Travel to the lush island of Kauai, Hawaii

Green lush mountains with rainbows stretching across to the teal blue ocean, Kauai, known as the rainy island, boasts gorgeous secluded beaches and untouched terrain

If this blog helps you plan your trip, feel free to thank me with a tip :)

Venmo: @KalynBowser or PayPal.Me/browsewithbowser

Where to stay?

We stayed on the north shore in Princeville. This area is the 'rich' side of the island and the beaches are all cliffside, meaning they are less crowded but require hiking down a trail or cliffside to get to the beach. This wouldn't be a good spot to stay with kids or adults who are unable to hike, if you are wanting to go to the beach. We chose this over the east side or South side of the island because we enjoy the adventurous side of the vacation, where as south side is best if you just want to plop down on the sand all day. North shore has limited food options compared to east or south, but it is more luscious with mountains and waterfalls around every corner. We rented a car, so it was super easy to explore the whole island. We prefer having one home base and driving to different sides of the islands on different days. Our air bnb was a part of a resort with a shared pool, hot tub, tennis courts, bball courts and lanai area with chairs and hammocks for sunrise and sunset viewing over the ocean. Our host was extremely responsive before and during our trip, and provided awesome recommendations for things to do and places to eat. You could see the mountains with waterfalls running down them from our bedroom which was incredible. They provided beach chairs, a cooler and a water canteen which was perfect! We filled the cooler with some local beers from the grocery store down the road :)

Things to do:

We did an incredible private small plane ride with a captain, Jacob, who flew us around the entire island. The company is called Wings Over Kauai. We started in Lihue and flew to the right to see the beautiful south side beaches and extremely teal water. Then, we went through Waimea canyon which is kind of like Hawaii's

version of grand canyon - waves of orange rocky mountains. Then, my

favorite part, we went along the Na'Pali coast - WOW. Just wow. It was seriously surreal, like looking at a movie or magazine with your own eyes. Then, we circled around from the west coast to the north and all the way back to the east, learning about each beach and landmark along the way. Pricing was $150 a person.

Go swimming in Wailua Falls ~ they sayyyyy the hike down is closed, well lemme tell ya - I get why, hahahaha. We heard from locals that you could hop over the wall and hike down to the waterfall, so of course, we did. This trail

was pretty scary to be honest, especially because it was muddy because it is always raining in Kauai, lol. The trail luckily has a rope lining the majority of it, which honestly was my saving grace. The trail is steep, slippery, and at multiple points I wanted to turn around because I was afraid I was not going to be able to climb up again. SO, I give you caution.... BUT... if you are up for the adrenaline rush and challenge, it is 10000x worth it!! The falls were breathtaking and the water was so clean and perfect for swimming! We swim out under the waterfall and it was so refreshing.

Surf at Hanalei bay ~ you know I had to get a lil surf in. We rented boards for cheap in town and caught some beginner level waves at Hanalei bay with turtles swimming below us and mountains in our view. Def a vibe!

Beaches:

North shore:

hideaways beach (pictured here) ~ you definitely want to wear the right shoes for this one. You hike down a really steep thin trail that is a bit hidden, down to the beach. It is a small beach so make sure to not go at high tide. There are ropes along the hike down to hold onto, but definitely wear strapped shoes or tennis shoes.

Tunnels beach (pictured below) ~ this is supposed to be the best snorkeling spot on the island. We didn't have luck with seeing much, BUT don't let that deter you from going here. This beach is stunning, set on a strip of sand with the green mountain as the backdrop. The area is huge and so you are able

to spread out away from other guests, the closer you walk away from the snorkeling area and to the mountain side. Note: parking over here is NUTS, so arrive at a lucky moment or prepare to wait (only about 8 cars fit at tunnels, so you may need to drive past and park at the next lot).

Lumahai beach ~ a huge stretch of sand with giant crashing waves, and not a soul around you. This is a secret little spot although hidden in plain sight right off of the road. It wouldn't be good for swimming, but it would be perfect for throwing some football and drinking a beer with no interruptions.

North-East Shore:

Kauapea beach, aka secret beach ~ this was my favorite beach the entire trip!!! You have to do a steep hike down to the beach, but it is fully 'paved' meaning the walking path is clearer than others for people to take with stairs and no rope necessary to hold for dear life haha. I was a bit winded on the way up afterwards, but so worth it. This beach is a HUUUUUGE stretch of sand and the waves are just phenomenal. We caught it on a day with 13-18 ft waves and it was forming little water falls and pools on one end of the beach, which I had a blast playing in. Parking was easy as well.

