Kauai's Wonders: Our Family's Island-Wide Adventure

Our amazing view from our balcony at Waipouli Beach Resort.

Kauai, often called the "Garden Isle," is truly a gem. As the oldest and northernmost island in the Hawaiian chain, it's known for its dramatic, breathtaking landscapes. The island can boast the mighty cliffs of the Na Pali Coast and the spectacular views of Waimea Canyon, which is often nicknamed the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific." The entire island is just bursting with lush, green beauty! Kauai truly was the perfect mix of adventure and relaxation, and it gave us all those special experiences we were hoping for.

We chose Kauai for our trip back in May of 2022 with my husband's family because it was the perfect fit for everyone who wanted to check Hawaii off their bucket list. Some of the family had already been to the larger, more bustling Hawaiian islands, so we wanted to find something a little different. We were looking for a uncrowded place where we could all find something we loved—whether that was exploring nature, unwinding on beautiful beaches, experiencing unique Hawaiian culture, or just finding a cozy spot to stay where we could all be together. Our travel agent, Phil, from Red Wolf Travel, helped us find just that.

He helped arrange a stay at the beautiful Waipouli Beach Resort. The resort offered apartment style accommodations, which gave us the ability to have a spot for the families with younger children to stay, and then another spot for those not needing to go to bed by 8:30 pm. It also allowed for us to prepare some of our meals to avoid eating every meal out. At the time I was experiencing some strange health issues that impacted my diet, so this was especially important for me. The resort was beach front, had an onsite spa, and had a fun pool area. There was also some onsite dining, but unfortunately it was only open part time for our trip because the island was still recovering from the effects of COVID.

World Atlas Map Hawaii

Our Itinerary:

Day 1: Aloha! We arrived in Kauai mid afternoon. We used the evening to settle in and explore the Resort.

Day 2: Our first morning on the island started bright and early—or should I say, dark and early! Thanks to a bit of jet lag, my little family was up at 3:00 a.m. We decided to make the most of it and took an adventure across the street to the 24-hour Safeway to stock up on groceries.

Later that morning, we picked up our rental car through Turo. We knew we had a lot of exciting activities planned for the rest of the week, so we decided to dedicate this day to pure relaxation. The resort's pool area was a little slice of paradise. It was so spacious that even with other guests around, it felt like we had the place all to ourselves. The kids loved the fun slides and the sandy beach area, and the hot tubs were a perfect way for everyone to unwind. It was exactly what we needed to kick off our vacation. My husbands brothers alternatively used this day to go golfing at a nearby course. That evening we all went out for some famous Hawaiian shave ice- yum!

We LOVED being right on the beach.

Day 3: My husband and I try to get in a hike wherever we travel, so we took a little time for ourselves that morning. We snuck away while the family was with the grandkids to enjoy the peaceful Sleeping Giant (Nounou East) Trailhead. The hike felt like a serene escape, winding through a beautiful forest and rewarding us with breathtaking, panoramic views of the ocean at the end.

In the afternoon, we all joined a wonderful boat tour by the Smith's Family down the Wailua River, which holds the unique distinction of being the only navigable river in all of Hawaii. As we cruised down the river, we made our way to the one-of-a-kind Fern Grotto and were treated to a lovely hula performance right in the middle of the rainforest. It was a truly magical experience.

The grand finale for the day was attending the famous Smith's Family Garden Luau. After the boat tour, we returned to the stunning property and had a chance to walk through their beautiful gardens. We also watched a traditional imu ceremony, where a pig was lowered into the ground to be roasted. Dinner was an absolute feast, served buffet-style with a bounty of traditional Hawaiian fare to choose from. After our meal, we made our way to the stage area to enjoy an incredible show of Hawaiian hula, lively Tahitian drumming, and the exciting Samoan fire knife dancers. It was a perfect, touristy- yet essential experience that truly captured the spirit of the island.

Day 4: As I mentioned we all love to hike, but it wasn't an appropriate activity for the whole family. Half of the family split off for a guided hike and kayak trip through Wailua River State Park with Wailua Kayak & Canoe tour company. I took Grandma and the kids on my own sightseeing tour! We packed up the kids, and a picnic lunch for them, and headed off to grab poke takeout for Grandma and me to enjoy later from the Koloa Fish Market. On our drive to Spouting Horn Park, a scenic lookout with a natural blowhole in the rocky coastline- or a geyser as my son called it, we got to drive through the famous tree tunnel on Maluhia Rd. We had our lunch by the ocean, surrounded by the famous wild chickens of Kauai. It was magical! I am also happy to report that our Poke was fresh and delicious!

Trekking through Wailua River State Park with Wailua Kayak & Canoe tour company.

That afternoon the family was meeting up for a special event we had planned for the kids- a ride on a real train at the Kauai Plantation Railway. It was an enjoyable 40 minute ride that gave us some history of the island and the 105 acre farm. It was here we were introduced to Kauai's feral pigs, descended from animals brought by Polynesian voyagers, which are both a traditional food source and a nuisance. They can be hunted for sustenance, but their destructive foraging habits threaten native ecosystems and farms. The pig population is managed through various ways. We got to stop and feed the trapped pigs on the plantation property during our ride. There was a lot more to do on site! They had a rum distillery, a neat giftshop, a Luau experience, and a restaurant. So you could spend most of a day here with proper planning.

For dinner we split off. The extended family had booked a private chef to cook dinner that night at the resort. We felt that our active kiddos and my diet called for a more casual experience. So we picked a local hole in the wall for dinner to try some famous loco moco and other Hawaiian favorites. We grabbed takeout from Smiley's Local Grids to take to Lydgate Beach Park. The park had an amazing playground for the kids, lots of areas to picnic with a lovely pacific view, a dedicated area for safe swimming, and a lovely beach. It was the perfect low stress evening with fantastic weather!

