Since leaving Maui, Hawaii in 2019, I knew I wanted to return as soon as possible and visit Kauai, an island for hikers and adventure seekers. Photos of the famous Napali coast and an easy check on my “100 places to see” poster locked in my decision to visit this island next. With the state of the pandemic, we felt comfortable visiting Hawaii given that it’s domestic, has the lowest cases in the country, and enforces strict pre-test requirements. Not to mention, most dining and activities are outdoors and we were fully vaccinated by the time of our trip.

Friday, May 7, 2021

The airport was reasonably busy and we had an extra step to check-in. We presented our negative covid tests taken 72 hours prior to the flight to get pre-clearance to skip the 10-day quarantine upon landing. Everything went according to plan — tested at the right time, prompt return of our tests, and we were negative. It was a bit stressful but a necessary step to ensure safety. 

The flight was pretty similar to pre-covid except for masks and individual drinks, so small bottles of water and mini pop cans. After our 6-hour flight, we made it to Kauai! I was nervous about the car rental since I read about shortages due to the covid shutdown in 2020. But it was a smooth process and we even got a free upgrade to a Mustang convertible! 

The night also ended with a two-bedroom upgrade at the Wyndham Bali Hali Resort. Not that we needed the extra bed, but an extra bathroom meant Chi and I wouldn’t need to compete for the first shower after a long day of exploring. 

Saturday, May 8, 2021

It was our first day in Kauai and we drove to Hanalei Bread Company for breakfast. Our breakfast sandwiches were delicious. We dined on the outdoor benches where the weather was warm and sunny. It felt so nice and after a year of limited roadtrip travel, this was a welcomed exotic treat. 

Afterwards, we ventured to Tunnels Beach. We parked near Haena Beach park and walked to a swimmable spot. It was a great beach with a scenic view of the mountain landscape. There was some snorkeling but I just enjoyed soaking in the sun, floating in the sea and taking in the tropical beach vibe.

We grabbed lunch back in Hanalei at Pat’s Taqueria food truck. It was good and we enjoyed our tacos with a beautiful view from the Hanalei Pier.

Then we went back to Hanalei town for some fresh juice from Aloha Juice Bar and shave ice from Wishing Well. The shave ice wasn’t as good as Ululani’s from Maui but refreshing nonetheless. We wandered the town and checked out the shops before hitting up Hanalei Bay. But surprisingly, the beach at the bay was not as nice as the pier so we moved there instead. We met up with my coworker friend, Sarah, and her travel companions. They were coincidently traveling at the same time and even the same hotel.

Upon sunset, we grabbed dinner from Chicken in a Barrel. The chicken was smoky and tender. We went back to our hotel and called it a day after that. 

Sunday, May 9, 2021

We woke up early to start hiking a tiny piece of the Kalalau Trail —a famous world-class hike that is 22 miles round-trip. We only hiked 4 miles in and out but got a good glimpse and sample of the coast. We even saw a family of dolphins swimming along the coast!

Getting to our turnaround point of Hanakapi’ai Beach was surprisingly rugged and hard! The two miles in was kicking our butt but it was a nice change of scenery from our usual PNW hikes. The beach wasn’t swimmable but a good spot to have lunch. 

We contemplated hiking an extra 4 miles to the Hanakapi’ai Falls but we were pretty tired and didn’t want to work harder. The photos of the falls also didn’t convince me otherwise either. On our way back, we rested at Ke’e Beach at the trailhead. This was swimmable and refreshing to cool off from the tiring hike back. 

For dinner, we went to the Princeville Night Market. There were a few artisans but not many food options. I picked a food truck, Kickshaws and we waited a long time for our food. I wasn’t expecting much but WOW! It was worth the wait. My duck breast sandwich was fantastic and one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had! There were chunks of duck meat paired with umami sautéed mushrooms, creamy thyme aioli, gooey cheese sauce, and sautéed spinach. Chi’s wagyu steak sandwich was pretty good too and he loved it. I was so pleasantly surprised with the unique flavors and it’s been a while since I’ve been impressed with a meal. We finished the night with ice cream from Lappert’s Hawaii. They feature signature flavors that are Hawaiian-inspired like coconut, pineapple, macadamia nut, and more.

