Kauai

Overview

Kauai is pretty magical..... the first time we visited it (on our honeymoon), Chuck practically drove off the road, staring at the amazing and lush shades of green on every side of the road. It is truly beautiful, offering some of the best scenery and pictures of anywhere in the world. 

Kauai's geography is unique. In the center of the island is Mt. Wai'ale'ale, regarded as the wettest spot on Earth; with its mountainous terrain, there are no roads that cross the island, all of the roads (and thus, all of the towns and development) are toward the island's perimeter. Further, the Na Pali Coast on the western shore of the island is also not passable by vehicle due to its terrain (there is no road), so you can not drive around the entire island. Starting from either the northwest or southeast parts of the island, reaching the end of the road on the other end of the island (approximately 60 miles) is approximately a 2- to 2.5-hour drive..... and there are no alternate routes. You simply have to be patient and enjoy the scenery when driving on Kauai, because you can't get to places quickly.

The main vacation areas are in Poipu on the southern part of the island, or Princeville/Hanalei on the northern part of the island, with beautiful resorts and timeshares in both areas. The eastern shores include Kapa'a and Lihue (site of the airport), which is where most of the (limited) commerce is on Kauai. There are additional beautiful sights to see everywhere on the island - Kauai is the place to go if you want to sit on the beach, hike, play golf, enjoy water sports, and marvel at the beauty and peace of nature at its finest. If you're looking for a nightlife, however, you're on the wrong island, as there is no nighttime activity whatsoever outside of what the resorts have to offer. To us, the peaceful and quiet lifestyle is one of its main allures.

 

ACTIVITIES:

SPORTS:

  • Golf - simply noting courses that we have played ourselves.
    • Favorite courses: Princeville
      • Prince course - sadly, this beautiful and very difficult course was sold to a private part and appears to be closed forever, as of September 2015. Too bad, as it was a treasure with some great sight lines.
      • Makai Golf Club. Previously considered 3 separate 9-hole tracts, it has been somewhat remodeled to be an 18-hole course with a separate casual 9-hole course (Woods course). The 18-hole course is in good condition (2015); the 9-hole course is not maintained, and not recommended. How bad is it? Literally on the 1st hole, the cart path had so many potholes that we couldn't use it.
    • Favorite courses: Poipu
      • Poipu Bay Golf Course. Affiliated with and next to the Hyatt, this beautiful course used to be the home of the PGA's Grand Slam of Golf every Thanksgiving. Chuck once shot a 95 there, and 2 months later Phil Mickelson shot a 59 on the same course. I wish the digits were reversed.....
      • Kiahuna Golf Club. Linked with the Kiahuna Plantation, which offers vacation condo rentals, this is a nice course, not as spectacular as either the Prince or Poipu Bay courses, but very solid. As with the rest of the southern part of the island, you can expect wind to affect your play here.
    • Tip: Golfing at the Kukuiolono Golf Course, in the southwest town of Kalaheo, is an inexpensive and unforgettable experience. If you're expecting well-manicured, lushly maintained tees, fairways, and greens.... you're in the wrong place. But for somewhere around $10, you can play this 9-hole tract as many times as you want all day.... as long as you avoid the chickens, which run freely around the course. If you're a beginner and want a fun day in which you'll smile and scratch you're head a lot, this is the course for you.
  • Hiking
    • Shelley and I aren't hikers, but hiking on Kauai is supposed to be fantastic, with a noted hiking trail starting on the northwest part of the island and going into the Na Pali coast area. If you're a hiker, there are tons of beautiful places to explore on the island.... but we can't tell you exactly where they are.
  • Sailing
    • Similarly, sailing isn't something we've done on Kauai, but there are plenty of services that have sailing excursions, particularly to the Na Pali coast. They're certainly beautiful for a few hours on the water.
  • Snorkeling / Scuba
    • Kauai isn't a big snorkeling island, but there are a couple of good locations to snorkel in the northwest part of the island (Tunnels) and in Poipu.
  • Ziplining
    • Back in 2009, we zip lined at a location in Princeville which had a great "course", with approximately 8 different lines of different lengths and heights, culminating in a 1/4-mile line over a beautiful part of the forest, with twin lines (i.e. you could go next to a partner, which we did). Lots of fun, highly recommended, but not cheap.
  • Helicopter rides
    • Several services offer helicopter rides, with starting points near the airport. If interested, reserve these in advance, as they can fill up. Most of the helicopters hold 4-8 passengers, and you can have tours of portions of the island, or the entire island (as we did). It's pretty expensive - check on the cost - but can be memorable. And do note that a lot of people "lose their lunch" if it's windy - we didn't do so, but we saw others who had this problem.

