the romantic island
All of the Hawaiian Islands are unique and beautiful in their own ways, but it’s little wonder that Kaua’i tends to be the island most visited by newlywed couples, couples getting married or couples celebrating their first anniversary. My husband and I happened to fall into the latter category this past October, when I decided to surprise him with a weekend getaway to the furthest island away from us. Living on Big Island, surrounded by so much natural beauty and seemingly endless amounts of ocean access, I had decided that a little island-hop and “change of scenery” would be nice for an occasion as special as our first wedding anniversary.
For context, I had been to Kaua’i only once before for work, whereas Ian hadn’t been there since he was a teenager (a trip he barely remembered), but both of us have been enthralled by the promise of fun waves, spectacular hikes, deeply culturally significant landmarks, and stunning views that had had our friends saying “you should definitely visit” at us for years. So this past autumn, as the first anniversary of our wedding loomed ever closer, I decided to finally book the tickets we’d been promising each other we’d make since at least 2016. That’s the first thing you’ll need to know about Kaua’i - everything is much more expensive than on the other islands. The accommodations, car rentals, food, and yes, airplane tickets.
One theory I’ve heard for this bubble of extra-inflation is the fact that Kaua’i, though close to O’ahu (the shipping hub of the islands), is less densely populated than say Maui or Hawai’i Island, so the cost of bringing in supplies ends up spiking due to fewer cargo ships crossing over the Kaʻieʻie Waho Channel. You see a similar phenomenon on Moloka’i and Lāna’i, where the populations are even smaller in size. Additionally, the aforementioned channel is a brutal one to cross on the better weather days, so that could be another factor in the spiked cost of living. Lastly, the island is indeed stunning - so stunning that it inspires many (many) people to move there immediately after visiting. This jacks up the demand and cost of housing, limits housing supply, and in turn, affects the rest of the prices on the island.
This is the second thing you should definitely know about Kaua’i - as beautiful and idyllic as the island seems, it is an ancestral home for many of the Hawaiians still living there, so exercising respect, being patient and kind, and being open to learning are all essential things that you must travel to the island with. This holds true for all of the islands, but remember how I said the local population was fairly small on Kaua’i? Trust me, it’s always better to be extra kind in a smaller community wherein people are used to more human contact, more familiar faces and more reciprocal ways of living than folks in larger cities. You truly receive the energy you put out there back, so make sure you remind yourself that you’re visiting people’s beloved home, not just a romantic playground for you and your honey.
Luckily for us all, there are so many amazing ways to respectfully, and kindly, appreciate the beautiful, natural wonders of Kaua’i! Namely, driving with care (pulling over at the designated lookout points if you see a beautiful view so as not to cause traffic or delays for locals), supporting locally-owned businesses, not littering and picking up existing litter you see on the beach and hikes, and staying out of areas marked “KAPU” (forbidden) - these areas might be dangerous, sacred or both, so it’s important to heed the signs.
As for our three-day, romantic adventure, we flew in on the first plane over from Hawai’i Island at the crack of dawn, and as we got off the plane and picked up our rental car, we headed, at random, down South in search of some gluten free breakfast options to feed my Celiac soul (and Ian’s hungry, morning soul). We stumbled on a review for Anuenue Cafe down in Koloa that mentioned that they had gluten free options, so we proceeded to drive over.
The cafe was a little more touristy than we had anticipated, and the only gluten free breakfast option was essentially overnight oats, but they were filling and good, and the French Toast that Ian had was decadent and filling as well.
The highlight of the cafe for us was actually the creative Halloween decorations that the mall had put up for the month of October. It was pretty entertaining eating breakfast surrounded by 30+ft skeletons!
If you’re Celiac or gluten-intolerant and want a little more in terms of breakfast options, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this spot - although it would be super rad if they added gluten free french toast in the future (a woman can dream)!
