Uncategorized over 12 years ago by Liz Adams

Happy Weekend


Happy Weekend indeed! This week was a doozy, but tomorrow I am off to Hawaii for a long week of basking in the sun, fresh seafood, dips in the ocean, and gorgeous views. I know I asked before, but if any of you have recommendations for the island of Kaua’i, I am all ears {I’d love to be able to revert back to this post!}. S&S will be full of content next week and I’ll be sharing some photos of my trip on instagram. Until then, have a great weekend! 
A quick note: I am staying near Hanalei, if that helps your suggestions! How is the weather?

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  1. I have been going to Kauai twice a year since I was born so I have plenty of recommendations for you! It depends on where you are staying on the island but here are my favorites:

    -Go to Hanalei. It’s a small beach town on the North side with great little shops, restaurants, and a beautiful beach. Start at one end of the beach (it’s a horshoe shape) and walk to the opposite side. Great people watching and always a stunning view.
    -Poipu beach is my all-time favorite. Touristy for sure but always sunny and amazing people watching/laying out spot!
    -My absolute must: Go to Lappert’s Ice Cream. Better than any ice cream I’ve ever had in my life and is authentic to the island. (coffee is my favorite flavor)
    -The best restaurant on the island is a tapas + sangria place called Josselins. Go! So amazing and such a fun atmosphere!

    hope that helps just a little!

  2. oooo so jealous girl, kauai is my favorite!

    – we stayed at the grant hyatt which was really wonderful.
    – you MUST go hiking if the weather is good. the best hiking is on the north part of the island, however when we were there it was rainy {on that part of the island} basically the entire time so we weren’t able to do it. i have read it is some of the best hiking in the world!
    – moloaa bay is the beach where they filmed the opening of gilligan’s island. it is super rustic and private…we brought a picnic there and it was lovely.
    – hanalei is the cutest little town ever.

    have fun liz!

  3. I agree with Katie’s comments at the top. If you are staying on Poipu and need a good quick lunch spot, Puka Dogs is a must! You should also try to take a trip to see the Na Pali coast (a MUST DO in Kauai). The water is too rough now to take boats so I suggest taking a helicopter tour. You can also take a trip to Waimea Canyon(grand canyon of Hawaii). Take the road all the way to the top for an amazing view of the Na Pali coast. If you are staying at a house or time share, I suggest getting groceries from Costco. I know this is the last place you want to be in Hawaii but the grocery stores aren’t great and are too expensive. If you are into horseback riding, make a day of it on the north shore. I would also highly recommend sunset catamaran trips out of the Poipu area, they are excellent. There’s also some cool hidden waterfalls, ask locals and if they are nice they’ll point you in the right direction. Lastly, take a guided kayak tour up the Wailua River to the waterfalls, you won’t regret it!

  4. You will have the most amazing time in Kauai! Hanalei is gorgeous and while you’re in that area, you have to take a boat tour of the Napali Coast and check out Princeville. Luckily, Kauai is pretty small, so even though you’re on the north point of the island, you can get to the bottom in a few hours. The drive is really lovely because it’s pretty underdeveloped so you get to see lots of greenery, crops, roadside stands, etc. If you get to Poipu, at the southernmost point, it’s wonderful for a cute little town and beautiful boat trips, and is closer to Waimea Canyon, which is a must see. And eat lots of Lappert’s Ice Cream…you won’t regret it 😉

  5. I second the recommendation to have a Puka Dog (I had seen them on the food network and wanted to try.) Hot dogs with a Hawaiian flair. But my favorite food in Kauai was Shrimp Station – a roadside stand that serves, big surprise, Shrimp! They have a few different types of shrimp, but our favorite hands down was the coconut shrimp. We still talk about it years later. I think we went 3 times on our trip, even though it was a 30 min drive.

  6. We went to Kauai for our honeymoon! Its the best island! Definitely go to Josselin’s. It was so good, we cancelled reservations elsewhere and went back twice! Also, go to the St. Regis in Princeville for a drink and the view! Have an great time!
    Also: Jo Jo’s Shave Ice, Puka Dog, Poipu Beach

  7. I’ve probably been to Kauai at least 20 times in my life. It’s my family’s favorite spot to vacation. On the Hanalei side, definitely have lunch / drinks at the pool at the St Regis. Also go to Tropical Tacos which is a local taco stand (hole in the wall but sooo good) in Hanalei. The farmers markets in Hanalei are fabulous – there are basically farmers markets every day at different spots on the North Shore – and have organic goat cheese (unreal), coconut milk in coconuts, and the best produce you will ever consume! Also Bubba’s Burgers is a great lunch spot in Hanalei, also a hole in the wall. If you want a fancier dinner with arguably the best view on the island, go to The Beach House Restaurant which is in Poipu. Also, a visit to the Grand Hyatt in Poipu is worth the trip and has a great beach (called Shipwrecks) where you can watch (or partake) swimmers jump of the cliff into the ocean. I’ve done the Na Pali snorkeling tour many times and if it’s your first trip to Kauai, I highly recommend (the morning tour definitely because the afternoon version is really rough and many people get sea sick). Have fun!

  8. Watch the sunset in Key Beach with a fresh cut coconut. Take the sunset cruise around the Na Pali coast. Snorkel in Princeville (the most recent time we went, my husband and I di so with 5-6 sea turtles). And Hanalei is the PERFECT PLACE to try paddleboarding. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

  9. Liz! Chris and I returned from Kauai on Wednesday–such a small world! We stayed at the St. Regis in the north shore and it was an absolute dream. Definitely go for a drink at sunset. It is super close to Hanalei which was my favorite part of the island. Go to Hanalei Coffee Roasters for their Kona roast and waffle. We also loved Postcards and the Dolphin for dinner. The weather changed a lot during the day but the afternoons were always gorgeous in the north shore. Also, we hiked to Hanakapi’ai Falls and it was breathtaking. Hope this helps and instragram pictures so I can dream about being back! Have fun!

  10. I love Kauai! Here are some of my favorite spots on the island.

    Hanalei
    -Had a great dinner at BarAcuda Tapas (make reservations)
    -Hanalei Coffee Roasters for delicious waffles and coffee
    -Postcard Cafe
    -Ojas for beautiful jewelry and hand blown glass (attached to Hanalei dolphin center)
    -Kalalau trail at the end of Kuhio highway

    Princeville
    -Princeville Wine Market
    -Lappert’s Ice cream

    Kapaa
    -Rainbow Living Foods for raw food and smoothies.
    -The Fish Hut for great fish tacos and tuna burgers.

    Lihue
    -Just a few minutes from the airport, The Feral Pig is a low key bar and restaurant. Order the feral pig burger (it is not listed the menu) and a housemade ginger lemonade. They also have a nice selection of Hawaiian beers.

    Poipu
    -Make reservations at Beach House Restaurant and enjoy a beautiful sunset over dinner. Definitely recommend the poke starter and the scallops.
    -Sprouting Horn blowhole just past Beach House Restaurant on Lawai rd.
    -National Botanical Gardens across from sprouting horn
    *Roy’s, Dondero’s, and Plantation Gardens are all good dinner options

    Dont forget to visit Waimae canyon and Koke’e state park for amazing views. Enjoy Kauai!