[Music] Aloha! Let's get you to Kauai, Hawaii's Garden
Isle. If you're like me, you often hear that it's the best of the Hawaiian islands, the must-see
island. And that it takes a full week or more to do it justice. But if you don't have that kind
of time, you can see most of the highlights in just three days and I'll show you how I did just
that.
But there's no doubt about it, you'll want to stay for seven days, ten days and possibly the
rest of your life. I'll show you where I stayed, where I ate, where I hiked,
where I drove, where I kayaked, where i sailed, and what i love
most about this spectacular, easy to navigate, friendly Hawaiian isle. First a little geography. You'll arrive at the
airport at Lihue. From there it's a short drive to Kapa'a, centered between the north and south
coast, it was my home base. This east side of the island, known as the Coconut Coast, is a
spectacular place to catch sunrises. Thanks to an abundance of roosters, you won't miss one of
them. The North Shore has the Kilauea Lighthouse, Princeville and a lifetime supply of beautiful
beaches. On the South Shore is the postcard perfect Old KIaloa Town, food trucks galore,
the Eucalyptus Tree Tunnel, Port Allen, where you'll board boats cruising the NaPali Coast,
surfer-friendly beaches, perfect for sunsets, and Waimea Canyon.
The northwest side of
the island is home to the skyscraping sea cliffs of the NaPali Coast. Your car can't
make it there but a coastal cruise sure can. My journey to the Garden Isle started at LAX
aboard a non-stop LIH bound flight. Here's a tip: keep a pen close for the arrival questionnaire
you're always required to fill out just before landing. The small Kauai airport is easy to
navigate. Getting my rental car couldn't have been easier. Here's another tip: always check
to see if you can get a discounted rental car through your airline or another membership
program. It can be a real cost-cutter. In 2015 Airbnb changed the way i travel forever.
Since then I've stayed in some incredible places all over the world. From London to Rome,
to Oahu, the Big Island and Maui. And Kauai is no different. I rented an Airbnb at Aston
Islander on the beach in Kapa'a. My beachfront, poolside condo couldn't have been more perfect
for me.
I love a great view and a great location. Centered between the north and south shores,
just feet away from the oceanfront Lava Lava Beach Club, with the Coconut Marketplace and all
its shops restaurants and free shows out front, checked all the boxes for me. This place offered
me all the benefits of a large resort without any of the hassles. A worry-free experience
with no cost parking and no extra resort fees. Day one and the roosters make sure
i'm up for a spectacular sunrise right out my door. When visiting a place for the
first time, i try to keep the first day as free as possible. No planned excursions, no places
I have to be. Heading for the north shore i hit the highway, stopping briefly at a lookout for
an expansive look back at the Coconut Coast. My first stop on the North Shore the Kilauea
Lighthouse at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge.
Lighthouse and refuge tours may be limited
or suspended. Check their websites as you plan your trip. But open or not, make sure you take the
short journey from the highway to view the point. The setting is spectacular. From high above
you see the waves crashing onto the rocks below as you look out toward the lighthouse, perched
high atop the point since 1913. See if you can spot a red-footed booby, an albatross, a Hawaiian
monk seal, a green sea turtle or a humpback whale. This is after all a humpback whale sanctuary. On
my way out i spotted a flock of nenes. The nene, also known as the Hawaiian goose, is Hawaii's
state bird.
Spotting so many on day one has got to be good luck. Continue along the
highway exploring as you go. It's an island, most roads lead to or end at a beach. As a gulf
coast southerner, shade trees on beaches fill me with envy, and Kauai has more than its share.
Grab a bite in Princeville and continue along the highway past two Hanalei lookouts. At the valley
lookout you'll see how fertile soil is farmed. While at the bay lookout you'll get an
expansive view of mountains valley and bay. The North Shore can be rainy,
especially in winter months, but five minutes of rain here was all I
experienced in my three days on the island. Make your way over the Hanalei Bridge to Hanalei
Bay, taking in the view at Hanalei beach. Continue along the highway to Wainiha Bay Park,
a thin strip of easily accessible rocky beach with great views. The North Shore gets about 85
inches of rain yearly making it very lush. The winter months, especially February, aren't too
friendly to North Shore swimmers or boaters, but summer months, that's a different
story.