SIGHTSEEING (Counterclockwise, starting from the SouthWest)

  • Waimea Canyon - the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific", it is big and majestic, and very reminiscent of the big hole in Arizona. Great photo opportunities abound.
  • Na Pali Coast / Kalalau Valley - you can't drive here..... the closest you can get via car is Koke'e State Park, which you approach from the south, and overlooks Kalalau Valley and has nice views of Na Pali. Again, fantastic photo opportunities are found here.
  • Poipu - the resort town on the southern part of the island, it features the geyser Spouting Horn in addition to beautiful beaches and resorts.
  • Wailua Falls - remember the beautiful twin waterfalls from "Fantasy Island"? (Okay, I'm dating myself there....) Well, that's Wailua Falls, just 3-4 miles off the main road on the eastern side of the island. You can stay on higher ground for great views, or do a short hike down to the pool at the base of the falls for a memorable dip.
  • Sleeping Giant - mountain ridge on the eastern part of the island that looks like a (wait for it) sleeping giant. Offers good hiking and views, from our understanding.
  • Kilauea Lighthouse - prominent and well-maintained lighthouse on the northeast part of the island.
  • Princeville - luxurious planned community including high-end resorts on the northern part of the island. Some nice beaches, great restaurants, and golf courses are here.
  • Hanalei Bay - beautiful beach area west of Princeville. There are some smaller resorts here and very nice restaurants, but on a smaller scale than either Poipu (south) or Princeville.
  • Ha'ena State Park / Tunnels - getting near the end of the road on the northwest part of the island, there's a beautiful each here, and good snorkeling at Tunnels. However, note that the road here is a 2-lane road and there is limited parking (primarily along the edge of the road), so it can be difficult to get in and out during busy times.

BEACHES

  • Note: from our experience, none of the beaches on Kauai have “services”, other than potentially restrooms. You’re pretty much going to be on your own in terms of arranging food and drinks, and most of your entertainment. This said, here are some of the most popular beaches on the island.
  • Poipu - most of the resorts (Hyatt, Marriott, Sheraton) have their own beachfronts, but there's also a very nice public beach with surfing, snorkeling, and other watersports...... including people-watching.
  • Princeville - the best beach is by the St. Regis Resort, but if you head east from there, you can find additional, and much quieter, beach areas.
  • Hanalei Bay - gorgeous sand and crystal-blue water. Nothing negative to say about Hanalei Bay, and a couple of the best restaurants on the island are here.

SHOPPING / STROLLING

  • Simply put, Kauai is not a "shopping" island. The closest thing to a shopping area that exists on the island is the Coconut Grove shopping center in Kapa'a, and a few plazas nearby on the highway. In terms of having a place where you can "while away a couple of hours shopping", you'll be hard-pressed to find a location on Kauai which enables that.
  • Of course, if you're staying at one of the high-end resorts in either Poipu or Princeville, there will be jewelry, craft, and souvenir shops in the resort or nearby areas. The quality is generally pretty good in these shops, from our experience.

EATING:

  • Like other Hawaiian islands, Kauai is all about seafood; most restaurants’ menus are based around fresh, local seafood, including mahi mahi, opakapaka, ahi tuna, opah, lobster, shrimp/prawns, calamari, and crab.
  • 2 other strong influences: Asian / fusion style; and local greens and vegetables, which are always fresh. If eaten in moderation (which can be tough), Hawaiian cuisine is generally lighter and healthier than most.
  • General guidelines: 
    • Sorted into “Adult” restaurants, which are generally pretty fancy, expensive, romantic, special-occasion’ish, and “Kids”, which are more casual (but still a step way above fast food), focusing on sandwiches and simpler fare. “Kids” places tend to be more family-oriented, with louder, more hopping atmospheres.
    • Entrées at “Adult” restaurants will be ~$30 - $50 (possibly more). A romantic dinner for 2, with a bottle of wine, will probably cost $150-200 at a minimum.
    • Entrées at “Kids” restaurants will be $12 - $30, depending on the place and “sophistication” of the dish. 
    • We’ve tried to indicate the most recent time we’ve eaten at the different places by noting the year in parentheses at the end of the “review” (e.g. 2015)