Larsens beach ~ fun fact, Mark Z - FB CEO, has bought a huge chunk of land here to build a mansion. This beach is extremely private, we were the only people there all day except one other couple. We actually found out this is known as a nude beach, I think because it is so secluded you can be naked and no one will see you haha. I had fun with this - when in Hawaii, right?? You can swim at this beach, although a little rocky, there is no waves or current. You do have to go down a bit of an interesting trail to get to the beach - the weeds are not all the way cut down so you have to trial and error a bit to find the path you want to take (you can tell there are a few options). Not a hard hike though, we did it with our beach chairs and cooler, just had to be patient to find the route.

South Shore:

Shipwreck beach ~ not a swimming beach due to strong tides and heavy crashing waves. During summer there is a cliff for cliff jumping.

Poipu beach ~ white sand, good for families, good for swimming. Definitely a crowded spot.

Where to eat?

First, let me level set some expectations about food in Kauai. Kauai is a very laid back island, and a lot more go with the flow than the other islands that are more touristy. Because of that, restaurants randomly close or change their hours based on essentially if the swell is good and they want to go surf lol. So take the hours posted online with a grain of salt and always have a back up plan ready to go. We ran into a few restaurants that were closed when they should have been open. Additionally, pace is slow - again, laid back. We waited about 40 minutes every morning in line to order breakfast and for our food to go. Also, make a reservation whenever you can and WAY in advance! A month out from our trip all reservations were booked up already.

Breakfast:

The Spot North Shore ~ this is a little spot with really yummy breakfast scramble bowls. I also enjoyed their mac nut latte! We grabbed them to go to take to eat on the beach. I will callout that although their food and lattes are yummy, we did not expect to wait 40 mins in line to order, so definitely plan some extra time in your morning.

Trucking delicious ~ this is a to go only spot in town. They have a coffee window if you only want to order a latte - I loved their fuzzy buzz drink.

We got a breakfast burrito and churro french toast to go to eat at tunnels beach after snorkeling.

My personal favorite spot for breakfast was Kai Bar ~ I ended up going back here a couple of times during our stay. The coffee shop is super cute and the food and drinks are delicious. From loaded avocado toast to delicious pastries to incredible coffee drinks, I couldn't get enough.

Christopher's fav spot, where he frequented twice due to it being across the street from my fav Kai Bar, was Kilauea Market ~ it is a little corner of the grocery store and he devoured their chicken and waffles!

Hanalei Bread Co ~ Cute spot in town, with yummy pastries. We got the almond cake and cinnamon roll, but disappeared very fast. I also got ricotta apple toast and Chris got waffles!

Lunch:

Little fish coffee ~ if you are down at south shore at Poipu beach and want a smoothie or bowl, this is a cute little spot off the main road with cute patio outside seating.

My faaav spot for lunch was Aloha Juice Bar ~ I did a badass smoothie bowl #9 and it was seriously

addicting. Chris enjoyed their guava mango smoothie. Cute little red truck on the side of the road in town.

Happy hour at Tiki Iniki ~ fun tiki bar

for happy hour drinks, but I don't

recommend this spot for food, just fun tiki drinks!

If you find yourself on the east shore, pop into Big Monster Sushi & Thai for a delicious lunch! We enjoyed shrimp fried rice and sushi and it really hit the spot. Its BYOB so feel free to bring some beer or wine in to enjoy!

Dinner:

Let's start with the best on the north shore... TAHITI NUI! This spot was our absolute fav. We actually ended up going back for a second dinner because we enjoyed the first one so much. It is a small little spot, with live music every night & for sure the best mai tais on the island. On top of the ambiance being super Hawaiian laid back and chill, the food was bomb. I got the mac nut crusted chicken with gorgonzola sauce on it and geeeez I miss it already. Chris got BBQ baby back ribs the first time and a burgher the second and he said both meals were his fav all trip. Our server Kehele was also super sweet and friendly.

If you are over on the East shore, check out a spot called Avalon gastropub ~ We really enjoyed our meal here. Small little spot where we enjoyed Brussel sprouts as an app, a Rueben for me and a burger for Chris. The bartender also made really

yummy drinks.

If you are looking for a night of take out, hit up Palate Wine Bar & Restaurant ~ we got a pesto mac nut pizza and a meat lovers pizza to go. Then, we grabbed a bottle of wine from the shop where you pick up the pizzas and enjoyed the yumminess in our air bnb with a movie!

For a fancy treat yourself dinner we chose Ama ~ the location of this spot is stellar. It is set looking directly out across the lush greenery and mountains, with a fire pit and cute ambiance. We did not have a reservation (highly recommend you do) so we waited a lil over an hour to be seated. The drinks are pricy but well made, and we enjoyed them by the fire put while we waited. Then for dinner we both enjoyed the pork ramen noodle dish and it was extremely flavorful and the spicy sauce tray it comes with it fun to mix in more flavors. Definitely a spot to not miss!

If this blog helps you plan your trip, feel free to thank me with a tip :)

Venmo: @KalynBowser or PayPal.Me/browsewithbowser