Monday, May 10, 2021

It was a “relax at the beach” kind of day. I had breakfast from a cute cafe, Java Kai and we grabbed takeout lunch from Kilauea Cafe & Market. This gourmet market was very stylish. 

We drove to Anini Beach, a shallow snorkel beach. Without a doubt, it was our favorite beach in Hawaii to date. We had a private shady spot and there was plenty to see with our snorkels without wild waves or intimidating depths. We had other beaches on the list to explore but we didn’t even bother because we didn’t want to leave!

Finally nearing dinnertime, we went back to freshen up and had dinner at Kilauea Fish Market. My grilled fish was nice but nothing too impressive. 

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

We started the morning with a 3.7-mile hike up Sleeping Giant (West). Somehow this moderate trail kicked out butts! Maybe we’re just out of shape or it was the heat, but I was so exhausted.

Unfortunately, we never made it all the way to the top for the 360-views. We turned around to ensure we’d be on time for our helicopter ride. Thankfully, the hike did have rewarding views along the way. 

We ate quickly at Kenji Burger, a place visited by Guy Fieri. It was a very good burger and I really enjoyed their nori teriyaki fries. 

We checked into our helicopter flight and drove to the helipad for take-off. Our pilot was Noah and our red helicopter had no doors. This meant a very windy ride — so windy that you could barely hold your hand against the wind inside the door. But takeoff was gentle and smooth. 

The views were beautiful. We flew over Waimea Canyon, saw Jurassic Falls, and then soared over towards the famous Napali Coast.

My jaw dropped as soon as we turned the corner to see the coast. I’ve seen other people’s photos and videos but seeing it in person was breathtaking. It was stunning and definitely the best part of the helicopter ride.  

Our 1-hour tour ended pretty quick and we both loved it. While it’s an expensive activity, it is a must-do once in a lifetime and well worth the scenic views.

Our landing was as gentle as takeoff but we had to wait 5 minutes before exiting to ensure the blades came to a complete stop. Chi already wants another ride and I felt very fortunate for beautiful perfect weather, especially since the past few days were cloudy and rainy. 

We shared our joyous emotions and treated ourselves to shave ice from Wailua Shave Ice. It was good and probably the best in Kauai I tried but still incomparable to Ululani’s in Maui.

We also switched our north shore hotel to a south shore resort, the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort. This 5-star resort was a treat paid for by travel points and served our pent-up resort needs. The room was nice but nothing special but the lobby, pool, and grounds were remarkable.

We also celebrated with our first fancy dinner in a while at Keoki’s Paradise. The interior decor was on point and the food was way better than I expected. It was almost as good as Mama’s Fish House in Maui but slightly less expensive. We also splurged on the crab-legs add-on and the huge meat was delicious. 

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

We started our morning with a coffee from our resort while enjoying the beautiful beach views and garden grounds. I can’t express how wonderful it felt to enjoy a tropical vacation again.

We laid around and dipped in the pool, one of the largest and most beautiful I’ve ever seen. We even slid down the water slide numerous times and floated in the lazy river. 

For lunch, we grabbed shaved ice from Waikomo and packed a taco lunch from Da Crack to bring to the Waimea Canyon Lookout. But first, we stopped to explore a red dirt waterfall. 

The Waimea canyon lookout was spectacular and it was a perfect spot for lunch. We continued stopping at various lookouts along the way to gawk at the beautiful views.

Kalalau Lookout was the most special since you could see the Napali Coast and the unique cliffs. I was considering hiking the Kalepa trail but was discouraged when a fellow hiker told us how steep and dangerous it is. We’ve gotten our butts kicked already with “moderate” hikes so I can’t image how tough this expert-rated one is. 

Instead, we headed to Pihea trail for an easier and shorter hike to view the jagged peaks. The first 0.5 miles were fun, easy, and had rewarding views but we couldn’t reach the 1-mile viewpoint due to slick muddy climbs. Yet again, we turned back. Returning hikers also told us the viewpoint is covered in fog so the endpoint wouldn’t even be worth the effort.  

