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Thank you to HomeAway and The Westin Princeville for sponsoring part of the cost of our accommodations. All opinions and recommendations are my own.
I finally finished my Kauai trip recap! Are you ready? It's a long one. The funny thing is, Hawaii was not at the top of my travel bucket list before this trip. However, we had a companion pass and some flight credit that we could only use on domestic flights, plus Ian was still under two (barely) so he could fly free as a "lap infant." We knew June would be our last chance to take advantage of that before we'd have to buy him a full price ticket, so we decided it was a good time to visit one of the Hawaiian islands. So many friends of ours have raved about Kauai, and after a bit of research, it definitely seemed like the island that would align most with our travel style. Annnnnd...we loved it! It was SO beautiful and much less crowded, touristy, and cliché than I expected Hawaii to be. We didn't have the best weather (lots of rain), but we still had the best time, and we already can't wait to go back. And now I want to see the other Hawaiian islands too!
This was our first time flying with kids (we did a road trip and a cruise the last two years), and our first vacation as a family of four. So I was nervous for sure, and skeptical of how relaxing it would really be. I'm not gonna lie, it was exhausting at times and certainly a different kind of trip than if it were just Ben and I. But so worth it!!! Some of the best moments that I'll look back on fondly were watching how much FUN Ian had, whether he was playing with sand toys on the beach, throwing a coconut in the water, chasing chickens around, or eating shave ice. When we're at home in our normal routine, we have to cook, clean, do laundry, wash dishes, mow the lawn, etc. while simultaneously taking care of our kids. On vacation, it was so nice to be able to focus on having fun with them instead of multi-tasking! I felt like we were able to give our boys more quality attention and have some special moments with each of them. That's true no matter where you go on vacation, whether it's a five hour flight or a fifty minute drive from home...just break out of your normal routine.
I'm sure, one day Ben and I will take a trip without the kids...but in the meantime, we are actually having a lot of fun traveling with them (ok, the flights weren't exactly FUN but they were endurable). If you're taking a trip to Kauai soon, and especially if you're traveling with little ones, I hope you'll find this trip recap helpful!
Where to Stay:
Let me start off by saying, Kauai is not a cheap place to stay. When Ben and I used to travel by ourselves, we always tried to save on accommodations so we could spend more on activities and food. But with young kids, the place you stay makes a huge impact on the overall experience, so on this trip we prioritized accommodations where we could all be comfortable and get good sleep. We were able to offset the cost by booking four free nights at the Grand Hyatt in Poipu using credit card points (more on that later).
But first, we started off at an awesome HomeAway in Princeville. It was perfect!!! Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a full kitchen, laundry, gorgeous view, and a hot tub--all for less than the price of most hotels on Kauai. Such a good value. I love vacation rentals with kids because you have more privacy and space to let them run around and make noise, without worrying about your neighbors. It's also nice to have a driveway where you can just pull right up and unload, instead of lugging a bunch of stuff from the parking lot. We saved a lot of money by having a kitchen, since we ate breakfast at home, made our own coffee, and warmed up leftovers several times. Plus, we got to enjoy the hot tub during the kids' naps and after they went to bed, which was amazing! I can't recommend this place enough! We would definitely stay here again.
The next place we stayed was the The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas. We also LOVED staying here and would highly recommend it for families. We got upgraded to a one bedroom villa, and it was spacious, nicely decorated, and very comfortable. It included a good size kitchenette, laundry, a pull out couch for Ian, a jetted tub and a walk-in shower, a king size bed for us, and an exterior balcony with a view of the ocean. They also provided a crib, and even offered us a high chair, diaper pail, and other baby gear (so nice!). Best of all, the grounds were absolutely beautiful and easy to navigate with a stroller, which was perfect for evening walks. We loved walking around with all the tiki torches lit. There were several pools and hot tubs, including an awesome kids pool with a water slide and spouting turtles. It was the first time we ever put Ian in a pool, and he had a lot of fun! We also took advantage of their "You Tidy, We Treat" program. By foregoing housekeeping, we received a free breakfast buffet at the Nanea Restaurant for each night we stayed. Since kids under 3 were free anyways, that meant we were able to feed our entire family an all-you-can-eat breakfast for the price of one adult--not bad. I loved the pancakes with coconut syrup!
There's something so cute about a little baby on a big bed!
