Back again with our annual trip to Kauai. We love coming once a year to celebrate our anniversary and get some much needed R&R. At the beginning of the year I posted my master list of places that I love in Kauai from where to eat, to our favorite hikes, favorite places to stay and more. Now, it’s time to update and add to this list! All of my recommendations span from all locations on the island, you truly can’t go wrong on Kauai. We always rent a car from Turo to explore the islands every day during our trip. A car is key for the experience so that you can get out and about. Let me know your favorite places in Kauai so that we can add them to our list for next time!

Where To Stay:

I am not going to lie to you, we had high hopes for our first Airbnb during this stay but sadly, we hated it so much that I will not share it with you. You know I would never recommend a place that I didn’t like. We prefer to stay on the Northshore in the Princeville / Hanalei Bay area each time. Our 2nd Airbnb was much better and we really enjoyed this portion of our stay. Here are my favorite resorts from past visits:

  1. Hanalei Bay Resort – we’ve stayed here every year. You can get affordable condos off Airbnb and VRBO with one of the best views of Hanalei Bay.
  2. 1Hotel Hanalei Bay – this hotel opened this year so everything is brand new. We had the opportunity to stay there earlier this year in March and again on this trip in December. Everything about this resort is perfection from the dining, the spa, and the rooms, it is truly magical.

What To Do:

For this trip, we decided to treat ourselves to a new experience and take a Na Pali Coast sunset cruise. The cruise was one of the highlights of our trip and I cannot recommend it enough. It runs for about four hours and comes with a four-course meal and plenty of drinks. Explore! The great part about Kauai is there is so much to do outside of the resorts. There are tons of beaches and you can go out and find your favorite one versus just staying at the beach at your hotel or resort. Our favorite thing to do is drive around and find new beaches.

Our Favorite Beaches:

  1. North Shore Beaches: Hanalei Bay, Tunnels, Lumahai, Hideaway 
  2. South Shore Beaches: Shipwreck, Poipu Beach, Mahaulepu
  3. East Side: Polihale and Salt Pond

There are also numerous hikes and lookouts to enjoy. Some of our favorites:

  1. My favorite is Kalalau which overlooks the Nā Pali Coast and the Waimea Canyons
  2. Waterfalls: Waipoo Falls, Hanakapia Falls, Wailua Falls
  3. Our favorite way to find hikes is on the AllTrails app, this gives you exact trail maps, difficulty and conditions of the trails

Other Experiences to Enjoy:

  1. GoBlueAdventures – we have done the rafting tour and it was our favorite experience to see the Nā Pali Coast
  2. Helicopter Tours – we haven’t done this yet but it’s on our list for our next visit

Where to Eat & Drink:

On the Northshore:

Coffee + Breakfast 

  1. Wishingwell Coffee and Tea – my favorite latte in the area and the acai bowls are amazing
  2. Java Kai Bar Coffee Roasters – great breakfast and coffee options 
  3. Hanalei Bread Company 
  4. Outpost Coffee

Lunch + Dinner

  1. The Hanalei Dolphin – this place has the best and most fresh calamari and sushi  
  2. Postcards Cafe – our favorite place for date nights. We always sit at the bar, make sure to make reservations in advance
  3. AMA Restaurant – awesome ramen and great views
  4. Welina Terrace – located within the 1Hotel Hanalei Bay make reservations at sunset 
  5. Tahiti Nui – great spot for lunch and known for Mai Tai but we our personal favorite is their coconut margaritas
  6. Bar Acuda – this was our favorite spot of our most recent trip

South of the Island: Lihue + Poipu Recommendations:

Once we fly into Lihue our first stop is always at Timbers Resort for lunch or dinner. They offer a great menu and incredible views.

Coffee + Breakfast 

  1. Little Fish Coffee
  2. Dark Horse Coffee Roasters
  3. Eden Coffee
  4. Kind Coffee
  5. Lawai Market – in Kalaheo and they have my FAVE latte on the island, hands down

Lunch

  1. Living Foods
  2. Koloa Fish Market 
  3. Da Crack Mexican Grinds
  4. Leahi Health
  5. Kukui’ula Fish Hut
  6. All food trucks in Koloa – can’t go wrong here

Dinner

  1. The Beach House – this is where we got married, so obviously can’t recommend this enough
  2. Eating House 1849
  3. Red Salt at Koa’Kea 
  4. Merriman’s 
  5. Kiawe Roots
  6. Lava’s on Poipu Beach
  7. La Spezia 
  8. Tidepools – located inside of the Grand Hyatt

Overall Favorites:

  1. ‘Anakes Juice Bar – great place for acai bowls
  2. Kauai Juice Co
  3. Lawai Market – for the Lawai Latte
  4. The Beach House – for dinner + beautiful sunset 
  5. Eating House 1849