Kauai this fall

[Waterjunky]

The wife and I are planning a trip to Kauai this September. We are looking at about ten days on island with scuba being a common activity. The plan is to be there over her 40th birthday.

Suggestions for things to do, see and dive?

 

[j-rod]

what side of the island?

 

[HNL2LHC]

Waimea Valley - “Little Grand Canyon”
Napili Coast
Anini Beach
Poipu Beach
Wailuka Falls
Hanalei and Kalalau Hike - if they have the highway opened by then. If you do the trail do the whole thing.

 

[Cdog]

Some great diving with turtles there. Water is kinda colder so more fish & less corals.

Awesome local dining and family restaurants. Great place to zip line.

Enjoy!!

 

[Motor Boater]

We did the captain Andy’s catamaran sailboat tour and I loved it. The take you up the kanapali coast then sail back down south to a snorkel spot. Snorkeling was marginal but the boat was awesome, service and food was great, they start pouring beers and wine once your done snorkeling. I just liked the boat 60 foot cat

 

[Waterjunky]

we have been talking about splitting the trip in two and spending half on one side and half on the other. Still early in the planning stage.

 

[Ricks raft]

Smith family luau with river cruise. I like it better than the corporate hotel versions.

Only helicopter tour I've done on vacay. Was able to fly into the top of island volcano.
Pilot claimed fairly unusual, normally cloud covered. It is the wetest please on earth so I believed him.
Whole flight was stunning!

 

[SPFRONTMAN]

Smith family luau with river cruise. I like it better than the corporate hotel versions.

Only helicopter tour I've done on vacay. Was able to fly into the top of island volcano.
Pilot claimed fairly unusual, normally cloud covered. It is the wetest please on earth so I believed him.
Whole flight was stunning!

SMITHS

Smith family luau with river cruise. I like it better than the corporate hotel versions.

Only helicopter tour I've done on vacay. Was able to fly into the top of island volcano.
Pilot claimed fairly unusual, normally cloud covered. It is the wetest please on earth so I believed him.
Whole flight was stunning!

 

[HNL2LHC]

Smith family luau with river cruise. I like it better than the corporate hotel versions.

Only helicopter tour I've done on vacay. Was able to fly into the top of island volcano.
Pilot claimed fairly unusual, normally cloud covered. It is the wetest please on earth so I believed him.
Whole flight was stunning!

Yep, the wife has NEVER seen the top. The three times that we have tried it has been cloudy. The 4th she did not want to do it again and that day was clear as can bee. It is the wettest place on earth.

 

[C-2]

Hanalei and Kalalau Hike - if they have the highway opened by then. If you do the trail do the whole thing.

Yup, our family has a vacation home in Wainiha, and although we know the home survived the flood, we still have not been able to visit it. Two weeks ago my MIL cancelled yet another trip there, and this time ate $2K worth of airline tickets.

For those not familiar, in April 2018, it rained 49" in 24-hours in Wainiha/Hanalei, washing out many of the roads and bridges.

"Hawaiian time" to a whole new level, hopefully the road will open soon!

 

[HNL2LHC]

Yup, our family has a vacation home in Wainiha, and although we know the home survived the flood, we still have not been able to visit it. Two weeks ago my MIL cancelled yet another trip there, and this time ate $2K worth of airline tickets.

For those not familiar, in April 2018, it rained 49" in 24-hours in Wainiha/Hanalei, washing out many of the roads and bridges.

"Hawaiian time" to a whole new level, hopefully the road will open soon!

It is a bit of “Hawaiian Time” but there have been a few landslides since the original one that has delayed things. We do some work on that side of the island. There is one time in and out in the day. If you have a meeting you can plan on sitting for a few hours before you are able to get out of the area.

On Oahu we have a similar issue on the Pali Highway. They plan on being finished with the repair work in August. SO...... rather than three way over the mountain to our parents with the quickest being 20 minutes we have to go a little further and it now will take about 45 minutes to get there. Oh well what are you to do?

 

[SPFRONTMAN]

Just got back from Kauai, been many times, wife and I actually like it best out of all the islands, great weather, constant trade winds, wind was little hard on the golf shots though.
Have always stayed on the Poipu side at the Grand Hyatt, first time we stayed in the town of Lihue in a house overlooking Kalapaki Beach next to the Marriott, we were allowed to use the Marriott facilities since we were staying in this house. When we go to any of the islands, we're not into eating at expensive steak houses, we look for the hole in the wall local places where locals eat. Me and the in-law played golf m-w-f on the ocean course Marriott resort. If in Lihui, breakfast or lunch, Daddy O's next to the bowling alley, or Tip Top Cafe. Fresh homemade saiemen, Hamuras, Uncles for shaved ice, got hooked on the one that has a scoop of ice cream with chopped strawberries on the bottom.
The road just past the end of Hanalei town was closed to residence only. The news said that it should open May 1st. The residence past that blockade want it to stay for residence only to cut back on all the tourist and traffic. Check before you go if that's why you want to go to that side of the island, because traffic thru Kappa is BAD, it's always been bad, hasn't changed in 20 years that i've been going. We went knowing it was closed because the in-laws and kids have never been to Kauai and they wanted to see the town of Hanalei and Princeville.
Took the grandkids on that tube ride thru the old sugar plantation and the guides told the whole story of the rise and fall of sugar on the islands. The guide would yell BUTTS UP if it got too shallow!
Not into scuba, took the grandkids to Poipu Park for snorkeling, couldn't get them out of the water there was so many fish, seal and turtle on the beach just taking a nap. Yup, they both got sunburn even thru a long sleeve rash guard. If you go there, Brennecks Broiler across from Poipu Park for lunch. Didn't do any excursions like hiking to a water fall, I don't Hike, know where.!
Smiths as mentioned above for the Luau. That's it, that's all I got, have fun.

 

[WhatExit?]

We did the captain Andy’s catamaran sailboat tour and I loved it. The take you up the kanapali coast then sail back down south to a snorkel spot. Snorkeling was marginal but the boat was awesome, service and food was great, they start pouring beers and wine once your done snorkeling. I just liked the boat 60 foot cat

We did Captain Andy's too. Was great except for having to stand on fiberglass barefoot (no flips/shoes allowed)

 

[SCV2RVR]

We were just there in October, stayed on the North Side in Princeville. Wife and both can't wait to go back.

One place we kept finding our self's at was the Tahiti Nui which is supposedly the oldest bar on Kauai (maybe even Hawaii). Good drink, good food and very local feel.

https://thenui.com/

 

[Waterjunky]

I knew a few of you frequented the island, this is exactly the info we were looking for.

Thanks all

Any more input is welcome.
We are not sure exactly where we are going to stay just yet, we are generally not "resort" people. We usually just do something like VRBO. I generally try to eat fairly local when traveling, fancy steak houses and such are not really worth it to me as I can usually get a steak just as good or better off my own Q.

 

[stephenkatsea]

We were just there in October, stay on the North Side in Princeville. Wife and both can't wait to go back.

One place we kept finding our self's at was the Tahiti Nui which is supposedly the oldest bar on Kauai (maybe even Hawaii). Good drink, good food and very local feel.

https://thenui.com/

Tahiti Nui goes way back in our family. My parents were friends of Louise Marsten, who founded the place in the 60s. They were even invited to the wedding when Louise married Ben.