After breakfast, we decided to explore south of Koloa a little, exploring hidden beaches along the coast, and talking story with folks cruising on the shore. We also found waves! So many waves! As avid surfers, one thing Ian and I definitely wanted to do while one our mini-vacation was to try out some of the legendary Kaua’i breaks! However, we know how frustrating it can be for new surfers to paddle out to a local’s favorite spot, so we decided to approach the surf situation with a “trust the universe” kind of mentality - if it happened, great, if not, it wasn’t meant to be.
We didn’t even bring boards with us, having planned to rent some when on Kaua’i to avoid surfboard fees on Hawaiian Airlines. Inspired by the waves we saw, we spent part of the morning scoping out a couple of surf stores but couldn’t find anything we really wanted to rent since there was a swell forecast for that weekend and most of the better boards had been rented already. We both even came very close to buying brand new boards at the legendary Tamba Surf Company, but decided against it since we had both just bought new boards the month before (and again, we wanted to avoid the airline fees).
In a formidable display of self restraint, we decided that instead of chasing swell off the bat, we would explore the island first and check out some beaches I had seen on my work trip that had looked promising to me at the time. We also wanted to meet up with a couple of my friends up on Kaua’i’s North Shore and see what their plans were later in the day.
Without further ado, we headed up North to the famous Hanalei Bay
- the perfect spot to check out the incoming swell and watch the local surfers in their element. I had had the privilege of staying at the 1Hotel on a project I helped produce a few months prior, and I had only been able to look out at Hanalei’s vista from the hotel since the shoot had been so busy. I was pretty stoked to get to enjoy the beach this time!
We headed down to the public parking and stopped by the lifeguard tower to talk story with the guards. One of my favorite things about island-hopping with Ian is that we always take time to talk story with befriend the other island lifeguards. It’s awesome watching them greet Ian, a relative stranger, with such warmth and camaraderie for being a fellow guard.
Sure enough, the lifeguards at Hanalei were super kind and genuine - telling us about their favorite spots and even loaning us a couple of boards to go catch our first waves of the trip! It fully set the tone for the rest of the anniversary and reminded me of just how amazing community and sense of place is here on the islands.
The waves at Hanalei were everything we had hoped for and more, but it’s definitely a intermediate to advanced surf spot and I would highly recommend having a local friend (or lifeguard) show you the lay of the land in terms of paddle out details and rip current patterns. The wildlife is also ancient and highly active on this side of the island. In fact, about twenty minutes after we had gotten out of the water a man got bit by a shark on the other side of the bay. He has since healed and was reportedly in fighting spirits even immediately after the bite.
Shark encounters are fairly rare in general, and we are definitely entering their home and space every time we get in the ocean, but this island is one of the oldest, main Hawaiian islands and has a very well established marine ecosystem. This means that the sea life is older (the Hawaiian green sea turtles are seriously MASSIVE) and that the island is closer to a lot of Northwest Island migrations of larger predators. This means that you have to truly listen to any posted warnings on the beach and take all safety advice you receive seriously if you chose to surf here.
Luckily for us, we had missed the predator interaction (we actually only heard about it the following morning which was kind of a wild way of waking up) and had headed over to the historic Hanalei Town to grab some post-surf acai bowls, smoothies and coffee at the Wishing Well Coffee & Tea Co., which is a must visit due to their local ingredients, delicious recipes and plenty of gluten free options!
After our (second) breakfast, we grabbed some thank-you taro donuts at The Holey Grail Donuts shop and drove over to sugar up the lifeguards in gratitude for their generosity and hard work. We then proceeded to our friend Jeremy Lloyds’ Alaia workshop to check out the new boards he was shaping, and to catch up with him and his lovely wife Ivory. Shaping Alaia’s is an ancient and highly technical and spiritual skill. Getting to watch Jeremy in his workshop was magical - seeing his beautiful pieces of functioning art and history taking form was truly special. The scene was completed by swirling woodchip dust falling all around us like glittering snowflakes. Both Ian and I were fully entranced and captivated by the Lloyd’s glowing spirits and the magic of the Alaia worshop.