For our last four nights, we left the North Shore and headed to the Grand Hyatt Resort. It's normally over $600/night to stay here, but we were able to book four nights totally free by using credit cards points. If you're interested in doing the same, I used signup bonuses from the Hyatt credit card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, which got me two nights each. If we had planned ahead, we could have had Ben sign up for the same two cards and gotten eight nights total! This was my first time trying to do anything with travel credit cards, and I'm totally hooked now. It's a great way to drastically reduce the cost of travel without sacrificing anything (in fact, the Grand Hyatt was swankier than any hotel we would have booked if we were paying with cash). I will say, after having a kitchen, laundry, and multiple rooms at our first two places, the standard room here felt small...but the resort itself was absolutely gorgeous. The pools were open 24-7, there was beachfront access, and they even had parrots and black swans on the premises (so fun for kids!). Overall, we liked the North Shore a little better than the South Shore, but we still were glad that we split our time between both. There is so much to see on both sides of the island! Plus, you won't hear me complain about four free nights at a five star resort. :)
What to Do:
Bringing the kids along may have caused us to get more expensive accommodations, but it actually helped us save money on activities. Almost everything we did was free! Kauai has so much to see and do in nature, from sandy beaches to plunging waterfalls to canyon vistas. We didn't want to spend a bunch of money on expensive attractions that our kids wouldn't appreciate, like a helicopter ride or a luau. So we stuck with the free stuff, and guess what? We never got bored! Since it was our first time there, it was all new to us anyways. We did spend $5 per adult to go the Kilauea Lighthouse (big spenders!) so I guess our activities were not 100% free. ;) Here's what we did.
East Side
Lydgate Beach - The first beach we went to in Kauai, pretty close to the airport. It's nice and is supposedly a good spot for sunrise.
Wailua Falls - Picturesque twin falls that have been in a lot of movies. You can drive right up to the viewpoint.
Opaeka'a Falls - It's a short easy walk on a paved "trail" to see this waterfall from above, or I heard you can hike down to the bottom (we didn't attempt the hike with our kids).
Tree Tunnel - Beautiful tunnel of 500 eucalyptus trees. I wished we could've stopped the car, but it was fun to drive through!
Kamalani Playground - I saw lots of recommendations for this playground, which looked super cool (it's a huge wooden structure)...but we weren't impressed when we went. It seemed to be in disrepair (a big jagged hole in the slide, loose boards, etc.). Maybe older kids would like it better than Ian did?
I also saw recommendations for the Kuilau Ridge trail (supposedly it's short, easy, and safe for young kids) but we never had time for it.
North Shore
The North Shore of Kauai was flooded just a few months before our trip, so unfortunately the road past Hanalei was closed except for local residents as there were repairs being done. We heard the fine for sneaking past the road block was $5,000--clearly not worth trying. So we didn't get to see some of the cool beaches up north, and the Hanalei Pier was closed as well. :( Still, we loooved how wild and jungle-icious the North Shore was, and had an amazing time at the places we did see.
Anini Beach - Super shallow and safe for young kids. We went snorkeling here and saw lots of colorful fish, and there was even a sea turtle on the beach! We went to the shady cove at the end of the road (as recommended by some friends of ours). It was nearly empty and the BEST spot with a toddler and a baby. Shade, shallow waters, seclusion, snorkeling, and a sea turtle...what more can you ask for?!
Hanalei Bay - Beautiful spot to sit and watch surfers...but not a place for little kids to get in the water, so we didn't stay long.
Wai'oli Hui ia Church - Worth a stop when you're in Hanalei. It's a gorgeous green church that was built in 1843!
Kilauea Lighthouse - The northernmost point of the Hawaiian islands. Also a bird sanctuary! We saw an albatross take off and fly, as well as lots of other birds.
Plus all the vegetation on the North Shore was just amazing! I was obsessed with the albizia trees by the Kalihiwai Bridge. Apparently they are very invasive and problematic (now that I'm doing some research, I see that Kauai plans to spend $3 million to get rid of them)...but dang they are beauuutiful.
Next time we go, if the road is open, I want to see Tunnels Beach, Ke'e Beach, and the caves. Since our kids will be older, maybe we could even hike the first two miles of the Kalalau Trail to Hanakapiai Beach!
South Shore
Spouting Horn - A blowhole that spouts water every time a wave crashes. It's pretty cool, and a nice spot to stand and watch the ocean for awhile.
Poipu Beach - Nice beach with good, shallow spots for kids. Ben went snorkeling here and loved it! We also saw a sea turtle and a monk seal while we were there.
Polihale Beach - This beautiful, remote beach is the furthest west of any publicly accessible area in Hawaii. It's a journey to get there (several miles down a dirt sugarcane road), but you're rewarded with a pristine sandy beach and no crowds. We almost felt like we had the whole beach to ourselves! I wished we would have planned a little better and brought shade umbrellas, because it was hot and sunny and there were no trees there. I also wished we would have gone a little later in the day, so we could have stayed for sunset! The road to Polihale is totally doable in a regular car, but do not try to go through the soft sand that leads to Queen's Pond (a swimming area there). We had an SUV and it still got stuck...which was terrifying...and once we got free, we were too freaked out and just headed home. I've heard Queen's Pond is a good safe, shallow spot for swimming though, and you could park on the dirt and walk the rest of the way like we should have done. Learn from our mistakes!