We stopped one final time at Kalalau lookout to enjoy the peaks at golden hour. Then we raced down to Grandma’s Japanese Kitchen with high hopes for a great meal… but our ramen and chicken teriyaki was lackluster. 

Thursday, May 13, 2021

We started our day with Hawaiian breakfast at Onuenue Cafe.  My coconut french toast was a nice twist. After we hit the saltwater beach pool. This downtime was perfect in between our adventures. 

Before we knew it, it was time for our Napali Coast tour. It was a choppy journey to the coast but definitely worth it. The views from the boat were as stunning as from the helicopter.

But the unique experience was venturing into different sea caves. Waiahuakua cave is on my bucket list poster so it felt great to check that one-off. 

We even had a short moment when dolphins swam alongside us on the ride back, and that was magical! They were so playful and now I want to try swimming with them.

We finished the night with takeout from Chicken in a Barrel. They ran out of chicken, so instead, we had pizza and ribs.

Friday, May 14, 2021  

We started this day with great coffee and an excellent açaí bowl from Little Fish Coffee. The bowl was refreshing and perfect for a morning in Hawaii.  

After breakfast, we picked an easier hike to ensure we’d finish it. The Maha’ulepu hike was 4-miles and rated “easy”. The hike was a gentle walk along the coast of our hotel. 

Once we got back to the hotel, we jumped into the pool to cool off. We then freshen up and then used the free bikes provided by our resort to get to the most popular beach on the south shore, Poipu. 

We had lunch at PukaDog, a Hawaiian hotdog joint. They had unique tropical relishes like mango, coconut, or starfruit and you pair it with homemade passion fruit mustard. Different but it was pretty tasty! The bun uniquely doesn’t wrap around your sausage, like your traditional bun but is a tube so your sausage slips inside! This way, your sauce doesn’t spill and ooze all over your hands. 

Poipu Beach was packed! And it wasn’t that nice compared to the north beaches. Spoiled by Anini and Tunnels beach, we decided to skip it. We kept our distance and head back to our lavish hotel pool instead. 

That night, we had a fancy dinner at Tidepools, the scenic seafood restaurant at the Grand Hyatt. Chi and I both ordered the Hawaiian Catch; scallops, shrimp, lobster, and fish. It was great but I think we both preferred the meal at Keoki’s more. 

We had ice cream once again at Lappert’s because we’re on vacation!  We packed our luggage and took a late-night dip in the hot tub. Chi wanted it to rain because he’s never experienced a hot tub in the rain before. His wish came true when it started to pour for short period.  

Saturday, May 16, 2021

It was our last morning in Hawaii and I had to get another açaí bowl from Little Fish Coffee. We spent more time at the pool before wandering to a cute boutique market called Warehouse 3540.

Then, we visited some waterfalls on the east coast. Wailua and Opaeka’a falls were nice but nothing too impressive. 

We had lunch at Saimin Dojo. Their Hawaiian ramen was quite good and I did like their chicken on rice. We also wandered “Old Koloa Town” a bit to kill some time. And finally, we stopped by Sprouting Horn to look at some blowholes. We even saw a seal. “Man, that’s a big turtle…wait! That’s a seal!”

We didn’t have anything else planned, so headed back to the hotel to take a nap and lounge by the pool. We freshen up with their hospitality lounge and then headed towards the airport for dinner. We should have arrived earlier but ran out of time to get a dining room table at Duke’s. Instead, we ate takeout next to Kalapaki beach, underneath string lights. 

The airport was uncomfortably packed but we made it home safe and sound. Until next time, where I’m certain we’ll be heading to Oahu or Big Island. I’m already daydreaming to revisit again and wouldn’t be surprised if that ends up being next year. 

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Kauai lives up to its reputation for being more adventurous and the garden isle. It is perfect for hikers and has some really tough trails. The weather changed on the dime and every day we had some sprinkles of rain but also saw many rainbows. Luckily, the weather didn’t impact our plans at all. It’s hard to compare it to Maui, as Maui had memorable snorkeling, delicious food and the great Road to Hana stops. But the most unique beauty of Kauai was undoubtedly the Napali Coast.