North/Northwest (Hanalei, Princeville, Kilauea)

  • Adults
    • Bar Acuda (Hanalei) - Bar Acuda specializes in high-end tapas. A party of 2 will need to order at least 3 or 4 dishes to have a full meal..... and if the honeycomb shows up on the menu, order it, it is phenomenal! (2015)
    • Postcards Café (Hanalei) - Postcards is well-known and regard for its organic and local food. We tried it, and honestly thought it was average but not great. (2009)
    • Palate (Kilauea) - this is a "find". It's a small wine bar located at the end of a non-descript small plaza about a mile off of the highway. The kitchen is tiny and simple, with very spartan equipment. But the food is tremendous, and the wine is very good as well. Possibly our most enjoyable casual meal of our entire trip in 2015. (2015, obviously.)

East (Kapa'a):

  • Adults
    • Kintaro (Kapa'a)- now getting more traction with tourists and showing up in guidebooks, this was more of a "local secret" when we first started going there. Japanese cuisine, and when we went there (and possibly still the case), you could choose between a sushi area on one half of the restaurant, and Benihana-style teppanyaki on the other side..... with the best teppenyaki Shelley and I had ever had. (2009)
    • JO2 (Kapa'a) - Specializing in fusion cuisine, this high-end restaurant by noted chef Jean-Marie Josselin was terrific. Reservations are recommended, as it is somewhat small. (2015)

South/Southwest (Kalaheo, Poipu)

  • Adults
    • Red Salt (Poipu) - the signature restaurant in the Koa Kea resort, this high-end seafood-based restaurant will not disappoint. Shelley and I both had fish entrées, loved them, as well as the service. We'll be going back. (2015)
    • The Beach House (Poipu) - probably our favorite dining spot on the island, and with the most amazing sunset. We visit it every time we go, making sure we have a reservation along the window during sunset. (2009)
    • Roy's (Poipu) - part of the chain of Roy's restaurants, expect good fusion cuisine with excellent seafood prepared with solid Asian and Hawaiian influences. (~2007)
  • Kids
    • Brick Oven Pizza (Kalaheo) - I can't describe why, but it simply is fantastic pizza. They have also now opened a restaurant in Kapa'a, on the west side of the highway. (~2007)

PLACES TO STAY:

Note: this simply reflects places we have personally stayed, there are plenty of additional places to stay, particularly in Poipu and on the eastern part of the island (Kapa'a and Lihue).

North (Princeville)

  • St. Regis Resort - formerly the Princeville hotel, it's been historically the "posh" place where some of the celebrities stay. It isn't cheap, but if you have enough Starwood points, it's a great place, with a beautiful beach area and virtually every room having a stunning view of the water.
  • Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas - timeshare run by Starwood, we visited it in 2009 and 2015, but after very erratic (i.e. rainy) weather during our 2015 trip, we sold our interest in the property. A large property with several buildings, it is located high on a bluff, with no direct beach access (you need to walk roughly 1/4 mile down a path to get to a little-used beach). This said, there are a couple of nice pools on the property, so this isn't a massive hindrance.

Poipu

  • Grand Hyatt Kauai - a beautiful property, located right near the eastern end of the road. We stayed there a couple of times, including on our honeymoon (1999), and loved it. Rooms are very nice, and the grounds are splendid, with a large, multi-sectioned" standard" pool, along with a sand lagoon pool, and excellent beachfront access. One of the favorite hotels we've ever stayed at.
  • Sheraton Kauai Resort - a nice hotel, somewhat more centrally located in Poipu, but a level below the Grand Hyatt. One nice touch is the nightly lighting of the torches around the grounds, performed in a ceremony by a native islander in traditional garb.

A GREAT DAY ON KAUAI:

  • Wake up early, and do a nice workout at your resort to get the blood flowing.
  • Spending hour or two at the local beach before the crowds hit. If on the south side of the island, you have a little more time......
  • Change into your golf attire, and head over to the golf course at Kiahuna Plantation in Poipu..... but bring a change of clothes with you.
  • Once the round is over, change up, and drive to the nearby Beach House Restaurant for a cocktail..... and check in early, so that you can get one of the tables next to the windows. From there, as you later enjoy a terrific dinner, you will see one of the most breathtaking sunsets imaginable.
  • Head back "home", and finish things off with a nice nightcap!