Full of outdoor adventure, Kauai is the oldest of the major Hawaiian islands. Visiting much of the island will require enrolling in tours.

How long to stay?

Jenn and I (along with family) visited the island of Kauai over New Years Eve years ago. That was a massive seven night stay on the island. Part of the reason we were there for so long was simply to take in the sites at a slow pace. Jenn had always recalled loving the island (when she took a cruise of the Hawaiian islands) and so we wanted a memorable trip together.

As with many Hawaiian islands, I’d suggest coming here for around five nights or so if it’s your first time. While Kauai has great beaches and a bit of island feel to it, there’s a big difference between this island and the others. The island feels rather privatized without that public go-where-you-want experience. That might turn off some, as you might be forced to pay for tours to see more of the island. Still, the ecosystem is more unique relative to the rest of Hawaii and it’s worth a visit.

Oh, and a bit of fair warning. There are tons of chickens on this island. You’ll find them wandering pretty much everywhere. But they seem to forget what time of day it is when they decide it’s time to cock-a-doodle-doo. So if you’re trying to take a nap, you might want to close your windows.

What we did in Kauai

Waimea Canyon Lookout

Waimea Canyon is a state park on Kauai that offers what every other Hawaiian island can’t provide: an actual canyon! It’s a rather impressive view that allows you to get up close and personal… just watch your step. The drive up can be a little lengthy, but you might find local vendors selling refreshments on the side of the road if you need any.

I love it when nature offers a reminder of how small we are in the grand scheme of things. The topography here is completely unlike anything else you’ll find in Hawaii. That alone makes it worth checking out. If you’re a fan of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, this one will also be pretty neat to visit (with smaller crowds).

Jack Harter Helicopters (doors off)

So this is where I’m supposed to talk about how awesome it is to fly on a helicopter with no doors and how nothing else compares to it. I mean, look at the views you get from the helicopter. They’re incredible.

You get a (potentially) private tour of the island from a well-trained pilot and tour guide. And if you have any questions, he’s more than happy to answer what you’ve got. And if you want the best seat in the house, it’s diagonally opposite the pilot (where the *ahem* heaviest passenger sits).

But if I leave it at that, I think my fellow adventurers would point out that I was a bit of a chicken. Yes, I let my travel fears get the best of me then. Flying in an airplane is one thing, but being in a doors off helicopter? I found it completely different. You feel the wind rushing by. Things (like your camera) can easily fall out if you’re not careful. There’s nothing separating you from freefall except your harness–do you trust it?

Those fears held me back and I didn’t realize I would be feeling it until we got into the sky… and I looked down. If you have a fear of heights that cripples you, you might be interested in a helicopter with doors. But if you want great pictures, doors off means no annoying glare or dirty windows in your way. So keep it in mind as you think of a helicopter experience that works for you.

Kilauea Lighthouse

All the way on the north end of the island is the Kilauea Lighthouse. You might wonder why bother come check out a lighthouse of all things. Well, the lighthouse does hold some historical significance, being in operation since 1913. And the area is considered a wildlife sanctuary with plenty of seabirds calling the area home. It’s a cute stop and well worth a visit if you happen to be driving by.

The scenery is quite beautiful from the area. As you might be able to tell from the helicopter photos above, the island is so full of greenery.

Visitors will be able to get up close and personal with the lighthouse. It has been well-maintained over the years (plus I think it’s one of the cuter lighthouses I’ve seen).

The Kaua’i Humane Shelter

Ever wanted to borrow a dog for the day? Yeah, we took a day out of our schedule to do just that. It will require signing up in advance and choosing a time slot that works for you. We also didn’t get much of a choice, but we ended up paired with a cute dog.

The humane shelter will offer up all the gear you need for your day. They also will provide guidance as to which beaches and locations are great for pets. Just make note that sometimes the locations might be hard to access depending on the car you rented or the time you have left.

As you can tell, there aren’t many others who bring dogs around the beach. So this girl ended up being quite popular and we had a blast with her. If you love dogs, you might want to consider this on your trip to the island.

Outfitters Kauai – Hidden Valley Falls

This was one of our favorite organized activities on the island. Unfortunately, I was a dummy and didn’t take photos to remember the adventure. It combines a kayak adventure along a river with some fun exploration on shore. As you move along, your tour guide will point out where popular movies have filmed.

It’s something that you won’t be able to explore on your own, which is our general guidance for exploring Kauai. For places that are publicly accessible, explore them on your own. But for places you can’t get to on your own (private property), go with a tour.

This journey requires a minimal amount of upper body strength. And while they warned to bring bug spray, we didn’t notice any problems when we were here in December. We definitely recommend this one!

NYE party at Poipu Beach

In case you’re curious about where the party is normally held, it’s at Poipu Beach. For those not really up on their Kauai geography, it’s pretty close to the Grand Hyatt Kauai. As you might imagine, it can get crowded as the night drags on. There typically are fireworks visible off the coast, so it’s easy to get a great view if you’re in the area. Generally speaking, there are a few food trucks to feed the masses, but with so many in the area, there might be a wait to get food.

Where we ate in Kauai

Some of the places no longer exist from when we went before, so we’ll only emphasize the more memorable meals we had that still exist.

Grand Hyatt Kauai Luau

Perhaps one of the most popular types of meals in Hawaii is going to a luau. The food was decent, but not one of the best we’ve been to before (we particularly liked the luau at the Andaz Maui). We’ve heard it’s one of the better options on the island, but can’t speak to the accuracy of that statement.

But this one ended up marred in our minds for an unfortunate reason. Ever want to know what happens to a luau when it rains? Everything gets moved indoors. And thus the beautiful Hawaiian atmosphere gives way to a large conference room. The problem with luaus is that you generally need to book well in advance to guarantee yourself a meal. But if the weather shows a potential for problems, the mood changes significantly. As a result of the weather, this ended up being the worst luau we’ve been to.

Da Crack Mexican Grinds

Delicious Mexican food on Kauai. Yes, you can debate whether or not it’s worth it to eat Mexican food thousands of miles away from Mexico, but we loved it. It’s a hole-in-the-wall kind of restaurant (typical for Hawaii), so don’t expect anything fancy. The waits can get lengthy depending on the time of day you come here. We’d thus recommend coming off-hours to avoid the crowds. When you get tired of Hawaiian food, this offers a great change of pace.

Where we stayed in Kauai

Grand Hyatt Kauai

This is a huge property, one of the biggest (if not the biggest) on the island. There’s a fair chance that if you’re reading this, you might be staying at the property. It’s a pretty decent hotel in Hawaii–not the fanciest but good enough to be a comfortable place to stay. However, with all things Hawaii these days, expect a hefty price for the stay. The property is now a Category 8 hotel, where free nights will cost you 35,000-45,000 Hyatt points/night. And that feels very much overpriced.

The property has that feel that I expect of all Hawaiian resorts. You need to be able to stand in the lobby and look out to the ocean in the distance. If your Hawaiian resort doesn’t have that, I’m not sure it could be considered a real Hawaiian resort.

If you have Globalist status, are there on a Guest of Honor stay, or otherwise have access to the club, it is a good one. There are some good breakfast options–especially the local fruit–and the evening spread is big enough that you could make a dinner out of it. You might feel tempted to offset the high price of staying here.

Still, the Grand Hyatt Kauai is good, but it felt more of a slam dunk at Category 7 than it does at 8.

Which Hawaiian island is your favorite?

Suggested reading:

• Other destinations we’ve visited
• Plenty of Aloha: Review of the Andaz Maui at Wailea
• Why I Like World of Hyatt