Cam and I normally take a longer trip in March/April. This year we were deciding between Italy and Hawaii. I knew I would be in my second trimester and being my first pregnancy I really had no idea how I would be feeling. We decided Hawaii would be a more restful place if we needed it to be. So the planning began! Also, one of our best friends Brandon was able to join us! We decided we would take 2 weeks. 1 week on Kauai and 1 week on Oahu. Below is our Kauai itinerary and I will post an Oahu itinerary soon!
Day 1 – Travel Day: Raleigh to Kauai
- Travel day! We left Raleigh, NC at 6AM for our 12 hour flying day. We got to Kauai at 2PM (8PM Raleigh time). We picked up our rental car and immediately went to get some food!
- We met a local on the plane who recommended The Fish Express where we got a plate lunch and some fish tacos. Definitely recommend!
- We drove to Princeville where we would be staying at an AirBNB for a few days.
- After checking into our AirBNB we wanted to find a beach to go to; because its Hawaii! We saw that Hideaway Beach was not too far from where we were staying.
- It was a little hard to find but now we understand the name. We followed a small trail hoping we were going the right way. We came upon a rope assisted decent. Basically you are going down a steep incline with the assist of a small rope connected to trees/roots. I would recommend good shoes as we were in flip flops.
- Hideaways beach was incredible. I definitely recommend. Worth the climb and to us was an incredible start to our trip. We stayed for about an hour and decided to make the climb back up.
- Our last stop for the night was to get some famous Hawaiian Shave ice. We went to Jojo’s Shave ice.
Day 2 – Hanalei/Lihue/Koloa Rum Company
- We were up around 6AM due to the time change.
- On our way to Hanalei we stopped at the Hanalei Valley Lookout which was beautiful.
- I of course looked up good coffee shops around. Hanalei Bread Company was highly rated and definitely did not disappoint. We got iced mochas, a mac nut sticky bun and a cinnamon roll.
- One of the top trails on my list was the Kalalau trail. So after breakfast we set out to do this trail only to find that the only road to the trail was closed. Hurricane Lane in 2018 really impacted this part of the island and they are still doing construction to make these areas safe again. Maybe one day we will be back to conquer this trail. It looks incredible.
- We went back to Hanalei and walked along Hanalei bay and to Hanalei Pier. Hanalei was easily one of my favorite towns of the entire trip. A must see if in Kauai. Along our walk of the bay we saw our first sea turtle sleeping on the beach. We also found a coconut and Cam and Brandon decided to crack it open so we could try fresh coconut water.
- For lunch we went to Kalypso Bar and Grill. Really good spot for a bite.
- After lunch we walked along main street (Kuhio Hwy) hitting the shops along the way.
- It started to rain and was going to for the majority of the day so we went back to Lihue to hit some of the shops we saw on our way from the airport.
- We went to Coconut Market and then to Koloa Rum Company. Being pregnant I did not try any of the rum; however, Cam and Brandon enjoyed the sampling. I got a small variety pack of 6 different rums to try after Mason is born! We also met a really awesome lady at the Rum company who was easily one of our favorite people of the whole trip. We talked with her for about 30 minutes about everything.
- For dinner we got some pizza and pastries from Kilauea Bakery and Pizza.
Day 3 – Okolehao Trail/Princeville/Kauapea Beach
- We ended up wanting Hanalei Bread Company again.
- We hiked the Okolehao Trail today. From the rain yesterday this was the muddiest hike I we have ever been on and was very difficulty to get up and down the slopes. Cam slipped a few times and after this hike our shoes were ruined. It was a ton of fun though and the view overlooked Hanalei Bay.
- After the hike we were MUDDY! We had no idea what we were going to do to avoid getting the rental car dirty. On the way off the trail was a stream that we decided to jump in to rinse off. Cool and refreshing!
- We went back to our AirBnB to clean off and headed out to Princeville Center for some tacos at Frederico’s. The fish tacos were really good.
- After lunch we headed down to find Secret Beach (Kauapea Beach)
- Secret Beach is a must if you are on Kauai. It was our favorite beach of the trip. It is a little hard to find and you have to work a little to get to it but it was worth it. We were also the only people on the beach. If your looking for some amazing views with little to no crowd this is the beach for you!
- We were pretty tired after the beach so we just stopped at the general store near our AirBnB for some food and then went to Lappert’s for Ice Cream. We made many stops at Lappert’s! It is great ice cream!
Day 4 – Travel Day: Princeville to Waimea/Old Koloa Town/Polihale Coast
- Today was a travel day for us. It is around a 2 hour drive from Princeville to Waimea so we decided to make many stops along the way.
- First we stopped for coffee and breakfast at Java Kai. I had heard about the amazing Acai Bowls in Hawaii so Java Kai had both highly rated coffee and Acai Bowls. Win win.