After promising to meet up with the Lloyds for a South shore surf session later in our trip, Ian and I headed back down towards Lihue and our hotel. I had tried to book an AirBnB from a local family but because of the spontaneous nature of this trip (note, plan your Kaua’i trips well in advance to score the nicest, locally-owned accommodations) , I ended up booking with the Outrigger Kaua’i because of their sweet Kama’āina rates and fairly central location to all the spots we wanted to explore. It was actually pretty rad to see all the local faces around the hotel when we came to check in. On Big Island many of our resorts are almost exclusively marketed towards off-island visitors, so being in a hotel that clearly catered towards a more local crowd was a welcome change.
Now at this point, I had to pull another First Anniversary Surprise out of my sleeve, because this was a romantic getaway to be fair. So far we’d spent our Anniversary in the perfect way for us - surfing good waves, hanging out with stellar humans, finding epic views and exploring all the local surf stores - but I wanted to really commemorate a year of not murdering each other as a newly married couple with a luxurious dinner. I told Ian to dress in his nicest aloha shirt (I actually had bought him a new one as an additional gift, but had hidden it so effectively that I only remembered about it in December) and I put on my nicest outfit and we headed back down south to the Beach House Restaurant.
I’d picked Beach House due to their amazing selection of gluten-free options (honestly pretty much the entire menu was gluten-free or gluten-free convertible), as well as their craft mocktail menu. Ian had given up alcohol for a year as a New Years challenge back in January, and I wanted him to be able to have a speciality drink to celebrate the occasion. Beach House ended up exceeding all my expectations - the food, the service, the drinks and the atmosphere were flawless, and we felt very doted on and special. It was truly the best way to cap the one-year anniversary of our marriage.
Day Two of our “Romantic Getaway” was dedicated to exploring the towns on the east coast of the island and to an incredible hike along the Nā Pali Coast. We had talked about doing the full two-day hiking trip along the coast before coming to Kaua’i, but had decided that since we only had three days to spend here, we would dedicate only one day to some hiking exploration.
After grabbing some insanely delicious, and gluten-free breakfast at Russell’s in Kapa’a, we headed back up North all the way to the Hanakāpīʻai Beach and waterfall hike. If you’re local, parking at the “entry” beach (Kē’ē Beach) is free when you show your Hawai’i State ID. If you’re visiting from out of town, the beach access and hike require a pre-registered day pass. Please follow the official parking regulations - we saw a bunch of rental cars parked in precarious places along the road leading up to the beach. The day pass isn’t expensive, it just requires some planning, and the money goes towards maintaining the beach park and trail.
Both residents and visitors need to pay and register for a camping pass if you’re looking at doing the entire Kalalau Trail. The permits are only issued for Kalalau Valley, but they also allow allow for 1-night camping (each way) at Hanakoa. The cost of the permits is 25$/night for residents and 35$/night for visitors, which are both beyond reasonable prices. We were told by friends the Kauai in general is very friendly towards campers, and we saw some really nice camping facilities and grounds on our drive, but again, due to the short nature of our trip we decided to save the camping for next time.
Instead, we decided to embark on the Hanakāpīʻai Falls hike, which is an 8-mile round-trip, intermediate-graded hike. We were starting a little later in the day (like way later than we had initially planned due to our exploring along the way), and started on the actual trail even later due to talking story with the Kē’ē beach lifeguards and watching the stormy waves crashing onto the shore there. Honestly the entirety of Kē’ē Beach was so beautiful that we really took our time enjoying the initial entry to the hike - marveling at the beautifully maintained lo’i patches and little agroforest sections along a wooden plank walkway that snaked along towards the beach.
