Our family of 5 (2 adults and 3 kids ages 16, 13, and 10) visited Kauai in July 2023 for our second time. We loved it so much when we visited in 2019 and everyone was begging to go back. We did a lot of the same things but also discovered some more gems. Kauai is seriously so magical with so much to see and do. It is absolutely beautiful with lush, green landscape and breathtaking beaches! It really might be our most favorite place ever. When we visited in 2019, we stayed in Poipu on the South Shore. We did a lot of driving that visit so this time we stay on the East Side which I feel like is a more central location. We found an Airbnb at Waipouli Beach Resort. Although we preferred to get out and explore the island, the resort was right on the beach and had a great pool for kids.
Here is our itinerary. More details about each of these places are described below.
ITINERARY:
Day 1
Arrive
Lunch at Duke's
Explore the resort's beach and pool
Opaeka’a Falls and Wailua River Overlook
Dinner at Bobby V's Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria
Jo Jo's Shave Ice (this is what we had been craving for 4 years and had to get it on our first day!)
Day 2
Breakfast at Kountry Kitchen
Ke’e Beach
Hike to ocean overlook on Kalalau Trail
Tunnels Beach and Cavern
Wishing Well Shave Ice
Hanalei Valley Overlook
Dinner at Tahiti Nui
Day 3
Ziplining Tour
Lunch at Da Crack
Brennecke’s Beach
Spouting Horn
Poipu Beach for sea turtles
Dinner at Koloa Pizza Kitchen + Bar
Day 4
Breakfast at Java Kai
Surf lessons with Ant at East Side Surfing School
Wailua Falls
Lunch at Granola House
Kilauea Lighthouse
Secret Beach
Dinner at Sleeping Giant Grill
Day 5
Queens Bath
Hanalei Pier
Nourish for lunch!!
Jo Jo’s Shave Ice
Hideaway Beach
Dinner at Kenji Burger
Day 6
Kayak Wailua River and hike to Secret Falls
Smith Family Luau
Day 7
Napali Coast Catamaran Tour
Donkey Beach
Dinner at Chicken In A Barrel BBQ
Wailua Shave Ice
Day 8
8:30 am church in Kapa’a
Lunch at Kalalea Juice Hale
Leave for airport
THINGS TO DO IN KAUAI
Star (*): Would recommend
North Shore
**Hanalei is just magical. The water is super clear. Fun shops and restaurants too.
*Hanalei Pier: We loved jumping off the pier!!
*Hanalei Valley Overlook
**Ke’e Beach at Ha’ena State Park (at the end of the road past Hanalei). You will need to get your parking pass reservation 30 days in advance. The reservations opens at midnight Hawaii time. Check the website here to be sure. You can also take the shuttle.
**Tunnels Beach: Just as beautiful as Ke’e beach but less crowded and more waves so my kids liked it better. Locals say it’s the best spot for snorkeling!! Get there early for parking. We actually got there at 1 pm and lucked out because someone was just leaving. The cavern across the way is also cool to go explore.
**Queen’s Bath: Get there by 8:30 am for parking. Check surf report and tide level for safety. Wear water shoes…very slippery and muddy on the hike down but awesome fun. It is seriously one of our favorites places. If you keep going past the bath to the point where it is a pretty steep part, turn to the right and walk toward the ocean...there are some ponds there that we love to swim in too and we had it all to ourselves.
*Hideaway Beach: We loved this beach. There are like 6 parking spots so you should get there early. Or my husband just dropped us off with our stuff and he parked at the Golf Course and walked 20 minutes to the beach. It is a hike down with some steep parts. It's a great place to snorkel too.
*Secret Beach: This was a little hike down to. We went in the late afternoon and were lucky to find parking (by the way, google maps had a hard time finding it but we were able to find directions from Tripadviser…it’s down an unmarked, unpaved road). We pretty much had the whole beach to ourselves. It was amazing.
*Kilauea Lighthouse: A great stop before going to any of the North Shore stops. Our National Park pass got us in for free. Beautiful views and a bird sanctuary.
*Kalalau Trail: It’s a half a mile to the overlook (took us about an hour there and back) which I would recommend doing. It is beautiful but rocky and steep. 4 years ago we went farther and it was too much for the kids…my husband and (then 9 year old) daughter made it 2 miles in to the secluded beach.