Obviously you can spend more than a day exploring kauai's north shore, but if
that's all you've got, you can see a lot. Try to make it to Haena Beach Park. There's a lot
to see: expansive beaches, lava rocks to climb, in front of lush mountains, while lifeguards watch
all. If you're lucky, a food truck might even be in the parking lot. Just across the street is the
massive, though easy to drive right by and miss, Maniniholo Dry Cave. With a sandy floor and high
ceiling that gradually tapers down, this cavernous arena could host one of Hawaii's larger lauas.
At 300 feet deep, it's a don't miss. It's also a thing of legend. Choose yours: a secret escape
route from Waimea Canyon on the South Shore or home to a fish stealing evil spirit.
The cave was my last North Shore highlight. On the way back make a quick stop
at the community park in Kilauea. The aloha sign, shaped out of
shrubs, is certainly selfie worthy. Heading to my Airbnb i stop at Keālia
Beach on the east side's Coconut Coast. It's an expansive beach, one with strong
surf and even stronger surfers.
But it's not my last beach of the day.
I've got one just outside my door. Man does not live by apple bananas and peanut
butter alone. Sacrificing good meals for lots and lots of great sights this day means I'm
deserving of a no-holds-barred supper at Lava Lava Beach Club, just yards from my home base Kauai
condo. Ending the day here–outside, beach side, with live music, cool breezes, Kona beer and
fantastic food–is the best way to finish a near perfect day of exploration. Now to bed.
The roosters will be up early and so will I. What'd i tell you? Day two. Time to hit the river. And i
don't have to go far to start the day. i planned two paid excursions
for my three days on Kauai. First up the Wailua River kayak and
waterfall hike with Rainbow Kayak Tours. The meeting place? A snorkel shop
right in front of the Islander. So close to my door, I couldn't be late
for the 7 a.m. meetup if I tried. And i'll just give it away now, this was a
fantastic experience.
A great paddle, yes. A great hike, yes. Beautiful scenery,
beautiful view, yes. But it was an outstanding experience thanks mostly to Zach, our guy.It's
the king. The king of the Wailua. Here's a tip: solo travel has benefits. Case in point:
you almost always get paired with the guide. This time even paddling isn't required. The
ultimate tour. I do nothing. I do nothing. The Wailua River is on the east side of the island
between Kapa'a and Lihue, just a short drive by van from our Kapa'a meeting point. To get to
and from secret falls requires several miles of paddling and a one-mile hike. You'll cross the
river on foot, Hike through tall elephant grass, walk riverside across a boardwalk and cross a
couple of small falls until you catch your first glimpse of majestic 120-foot-tall Secret Falls.
You're the first group to get here.
This place, it's going to fill up fast. First up: a Hawaiian
lunch backpacked in by Zach. Sandwich, chips, pineapple and water. Then it's time for the king
of the Wailua to make his way behind the falls. [Applause] Make no mistake, the water
is ice cold and behind the falls it's kind of hard to breathe. But it's
the least a king can do for his subjects. Our return trip, Zach filled
it with insight and humor.
Almost all this water is coming from the middle
of the island: Mount Waiʻaleʻale which competes for the wettest place on Earth. You guys seen
the movie Castaway with Tom Hanks Same stuff that he used to tie his raft together when
he finally left the island–the hal bush. It's also considered a canoe
plant, meaning it was brought here on the canoes by the Polynesians
when they discovered Hawaii. [Laughter] I make that noise and he gets hungry [Laughter] This five to six hour Wailua River kayak and
waterfall hike departs twice daily, weekdays at 7 a.m and 12 30 p.m from the snorkel shop
just behind the Coconut Marketplace next to the Islander.
If you do go with Rainbow Kayak Tours
and Zack is your guide, bring your best dad jokes. He's got a few hundred, shares them freely
and would love to add to his collection. When a good guide recommends a place to
eat, take him up on it. Case in point, the Fish Express at Lihue. It's a grab
great food and go kind of place [Music] and it's all I needed to fuel my afternoon South
Shore drive. The ultimate goal: Waimea Canyon. Like most everywhere on the island,
it's an easy stress-free journey. Just before you get to the
canyon or on your way back, pull off the road and take in the
Martian like beauty of Red Dirt Falls. It's an oddly peaceful place with
no little green men in sight. To visit Waimea Canyon you don't pass through
or pay an entrance fee at a ranger station. Instead when you park in the canyon lookout lot
you buy a ticket from a machine. Here's a tip: just shoot a photo of your tag with your phone so
you have the number handy to enter when paying. Put the receipt in your car window and you're good
to go.
