It is only a 40-minute flight from Oahu to Kauai. In our opinion, the island is less hectic than Maui and Oahu. With that said, there are plenty of activities to do and places to see.
Just driving the semi-circle around Kauai will take 2 1/2 hours depending on the way you go. Stopping and exploring the sights will take a full day. Like all the main Hawaiian Islands, Kauai is diverse with a number of topographical changes. Each village, too, has its interests.
People either like the dry side (mostly in the Poipu area) or the wet-side known as the Princeville area. In our fifth visit, we decided to stay for three days in the “dry” region and over a week in the Princeville area.
There are plenty of fancy resorts on Kauai. We found an economical place called “The Garden Inn.”
The place is just a short distance from the Lihue airport without the noise. It has real character with jalousie windows, A/C, a microwave, balcony and Christmas lights in April.
The Garden Inn is operated by a friendly family. We do recommend staying here if you are looking for something inexpensive in Hawaiian terms.
The main harbor for Kauai was just a short distance away.
This old football artifact in the park next door brought back memories.
Across the street is a legendary Duke’s Restaurant. We enjoyed the food and good music.
The Marriott is close by and sits on Nawailiwili Bay Beach.
I think the Marriott pool area is one of the most wonderful looking and enticing pool in Hawaii.
I love this picture of a Nene along a garden pool filled with Koi Fish.
In 2015, up on the hill, was an abandoned resort. It is rather peculiarly eerie looking.
The golf course is still in use. Like all Hawaiian golf courses, they are truly amazing in appearances.
Waters off this coast can be quite rough. We did encounter this one grave marker along the trail.
Going north, you will cross the Wailua River. The popular Kayak Kauai place is right by the bridge. Kauai has several navigable rivers.
The Coco Palms Resort may still be up. It is where Elvis Presley once played. The resort has fallen on hard times as it is in a dilapidated state of affairs since the Hurricane Iniki in 1992. In 2015, tours would take you here and tell the patrons about Elvis stories.
Driving almost anywhere you may come across a waterfall and even a rainbow.
Kapa is the largest town in Kauai. A nice size Safeway store is located in a plaza. There is a beautiful bicycle trail along the coast too. We found a “Pineapple Pier” where the scrapes of the pineapples were thrown into the ocean.
The waves along the coast were quite high and spectacular.
We did take a tour of the Hawaiian Organic Noni farm. It is a fruit type of product that has been made for medicinal purposes. Kathie still uses the product and has a package shipped in every few months.
The owners of the farm are quite pleasant and gave one heck of a tour.
Their dog was 12 years old and ate the Noni fruit.
We always stop at the Kilauea Lighthouse. At one time it was free to go inside, but now $5 dollars. Great pictures can be had just outside the main gate though.
The coastline is rather wild at the Lighthouse.
We did see someone taking their vows at this location.
There are a number of accommodations on VRBO and Airbnb for Princeville and by the beach area in Hanalei. We have always stayed at Hanalei Bay Villas in Princeville. A beautiful resort and the prices are not bad for some of the villas. We captured this rainbow from our balcony in 2007.
The resort is designed to attract tennis players.
We are always attracted to Hanalei’s Bay’s pool area.
There are sometimes beautiful sunsets and rainbows from the balcony of our villas.
Some people just love the Princeville Resort Kauai. Spectacularly positioned over the bay, it has gorgeous views of the entire area.
At Happy Hour there is a special Aloha ceremony.
The Princeville Resort is a good place to meet up with friends as we did with Greg and Margaret Hendricks in 2012.
We always take long walks that parallel the famous Makai Golf Course.
It was along one of our walks that we saw a flock of Hawaii’s famous goose, The Nene.
I must have been too close to one Nene as it became upset with me.
Driving down to the village of Hanalei is an experience. The overlooks are spectacular. Hanalei Valley is a major agricultural area.
Then, one comes to a “one-lane-bridge.” The rule is that seven cars can come across at one time. Patience is the rule of the day.
The first Saturday of every month is a flea-market for surfboards.
In fact, surfboards are practically everywhere in Hanalei. The famous “Surfboard House.”
Just down the road is the picturesque Waioli Huiia Church:
Down the road is a weekly flea-market. We met a local and friendly artist named Durant.
This area is truly one of the meccas for surfing. One surfer is still renowned for his surfing talents. Unfortunately, he died of an apparent drug overdose.
Hanalei Bay and beach are gorgeous, particularly when the waters are flat in the summer time.
We have enjoyed several restaurants in the area. For lunch, we like “The Hanalei Gourmet” located in the old school house. Seating is limited. The food is always good. I enjoyed the chicken teriyaki sandwich.
The sitting area at Hanalei Gourmet was intimate. We became friends quickly with Ken and Cindy Johnson from New York.
Across the street is “Tahiti Nui.” A good pizza can be had.
This is the place where George Clooney made famous in the 2011 movie called “The Descendants.” We sat in the same spot where he and his other two family members sat.
The bar tender had a very small part in the movie.
We met a fellow traveler in 2007 who told us of his experiences working as a carpenter on a movie. He said the movie had “Morgan Freeman” and “Jack Nicholson” as the main actors. Sure enough, the movie “The Bucket List” would come out that fall.