Places to Eat on the North Shore (mostly Hanalei):
o Hanalei Gourmet
o Kalypso Island Bar and Grill
o **JoJo’s Shave Ice
o Pink’s Creamery
o Tahiti Nui
o *Nourish (Hanalei Bay): You must go here when you go to the North Shore. The view is incredible and the food is good too!
o Wishing Well Shave Ice
o Kalalea Juice Hale (acai bowls on the way to the North shore)
East Shore
**Kayak Wailua River and hike to Secret Falls: We did a tour the first time we came. The second time we came we rented kayaks on our own which we preferred. They give you a detailed map and it’s pretty easy to find…just follow all the kayaks. It’s about a 40 minute kayak down the river and 30 minute hike to the falls. We rented from Wailua Kayak Adventures. They open at 8:30 so we got there at 8:35…it was already pretty busy but they were quick. We wished we would have gotten there a little before 8:30 so we would have been the first ones they helped. Also better to get there early to the launch area because parking is limited and we saw a parked car get clipped.
Wailua Falls (grab acai bowls at Granola after):
Opaeka’a Falls:
Wailua River Overlook:
*Smith Family Luau: The food was surprisingly really good and the grounds are beautiful too. I would recommend getting there at 5 pm when doors open if you want more time to walk the grounds (we got there at 5:20 which was fine too).
*Hike Ho’opi’I Falls (we did this in 2019 and it was so fun) – a beautiful and fun hike through the jungle with 2 waterfalls. Use mosquito repellant!! After the first waterfall, keep hiking to the second waterfall: a beautiful cascading waterfall and rope swing across the river. (less than 4 hours in and out including play time)
*Donkey Beach: Yes you will walk down a tree tunnel and then a dirt path to the beach. We had the beach completely to ourselves on a Saturday afternoon. Recommended to us by a local boy.
*Eastside Surfing School with Ant: He was awesome. Would definitely recommend.
*Tubing down the old sugar cane canals: We did this in 2019. It was fun to do at least one time.
Lydgate Beach: This beach is great for small children. It has a manmade rock sea-wall surrounding it making it safe for the kids no matter what the ocean conditions are. It was kind of busy when we went 4 years ago.
Places to Eat on the East Side:
o *Duke’s (go for the hula pie)
o Wailua Shave Ice
o Java Kai (Breakfast)
o **Jo Jo’s
o *Granola House (best acai bowls we had, near Wailua Falls)
o Sleeping Giant Grill
o Kenji Burger (wouldn’t recommend)
o Chicken In A Barrel BBQ (I would go back fro the chicken!)
o *Kountry Kitchen (we did this our first day and got there just after 7 with no wait)
South Shore
Po’ipu Beach: Busy but that’s where the sea turtles sleep so you might see some sun bathing on the sand during the day or go at night or early morning.
*Brennecke’s Beach: Boogie boarding beach. The kids had a lot of fun here.
**Ziplining Tour: We did Koloa Zipline and loved it. They also have an ATV tour which looked fun.
*Napali Coast Sail: We did the catamaran tour with Captain Andy’s. They serve lunch and give you time to snorkel.
Spouting Horn:
Drive through the Tree Tunnel
Places to Eat on the South Shore:
o Kalaheo Coffee Co. & Café
o Full-filling Crepes
o Puka Dog
o Uncle’s Shave Ice (bread/ice cream)
o *La Spezia
o Da Crack
o Bubba Burger
o *Koloa Pizza Kitchen + Bar (get the pesto pizza...best pizza I've ever had)
West Shore
**Waimea Canyon – We did this in 2019. Good to do at least once. It's a bit of a drive.
Things to Bring (includes affiliate links):
Refillable Water Bottles (we used everyday). This one is my favorite water bottle for traveling.
Sunglasses
Aloe Vera (this aloe vera is our family's favorite...and we get burned a lot having 3 red heads!)
Snacks
Advil
Bee Propolis Throat Spray (I bring this every time I travel now to boost our immune system)
Trail Runner Shoes (love these ones)
Packing Cubes (these have been life changing to travel with! It allows you to pack so much more)
iPhone 14 Pro Max (Many people have asked what camera I used for these photos. I just used my iPhone, but I do have photography experience which helps.)
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