Hi there!
I hope your summer is still summering and your tan is looking real nice. Thanks for your patience as I took a little Substack break - after some travel for work + vacation, I am back with a dose of island goodness! Let’s talk about Kauai.
This was my 4th trip to Hawaii, but my first to the island of Kauai - home to the beautiful Na Pali Coast. I spent 5 days soaking up the very high UV rays, but also doing lots of recon on the best eats, beaches, hikes and more. Full guide below, lesgooo!
Full visual download on my highlights HERE
SOME GENERAL NOTES/TRAVEL TIPS
Stay - If you can swing it, I highly recommend splitting your time between the South side and the North side of the island. We stayed in Poipu for 2 days and Princeville for 3 days. The island is relatively drivable, but you can make your life a little easier if you stay on either side and just invest your time in the surrounding areas while you’re there.
Transport - A rental car is a MUST unless you plan to park yourself at a resort and never leave (boo boring!)
Food - Street carts, shacks and food trucks are where you will find the best food in Kauai (and all of Hawaii in general) - trust me on this!
Hiking Permits -
Haena State Park - If you want to hike the Na Pali Coast (Kalalau Trail + Hanakapi’ai Falls), you must reserve 30 days in advance ($30/pp) ! Reservations are very limited and hard to come by - plan to log on right at midnight Hawaii time. Full DL here and more on my personal experience later in this post!
Waimea Canyon - you can purchase a permit day-of when you enter the park! ($10 per vehicle + $5/pp)
EATS
Your Kauai diet needs to consist of - musubi, poke, acai bowls, smoothies, fresh fruit, Hawaiian-style pork & rice, shave ice. It’s a must!!
Lihue/Poipu (South Side)
Coffee/Breakfast/Snacks/Dessert
Sueoka Market - great market for morning grab & go - musubi!!
Sunrise Coffee - they also have donuts on the weekends!
Koloa Mill Ice Cream - Dole whip & fun Hawaiian ice cream flavors!!
The Right Slice - so many kinds of pie, featuring some fun Hawaiian flavors i.e. lilikoi!
Lunch/Dinner
The Fish Express - poke right when you step off the plane. 5 mins from airport!
Waimea
Coconut Corner - fresh fruit & smoothies
Shrimp Station - probably the best coconut shrimp I’ve ever had…? I’ve also heard their garlic shrimp is great
Ka’apa
Mokihana Coffee Co - the coolest sweetest coffee truck. Right next to a Holey Grail donuts!
Leong’s Meat House - poke & also traditional Hawaiian plate lunches
Hanalei Bay / Princeville / Na Pali Coast (North Side)
Coffee/Breakfast/Snacks/Dessert
Wishing Well Coffee & Tea - coffee, smoothies, açaí - LOVE it here. Great backyard patio situation for morning hangs
Outpost Coffee House / Hanalei Market - newer bougie grocery store with a coffee shop in the back. This was great for picking up snacks pre-hike!
The Haven - delicious coffee on the way to Tunnels Beach
Wishing Well Shave Ice - add mac nut ice cream
Foodland - it’s a supermarket, but there are some really fun snacks and hot food things here! For ex, I tried kim chee mussels - DELISH!
Sunrise Shave Ice - once again.. ADD MAC NUT
Java Kai Coffee Roasters - get the kalua pork breakfast burrito!
Lunch/Dinner - poke poke poke!
Dolphin Fish Market - our favorite poke of the trip!!
Hanalei Taro Truck - traditional Hawaiian plate lunch, also look for their taro mochi cakes on the weekends!
Sushigirl - delicious cut rolls, but also make sure to check their daily specials!
Hanalei Poke Co - tons of options here!!
Drinks
Tahiti Nui - the best Mai Tais on the island!
1 Hotel Hanalei Bay - props to you if you can afford to stay here ($$) but we went just for fun tropical drinks at sunset and it was great! Beautiful views and great cocktail menus at both of the bars
BEACHES
South Side
Shipwreck Beach - the beach was lovely, and there’s some cool rocks you can climb (or jump off of if you’re feeling ~crazy~)
Poipu Beach - pretty touristy, but an almost surefire place to see seals and turtles! Great place to watch the sunset too
Waimea
Pakala Beach - popular local surf spot and a little off the beaten path. Felt very private!
North Side
Anini Beach - chill current and very low key beach
Hanalei Beach - closer to town so it can get busy - try to get here in the morning if you can! Beautiful views
Lumaha’i Beach - this beach is so cool and felt more locals/less touristy. The waves are intense on the beach side, but there’s a small river on the side that’s very calm and easy to wade into when you need to cool off.
Ha’ena / Tunnels Beach - Iconic and stunning. The closest beach you can access before Haena State Park/Na Pali Coast. Grab coffee and go early - worth it!
HIKES & LOOKOUT POINTS
Red Dirt Falls - on your way up to Waimea, a quick easy stop! The red clay + bright blue skies + the green !! The colors in this region are unmatched
Waimea Canyon State Park - the most stunning views of the Na Pali Coast! A little easier hiking/walking around for views vs the Haena hike
Spouting Horn - fun easy lookout on the South side!
Haena State Park - If you are capable, PLEASE do this hike!! It’s very hard - my group consisted of 3 fit gals and it took us the whole day - but it is beyond worth it. Bucket list item. It’s about ~12 miles to do the first portion of the coast hike + the falls! There’s also an 11-mile option that is a bit more treacherous and goes along the coast the whole way.
SHOPPING / SOUVENIRS
I found the boutique/local goods shopping to be minimal in Kauai, which is maybe a good thing?? But here’s a few spots we stopped at:
Hanalei Farmers Market - every Saturday! of course lots of produce, but also a decent amount of stalls selling merchandise and treats to take home!
Kauai Chickens Shop - fun brand with clothing, hats, etc
Salt and Sea - clothing and jewelry
KIKO - higher end handmade goods + clothing
ICYMI - Here are ALL of the TTS Travel Guides! More to come later this year :)
TTS TRAVEL GUIDES
California Coast
Wrapping up my “Summer of Nothing New” this week - and will be giving y’all the full rundown next week! See you then! In the meantime… I’m back on TikTok too.