Hanalei is famous. Many of the homes (costing millions of dollars) are nonchalant and unpretentious in the area.
At the Princeville Center mall, we met a guy working at his computer at CJ’s Restaurant. We politely asked him if he was writing a book? In his Australian accent, Derryn Hinch, said “I am.”
Derryn has written several books (15 to be exact)as well as an authority on Scrabble and is famous for being the oldest Senator in the Australia’s parliament. He is more famous as a broadcaster. We have come across a number of Australians traveling, and all of them know Derryn.
Derryn likes to call himself, “The Human Headline.” On February 9th 2021, he will be 77. Living through a Liver transplant in 2010, we wish Derryn well.
The two-lane road literally ends at Ke’e Beach.
The famous Kalalau Trailhead begins here. It is an arduous 11 mile trek. We did two miles of it sloshing through mud. We recommend wearing old shoes as the “Red Dirt” is nearly impossible to get out.
The beginning of the trail is rather unpretentious.
The views are indeed unique.
We loved our boat trip into viewing the famous Na Pali coastline. This is where mountains literally come to the oceans edge. It is also the place where many of the famous movies are made. My favorite is “Six Days, Seven Nights” with Harrison Ford and Anne Heche. My picture from 2003:
A view down from Ke’e Beach snorkeling:
If you were to ever take a Helicopter ride in Hawaii, Kauai would be a great place. In 2015, we flew in for a day (after spending three weeks in Kauai a few weeks before) with our daughter, Pam, so she could take this magnificent helicopter journey.
There are a number of helicopter companies. Pam chose Jack Harter and they served her well. Even though she was vomiting in a bag, she took these superb pictures below:
It will take a good hour and a half to make it to the southside which is the dry side.
Along the way, there is the Kauai Plantation. Once a sugar juggernaut, today it houses a popular size restaurant, a rum tasting facility and even a 40 minute train ride that goes through orchards, farmlands and forests. We did enjoy the rum tasting.
There is one road that I will always remember. It was covered in over-hanging trees and vines:
The Maha’ulepu’Heritage trail is famous here.
This trail takes you right by the Grand Hyatt. Going inside the open hotel facilities is free. We always have some Cucumber flavored water by the pool.
Down the road is the Hawaiian Style Puka Dog. It was made famous by the Travel Channel in 2004. Yes, that hot dog is that delicious.
Our favorite restaurant in the area, though, is the Beach House Restaurant. Beautiful ocean vistas from the tables.
I have always enjoyed their stir-fry dishes.
At the beach nearby, you may encounter a sleeping seal.
Further down the road is a quick stop to see the blow-hole at Spouting Horn Park:
A short distance is the National Tropical Gardens. We toured this facility twice. Both times came away highly impressed.
In 2015, the docent showed us an actual “Cacao” tree.
And, then, the docent opened up the Cacao fruit that makes chocolate.
These Tropical Gardens are beautiful.
In 2007, we were taken down by the beach. The house was used for several movies.
The most famous spot at the Botanical Gardens is where the dinosaur eggs were found by the Moreton Bay fig tree in the movie Jurassic Park. As you may remember, the dinosaurs where sterile until that moment.
On your way out to the main road there is a quaint village of Koloa.
The old Sugar tower is still visible by the monument.
The food truck nearby had a rather interesting sign:
Kauai coffee is world renowned. There is a large plantation with all you can drink coffee.
I found out that the “Swiss Water Process” is one of the better methods to decaffeinate coffee.
It was at this Plantation that we saw one of the prettiest Roosters on Kauai.
Chickens are everywhere on Kauai. They are protected for the most part. Many of them escaped their owners in the 1992 hurricane Iniki.
We actually found Glass Beach. And, yes, there is all this “glass” on the beach.
On the surrounding dunes, there is a Chinese cemetery.
Further down on route 50 is the village of Hanapepe. The “Swinging Bridge” is a must-do activity.
There are a number of quaint shops in Hanapepe.
We enjoyed going into Jacqauline on Kauai—famous for being the “Aloha Shirt Lady.”
The owner has made Aloha shirts for Tom Selleck and the owner and creator of Marriott Hotels.
I thought the note that Jacqueline had on the door is quite interesting:
Route 50 takes one to the village of Waimea. It is in this area where Captain Cook, the first European to set eyes on Hawaii. He landed at the mouth of the Waimea River, on January 20th, 1778. He would name these islands “Sandwich Islands” after the First Lord of the Admiralty, John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. By the 1840s, the word “Hawaii” became the rightful name to these gorgeous islands.
There are actually two roads that will take you to Waimea Canyon State Park. If you take Kokee Road which is past Waimea, you may see the island of Ni’hau. This island is “ONLY” for native Hawaiians. The island is in the distance
Coming back on 550, one is treated to a roller-coaster type of road which follows a ridge down.
Mark Twain called Waimea Canyon “The Grand Canyon of the Pacific.”
The backdrop does make a wonderful picture. A picture of my daughter and I.
With the continuation on Route 550, there is Koke’e State Park. There are trails nearby. This was the place where we saw out first Nene, the Hawaiian goose, back in 2003.
We have been to the Kalalau Lookout seven times. There are days that are too cloudy. When the day is right, sunny and beautiful, there is no better lookout in the world than Kalalau.