The lookout has an expansive two level deck that allows you to take in the 10 mile long,
3000 foot deep vibrantly colored gorge. Waimea Canyon was formed by the Waimea river as
it carried rainfall from Mount Waiʻaleʻale, one of the wettest places on earth. You could
spend a lot of time hiking and exploring here, but my aim this day is to get to
a South Shore beach for sunset. As i make my way back down the coast something as
simple as tall grass in the afternoon sun becomes a top roadside attraction for me. It's Hawaii.
Look around. Even simple things are spectacular. I make it to an expansive South Shore
beach in plenty of time for sunset.
At this wide treeless beach
surf is up and surfers are out providing a great free sunset show [Music] Kauai, like a lot of Hawaii, shuts down
early. Just before 9 p.m. I was the last diner served at Bobby B's, a pizza place
at Coconut Marketplace near my Airbnb. My day starts early so bedtime
isn't something i'll fight. [Music] Day 3: the Nāpali Coast. No
roosters. They're still asleep. Why so early? I have to get to Port Allen on the
South Shore by 7:30 a.m to catch the boat or in this case catamaran. From Kapa'a it's 23 miles or
46 minutes according to Google Maps. There are no early morning traffic delays and there's ample
parking at the port. I arrive in plenty of time. After a captain's briefing we walk to the dock
and board Layla, a 50-foot Kauai made catamaran. This is Holo Holo's five-hour Nāpali Coast snorkel and sailing tour and it's the only
other excursion i booked this trip.
First up we snorkel at a coral
reef not far from the dock. The water was cold, but not
behind the waterfall cold. The company provides snorkeling equipment
and the crew outfits passengers. With little wind and calm seas the sails
stay down as we power up the Nāpali Coast. Making good time, we reach the end of
the sea cliffs before turning back. Time for lunch: sandwiches, veggies, a
bit of pasta and drinks of your choice. The cruise also offers a continental breakfast.
As we make our way back down the coast our focus turns to whales.
And on this near perfect day
we spot a mother and calf in the distance and then more whales. With a little encouragement
from Van Halen they give us a show. Make sure you bring binoculars or a zoom lens. You don't
want to miss out on a close-up look. I popped a few Dramamine the night before and morning of
this ocean outing. A few people spent most of the cruise leaning over the back of the boat. Here's
a tip: make sure you pack Dramamine or Bonine. You can burn too much time searching Hawaii
stores for it the night before it's needed. If you never get motion sick don't risk it on
the Pacific Ocean during your Hawaiian vacation.
Like yesterday's waterfall hike this was
a wonderful way to spend the first half of a Kauai day. The catamaran was sleek and fast,
the crew informative and fun, the food was good, the arrival directions clear. Just a
great experience all the way around. [Music] You guys want to see a Pterodactyl? Thank you. The second part of my final day I follow the South
Shore's Eucalyptus Tree Tunnel to Old Kaloa Town. A bit of time travel to Hawaii's plantation past. i spent some time in the shops and ate more
than my fair share at two easy-to-find food truck villages. [Music] Keeping with the
theme, I head back to Kapa'a and peruse one of the many farmers markets on the island,
There's one somewhere just about every day. And what's Hawaii without an Elvis tune? [Music] A free hula show at Coconut Marketplace was the
perfect way to wind down a spectacular last day on the island. The shopping center has a supermarket
sized ABC Store and several restaurants, all walkable for me. My Islander Airbnb is just yards
away. I spent some time exploring the Islander: photographing flowers and trees and enjoying some
down time on my own backyard beach.
[Music] Of course there is no way my last night wouldn't
feature another Lava Lava Beach Club meal. [Music] So you see it can be done. You can see a
lot on Kauai in just three days. This was my itinerary. It's what I found interesting, what
I thought I could accomplish. Do your research, read reviews and then see Kauai. It will
change the way you see every place else. Aloha! [Music].
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