When we finally set out on the hike, it was already about 1 or 2pm, and we were quickly realizing that we might not make it to the waterfall before sunset. The state website claims that it takes about 3 to 4 hours to hike the roundtrip journey to Hanakāpīʻai beach from Kē’ē beach, which composes the first 6 miles of the trail. The remaining 2 miles is a rugged and un-maintained trail from the beach to the waterfall. The recommendation is taking a full 6 to 8 hour day to make the roundtrip from Kē’ē to the falls.
Now, Ian and I are no strangers to impromptu, multi-hour hiking trips. We once hiked Mauna Kea for my birthday in an afternoon (crawling to the summit and hitchhiking down), and practically ran a 10-mile roundtrip to a Lava flow in Kalapana back in 2016 (with one water bottle between us).
However, we were new to Kaua’i and wanted to exercise caution and safety, so we decided to just aim for the initial 6-mile beach hike and see where we were at once we made it there.
The hike, in short, is absolutely stunning. It’s not cray rigorous, but there are some exposed roots, narrow passageways along the cliff, and steep elevation points that might be challenging to some folks. We did see quite a few visiting families turning back at certain muddy or steep points, but if you’re in relatively good shape and behaving in a safe manner (no running, no cliff-edge selfies etc.), you’ll be fine. Definitely bring plenty of water and shoes that have good grip because even on a dry day like the one we went on, the ground still tends to be somewhat slippery in places.
We did get blessed with a small sprinkle of rain as we descended towards the beach, but we lucked out and it was just a passing mist. Note that Kaua’i is nicknamed the “Garden Isle” for it’s gorgeous lushness - which is created by all of the rain that the island receives. Make sure to plan for wet weather and save your hike for a drier day if it’s raining with any kind of force - we saw evidence of past rock falls and mudslides along the hike.
We made really good time, and even with frequent stops to take photos and admire the view, we made the 3-mile one way hike to the beach in about an hour and a half. The beach itself is beautiful, with incredibly powerful waves - there are no lifeguards at this beach so it’s best to stay out of the water due to the extreme shorebreak and surging wave conditions. By the time we had gotten onto the sand, very few people remained on the hike. We also got lucky in that regard - being there later in the afternoon and in the tourist “shoulder season” gifted us a fairly empty hike, although I’ve heard that it can get unpleasantly busy during the high seasons.
As we enjoyed the beach, we both very quickly decided that we had to make it to the waterfall - it was our anniversary trip after all! We quickly grabbed our stuff and started the 2-mile trek into the back of the valley towards the falls. This part of the trail is definitely not for inexperienced hikers - there are many more roots, false paths and water-crossings than in the initial 3-miles of the trail. I would also definitely recommend not doing what we did, which is waiting until later afternoon to start on the waterfall hike. Although we did end up scoring the falls to ourselves, it was stressful trying to get out of the valley and back to Kē’ē before the sun set. It was definitely an adventure, but the falls are such a sacred and beautiful space that it would have been nice to have more time to appreciate them.
My recommendation is to do the hike off-season and start super early in the morning. You definitely want sunlight and good weather to help you along the way, as the trail runs along a cliff and gets narrow at times, to the point where just using a flashlight would be fairly sketchy. It was really nice to have the hike and the falls relatively empty, but an end of the day round-trip is a little too stressful and unpredictable in my opinion, so even if you hate waking up early just do it for this trail, it’ll be worth it! Next time we go, we’re definitely going for the full Kalalau Trail and opting for the camping option to fully enjoy the beauty of this area.
We ended up getting back to Kē’ē just as the sun was setting, pretty tired, sweaty and stoked. We drove back down to Hanalei in the dark in search of food and stumbled on a small spot called Tropical Tacos where we stuffed our faces with filing and yummy mexican food, before heading back to the hotel.
