Travel Tips: Kauai
Best Tips for traveling to kauai
The essentials to traveling can make or break the trip depending on your budget and plans for vacation. Read about the best way to travel to, get around, eat and stay in Kauai!
1. getting there
You are probably getting to Kauai one of two ways: a direct fight from the mainland or an inter-island flight from Oahu, or neighboring island . For us, we obviously fly inter-island via Island Air. This was now my second time flying with them and each time has been great. To start the flights are very affordable, so take this into consideration when making your reservations it just might be cheaper to fly to Oahu and then fly via Island Air to the other islands. Here is there flight schedule.
Each flight you will receive water or Passion Guava juice! I had the juice last time and it is super sweet, so early morning flights I opt for water! The flight it super short so the little portions are perfect! One important thing I should mention is that all cary on items for these flights can only be 16 pounds. So, be prepared to check in a bag for $15.
The other important thing to mention is that you have to completely turn off your phone for these flights! I used my GoPro to snatch these pics, but it is super important that it remains off not just in airplane mode. The views from the plane are sooo amazing, it's like a free helicopter tour but safer! Ha! So I do suggest a camera of some sort, even disposable!
2. getting around
Lucky for us, Kauai has LOTS of rental options! So regardless of your needs, someone can cater to them. We rented from Kauai-Rent-A-Car and it was great! For starters they park the car at the airport for you so pick up and drop off is a breeze! Second we got a more 'local like' car so I didn't feel like we were screaming tourists where ever we went, which is nice. Here is their website and everything can be done over the phone! Also the best part is they rent to underage and the price is AMAZING! So if you are traveling on a budget I highly recommend renting here.
However one downside was having a PT Cruiser becuase I was unaware of how many dirt and unfinished roads their were. So my biggest tip is rent a jeep! Or at lest a car with 4WD. Here are some other rentals:
ALL of these places will rent to people under 25 years of age just be warned of various fees by each company. I always call around and get quotes from each place before booking with the best price for us.
3. Getting food
I always find that food is the biggest expense on our travel budget because we like to splurge! We did save a lot by brining lots of snacks, ramen, and pop-tarts to avoid eating out every meal. Below are restaurants we did splurge on and what we thought about them!
The Saddel Room
Where: Waimea [4491 halepule rd, waimea, hi 96796]
Price: $$
Rating: 3 stars
We were sooo hungry driving through Waimea that we stopped at the semi-first place we saw. This burger place was a cute place to grab a bite to eat. We decided to try the classic beer and burger combo but, thats a bit hard when you don't really like beer! :) The food was good, not the best but worth it if you stop in.
Bubbas Burgers
where: Kappa [4 kuhio hwy #104, kappa, hi 96746]
Price: $
Rating: 4 stars
Bubbas Burgers is a staple for Kauai as a classic burger joint. We tried it out for size and were quite happy with the classical burger dinner! Including a chocolate shake :)
Thai Food
Where: wailua [4-871 kuhio hwy, kappa hi 96746]
price: $$
Rating: 4 stars
We enjoyed this delicious Thai Food right next to the the Lemongrass Grill Seafood-- which it's actually just the Thai Cuisine section. It was a very reasonable price and they food was sooo yummy! I love Thai food so I was a happy camper. I recommend here becuase a lot of the surrounding restaurants are very expensive.
Jo-Jo Shave Ice
where: Waimea, Hanalei [5190 kuhio hwy, hanalei, hi 96714]
Price: $
Rating: 5 stars
I think I could survive off of ice cream, fro-yo, and shave ice. Jo-Jo Shave Ice was SO flippin good my mouth is still watering about it. Rashawn doesn't even like shave ice and lets just say this sent him to euphoria. I got the North Shore (Which I cannot recommend enough) it was Melona, Pineapple, Lilikoi Shave Ice over Macadamia Nut Ice Cream with Hauipa (coconut) cream on top. It is a good thing we found this the day before we left or I would go everyday I was there!
4. getting sleep
Hotels in Hawaii are expensive in general. Traveling here can seem over whelming becuase of this but their are some great affordable options! The St. Regis Princeville sure did look amazing but unless you have over $600 a night then look no further than Kauai Shores! This cute hotel rests ocean Side in Wailua. It was super clean, had great amenities like parking, wifi, free movies, and AC! It was super affordable and perfect for your stay.
But if you are like us and still need to stretch that Frugal life look no further than a tent! We camped 3 nights in Kauai and each one was amazing. The landscapes are so beautufk and the weather makes camping so enjoyable here. The only down side is there were no cookout grills at any camp sites so be prepared to bring your own source of heat if you need. Here is where we camped:
pin me for later
It is hard to believe a shore line could out-do the Na Pali Coast but coming to the Kileaua Lighthouse will surly take your breath away. Between the pure beauty of protective nature, the possibility of a whale watching, and seeing a historical landmark makes a stop here more than worth it.