While I was planning a recent getaway to Kauai, I was envisioning a relaxing escape with beautiful beaches, awesome outdoor activities and friendly Hawaiian people. Kauai was exactly what I had hoped it would be, and once we arrived, I quickly fell in love with the island!
Nicknamed “the Garden Isle” due to the majority of it being covered with tropical rainforest, Kauai has a population of just 65,000 people (and many more wild roosters roaming everywhere you turn!). I really got the sense that the people from there are proud of their island, and I love how connected they are to the land that they call home. That respect for the earth, love for the ocean, and pride in eating local food and supporting local business is something that I think is missing from much of mainland America – and being a nature loving locavore myself, I adored this mentality.
Sunset from Kauai’s Poipu Beach
Life in Kauai is beautiful and slow-paced. There are no highways. Everything closes early. And everywhere you look, there’s lush greenery to feast your eyes with. With everything from ample hiking and bike trails to countless spots to kayak, swim and surf, it’s an outdoorsy athlete’s paradise. Needless to say, I could have happily stayed on Kauai for weeks, and I really did not want to leave! Today I want to share 10 memorable experiences from my time in Kauai. In no particular order, let’s get to it!
Ziplining in a rainforest in Kauai
Ziplining in a tropical forest. I’ve had ziplining at an exotic locale on my bucket list for awhile now, and a lush forest in Kauai seemed like the perfect place to do it. We booked a zipline tour with Kauai Back Country Adventures, and had the best day with them!
The tour consisted of a 7-zipline course, which was nice because I was a bit nervous at the beginning, but after a few times doing it, I felt comfortable and just was able to soak up the moment and enjoy it. Our zipline instructors were friendly, local young guys who were enthusiastic about their island and happy to give their recommendations on anything.
To get to the rainforest, we had to take a bumpy ride in a four wheel drive vehicle, during which we got to see an area where Jurassic Park and some other movies were filmed. My hubby kept mentioning Jurassic Park to me during the trip, so needless to say, he was excited for them to point that out. Kauai Back Country Adventures also offers tubing tours, which I would love to do one day as well.
Random tidbit: A few days before we ziplined, NFL quarterback Drew Brees and his family did a tubing tour with Kauai Back Country Adventures.
Anahola Beach Park Fun. I found Anahola Beach in my pre-trip online research when looking for fun spots for my surf-loving hubby. As we drove into what seemed like a summer camp site, we totally thought we were in the wrong place. After driving in and looking around, it appeared to be empty and we almost turned around. But I decided to hop out of the car to walk around the campsite area to see if anyone was around.
Luckily, a truck pulled up at that moment, and a local guy who worked there in some capacity hopped out to ask if he could help me. He called another guy who handles surf rentals, who promptly walked up, opened up his surf shed (literally), and gave my hubby his pick of a surfboard. We also rented chairs for the afternoon. Other rentals, like kayaks and boogie boards, were also available.
Anahola Beach is a great spot if you like more secluded beaches, as there were just a few other people around on the entire beach. My hubby had a blast surfing, and I had such a relaxing time catching some rays and reading. Since it was so quiet and relaxing there, I fell asleep on the beach for the first time I can remember!
Good eats at Eat Healthy Cafe. I always do healthy food research before a trip, and this time was no different. Eat Healthy Cafe was our first stop once we arrived on the island hungry. It’s an adorable outdoor cafe that focuses on local, organic fare. I devoured an awesome açaí bowl, while my hubby enjoyed a veggie + tofu scramble wrap.
And I have to mention the chickens, as this was our first taste of what wild roosters are like on Kauai. A water spray bottle sits on each table at Eat Healthy Cafe to shoo away any chickens that are aggressive in wanting to try your meal.
Being the animal lovers that we are, we got a kick out of watching the chickens walk around pining for scraps. Every time diners got up to leave, within seconds a chicken would jump on their table to see if any food was left.
The view from the Okolehao Trail’s 2nd lookout point
Hiking. Kauai is a trail lover’s paradise. The wet climate makes for muddy, challenging hikes, and it’s hard to beat the gorgeous views from the summits! You may have heard about breathtaking trails on the Na Pali Coast, but access to that area of the island is currently currently closed except to locals due to mudslides (I will definitely have to make the trip back to Kauai one day to see it!). Instead, we decided to hike the Okolehao Trail in the Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge one day, and on our last morning in Kauai, we opted to hit the trails for a pre-flight workout. We hiked the Nounou West Trail, which is located in the town of Kapaa just a few minutes from where we stayed.