Day 5: It is impossible to pick a favorite day of our vacation, but this day is pretty high on my list. Just a short half hour drive away from our resort- we went to tour the Makauwahi Cave Reserve, which unfortunately no longer has funding to operate as of 2025. The reserve features a 1/2 mile trail down to Hawaii`s largest limestone cave, a thriving fossil site, and preserved archaeological sites. They were also planting native plants on site in a protected area where you could see huge tortoises. Near this area we found what felt like our own secret beach. We followed a path and a lovely flowing stream down to a slice of paradise. There was only one other family on the whole beach! My kids had the best time playing in the cool, beautiful stream.

From there we drove a short distance to Mahaʻulepū Heritage Trail. This trail follows the breathtakingly beautiful coast for about 4 miles between Shipwreck Beach and Mahaulepu Beach. We thought we were going to hike the whole thing, but we turned around after about a mile. It was VERY narrow in certain parts. My kids were making me so nervous! One wrong step and you are tumbling down a rocky cliff into the ocean, haha! I would love to go back and finish it one day.

After our semi-failed hike we decided an early lunch was in order. So we took a short drive over to Poipu Beach Park for lunch and a playground stop. I had done a lot of research for our trip, which of course included food. The Puka Dog was on many lists I found of must try Kauai foods. Apparently other people had read that too. The line was WRAPPED AROUND the Puka Dog Hawaiian Style Hot Dogs restaurant. This was probably the most crowded place we went our entire trip. So my husband stood in line while I let the kids play at the park across the street. We were soon dining on the most unique delicious hot dogs we had ever had, with amazingly fresh lemonade. Puka means hole- which they make in the center of a freshly-baked bun. You then get to pick a sauce along with a selection of one of six unique relishes for your dog that goes in the middle of the bun. The dog is then topped with Aunty Lilikoi's passion fruit mustard if you wish- which is Ah-mazing. For our next planned foodie stop we ventured over to The Shops at Kukui‘ula for coffee and ice cream at Lappert's Hawaii. We loved everything so much that we found another location and took the whole family the following day.

To top off our fantastic day we had fancy dinner reservations for the whole family at Hukilau Kauai. While it was a very nice restaurant, it didn't feel stuffy and we felt okay about the 3 kids in our party being there. They had a wonderful, varied menu that we all could enjoy. After our 5 star meal we went outside to enjoy the property. The restaurant was at a nearby beachfront resort. We played giant tic-tac-toe and connect 4, Shuffleboard, and hung out listening to the peaceful sounds of the ocean crashing on the shore. Sometimes it's just the simple things in life y'all that make the best trip.

Day 6: Another one of my favorite days- this day was full of unique experiences and exploration. The whole family packed up and headed to the North end of Kauai to enjoy Hanalei Beach. Along the way we got to experience driving over the one lane Hanalei bridge. This beach was on our must visit list because it is considered one of the best on the northern shores of the island and for it's unique location in a calm bay with scenic mountain views. The beach park had showers, which made cleaning up for the rest of our day a breeze. Parking was the only challenge. This was the most crowded beach we visited during our stay. So if you are going- go early!

Our next stop was a prebooked experience at Hole in the Mountain Farm, a iconic grower of the Kauai Sugarloaf Pineapple. But on the way we made a quick detour over to the picturesque Kīlauea Lighthouse. The lighthouse holds historic significance on the island; it is a great spot to see wildlife and was even featured in the movie Lilo & Stitch. We were hoping to the see seals we had heard about our whole trip, but alas, we did not. On our farm tour, we saw pineapples in every stage of their life. We all got to harvest a pineapple to take home. We even got to plant some pineapple and taste fresh, juicy Kauai Sugarloaf Pineapple right from the field! The tour wrapped up with a treat of famous Paulie's Pineapple Phrosty, a refreshing frozen treat made with 100% Kauai Sugarloaf Pineapple. If you are going, prepare to get dirty!

Some notable food stops of our day were our morning coffee from Positive Coffee food truck, the Lappert's Hawaii location in Princeville, and our casual but fantastic dinner at Tiki Tacos. Their homemade blue corn tortillas were amazing!

Day 7: My family's goal was to see and experience as much of Kauai as we could, so of course we had another full day planned on our last day! My in-laws split off to do a helicopter tour of the magnificent landscapes and coastline of Kauai. While we were going to do the same thing, but in a more stable way for this motion sensitive person. We headed off for a road trip to see the 19 mile scenic Waimea Canyon driving trail on the western side of the island. The start of the trail was about an hour from our resort- so not a bad drive at all. That's one of the best things about Kauai- you can see as much of the island as you want to see pretty quickly on your own terms. This drive truly yielded awe-inspiring scenes for the whole family. We stopped at several lookouts along the way, and walked a few of the short family friendly trails too.

On the way home we made a pit stop in the town of Hanapepe, where the movie Lilo & Stitch got some of it's inspiration for the town featured in the movie. We walked around and visited the small, quaint shops and even got to walk across the Hanapepe Swinging Bridge.

Our trip ended on a high note. We finally saw the seals everyone had been talking about, right on our resort's beach. After one last dip in the pool, we let the kids play on the beach before saying goodnight to a memories of a trip we'll cherish forever. <3

Now that you've seen what Kauai, Hawaii has to offer, are you ready to go? Planning a trip can be a lot of work, but it doesn't have to be. Let me help you put together the perfect itinerary for your trip so your only job is to enjoy paradise. Aloha!

As an added bonus- Enjoy this "wet sand" tutorial with views of the resorts beach : )