Hawaii travel, and in particular Kauai travel, has everything you could possibly want. From diving to beaches to resorts to golf, there’s an endless amount of activities to take in while you’re there. It’s perfect for those of you wanting to experience the outdoors on your vacation.
One downside to Kauai travel is the distance. If you’re based on the west coast, it’s fairly easy to get to. Travelers on the east coast or the central US should consider the travel time. Generally speaking, you’re looking at nearly two transcontinental flights from the east coast to get there. It’s nearly the same from the central US.
Credit Cards for Kauai Travel
Kauai travel is likely going to consist of restaurants and travel-related spending. So, cards to consider bringing with you include the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Amex Gold Card, and Citi Prestige Card. Chase Sapphire Reserve cardmembers earn 3x points on travel and dining. You earn 4x points on dining and US grocery stores with the Amex Gold Card. The Citi Prestige Card earns 5x points on airfare and dining.
Business owners should check out the Chase Ink Business Preferred and Amex Blue Business Plus. You earn 3x points on travel, among other bonus categories, with the Chase Ink Business Preferred. The Amex Blue Business Plus earns 2x points on all transactions.
How to Fly to Kauai
The Hawaiian Islands are served by all of the major US airlines, including, Southwest Airlines. What’s great about Kauai travel is that most of the resorts are within an hour of the major airport in Lihue airport (LIH). We stayed in Lihue but Princeville and Poipu are areas that aren’t far from the airport. Here are the nonstop flights you can book to Kauai:
- Alaska Airlines <> Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, San Jose (CA), Seattle/Tacoma
- American Airlines <> Los Angeles, Phoenix–Sky Harbor
- Delta Air Lines <> Los Angeles, Seattle/Tacoma
- Hawaiian Airlines <> Honolulu, Kahului, Kailua–Kona, Los Angeles, Oakland
- Southwest Airlines <> Honolulu, Oakland, San Jose (CA)
- United Airlines <> Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco
Where To Stay in Kauai Hawaii
Marriott and Hyatt are two brands that have interesting properties to consider booking for your Kauai travel. We booked the Marriott’s Kaua’i Beach Club and it was ok. It’s not a hotel I’ll stay at again so check out other points hotel options before booking this property.
Koloa Landing Resort at Poipu, The Lodge at Kukui’ula, and Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa are properties that look interesting. We ate lunch and spent time on the beach at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa. This is likely the hotel we’ll book for our next Kauai travel.
Top Things to Do in Kauai Hawaii
Kauai is a rugged and rural island that we divided up into 4 sections in North, West, South, and East. We rented a Jeep for 5 of our 7 days and I think it’s a must. Many of the places that we visited are too far for an Uber/Lyft ride so renting a car is the way to go.
For the car type, I’d highly advise going with a Jeep. As you’ll see below, we ventured off paved roads that you wouldn’t want to drive a car down. The roads were in bad shape and driving a car on them would not be pleasant.
Things to Do on the North Shore in Kauai
The drive up to the North Shore and the North Shore itself was incredible! Below is everything we did while we were there.
- Hanalei Beach / The first beach we visited that was a great place to relax. We spent our first morning there reading and recharging after 2 long flights. You’ll have a mountain backdrop and an opportunity to soak up some sun.
- Tahiti Nui / Our guidebook had a high rating for this place and it was spot on. The restaurant overlooks the main street and is a great place for a poke bowl and fish sandwich.
- Wishing Well Shaved Ice / Kauai is filled with places to snag a shaved ice and Wishing Well should be on your list. Hawaiian shaved ice has ice cream below the shaved ice to quench any sweet tooth.
- Anini Beach / This was my favorite beach because of how secluded it is. After eating lunch in Hanalei Bay, we drove to Anini Beach and I immediately knew it was my style. Few people, quiet, and clear water are hard to beat.
Other places that we didn’t have time to visit include the Queen’s Bath and Ke’e Beach. January is apparently too dangerous for Queen’s Bath and a recent flood prevented access to Ke’e Beach.
Things to do on the West Shore in Kauai
When we visited Waimea Cayon, the weather didn’t cooperate. However, the places I’ll mention are still ones that you should check out.
- Little Fish Coffee / We made a pit stop at the Hanapepe location (there are multiple) on our way out to Waimea Canyon. Grab an iced coffee for your drive!
- Waimea Canyon Lookout / The views were breathtaking from the lookout point at Waimea. Get there early to avoid the crowds and to take pictures without anyone around.
- Pu’u o Kila Lookout / Similar to Waimea, the views here are mind-blowing. The mountain flowing into the coast is picturesque.
- Shrimp Station / This shack on the side of the road has delicious shrimp plates that are slightly overpriced. We grabbed lunch here after our hike and I’d gladly overpay again.
- Polihale State Park / I have a confession to make on this one. I didn’t love it. We were told this was the beach. The weather was terrible for us so that didn’t help but just know that you need to drive down a 5-mile, unpaved road that’s not pleasant.
- JoJo’s Shave Ice / The second shaved ice place we visited that was equally as good as Wishing Well. Pro tip: ask them to make you a shaved ice 1/2 the size of the small size.
Things to Do on the South Shore in Kauai
The South portion of the island has a number of beaches so it’s an area to visit if you’re looking for beach time.
- Maha’ulepu Beach / The walk to this beach is quite far and the weather wasn’t cooperating with high winds. This beach may be ideal to visit during another time of year.
