Kauai Travel Guide

Happy Monday, Friends! I am back on the blog today and I am super excited to share my first post of 2018 as a Kauai travel guide:) I made a new years resolution that 2018 would be the year to travel more and kicking the year off in Kauai was honestly so incredibly special!

I tried to take pictures at all the different places we went in Kauai so I will talk a little about each picture but at the bottom I will share where we stayed and some other things we did that I didn’t take a picture of. Also I will link the clothing I am wearing because I found some STEALS of deals for summer wear! People are not kidding when they say “purchase in the off season” because I got a couple $180 Free People dresses for under $40!!!

We also did a short vlog so I will link that at the bottom as well:)

DFW Airport

Revolve Tank // Urban Outfitters Joggers // Nike Tennis Shoes // Barrington Gift St. Anne Tote // Old Cardigan

We spent a whole 13 hours traveling so I wanted to be super comfy. Depending on the distance I dress differently and have different travel tips I use. Here are some for long distance traveling.

Travel Tip 1: Dress comfy! Your going to be in those clothes for a long time so make sure they are breathable as well. Jeremy traveled in jeans and hated it the whole time. Make sure to layer as well. I tend to wear a tank or t-shirt then add a cardigan even if it’s the middle of summer. There is nothing worse than sitting in an extremely cold plane and not being warm or vis versa.

Travel Tip 2: If your bringing a bag to put under the seat make sure it is small. If your traveling a long way most times your checking a bag or have an overhead bag. Stuff as much into there so you can have as much leg room as possible. This will be key when your trying to stretch your legs out or falling asleep!

Travel Tip 3: NOISE CANCELLING HEADPHONES! I can not stress this enough. People were extremely sick on the plane ride home from Hawaii and I had forgotten to pack my noise cancelling headphones so all I listened to was hacking and coughing all through the night. It’s enough to drive someone crazy. Also yes babies and small child do cry on planes so having these can be really helpful.

Travel Tip 4: If you can get the window seat for these flights! I know you have to get everyone up to go to the bathroom but you will have a place to rest your head. I would much rather be able to sleep a little then sit in the middle or isle and get bumped or squished.

Travel Tip 5: Okay so this is a big one and it will come in handy if your travel plans get messed up for whatever reason… Call the airlines company and BE NICE! I’m talking EXTRA nice. I know you want to scream at them but they weren’t the ones that cancelled your flight. A big rule of thumb is “If you want something from someone you have to be extra nice to them”. They are the only ones that are going to be able to help you. It is extremely frustrating trust me I know, I have been stranded in many airports but the nicer you are to them the more they are going to help you. I have gotten free meals, drinks, fees waved and even upgrades just for being polite.

Hanalei Bay

Asos One-Piece // Free People Shorts

This was one of my favorite views the whole trip! It was so surreal looking up at the mountains and then turning around to see the beautiful wide blue ocean. When we went there were a ton of people on this beach. It was a great place to bring a picnic and layout while watching people surf/swim. Since it was a cove there the water was not very rough which was great for swimming but surfing you had to paddle a fair way out to hit any waves. On the surfing note, something we learnt is that you can’t rent a surf board on the beach anymore. There are shops back in the Hanalei town that will strap them onto your roof for you so you can drive them down to the beach.

The Queen’s Bath

Asos Bathing suit top // Asos Bathing suit bottoms

This was one of the very first places we visited on the trip and it did not disappoint. We did make the mistake in thinking that the path would be pathed all the way down… lol it’s not at all… so make sure to bring good hiking shoes (Chacos or Tennis Shoes) that you don’t mind getting muddy. I wish the picture above showed how clear the water was. It was honestly so incredible to see. You should be able to jump into the water but you have to time your jumps if the waves are crashing in so you don’t get dragged out by the waves. I show more in the video below but definitely a must see on the island!

Java Kai Coffee Shop & Kauai Juice Co.

Asos Bathing suit top // Asos Bathing suit bottoms // Levi Shorts // Steve Madden Sandals

Well if you didn’t notice while we were on the island for a week, we went to these two places EVERY SINGLE DAY haha. (This mural is right behind both of them) The Java Kai Coffee Shop has Kauai Coffee which was soooo good. We ended up buying packets of coffee to bring back with us. It has such a different taste unlike any other coffee I have had before. The Kauai Juice Co. was a life saver! Jeremy’s whole family and I got sick while on the trip so Jeremy and I would run to the Juice bar and grab some immune booster shots. We also got to try their fresh press juice which I think I got Jeremy hooked on;)

Wailua Falls

Asos Bathing Suit Top // Asos Bathing Suit Bottoms

These falls for so stunning and incredible to get to see. I would say these were my favorite out of all the other waterfalls. I wanted to preference this by saying… no there is no actual “trail” down to the bottom. If you want to get to the bottom google Wailua Falls and you can read about how to get down. I will say it is hard and very slippery so take caution! If you have seen the show “Fantasy Island” then these waterfalls will look super familiar to you! (I had never seen it so I had no clue what everyone was talking about haha) There is parking at the top with a look out but get there early because the stops fill up really really fast.

