In 2022, I had a conference in Kauai. Awesome right? The last time I had been to the Hawaiian Islands was in the 90s, and I explored the Big Island. I remembered how each part of the island was wildly different, and was interested to see if Kauai was similar. Kauai didn’t disappoint for sure, so I thought I would write up my Kauai travel tips to share with you.
Planning my trip to Kauai
I started by asking my husband how long we could stay in Kauai. His answer – as long as you want. Ooo that was a dangerous response, hah hah. So I booked a three week stay. He wasn’t all that pleased with that amount of time, so now I’m super specific with how much time I want to book before I plan, because well… I’d like to stay married. 😉
At the time we were both running our businesses. Mine was fully remote, but his business wasn’t being an electrical contractor offering generator installations and maintenance. He had processes in place, but going away tested them. I was able to check in on my marketing company a bit more easily each day, But there were times I’d work 4-6 hours a day as issues started to surface. The time difference was also a challenge. Our takeaway? The long trip was a good test of what type of person or group would need to buy our businesses, for them to carry on without us.
Back to our Kauai travel tips…. now that I knew how long I wanted to stay, I needed to chose where to stay. The first stay of my trip was planned by the conference I was attending. For the rest of the stays I chose different AirBnbs around the island. One was a 15 minute drive north of the airport, then I wanted to stay in the northern rainforest part of the island, and the final part of our trip was spent on the southwestern side of the island.
First stay
Our first stay was at the Outriggers Kauai Beach Resort and Spa. The conference organizers wanted to keep within a certain budget amount, and although overall the resort was nice, some of the buildings were in different states of disrepair. We visited in 2022, and it looked like they were working on restorations. I think its now owned by a different resort group, and looking at their website it remains reasonably priced, with rooms starting at $325/night.
Everything you could want was here, a beach, a tiki bar, indoor/outdoor restaurant, and a pool with a slide. So if you are looking for a place to hang at the beach, and not have to leave your resort, I would say its a good option.
One of our Kauai travel tips – save up to stay at an nicer resort. Marriott’s Kauai Beach Club is a lot more expensive, but its way, way nicer. We went here for a Luau and also dined at Duke’s Restaurant and both were well worth it.
Must dos:
- Luau – this is a link to another one (the Marriott doesn’t seem to offer one anymore)
- Beach Sunrise
(Sunrise from beach at the Kauai Beach Resort)
(Beach at the Kauai Beach Resort in the morning)
(View of beach at Kauai Beach Resort)
Second Stay
Our next stay was at an AirBnb 15 minutes north in Kapaʻa. I liked this location better than the resort, because it was in a condominium complex, with pools and a beach with more chairs and shaded places to hang out. It was right behind a shopping complex, with restaurants, shops and a little market and it was priced about a $100/night less than the beach resort. We had a partial ocean view from a small deck and the studio set-up also made it easy to prepare snacks in a kitchenette.
Kauai travel tips must dos:
- Lava Lava Beach Club for dinner, drinks and music
- Go on a hour and a half Fern Grotto cruise
- Happy Hour at Bobby V’s Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria
- Purchase a beautiful custom piece of jewelry at The Queen’s Jewels
- BBQ and Beer at Chicken in a Barrel BBQ
(Kapaʻa beach view, to the left)
(Kapaʻa beach view, to the right)
Third stay
After four wonderful days beachside, our next Kauai travel tip is to head north to the rainforests of Princeville. This AirBnb had a gorgeous scenic view and we were often visited by Nēnēs – an endangered goose that lives on the island of Kauai. You could walk down a steep hill to get to the beach, but it wasn’t as “hang outable” as the last place. We enjoyed staying on top of the hill, and watching the weather come in. It rains a lot here, so we were treated to quite a few spectacular rainbows. The sunset was also quite spectacular from our deck and the yard. We had a full kitchen, which was great since we were further from restaurants. The per night fee and the cleaning fee was more pricey then the other AirBnbs, however I feel the views more than made up for it.
Kauai travel tips must dos:
- Princeville Botanical Gardens and Chocolate Tasting Tour
- Dinner and drinks at Tiki Iniki (make reservations, because we barely got in)
(View from AirBnb yard of Nēnē and Queens Bath with Rainbow.)
(Princeville Botanical Gardens Landscape, close-up of flower and chocolate nibs from tour)
(Sunset from AirBnb deck)
Fourth stay
For our last stay, we chose a historic 1930’s home in Kekaha at the base of Waimea Canyon. If you want to feel like a Kauai resident, our Kauai travel tip is to stay in this area. Children were riding bikes on the streets, the neighbor dropped by and gave us a dragon fruit from their garden, and the public bus stops right out front. You can see the ocean from the porch, but there is a grass parking with the neighbor’s cars right out front, so its not as “resort scenic”. We had a full kitchen here as well, so we had most of our meals at the AirBnb and enjoyed everyday life here.
Kauai Must dos:
- Napali Sunset Cruise
- Drive through (or hike in) Waimea Canyon State Park
- Dinner at Wrangler’s Steakhouse & Saddle Room Bar (They have more than just steaks.)
(Waimea Canyon State Park)
(View of western part of Kauai from sunset cruise boat)
(Sunset view from Kekaha AirBnb porch)
Planning recommendations
When planning your trip to Kauai – our Kauai travel tip is to start with what’s important to you. If beach time is the most important then I would stay in Kapaʻa or near Poipu Beach Park. If you like hiking and adventure, then I recommend spending more of your time in or near Waimea Canyon if you want the desert (Grand Canyon-ish) vibe. If you want adventure in a rainforest then choose Princeville. An important note in planning your Kauai trip is, you can’t drive all the way around the island and there’s a lot of traffic in Kapaʻa.
Would I return to Kauai?
Yes, definitely yes. I would want to spend time near Poipu Beach Park to see the Sea Turtles. And I’d be happy to spend more time in each of the areas I’ve already visited again. However, I’d also like to see the other islands of Hawaii – Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi and Maui. If you’ve been to those islands, I’d love to get your travel tips on which one should be our next Hawaii destination!
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