Also called the Sleeping Giant trail, Kauai’s Nounou West Trail is a 2-mile out & back trail with about a 700 foot elevation gain. It was perfect for a quick morning hike before brunch. We got briefly rained on, but by our last day in Kauai, we had come to expect a bit of a downpour with whatever we were doing!
Rum tasting at Koloa Rum Co. The first and only licensed distillery on Kauai, Koloa Rum Co offers free rum tastings every 30 minutes in its tasting room. It’s a fun, different type of activity to do in Kauai, and the rum was smooth & yummy! We wound up buying Koloa Rum’s pineapple passionfruit rum mix to enjoy as a happy hour drink in our hotel room during our stay. Besides selling rum, the Koloa Rum storefront sells things like desserts, magnets, and other little souvenirs you may want to take home from Kauai.
Waffle heaven at Kountry Kitchen. I don’t eat brunch out often, so when I do, I go big. From their ‘Cubana waffle’ with dulce de leche and an expresso drizzle, to the ‘salty monkey waffle’ with macadamia nuts (signature island staple) and homemade salted caramel, waffles from Kountry Kitchen are the right way to do a cheat meal! The restaurant also does lighter fare, i.e. avocado toast, and my hubby loved the omelettes that he ate there. We enjoyed our brunch so much, we went back there to eat a second time during our vacation.
Relaxing at Hanalei Bay. After hiking the Okolehao Trail, my hubby and I decided to just drive into the little town next door to find a beach to hang out at. That little town turned out to be Hanalei, and the nearest beach we found was an absolutely gorgeous one right on Hanalei Bay.
I loved swimming around at Hanalei Bay because the water was extremely clear & pretty calm (big waves & not being able to see the bottoms both tend to freak me out!). Sitting with your toes in the sand, you get an awesome view of the mountains in the near distance.
While we were hanging on the beach, it went from sunny to torrential downpour rain in literally 30 seconds. We ran into the water to experience the rainstorm from the bay, smiling from ear to ear. It was probably one of my favorite moments of the trip, and I can’t even put into words exactly why, except to say that it was one of those life is so good moments.
Admiring Opaekaa Falls. When we arrived in Kauai late morning, we had a couple of hours to kill before checking into our hotel, so we grabbed lunch and did some exploring. One spot we made was to Opaekaa Falls – pretty waterfalls that require no hiking to see.
Across from the falls are some beautiful river views, and it was nice to admire the greenery, check out the kayakers paddling by down below, and snap some photos there.
Eating Kauai’s famous shave ice. The ice-based dessert originated in Asia and was brought to Hawaii by Japanese immigrants. Today, it’s a signature dessert in Hawaii, so it was only right that we eat some shave ice while in Kauai. We picked up a cup at JoJo’s Shave Ice, a popular spot in Hanalei. Yes, it’s basically just sweetened ice, but it’s definitely refreshing after a hot day at the beach!
Dining at Sam’s Ocean View. Located in the town of Kapaa, Sam’s Ocean View does indeed provide its diners with relaxing waterfront scenery to admire. Their truffle oil fries were addicting, and their veggie quinoa bowl was a healthy way to get my greens in for the day. Sam’s also has a cozy, funky lounge bar area to enjoy happy hour at.
When my hubby and I decided to soon move out of California (check out more details here), visiting a more secluded Hawaiian island was high on my bucket list to do before we leave. I am so happy that we were able to fit in a getaway to Kauai. All in all, Kauai is magic & I loved my time there!
Tell me… Hiking, surfing, ziplining – what’s most up your alley? What’s one memorable thing you recently did while traveling?
That looks incredible! You were smart to do it before leaving Cali, too. I wish we’d done the same!
Your approach to brunch is brilliant, btw. I almost never brunch either. Go big or stay home! 😉
Ok, you’ve convinced me to put Kauai on the list of places to visit! I’m all about the more relaxed pace, and those images look like something out of the movies…well, I guess technically some of them are. Haha! Thanks for the recap, and I’m glad you guys had such a good time! Also, can you imagine bumping into Drew Brees over there? I’m a huge Saints fan, so I probably wouldn’t have believed my eyes!
oh wow just gorgeous! I fell in love with Maui a few years back and had my first Acai bowl there. It’s incredible how different all the little islands are.
Kauai is so beautiful! I’ve only been to Maui so far but need to change that after seeing these photos. Thanks so much for sharing all the details about your trip!