Our third, and final day on Kaua’i we spent mostly surfing an incredibly fun spot with our friend (who generously lent us boards to use - thanks again Jeremy!) the entire morning. There’s something so special about waking up in the dark, getting ready and heading out for a dawn patrol session at a new spot. Both Ian and I were caffeinated and excited - two little kids getting ready to score some of our best waves all year. To say that Kaua’i delivered on the wave front is an understatement. We were super fortunate to have friends showing us around and introducing us to the line-up, but if you’re not in that position, I would highly recommend sticking to lifeguarded and easily-accessible beaches. The line-ups are known to be territorial and the waves are incredibly powerful, so you don’t want to paddle out to an unknown spot by yourself.
After surfing we packed up, cleaned our rental car (it was our first time trying Turo and we were both surprised at having to clean the car prior to dropping it off - something to consider if you’re looking at going that route), and explored the the town of Kapa’a a little bit more. If you love shopping in small, local boutiques, I would highly suggest stopping here along with Hanalei to get your fashion and local goods fix.
After some window-shopping, we headed back to Lihue for lunch before our flight home. We were both craving poke and the universe provided us with the glory that was Konohiki Seafoods. We seriously got pretty much one of every kind of poke they had, plus a laulau plate because it looked so good! The lady behind the counter stared at us like we were crazy for getting so much food for just the two of us, but it was wildly worth it! Seriously, the best poke I’ve ever had - super fresh, excellent ingredient ratios and so much variety.
When we were both so full that we were practically rolling back to the car (we definitely ended up taking about half of the food home with us for dinner), we got ready to say our “a hui hou”s to Kaua’i and head home. We were both so grateful for the incredible trip we’d experienced, and for the most romantic, exciting and beautiful First Wedding Anniversary we could have ever hoped for. Mahalo nui Kaua’i - we’ll definitely be back!
Some of My Faves from this Trip
Recommended Restaurants:
Russell’s in Kapa’a - friendly service, great gluten-free and vegan options, healthy and delicious
Beach House Restaurant - perfect for an upscale, romantic dinner or to celebrate a special occasion
Wishing Well Cafe - delicious and refreshing smoothies, breakfast/lunch, shave ice and coffee
The Holey Grail Donuts shop - innovative and yummy donuts (no gluten free options, but perfect as a gift for Kaua’i lifeguards)
Tropical Tacos - great Mexican food, decently priced and perfect for a quick and filling post-surf or hike bite
Konohiki Seafoods - the best poke you will ever have
Recommended Outdoor Attractions:
Kē’ē Beach - gorgeous beach with lo’i patches and the start of the Kalalau Trail
Hanakāpīʻai beach - a 6-mile round trip hike from Kē’ē Beach along the Nā Pali coast
Hanalei Bay - famous surf break and gorgeous, huge beach with lifeguards on the North shore
Po’ipū Beach - big beach with swimming, surf and coastal access with lifeguards on the South shore
Recommended Shops:
Lloyd Boards - for one of a kind, heirloom and surf-quality alaias'
Kamoa - gorgeous ukuleles and pearls (wholesale and jewelry) in Kapaa
Hanalei Surf Co. - surfboards/gear, apparel, surf rentals
Sway Hanalei - really cute and well-curated boutique
Ohana Shop - really cute boutique featuring local vendors, artisans and desginers
Tamba Surf Company - iconic Kaua’i surf brand - surfboards/gear and apparel
Shipwrecked Kaua’i - really cute and well-curated boutique in Kapa’a
*These recommendations are purely made out of my own experience, opinion and volition.
Important Things to Remember
Show respect to get respect - practice patience, kindness and aloha.
Not everyone on the island exists to serve you - people live and work on the island and aren’t just there to make your vacation perfect.
That being said, a friendly attitude, open-mind and willingness to learn (and not block traffic) go a long way.
Pick up trash, even if it’s not yours.
Use common sense and pay attention to your surroundings when out in nature - when by the ocean if in doubt don’t go out. If you’re on a cliff, stay away from the edges.
Take your time to enjoy the beauty of the island and support local businesses as much as you can!