- Poipu Beach / This was the best beach we visited not located on the North Shore. We relaxed on the cove and enjoyed the calm water.
- Keoki’s Paradise / We snagged lunch at this tasty lunch spot that’s not far from Poipu Beach. The main drawback is that it’s overpriced.
- Spouting Horn Park / The pictures made this place look great, but in reality, it’s just ok. You’re pretty far away from the area where the water creates the horn noise.
- Aloha Roastery / This is such a cool coffee shop that was great for an afternoon boost. Grab an iced coffee or a cappuccino.
- Grand Hyatt Kauai / The Grand Hyatt blew away the Kauai Marriott. We will be staying here next time we visit Kauai.
Things to Do on the East Shore in Kauai
- Kauai Community College Farmers Market / A farmers market sounded fun on paper but I wasn’t blown away. Feel free to pass on visiting this one.
- Há Coffee / This was my favorite coffee shop on the island. This is another place to grab an iced coffee.
- Aloha Aina Juice Cafe / The ideal spot if you’re looking for an acai bowl or smoothie. Everything we ordered was delicious and the staff was friendly.
- Kauai Beer Company / We try to experience local breweries when we travel and am glad we found this place. The beer was great as was the food and we made friends with locals at the bar.
- Pietro’s Pizza / Another place that came recommended in our guidebook that hit the spot. Pietro’s is a New York-style establishment serving delicious pizzas, salad, and wine.
- Verde / We had to get our Mexican fix and Verde delivered. It’s a casual restaurant with solid Mexican food.
- Duke’s Kauai / Duke’s was extremely easy to walk to from the Kauai Marriott. The food is reasonably priced and the atmosphere is solid.
- Hamura Saimin / My favorite dinner that we had on our trip. A no-frills saimin restaurant (similar to ramen) where we were the only non-locals.
Other Things To Do in Kauai Hawaii
A trip to Kauai list isn’t complete without a few excursions. Here’s what we did and also what I recommend on your trip.
Capt Andy’s
Having seen Jurassic Park many times, I knew our trip wouldn’t be complete without seeing the Na Pali Coast. It didn’t disappoint. What made the trip there even better was riding to it on Capt Andy’s catamaran.
The trip starts out with breakfast onshore followed by more breakfast onboard. Post breakfast, you’ll have the opportunity to snorkel within the first 20 minutes of the trip. You’ll hopefully see turtles and you’re guaranteed to see a ton of fish.
When snorkeling wraps up, you’ll continue from the South to the Na Pali coast. Note that when you’re heading in this direction, the seas can be rough so medicate as needed.
On our trip, we were fortunate to go during whale season so we lucked out and saw a ton of whales. The Na Pali Coast was the mid-point of our trip at which point we turned around, took pictures, and ate lunch.
Capt Andy’s onboard chef-prepared lunch that consisted of burgers, sides, and fresh-baked white macadamia nut cookies. The cookies were the highlight and something we think about daily. Lunch concludes with a smooth ride back to the South where we saw more whales before docking.
Smith Family Garden Luau
We try to avoid touristy activities when we travel, however, a luau sounded fun. After some research, we landed on the Luau at Smith Family Garden.
The luau starts off with a train ride around the property learning more about Hawaiian culture. You’ll then see the full pig pulled from the imu oven (pig buried underground) that will be served for dinner.
The meal is buffet-style with an open bar. Pro tip: grab a drink towards the end of dinner as the bar closes early. Dinner flows into the luau where you’ll learn more about the history of Hawaii that we found interesting.
It’s important to note that it got chilly during the luau so bring a jacket if you visit during the US winter months.
Na Pali Coast
This part of the island can be accessed in two ways – by boat or helicopter. We opted to see it by boat but if you’re looking to splurge, book a helicopter trip. We saw helicopters from our boat ride and also when we were at Waimea Canyon Lookout.
Kauai Travel FAQs
Do I need to fill out a travel and health form to travel to Hawaii during the COVID-19 pandemic?
All travelers must complete the State’s mandatory travel and health form on the Hawaii Safe Travels Digital Platform at www.travel.hawaii.gov. Negative test results should be uploaded onto this platform. Travelers are strongly encouraged to complete the forms at least 24 hours prior to arrival. Find more information here.
What are the COVID-19 guidelines after I travel to Kauai?
See “How do I avoid a 10-Day quarantine on Kauai” on this page.
What are the rules for travelers arriving in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic?
All air passengers coming to the United States, including U.S. citizens, are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before they board a flight to the United States per the CDC’s Travel During COVID-19 page.
Should I travel if I had contact with a person with COVID-19?
Travel increases your chances of getting and spreading COVID-19. CDC recommends that you do not travel at this time. Delay travel and stay home to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. The CDC’s Know Your Travel Risk page has more information.
Conclusion on Kauai Travel
Bringing credit cards with high earn rates on restaurant and travel spending can help you to earn points while in Kauai. The island’s main airport is served by all of the major US airlines making it relatively easy to access. When you’ve committed to making the trip, Hyatt and Marriott have properties to consider booking. Kauai is broken into four quadrants so renting a jeep is a must to see everything there is to do.
Have you been to Kauai? What other Hawaiian islands do you recommend? Please let me know in the comments or by sending me an email on my contact page.
Disclaimer: If you click and/or sign up for a credit card through certain links on this site or any of my related social media platforms, I may make a commission from that click-through. The editorial content on this page and the user comments are not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are mine alone.