- We stopped by the Kauai Community Farmers Market. We knew going to a farmers market was a must do in Hawaii and this one in Lihue was great. Our friend Brandon got coconut water straight from the coconut and I got some strawberry papayas and a smoothie.
- Our next stop along the way was to the Old Koloa Town.
- We went to Bobbies Restaurant in Hanapepe for some plate lunches. This was one of my favorite meals during the trip. We shared the chicken sistas plate and the chicken katsu plate. Both were delicious!
- Next stop was to our AirBnB which was right on the ocean.
- Polihale State Park was a beach that was at the top of my list to go to. It was so beautiful there. However, I definitely recommend an SUV if you are going. We had a sedan and the 3 miles leading into the park is an unpaved rocky road. It took us about 30 minutes each way to get in and out to avoid destroying the rental car. It was an incredible state park. Many people go out and camp overnight. Also a great spot to catch the sunset.
Day 5 – Waimea Canyon/Awaawapuhi Trail
- This was one of my favorite yet most exhausting days in Hawaii. We woke up really early to catch the sunrise at a lookout in the Waimea Canyon. We underestimated how cold it was going to be! Definitely bring a jacket.
- After the sunrise we hit some of the lookouts along the way up the Canyon. This place is incredible. If you are on Kauai it is a must even if your just going to the lookouts. There are also plenty of trails within the canyon.
- We had planned to do the Awaawapuhi Trail. Definitely a difficult hike but worth all the pain! It is a 3 mile down and then 3 mile back up hike. The views at the end were amazing. Maybe not for those who are scared of hikes. There are no railings and how far you go to the ledge is up to you. I recommend grabbing a hiking stick from the pile that is at the trailhead. Some parts of the trail are very steep and muddy.
- After the trail we headed back down the canyon. A farmers market stand was set up at the Canyon lookout we had watched the sunrise at. Starving, we bought a ton of fruit and desserts. The best pineapple I had in Hawaii.
- We went to Island Tacos on our way back to the AirBnB and then got Lappert’s for dessert.
- We relaxed at the house the rest of the day. We ended up going to a late dinner at Chicken In A Barrell.
Day 6 – Nepali Coast/Spouting Horn/Hanapepe
- We got up early today to do Captain Andy’s Boat tour. First we stopped at Little Fish Coffee.
- We did the Napali Snorkel BBQ Sail. This was a 6 hour boat tour that included a tour along the Napali Coast, snorkeling and lunch. We loved this tour and we were even able to spot spinner dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, whales and a sea turtle. The Nepali Coast was incredible. The only way to view it is from a helicopter or by boat. These tours are more expensive but worth it to see the coast.
- After the boat tour we explored Hanapepe a little bit. We stopped at Kauai Chocolate for some ice cream.
- Spouting Horn was our next stop for the day and its back in Koloa. This is a natural lava tube that shoots water 50 ft in the air. This was a really cool spot and there were also some shops along the coast selling local handmade Hawaiian items.
- We visited Kukui’ula Village Shopping Center in Koloa.
- For dinner we went to Kuaui Island Brewery and Grill. We got some really awesome shrimp and chips.
- On our way back we stopped at Super Duper 2 for some ice cream. The Haupia ice cream was incredible!
Day 7 – Heritage Beach Walk/Poipu Beach
- This was our last full day in Kauai. We didn’t really have a plan but one area of the island we hadn’t explored was the south side. There was a lot of great reviews of Shipwrecks Beach and the Heritage Beach Walk. We also had heard of how great Poipu Beach was.
- On our drive down we stopped for breakfast at Kalaheo Cafe. Cam and I split the french toast, pancakes, breakfast potatoes and a mocha. It was all really good! Highly recommend for a great breakfast!
- We then headed to Shipwrecks Beach which is right on the Heritage Beach Walk. Both were great! Heritage Beach walk ended up being one of our favorite hikes of the trip and was truly beautiful. It is not a difficult hike and you are able to go off the trail and explore some pretty neat cliffs and rocky ridges.
- After a couple of hours exploring this area we headed to Poipu beach. This beach was neat but very crowded. We ended up exploring a little and leaving a bit earlier than we thought.
- On our way back to Waimea we stopped at Warehouse 3450. We had driven by this spot multiple times and I always wanted to stop in but it was closed. This was a really neat spot.
- We got coffee from Kind Koffee Co. and Poke Bowls from Kauai Poke Co.
- We hung out at the AirBnB for awhile enjoying the view of the ocean and doing some laundry. We packed and cleaned up to prepare for our flight the next day.
- For dinner we went to Paco’s Tacos for some great tacos.
- We finished the night at Super Duper 2 again for some ice cream.
Day 8 – Travel Day to O’ahu
- Check out my next blog of our itinerary during our 7 day stay in O’ahu.
