We’ve been to Kauai a few times now & I fall more in love with this island every time. There is something so magical about Kauai & I feel like everyone should experience it once in their lifetime. It’s that magical! Trust me, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about when you get there. Below you’ll find all of our tried & true places. I hope you enjoy our Kauai travel guide!
Where To Stay:
-Kauai Marriott:
We’ve stayed here twice & I absolutely love this resort! We spent both of our Babymoons here & it will always be one of my favorite places to stay. The service is always on point & by that I mean that every person I’ve come across working at this property has been kind & helpful. Also, they have the best breakfast buffet. Guys, I dream about it. It’s that good! My pregnant self was one happy lady because of the breakfast alone. But in all seriousness, I highly recommend staying here. The food, the service, the pool (& kids pool with slide), the beach, the restaurants on property are all amazing. I have nothing but wonderful things to say!
-Hilton Garden Inn:
This last time we went to Kauai, we stayed here. While I was a little nervous at first because the reviews online are a bit hit or miss, we had a great experience! While it’s a much smaller property than the Marriott, the service was amazing & everyone was always helpful & kind to our boys. The pool is honestly nothing to write home about but the property sits right above Lydgate Beach Park & so we would just walk down to the beach & enjoy the little areas blocked by the rock wall (read more on this beach below!). The rooms were great & while this isn’t as much of a resort feel, we loved our stay & thought it was perfect with our young boys!
Where To Eat:
-Verde:
If you don’t know by now, I’m a bit mexican food obsessed. Like I could eat it for every meal & pretty much eat hot sauce/salsa on everything I consume. When I discovered Verde, I was in heaven. The food is just that good!
-Eat Healthy Kauai:
I could eat an açaí bowl from here every morning. I posted about these on my Instagram & I was not exaggerating about how much I love this place! If you’re in the mood for some delicious & healthy meals, don’t miss this place!
-Tropical Taco:
We’ve been going to this place since our first trip to Kauai & it never disappoints. I always get the vegetarian Fat Jack & while it’s not the healthiest, it’s beyond delicious! They also have really good fresh tacos & hot sauce!
-Da Crack:
Can you tell by now that I really love Mexican food? We discovered this little spot (& I do mean little, you order from a tiny window & take your food to-go!) late one evening & the burrito bowls & burritos were SO good!
-Scorpacciata:
If you’re in the mood for some pizza, definitely stop at this food truck! Kannon couldn’t get enough of the pizza while I couldn’t get enough of the Parmesan Fries with Pesti Ailoli.
-Wailua Shave Ice:
This is hands down my favorite shaved ice I’ve ever eaten! I like that they use natural ingredients as opposed to that neon colored syrup. The Love Potion #9 is my latest favorite!
-Ono Ono Shave Ice:
This is my second favorite place for shaved ice. While Ono Ono does serve the neon colored syrup, it is Adam & the boys favorite spot. I do love the different flavors of ice cream they have for under the shaved ice though! The macadamia nut is a must try!
-Tropical Dreams Hawaiian Gourmet Ice Cream:
Clearly we have major sweet tooth’s over here but if you’re in the mood for some ice cream, this is the place to go!
What To Do:
-Poipu Beach:
While I’ve heard some say that this beach is overrated, I completely disagree. This is one of our favorite beaches on Kauai because it’s perfect for kids, snorkeling & everytime we’ve been there, we’ve seen a turtle &/or seals! This last time we visited, we had a sea turtle swim up on shore & bask in the sun for hours. The best thing we’ve ever experienced at Poipu? Swimming with seals! Okay, technically we didn’t swim with them but the last time we were there, multiple seals were in & out of the water playing & swimming. While it’s a federal law to not get too close to any of the sea creatures, the lifeguards weren’t paying attention & when we looked down & next to us, the seals were right there! I’m not exaggerating either, they were right next to us. Don’t worry, the second we saw them we got out of the water, but it is so fascinating to see these animals in the wild!
-Lydgate Beach Park & Kamalani Playground:
This beach & Park is right by the Hilton Garden Inn that we stayed at this last time. We absolutely love this beach because it has a rock wall that blocks out the waves so you don’t have to stress as much about your little ones playing in the water. Plus, if you’re terrified of sharks, you don’t have to worry about that either! (Yes, those are things that I think about because sharks are terrifying (in my opinion) Although I have swam with them in a cage once & am completely fascinated by them :)) AND the Kamalani Playground is so much fun for the kids! We spent an entire afternoon letting the boys run around this playground, swing & go down the slides. This playground is like nothing I’ve ever seen before & the boys didn’t want to leave!
-Helicopter Tour:
This is by far one of the coolest things I’ve ever done! We did this tour back when I was pregnant with Kannon & it was incredible. The views of the Na Pali Coast can’t be beat & we loved landing at the waterfall where Jurassic Park was filmed. I highly recommend splurging on this activity, you won’t be disappointed!
-Na Pali Coast Hike to Hanakapi’ai Beach:
I’m going to be honest & tell you that I’ve actually never finished this hike. Everytime we’ve gone to Kauai I’ve been pregnant or we’ve had the boys & it’s been raining on & off so the rocks were slippery. I will say that this hike is beautiful though & I can only imagine how beautiful Hanakapi’ai Beach is at the end!
-Ke’e Beach:
We love driving to North Shore & this beach sits right at the end of the road. This is a must see!
-Waimea Canyon:
Kauai is full of places that make you say, “ is this real life!?” Because they’re that stunning. Waimea Canyon is one of those places! It’s referred to as “The Grand Canyon of the Pacific” & it’s breathtaking. This is great for all ages because you can drive to the top & then walk up some steps (or a ramp) to see the stunning view.
-Kayak Wailua River or Hanalei River:
If you love to kayak or have never been kayaking, Kauai is the place to go! It’s beautiful & calm & you can even take your little ones! Kannon was 2 when we went & he just sat in between us with a life jacket on. This is the place we used when we kayaked Hanalei River & the people were beyond helpful & kind.
-Na Pali Experience:
This is something that I will do the next time we go back to Kauai! I have heard nothing but incredible things about this experience & I can’t wait to do this one day!