Everyone needs a little Vitamin SEA! I had been wanting to go to Hawaii for awhile & saw a deal on flights & never looked back! I had heard that Kauai is a less busy and beyond beautiful & all of that is true & more! There is a reason it is called the Garden Island- there were waterfalls everywhere & it was sooo green! Beck would say that he wanted to see a waterfall & we could usually find one haha.
We loved beach hopping which of course is a must & a given in Hawaii. We found some great beaches for kids & snorkeling. I saw 2 turtles at Anini Beach which was close to where we stayed! I read that Anini Beach was great for snorkeling & I have to recommend it because I saw turtles there but the day we were there it was pretty murky but that was due to storms.
Lydgate Beach is fun for kids because it is a cove that is all circled in with lava rocks. Surprisingly I did see a few fish here snorkeling too. This beach is also fun because there is a cool wooden playground by it that wasn’t busy at all.
Go to Poipu Beach- really good snorkeling here but it does get pretty busy. It was fun to watch surfers here as well. Poipu also has a barrier to block the waves & there is a traditional playground & picnic tables. After we went to Poipu Beach we went to Puka Dog which are delicious hot dogs that have tropical relishes on them. It sounds a little weird & I don’t even like hot dogs but these are good! There is also a yummy gelato place by Puka Dog that has fun tropical flavors.
Another fun beach by Poipu was Shipwreck Beach. It was not busy at all which of course we loved. The waves were a little bigger here but Beck just loved playing in the sand. There is a trail you can follow behind the beach that takes you up to a cliff where you can look out & some people were jumping off of it. It is pretty high & scary but it was entertaining to watch people- I read that Justin Bieber has even jumped off of it haha.
Kilauea Lighthouse was fun & it is by a bird refuge so it was fun to see all the birds flying & walking around. When you go to the lighthouse eat at the Kilauea Fish Market- it is a little hard to find but our favorite place we ate during the trip.
Look for Farmer’s Markets & craft fairs! As we were driving around we saw a lot of signs for yard sales, farmer’s markets & some local craft fairs which we were so fun & that is where I got the most unique fun souvenirs- I highly recommend it!
Waimea Canyon is a fun drive! It was lots of fun to go over to the West Side of the island & see something totally unique. We ate at Porky’s food truck after which is in Waimea & it was sooo good!
Our favorite place to watch the sunset was at Baby Beach. Poipu was good too but really busy. Baby Beach had good snorkeling & it wasn’t busy which is good since it is kind of a small beach in a neighborhood.
I am so excited to next share about where we stayed because that is what made this trip all together so enjoyable! We couldn’t have stayed somewhere better. We loved everything about it!
Where to Stay!
During our time in Kauai we stayed on the North side in the town of Princeville. Let me just tell you about how amazing the North side is & where Treetop Suites at Hale Moi is located. We loved that the North side was way less busy & just so green & beautiful! We found beaches right by where we stayed & we were the only ones there! Princeville doesn’t have too much but there is a grocery store & a few little stores. But we loved that Princeville is so close to Hanalei. We loved going to Hanalei since it was only a five minute drive. Hanalei has a fun beach with a pier you can walk on & a lot of restaurants.
Staying at the Treetop Suites at Hale Moi really was perfect! Of course when you visit Hawaii- you fly there so you usually are bringing a lot less things with you on vacation. It was so nice to stay at a place that had everything we needed & more. We had a full kitchen which was stocked with a lot of things. I love that we could cook at home to save some money with not always going out to eat. It was also amazing to have a washer & dryer in one of the units. The home also had things like coolers, beach towels & so much more! What makes Hale Moi so great is that there are a lot of different options. Within the unit there are 2 different suites. You can rent either or both. We rented both so these photos are of both units. Both of them were amazing & fully stocked. Here is the listing for Side A which is the side that has the washer & dryer & I will admit that was very fun especially with all the sand that gets everywhere haha. Side B was great too & the kitchen had everything you needed too! Or you can book the whole space here & it is so nice to have the option where it feels like separate suites & to have a little more room. On their website you can even see a virtual tour of the space & decide which side would work best.
We didn’t spend a lot of time watching TV but at night when we wanted to relax it was really nice that there were TV’s with so many channels. The Wi-fi was also amazing!
The lanais on both of the units were my favorite part! It was so nice to sit out there & eat breakfast & look out at the beautiful treetops. A few days while we were relaxing out there we saw a cool lizard & a frog which was so fun especially for Beck.
Staying at the Treetop Suites was just above & beyond! These units are amazing & are a great value especially for Hawaii. The location is amazing & there is everything you need to help you feel at home & enjoy your vacation!
Favorite Wall Murals
Wall murals in Kauai were kinda few & far between. I saw a few others but they weren’t all that cute. After scouring the island & doing my research these are the 2 murals I found & loved.
Pineapple Mural- On the side of Java Kai- 4-1384 Kuhio Hwy, Kapaa, HI so the East side of the island. Kapaa is a cute little town with some fun touristy shops & cute boutiques. We didn’t get anything from Java Kai but it has great reviews on Yelp!
Colorful Surf Scene- 3227 HI-56, Lihue, HI on the side of Gifts of Kauai across from KFC. It is a pretty big mural & lots of cute sections. Beck totally posed himself here & wanted a picture!
Best Shaved Ice!
Everyone says how great the shaved ice is in Hawaii & man are they right! It was so fun to try different ones & find our favorite. We loved the places that had the sweetened condensed milk on top & the macadamia nut ice cream on the bottom. The only place we found that did it all the way right was JoJo’s which was right by where we stayed in Hanalei Bay. JoJo’s also has a location we went to in Waimea too haha. Our second favorite was Wailua & Beck loved coming here because of the fun van. Wailua makes their own whipped cream topping that was sooo yummy! I am currently drooling wishing they shipped haha!
Did I miss anything? If you have been to Kauai I would love to hear your favorite things! I totally want to go back sometime in the summer so the waves are more mild & we can go on boat rides, muddy hikes & more! Kauai we LOVE YOU!