Red Dirt Waterfall - This is just a little pull-off on the way to Waimea Canyon, but it's worth stopping for in my opinion. It's not really a legit waterfall--more like a stream that's running down over the red dirt hills--but it's still very picturesque!
Waimea Canyon - "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific." This is a Kauai must-see. It's 10 miles long, 3,000 feet deep, and there's a waterfall on one side! The entire drive is beauuuutiful, with multiple lookouts to pull off at. Try to go on a sunny, clear day.
Kalalau Lookout - The two furthest lookouts on the Waimea Canyon road offer views of the stunning Na Pali coast. They're often socked in by clouds, but we got lucky and the clouds lifted enough for us to see a glimpse! AMAZING. The cliffs are jagged and gorgeous, and the ocean was incredibly blue.
Kauai Coffee Company - They offer free guided tours throughout the day, as well as unlimited free samples of all their coffee varieties. I had never seen a coffee tree before, so I thought it was interesting and worthwhile.
Glass Beach - I had seen this on Instagram...it's worth a stop if you're already in the area but I wouldn't make a special trip. The sea glass there is really tiny and part of the sand, which is unique and makes for a pretty photo. But it's right behind an industrial plant so I wouldn't want to hang out there for an extended period of time!
We almost went to the Allerton Gardens (right across from Spouting Horn), where they have the super cool Moreton Bay fig trees from Jurassic Park. But there are no self-guided garden tours and I didn't think Ian would endure a 2.5 hour guided tour--so we saved our money. Next time.
What to Eat:
I had read that food in Kauai was super expensive (makes sense, everything has to be flown in)...so I was nervous that we'd really blow the budget on food. But I think having a toddler along actually kept us in check (again)! We weren't even tempted to try any of the nice restaurants, since we knew we'd be stressed out about Ian throwing food around...so we ate almost entirely at food trucks and casual spots, where service was quick, food was reasonably priced, and we could sit outdoors and relax. I will say, we did not feel deprived at all! The food trucks in Kauai were amazing! We also treated ourselves to shave ice every day (melt-in-your-mouth goodness...so much better than the snow cones we have in Washington), and we got lots of fresh tropical fruit from the grocery store. In other words, we ate very well! Some of our faves included:
East Side
Java Kai - Cute little hipster spot for coffee. I got the mac nut latte and it was delicious!
Nom Kauai - We went here for breakfast. It had great reviews, so maybe my expectations were too high. I thought it was good but not amazing.
Tacos Al Pastor - Our first taco truck of the trip! It hit the spot. The fish tacos were made with fresh-caught ahi, and the asada tacos were yummy too. There are a few other food trucks in the same area, including a cute shave ice truck, and there's a beach where you can sit and eat.
North Shore
Village Bakery - Small bakery in Hanalei. We only got the malasadas, but I saw that they serve traditional Hawaiian breakfast too, and there seemed to be a lot of locals. Not a "cute" place per se, but very fair prices and the malasadas were good!
Trucking Delicious - My favorite food truck up north, and probably my favorite food of the entire trip! We came back a few times and everything was AMAZING.
Hanalei Taro & Juice Company - Another food truck. You can try traditional Hawaiian dishes like lau lau (pork or chicken cooked in taro leaves) and poi (taro paste)...but our favorite thing there was the kalua pork tacos. So yummy.
Chicken in a Barrel - Really good barbecue. We got the sampler plate and loved the beef and the chicken. It's right next to Jojo's, so obviously you have to get that for dessert.
Jojo's Shave Ice - Our favorite shave ice place! So good, and they have locations on all the sides of the island so there's really no reason to go anywhere else. ;) I loved the "Tropical Breeze" (guava, passionfruit, and mango with mac nut ice cream and coconut-vanilla cream on top). My mouth is watering just writing this.
Hanalei Gourmet - I wouldn't really call this restaurant "gourmet", but it was good food at reasonable prices. I really liked my fish 'n chips, but Ben's fish sandwich was so-so.
Hanalei Bread Company - Best place we found on the whole island for coffee. Cute setting too!
We tried to eat at the Kilauea Fish Market, but the wait was 45 minutes and we were too hungry. Also, if go went back without kids (or when our kids are older), I would try Bar Acuda. It was recommended over and over as the best fine dining on the North Shore!
South Shore (totally failed at taking pictures of the food down here)
Dim n Den Sum - Yummy food truck in Koloa. Asian food with a Hawaiian twist. I liked the pork baos!