Waimea Canyon

Old Sweater // Free People Shorts // Kristen Cavallari Sandals

This was a bit of a drive from our condo but well worth it! The canyon is also known as the “The Grand Canyon of Hawaii”. It was absolutely stunning to see and crazy to think that this was in the middle of such a small island. When you see things like this you really do believe there is a god. It was truly spectacular to see. There is also a Helicopter tour you can do through the canyon. They have two different platforms you can step out onto to get these incredible views. I believe there are some trails you can do through the Canyon but we didn’t have time to explore them. We shot some of the canyon in the youtube video so you can see how big it is! I wish we had spent some more time there but it was very busy and we were heading off to our whale watching tour right after this. There is a cafe up in the Canyon but I am not sure where it is. I believe if you google it you should be able to find it!

Kapaa, Kauai

Free People Dress // Kristen Cavallari Sandals // Brixton Hat

This trip was a family reunion in Hawaii for Jeremy’s family so we all had condo’s on the beach in a town called Kapaa! It was the perfect place to stay because the condo we were staying in was right all the stores and restaurants like Java Kai Coffee and the Kauai Juice Co. We could also walk/run along the beach every morning. Kapaa is on the east side of the island which has a lot more greenery then the west side. I felt like it was a really great halfway place too because we could drive south and reach the Na Pali Coast or we could drive North and hit the North Shore (Hanalei Bay). The picture above showed the beach that was right in front of our condo which not many people swam in because of the lava rock that sat at the bottom. But a little further down the beach was a great place to body surf and swim.

We were very fortunate that Jeremy’s family had rented a couple cars because Jeremy and I had planned on Ubering a lot which turned out to be very expensive. While the island of Kauai is small it still can take a long time to get from place to place.

Other Things We Did/Saw

I realize this post is getting pretty long haha so I will round it up by adding some other places we went to/ate at!

Places:

Whale Watching off the Na Poli Coast – This really was a sight to see but make sure to only book it if it is whale season! We got to see a couple whales breach and come up to splash their fins. I think see animals like this in the wild is so good and I get super giddy when I see them.

Spouting Horn Blowhole – This was awesome to see! It is located in Poipu Beach where we ate lunch. If the waves are big enough the water comes shooting out of the hole really high in the sky. It also sounds like a whale breathing when the water rushes out.

Uluwehi Falls (AKA The Secret Waterfall) – The funny part about this is it actually isn’t so secret at all! The challenge is you have to rent canoes and then paddle to go find it. Once you find where everyone else has left their canoes you start on a trail and hike to the falls. You do hike through rivers and a lot of mud so be prepared. One thing we didn’t bring and we wished we had was snacks! It would have been the perfect place to have a picnic and just hang out by the waterfall.

Kalapaki Beach – This beach we found by accident. Jeremy was looking for a place to eat on our drive home from somewhere and we found a place called Duke’s. We parked and walked down to the restaurant and had no idea it was actually on a beach! A really pleasant surprise. We came back the next day and rented Kayaks, Paddle boards and Surf boards. Such a great little beach with so many different activities to do.

The First Saturday Block Party – We attended this the last night we were there in Kapaa, Kauai and it was super awesome. All the locals said to go and it was a great experience. Tons of local shops come out and line the streets. You can walk from tent to tent picking up gifts for loved ones back home or testing out local food. There are a couple different local bands there playing. It is family friendly haha. We thought it was going to be a young crowd but there were tons of families there. Such a great way to support the local community.

FOOD:

For restaurants everything was on island time so that meant service was not as quick as Dallas service! I read tons of reviews bashing places for not having quick service but you have to remember that is not the Hawaiian lifestyle. I actually enjoyed not being rushed to eat because it made for better conversation:) Oh and everything closes at either 8 or 9 so make sure to eat early.

Duke’s (Lihue, Kauai) – I talked about this above being on the Kalapaki Beach! Such a great little restaurant that was next to the Marriott. Great service and the food was really good too:)

Olympic Cafe (Kapaa, Kauai) – This was right by our condo and was on the second floor so you got to look out onto the little town while you were eating! Very busy at night but during the day it was great to sit up top on the balcony and have a couple drinks:)

Kalypso (Hanalei, Kauai) – Cute little restaurant in Hanalei bay! We stopped here after everyone went surfing for lunch. Definitely has that island vibe to it which I think was super cool!

The Beach House (Poipu, Kauai) – This place we stopped at after we went to the Spouting Horn Blowhole. It has a beach right next to it and there were people surfing so we sat outside and watched kids surf while eating. The food was really good!

Okay I am finished! haha I am so sorry this was so long but we did so much and I wanted to be able to share it all with y’all! I got messages from people telling me they were going to visit soon so I wanted to make sure I captured all the detail I could remember:)

Hope you have a wonderful rest of your week!

PS. Here is our little vlog from the trip:)