July 4th on Kauai

Garner and I love Hawaii. We also love a great deal. In 2018 we went to Maui for $177 round-trip…. And since then, we have been on the lookout for another great deal to the islands. We snagged a decent price to Kauai for July 4, which was perfect since we get a few days off work.

My family’s favorite part of Kauai is the north side, Hanalei. It is known for more rain but there’s also more outdoor activities for adventure-lovers. We decided to stay near Hanalei, in Princeville, for four nights at a cheap VRBO since we would be spending most of our days doing activities.

Day 1

We arrived at the Kauai airport after a busy day of airport lounges (turns out that between Garner’s work AMEX card and personal Chase card, we get into every airport lounge?!) and layovers. We stopped at Safeway to load-up on snacks, breakfast items and wine. We had our first dinner at Chicken-in-a-Barrel which hilariously was the one place in Kauai that Garner had on his list of places to eat. We then got checked in to our little VRBO and went to sleep.

Day 2

We woke up early due to the time change and went to an early breakfast at Ohana Saenz, a food truck in Hanelei with delicious coffee, breakfast burritos and macadamia nut pesto-covered omelets. We then explored downtown Hanalei’s shops, I purchased a cute sarong and we got ready for our July 4th catamaran ride.

The boat took us along the gorgeous coast. We learned about the history of Kauai, ate lunch, went through caves and snorkeled.

After showering and a brief nap, we ate dinner at Bar Acuda which was one of our favorite meals all week. They had my favorite cheese (Humboldt fog), delicious fresh fish and yummy cocktails.

We HAD to see fireworks for July 4th! Many of the shows were a far drive, so we decided to head to the beach where many locals recommended. Sure enough, the beach was full of tourists and locals shooting off fireworks. We sat in our chairs with a few canned wines and watched the show. This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

Day 3

This was Garner’s favorite day as we “beach hopped” the Northern coast. Our favorite spot was a beach where a river full of chilly mountain water flowed right into the ocean. Kids were jumping from the volcanic rocks into the river and G and I alternated between lounging in our Tommy Bahama chairs and the cool river.

We finished the day with snocones, fresh sushi and champagne (can every evening be like this?!).

Day 4

On Saturday we went to the famous Hanalei Farmers Market. We arrived early and were the first in line for amazing breakfast sandwiches and fresh coconut water. I wish I would have had more cash so I could’ve purchased authentic souvenirs and goodies (unfortunately no one had Square!).

After, we went to the Kilauea Lighthouse where we saw dozens of various birds and went on a fantastic tour with Bob. We learned all about Kauai’s history and how lighthouse came about.

A quick lunch later, we continued on to Princeville Ranch where we ZIP-LINED! I love zip-lining and actually came here with my family on my 21st birthday. We went on nine zip lines, including King Kong that’s 1200+ feet long. This place is gorgeous and I highly recommend going on your trip to Kauai… they have everything (I sound like Stefan on SNL) - zip-lining, horseback riding, hiking, swimming at waterfalls, etc.

That evening we went to Postcards, one of my favorite restaurants in Kauai. It’s also the place where I had my “first” drink, white wine sangria, on my 21st birthday. Their crab cakes are out of this world. They also have fantastic fresh fish and veggies.

Day 5

For the last two nights of our week in Kauai, we moved to the south side, specifically Poipu. Poipu is known for some amazing beaches, but in my opinion is a bit more commercial with stores like Lululemon, fancy resorts and more chain restaurants. It has less rain and is the perfect spot if you want to lounge by the pool or have access to the West side of the island (i.e. Waimea Canyon and the state park).

We were supposed to scuba dive this day, but it was canceled due to high winds and therefore strong currents. We decided to check into our resort, Koa Kea, that we had splurged on for our last two nights, and relax by the pool. The hotel was absolutely stunning, had an amazing pool, workout classes, fire pits, a spa and fantastic staff. It’s also smaller than many of the huge resorts nearby (i.e. Grand Hyatt, Marriott) and had very few kids. We would highly recommend this hotel for honeymooners, babymooners or anyone looking for a romantic getaway.

That night we had a delicious dinner and listened to live music at Keoki’s Paradise.

Day 6

We decided to tackle the famous Waimea Canyon on Day 6. Luckily the concierge had good recommendations on hikes as we almost attempted a dangerous super advanced hike (definitely research the hike beforehand!). We did the Canyon Trail which gave me deja-vu as I did the same hike with my family 5 years before. It was still a challenging hike and full of waterfalls, gorgeous Canyon views and had a swim at the end.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at Kauai Coffee Company. The Plantation had changed a lot in 5 years and was a lot more commercial and touristy than I remembered. However, it still offers a walking tour, tasting and was a great stop to grab some coffee ice cream after a long, hot hike.

After a quick nap and shower, we headed out to dinner at The Lanai where we loaded up on more fresh fish and a relaxing glass of wine.

Day 7

This was our last day on Kauai. We walked to a fantastic breakfast of acai bowls and coffee at Little Fish, then treasured our last few hours by the beach, before heading to the airport.

Hopefully we’ll be back soon, Kauai!

Xoxo,
Paige