The Fresh Shave - We tried this shave ice place because of the excellent reviews. It was delicious, but still not our favorite. The place is cute (run out of a silver camper), and they top all their shave ice with fresh fruit--but the portions are smaller and the prices are higher than Jojo's.
Island Taco - This place is unassuming, on the side of the road in Waimea...but it's amazing!!! Their cajun ahi tacos were my favorite fish tacos of the whole trip (and we ate a lot of fish tacos). The pork tacos were also really flavorful and delicious.
Paco's Tacos - Yeah, more tacos! These ones are traditional Mexican style tacos. We got the asada tacos to go, so I can't speak to the restaurant itself, but the food was good!
Koke'e Lodge Restaurant - Really the only option in Koke'e State Park (Waimea Canyon area) so we didn't expect much, but were pleasantly surprised! I got the Portuguese bean soup based on a recommendation from Instagram, Ben got the burger, and we split the chocolate coconut pie. All were good.
Lappert's - Delicious ice cream in unique Hawaiian flavors. Yum!
Kauai Juice Co. - I'm not really a kombucha person but Ben loved it. They have cool flavors like lilikoi (passionfruit) & lychee.
Hanalima Bakery - I wish we would have found this place earlier in the trip! We went there on the way to the airport and got pastries to go. The apple bun, coconut turnover, and malasadas were all SO good, and the prices were fair.
We also heard Little Fish Coffee was good, and it probably was because the lines were ridiculously long every day. It's right by a Starbucks and we weren't patient enough to wait in line on vacation just for coffee, so we never tried it. I also heard Puka Dog was a Kauai institution, but we were never really in the mood for hot dogs.
Other Advice:
If you're traveling with kids, you can check car seats and strollers for free, so I would recommend bringing your own rather than renting. The stroller actually really helped us get through the airport...not only did it transport our kids, but we also piled some bags on top so we didn't have to carry them. Then we just gate-checked it right before we got on the flight. It was great!
If you have a bulky everyday stroller, it might be worth getting a small, lightweight travel stroller. We used the Roll & Go from Babyroues and it was awesome. We were originally planning to bring baby carriers since the BOB takes up a lot of trunk space, but we got the opportunity to review the Roll & Go right before we left for Kauai. Throughout the trip, we kept saying, "I can't believe we were going to do this without a stroller!!! I'm so glad we got this!!!" The Roll & Go is super lightweight, packs up really small, and has a telescoping handle like a piece of luggage, so it's easy to roll around even when folded up. It folds and unfolds one-handed (so nice!), and rolls well (it's awesome on flat surfaces like the airport or sidewalks, and still pretty good on uneven surfaces like grass). It also reclines fully which made it so Ian could nap on the go. A great stroller all around, and especially ideal for travel.
The best prices I saw for rental cars were through Discount Hawaii. We got upgraded to an SUV for free too!
I had heard that the local grocery stores were really expensive, so we stocked up on food at Costco (near the airport) before heading to our Homeaway. We mostly got fruit and breakfast stuff, as well as some Hawaiian snacks.
Speaking of...some of our favorite grocery store snacks were Hawaiian shortbread (comes in yummy flavors like Kona coffee, coconut, and pineapple), POG juice, and Dave's Hawaiian ice cream in the coconut macademia nut flavor.
Our Homeaway had a Kauai coupon book with some good coupons in there for restaurants (we got a free pork sandwich at Chicken in a Barrel), as well as activities (I saw discounts for mini golf, gardens, etc.). I think it's a book you could pick up anywhere that has tourist brochures...worth looking for.
WHEW, that was super long!!! I had a lot to say about this trip, apparently. If there's anything I missed, feel free to ask. :) We loved Kauai, and definitely want to go back someday!
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Hi! Loved reading about the highlights and advice from your stay in Kauai. I’m actually moving to Kauai with my husband and two young kids (they’ll be 5 months and 3 years old). I have spent minimal time on Kauai (and the rest of Hawaii) and never been there with kids. I’m having a hard time picturing what kind of baby gear to buy or bring with us before moving. I know strollers are handy for airports and travel in general but would you have any advice for “daily life” with two young kids in terms of stroller use? Would a double stroller be overkill? Are most parking lots to kid friendly beaches more easily accessible by using a baby carrier and having my older child walk? Any advice would be appreciated!!
we are going to Kauai with my daughter and 2 grand children in September. Your information is great and so reassuring for traveling with a 1 and 3 year old. Thanks for all your reassurance as well as specificity in regards to restaurants, touring locations and general info including checking strollers, etc. it appears that you all had a great time and thanks for all the tips.
Hi! I loved reading your post! I’m expecting a baby mid-end March and we have a wedding + trip in Kauai at the end of May. I’ve been looking at blogs but all the babies are older. Emmett was only two months at the time, right? Thank you so much!!