Hawaii Guide
Our trip to Kauai was amazing and I am sharing all the details in this Hawaii Guide! It was so nice to be able to travel again and spend time as a family. I’m pretty sure the kids would’ve stayed forever if we could’ve… and we almost did considering we missed our flight home TWICE. If you watched my stories, I’m sure you know the whole wild flight home situation. If you missed it, it’s saved to my Hawaii highlights. What a ride!
I got a lot of questions about where we stayed, where we ate, and what we did, so I wanted to put it all together in this guide for you to have everything in one place.
Where we stayed and North Shore vs. South Shore:
I loved both sides of the island so much! If I were to plan a trip to Kauai I would definitely do half the time on the north side and half on the south side because they’re so different. When we were on the north shore for the first 6 days, we stayed at my parents timeshare at Bali High in Princeville. Princeville is more quiet and romantic and not as “touristy.” It is nice because you’re closer to a lot of the pretty destinations we visited like Hanalei Bay, Queens Bath, etc! The North Shore is the more rainy side of the island, which makes it really beautiful and lush. But it’s great to know when planning so you can take that into account
The South Shore, I would say, is more lively and more of a resort feel everywhere. It’s more of the sit by the pool and relax vibe and since you’d most likely be at a resort here, you really wouldn’t ever have to leave! I’d say it’s the more family friendly side of the island with plenty of activities and areas for kids. It’s also considered the “sunny side of the island!” The Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa was amazing! This is where we stayed after the second time we missed our flight home and I literally think it’s the most beautiful place on the island. I would go back in a heartbeat! Even if you don’t stay there you can get a day pass. They have koi fish to feed, macaws in the lobby, tons of pools/lazy river, and slides!
Renting a car:
Renting a car was crazy! We couldn’t find a “normal” rental car anywhere. A lot of companies had to sell most of their cars to try and stay in business during the pandemic, so they have no inventory. The good news is a lot of the locals have started renting out their cars now, which is what we did! We actually found someone on Craigslist, which obviously can be a little sketchy, but we FaceTimed them to make sure it was legit. Then after we missed our flight the first time, we were lucky enough to find Ray at the airport. He ended up driving us around the rest of the 3 days since we had already given our rental back!
Our favorite places where we ate:
Coffee House – We stopped here a couple times for iced coffee and avocado toast.
Loved this suit – felt so Hawaii!
JoJo’s Shave Ice – It was the best shaved ice I’ve ever tasted. And it had ice cream on the bottom!
Java Kai Old Kapaa Town – The best coffee shop! We had the Mac Nut Latte, the Maui Mocha, the Surfer Girl Sandwich, and the Feta Mo Betta Bagel.
Puka Dog – For Hawaiian Style hotdogs. So many of you guys recommended this place and it did not disappoint!
Our favorite activities and adventures we did on this Hawaii Guide:
Hanalei Bay – It was amazing. The waves were small so it was perfect for the kids to play! I’d recommend renting boogie boards here for even more fun.
Tunnels Beach – We also rented boogie boards here!
Queens Bath – Definitely a must do if you’re on Kauai! It was about a 20 minute walk/hike and the kids loved it! It’s definitely safe enough for kids as long as they understand to stay with you and not go running to the cliff. We kept Summer in her carseat just in case one of us tripped or something and we wanted to make sure she was super safe. There were lots of other kids and once you get to the pool at the end you can swim and it’s totally protected from the waves. The water was insanely beautiful and we saw a bunch of big sea turtles!
Spouting Horn – It’s pretty much right next to Poipu Beach, so it’s an easy drive to check it out.
Poipu Beach Park – This beach did seem way busier than the north side of the island. It does have a really nice park for the kids to play too!
Keke Beach – So beautiful! Although Sav, Hunt and I were all walking to get in the water and fell straight on our butts because the rocks were so slippery. So be careful haha!
Wailua River – The Fern grotto was so pretty.
We also stopped by the lighthouse to check it out on the way back to Princeville.
Things we didn’t end up having a chance to do:
A Boat Ride – We would have loved to do a boat ride along the Napali coast but it was too hard to find something that was kid friendly. We heard captain Andy is awesome, but I think it’s ages 6 plus.
Waimea Canyon – The pictures looked so pretty! It kind of looked like the Grand Canyon and had cool hikes.
A really good luau for any Hawaii Guide is a must! I think it the Kalamaku one was most recommended.
I also would’ve loved to do more snorkeling/swimming with sea turtles! We saw the turtles from the rocks but would have been so cool to swim with them.
