Highlights of our 9 day itinerary
The last time we were in Hawaii was 2012… we were counting down the days for our Kauai trip. Yay for Spring Break!! In order to save a little $$ we booked an overnight layover in Portland (yes, the added cost of the hotel was still cheaper than a nonstop flight).
We arrived in the small Lihue airport and took a shuttle to Budget car rental. Because it was just the two of us and we wanted a small and gas-efficient car, they assigned us a basic Nissan Sentra, and we were off!
We traded our timeshare through Interval International and stayed for the first 7 days at the Pono Kai Resort in Kapa’a. The resort is a bit old and dated, but we loved the location. Our unit was right on the beach. We had a full kitchen, a living room, and one bedroom – it was all we needed. Our first stop was a Walmart pickup, then to Costco for a quick (cheap) bite and a few more fun food essentials. Once we settled in, we had to make our first shaved ice purchase. We went to Honu Shaved Ice- it was walking distance from Pono Kai and generally in a great location in between other shops around town. The owner informed us that he made his own syrup and they had many flavors to choose from.
The next day, we rented e-bikes and spent a few hours riding on the Kapaa Coastal bike path. There are a lot of places to rent bikes around Kapaa. We decided to rent from Hele on Kauai since is was right next door to our resort. The views were amazing – it took us only about 2 hours with multiple picture stops to do the 8 miles.
Day 3, I drove to the Ho’opi’i Falls trailhead. It is best to park at the nearby park and walk down the residential street to the trail. The trail isn’t marked from the street but Alltrails took me straight to the access point. The trail was a bit muddy, so be aware and watch your footing. It was an easy 2.6 mi RT & 209 ft elevation gain hike with 2 waterfalls. I didn’t see anyone on the hike (I arrived at 8am) until on my way back.
Later in the afternoon, we drove to Wailua Falls. It was a pretty drive with a small parking lot. The falls are beautiful and easily accessible by car for anyone to enjoy.
We ended the day with Wailua Shaved Ice. This was probably one of our favorites. Flavors were predesigned with extras such as mochi balls, coconut flakes, Haupia foam and fruit chunks. YUM!!
Wailua Falls
Wailua Shaved Ice & Acai Bowls
Coconut!!
Ho’opi’i Falls trail
Day 4: Whale Watching Tour, Glass Beach, Hanapepe
We booked a whale watching tour with Captain J’s Offshore Adventures. It was a great day! The captain and crew were great, the boat was small enough that it didn’t seem overcrowded, and we were able to see multiple whales that day. I highly recommend the tour! Since I had seen many posts on social media about Glass Beach, after our tour, we headed less than a mile down the road to check it out. It was fun to see the glass but it wasn’t a place you really want to hang out for very long. We hopped in the car and headed to Hanapepe- home of Lilo and Stitch :). It was a very cute little town with a couple fun places to window shop and eat.
Day 5- Sleeping Giant: Nounou East Trailhead, driving up to the north end of the island.
The drive to Kuamo’o Nounou trailhead was not far. I got there early, 8:00ish and there were only a couple cars in the small parking lot. The trail starts uphill right away and stayed a constant incline. The trail wasn’t long: 3.2 mi RT but with an elevation gain of 950 ft, it isn’t a stroll in the park. There are beautiful peeking views as you work your way up but when you get to the top and climb onto the large boulders at the end of the trail it is an amazing 360 view of most of the island.
After the hike, we decided to explore the north end of the island. The Kilauea Lighthouse and Queens Bath are both popular tourist stops but both were closed. We stopped at Anini Beach (calm waters for paddle boarding or snorkling) and ended at Hanalei Beach. It was a different beautiful here on this part of the island – a much more upscale area (homes, resorts, etc.) and it tends to be more rainy but it is closer to the Na Pali Coast and the mountain backdrop is beautiful.
Day 6 – Beach day and Outrigger Canoe surfing
We started the day with a lazy beach and reading a good book kind of day but then I had an urge to try something new. We signed up to do an outrigger canoe surfing 45 minute tour at with Kauai Beach Boys in Kalapaki Bay. You get a mini workout paddling out but it is so worth the fun when you ride the wave back in!! (I wish I had a video of ride so I can watch and relive it!)
https://kauaibeachboys.com/tours-lessons/canoe-ride
Day 7 – Kauai Tubing Adventure
There are so many positive reviews for this tour we had to check it out. To be honest, I really didn’t like the idea spending so much money to float down an irrigation canal. I have done a lot of river tubing in my day and part of what makes it great is that it is usually a “free” activity. BUT…. we are in Hawaii and of course it isn’t free lol. The irrigation canals are on private land so the only way you can access them is through this tour. The process from arrival to finish was excellent and smooth. The information from the guides on the bus, in the water and on our stop at Mt. Wai’Ale’Ale was fantastic. It is a fun and relaxing (unless the freezing cold water isn’t relaxing for you) activity you can do with the whole family from kids to grandparents.
Day 8 Grand Hyatt in Poipu
Our week in Kaapa had come to a close. We packed everything up and headed to the south end of the island in Poipu where we were going to enjoy a few days of luxury at the Grand Hyatt. The grounds, pools, rooms and service was amazing. Once we got checked in and settled, we spent the rest of the day lounging by the pool and exploring the beach. This is definitely a hotel we would LOVE to come back to.
Day 9 Waimea Canyon
We spent the morning driving to all the overlooks in Waimea Canyon. There are a number of great hikes along the way as well. Beautiful, breathtaking scenery! On our way back to Poipu, we stopped at Kauai Coffee – they have a fun little visitor center/store and a short “walking tour” on the grounds. That evening we walked to Poipu beach and visited the sleeping sea turtles and watched the sunset. What a wonderful end to a fabulous trip!
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