, and we were right on the beach with an ocean view. We were even lucky enough to be able to see whales right from our room! Our hotel did charge an additional $30 USD per night to park our car, but added parking fees are pretty standard with hotels.
The Best Area to Stay
This is easy. Hands down, you need to stay on the south side of Kauai in the Poipu area! You cannot drive through the north side of the island as it houses the gorgeous Na Pali Coast which means that the south side will be the most central for travel around the island from east to west. The Poipu area also has gorgeous beaches, some shops, restaurants, and grocery stores. It’s a popular area for visitors to stay and is safe.
Although the east side of the island may be tempting since it’s close to the airport, it is far from a lot of the things you’ll want to see and do. It’s full of fast food and chain stores (not exactly what we go to Hawaii for!) and it has some sketchy areas. Trust me lol… Marcus and I may have found ourselves in an undesirable situation on the east side.
Must See’s and Do’s - Bucket List Edition!
Let’s get to the fun stuff!! Here are the things that you absolutely cannot miss on your trip to Kauai. For your ease, I’ve put each bucket list item in order of “you simply cannot miss this” to “you really do not want to miss this” hahaha!
Na Pali Coast
First up! The Na Pali Coast. Wow wow WOW I’m not kidding. You literally cannot skip seeing this. The coast is made up of 4,000 foot cliffs that will blow your mind. Photos do not do it justice, it truly is the most beautiful place that I have ever seen (and I’ve been to beautiful Santorini)! You can view the coast by air or by sea. Marcus and I chose to do both so that we could get the full perspective! The air tour allowed us to see gorgeous waterfalls that run down and through the coast and the sea tour allowed us to take in the massive heights of the cliffs and do some snorkelling on the coast too! We also got to see a ton of wildlife in the ocean including whales and dolphins.
Waimea Canyon
Next up: the Waimea Canyon! This canyon is nuts. At 3,600 feet deep it is referred to as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. Not only is is beautiful to see with it’s rugged cliffs and waterfalls, but there are also some STUUUUNNING hikes in the park around the canyon! Beware though, the hikes are advertised to be easier than they are (in our opinion at least). There are a lot of steep inclines and declines and you might find yourself hiking right next to very dangerous edges. With that being said, our hike in the canyon was one of the best parts of our trip!
The drive up to the main lookout point in the park takes about half an hour up an incredibly steep and winding road and it brings you to a parking area with bathrooms and likely some free roaming chickens. From there, you can drive to other hiking trail start points to take in the canyon even more!
Surfing
This one is a no brainer for me. If you’re in Hawaii, you have to surf! We were able to sign up for beginner surfing lessons in Poipu just a few minutes away from our hotel. The instructor we had was informative and so much fun! Surfing was on my bucket list and, although I had low expectations for myself, I was able to stand up and surf all the way to shore quite a few times! They keep you in a safe area where the waves aren’t too big and the water isn’t too deep, but where wildlife is still abundant. We surfed over sea turtles and had fish swimming all around us. Overall, this was an unforgettable and beautiful experience! My tips are:
Be prepared to get a little bit banged up. Surfing is not easy and you will no doubt have a few spills.
If you’ve got a GoPro, make sure it’s charged! We brought ours and found out too late that it was completely dead - BUMMER!
Chase Waterfalls
Wailua Falls, Kauai, Hawaii by Sari Risbey Photography
Kauai is full of beautiful falls! We dedicated one full day to driving around the island and visiting as many waterfalls as we could and none of them disappointed! This is also a great way to tour the island and see some of the countryside.. or islandside lol? I would absolutely recommend checking out the Wailua Falls. These falls are located north of Lihue and are easily accessible by car with no hiking required. We found online that you could hike down to the bottom of the falls which we intended to do, but we changed our minds pretty quickly when we got there! The trail down to the falls is blocked off and not the most safe. It was very steep and sketchy and it was a no for us. Although we hoped to get down to the bottom, the view from the top was still one of our favs!
Beach Hop
The last thing you need to do when you head to Kauai is beach hop the beaches on the south side of the island. Poipu beach is probably the most popular beach in the area! With a big parking lot, a park area with washrooms and picnic tables, and a boardwalk with food and other shops, it’s a cute place to spend the day! If you want to see sea turtles and Hawaiian seals, you have to go to Poipu beach! We saw turtles and seals lounging in the sand every single day that we went there. You might get lucky enough to swim with the wildlife too! The water is nice and calm at this beach making it a great option if you want to relax in the water or if you have little ones with you. The downside to this beach is that it is pretty busy and, with all of the food options in the area, there are a whooooole lot of chickens on the beach looking for scraps haha!
Shipwreck beach, just a few minutes from Poipu beach, is the scenic and quiet beach you’re dreaming of. It’s quiet and gorgeous and less chickeny. Seals also tend to hang out here, although we didn’t see any sea turtles on shore at Shipwreck beach. One downside to this beach is that the waves are pretty big and you need to be more alert. It’s not quite as friendly for swimmers but it is super serene on the shore! It also has breathtaking sunrises, perfect for a photo op if that’s your thing! I most definitely couldn’t pass on some sunrise tripod photos with Marcus. Check them out!
Renting a Car
Lastly, let’s talk about renting a car. It’s expensive, I know! Renting a car in Hawaii is not cheap, but it is so worth it and, on Kauai, I don’t think it’s optional. Kauai is probably the least touristy island in Hawaii and if you want to see the island, you’ll need a way to get yourself around. You can find a ton of car rental companies that are located right at the Lihue airport so that, when you get off the plane, you can walk over to the car rental area and take your vehicle right from there.
If you’re trying your best to save money, you can plan your activities so that they are clustered together during your stay, that way you don’t need to pay to rent a car for your entire trip, but I think you’ll find that you really do need a vehicle for your stay on Kauai. Make sure that you book the vehicle under the driver’s name! Additional charges will apply if the car is booked under your partner’s name, for example, but you will be driving. We learned the hard way and paid well over $100 to rectify the issue.
Have fun!
Lastly, have fun! Enjoy your trip and soak it all in as much as you can. Remember to wear reef safe sunscreen (you can purchase this once you arrive in Hawaii) and a whole lot of it! That Hawaiian sun is harsh. Although Hawaii will cost more than a relaxing all inclusive in the Caribbean, you’ll see and experience so much more. Just remember, “Adventure is worthwhile” :)
