Recs for Kauai next week?

[mangobanana]

DH and I are headed to Kauai for Thanksgiving. We've got a place to stay and a car booked, but no other plans yet. This is our first time visiting Kauai - We really liked Maui, especially the road to Hana (which seems to be a love it or hate it kind of thing!).

We're trying to keep the trip fairly low-budget since we already took a big trip earlier this year. Planning on a mix of active stuff, like hiking and snorkeling, and relaxing. Any suggestions for places we should check out, activities to look into, or restaurants to try? TIA!

[keweenawlove]

We were just there last spring. There's a lot of free/cheap stuff to keep you busy there. The condo we stayed at had snorkel gear which was awesome. We would have just rented it for the week if they hadn't had them since there's a lot off reefs right off the beaches to snorkel on. We liked Tunnels and Hideaways the best.

The Na Pali Coast hike was well worth it. We made it to the Hanakapi'ai Falls. We also hiked to the bottom of the Waimea Canyon but had a guide to do that.

For relaxing, Secret Beach was our favorite beach. A little walk to get there but there was almost no one there. If you walk aways to the left when you get there, there's lava pools which we liked a lot more than Queen's Bath.

Our splurges we the Na Pali Coast catamaran tour and hiring a private hiking guide to take us off the beaten path. We were glad we did both.

Ditto PP on the taco stands. Tiki Tacos in Kapa'a was amazing. We had our last dinner at the Beach House which was great for a sunset dinner. We had a full kitchen so a couple nights, we just hit up the farmers markets and fish markets to cool our own dinners.

[mangobanana]

Sounds like the Na Pali coast hike, Waimea Canyon, and the taco stands are must-dos! I think a boat trip to see the coast from the water would be worth it too, but I'm not sure if the weather will be good enough right now. Has anyone done it this time of the year? Was it really choppy or okay?

I'm on the fence about a helicopter tour. It's pretty expensive and I'm guessing we'll make it back at some point. But I'm not 100% sure about that (we've tended to pick new destinations over returning to old ones), and it sounds amazing. Tough call!

[Deleted]

Plenty of free things to do on Kauai. The Kauai Trailblazer book has lots if hikes as does the blue book. Just don't go on private property and use your common sense regarding the ocean. The ocean up north might be a bit rough this time of year, but is still worth a drive by. Especially if you liked the Hana road.

Spouting horn, Poipu beach, waimea canyon, a kayak up the wailua river is super fun too, and pretty cheap. You can also rent bikes and ride up the coast just outside of Kapaa. The lighthouse is a great place for views as well.

The right slice pie co is amazing. Hamura's Saimin, poke from the fish market or even just from Safeway is great too.

Enjoy!! Kauai is a great place!

[mangobanana]

Nov 12, 2012 1:29:57 GMT -5 @sfgal530 said:

Maybe save the helicopter tour to the end and see how much you end up spending on other stuff first? Also, is your rental car part of a package? If not, do you have a Costco membership? I just rented a SUV in Maui last week and it was DIRT cheap through Costco. $190 for six days. So if your rental car isn't part of a package, I'd shop those prices around through Costco, Priceline, etc., to see if you can save even more $$$$ there. Just a thought.

Probably a good call to wait on a decision about the helicopter tour. We did get the rental car through Costco - Such a good deal!

[ashap]

findingloveinasize8shoe.blogspot.com/search/label/Hawaii

This is my blog review of Kaui/Maui with restaurants we tried and activities we really loved. If you are into hiking Kaui is great, and we found some really nice family-type restaurants on the north shore.

[orangello]

We spent a lot (like, all) of our time snorkelling at Tunnels, up near Hanalei. Great beach for relaxing, too. We missed the Waimea Canyon and the hiking up there entirely, which I'm really bummed about. But, that just means there needs to be a next time ;-)

Have fun - vacationing over Thanksgiving is the BEST! There's nothing quite like giving thanks while floating in the gorgeous ocean.

[Deleted]

The food in Kauai was underwhelming to me. Hiking and Waimea canyon are free and well worth the time and energy so I would splurge on the helicopter tour if you can and especially if you can't see the Na'Pali coast from a boat.

[sillygoosegirl]

I've heard really bad things about the boat along Na Pali this time of year. My friend went over Thanksgiving a few years ago, and I think her exact words were, "I'm sure it would have been beautiful if we hadn't all been too sick to look."

[jewel]

Nov 12, 2012 0:35:31 GMT -5 mangobanana said:

Sounds like the Na Pali coast hike, Waimea Canyon, and the taco stands are must-dos! I think a boat trip to see the coast from the water would be worth it too, but I'm not sure if the weather will be good enough right now. Has anyone done it this time of the year? Was it really choppy or okay?

We took a boat out in mid-October last year, and it was very rough. We were in a smaller boat, and that was going to be their last week of service until spring. Many of the boating companies are probably closed for the winter now.

If you do go out on a boat, I would stick to the biggest catamaran you can find. It won't be as rough as the smaller boats, but you also can't get as close to shore or in the caves as a small boat can.

The boat trip was fantastic and well worth the price, but the waters were definitely questionable. I know my husband would have been absolutely miserable under any worse conditions. I would honestly try to swing the helicopter tour. It's your best chance at seeing that Napali coast without losing your lunch.

[basilosaurus]

Nov 12, 2012 23:59:18 GMT -5 sillygoosegirl said:

I've heard really bad things about the boat along Na Pali this time of year. My friend went over Thanksgiving a few years ago, and I think her exact words were, "I'm sure it would have been beautiful if we hadn't all been too sick to look."

This is mostly luck at this time of year. I was in Kauai for a couple days last week, and it was flat calm. A few days earlier the trades were blowing hard. Even though we're heading into winter time surf, I checked the surf forecast at some of the main breaks, and they're only 2-3 ft right now. We couldn't snorkel at Tunnels this time, although I've been able to in February.

I think the others have given good advice on hikes and food. Also right before heading up to waimea canyon there's a decent shrimp shack.

There is some road construction now (isn't there always?!) so if you're planning on passing through Kapa'a and Lihue, plan on some extra travel time.