Honeymoon Discussions

Kauai

Hi everyone! I have been a bit absent lately but I'm back and looking for advice! We finally booked our honeymoon, we are going to do 7 days on Kauai. We leave January 24 and are still deciding where to stay. We want to do some activities like hiking and golfing but also get some beach time in. We are going with another couple and would like to be able to spend some time at a bar some nights. I'm looking for recommendations on which side of the island we should stay on. I hear that the north shore had more rain but is beautiful and lush because of it. The south shore has a better chance of less rain but less options of places to stay in our price range.

So.. lay it on me, what are your opinions of the island and best places to stay?

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Re: Kauai

  • I prefer the North Shore, but to get max sun and more "nightlife" options, the South Shore will be the better fit. I stayed in Princeville a few years ago in January and it was definitely a bit more rainy and because of that, a bit chillier. Check out the Sheraton- I have heard they have a decent beach.

     







  • Thanks everyone! After reading a lot and @Jells2dot0 saying she liked the north shore better (I thought it looked just amazing) we are going to brave the possible rain and do the north shore. We got a killer deal on a 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo that has a view of the ocean on VRBO. We prefer to do condos/houses over hotels if we are traveling with other people. I'm super excited! Anyone have any suggestions of things we have to see/do when we are there? We got the rental car lined up so we are mobile! 

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  • We LOVED the tubing adventure from Kauai Backcountry Adventures.  It was amazing.  Germaine's luau at the Plantation was really awesome as well.  Also, in some way, see the Napali coast.  We did a dinner cruise with Captain Andy's and it was great.  The views of the Napali coast are just stunning!  You can also get a great little tour of the only Chocolate farm on the island.  You will try some of the fruits they grow right there and then have a chocolate tasting.  They also make their own honey and grow their vanilla beans too.  It's Steelgrass farms and they give tours twice a week.

    Make sure you go into Hanalei, it is a cute little town.  You can get some great food in their business district.  Drink POG!  It's an amazing juice of Passion Orange & Guava juice.  

    We also went to Hawaii for 2 weeks last January.  We spent a full week on Kauai, in Princeville.  We really only had 1 day of rain.  It was also the day we were leaving (we had an 11:30PM flight out, so we were still there the full day).  We drove from Princeville around to Kapaa.  Almost as soon as we came around the mountains towards Kapaa, the sun came out and the rain was staying up in Princeville.  When we went back up to Princeville (we left our luggage with our timeshare and they also offer a hospitality room for 1 hour to shower since all the flights out are so late at night), it was STILL raining!  So my advice is, if you have a day of rain, just plan to go away from Princeville.  Poipu is usually a very sunny place, so just plan to go to their beach for the day.
  • We LOVED the tubing adventure from Kauai Backcountry Adventures.  It was amazing.  Germaine's luau at the Plantation was really awesome as well.  Also, in some way, see the Napali coast.  We did a dinner cruise with Captain Andy's and it was great.  The views of the Napali coast are just stunning!  You can also get a great little tour of the only Chocolate farm on the island.  You will try some of the fruits they grow right there and then have a chocolate tasting.  They also make their own honey and grow their vanilla beans too.  It's Steelgrass farms and they give tours twice a week.

    Make sure you go into Hanalei, it is a cute little town.  You can get some great food in their business district.  Drink POG!  It's an amazing juice of Passion Orange & Guava juice.  

    We also went to Hawaii for 2 weeks last January.  We spent a full week on Kauai, in Princeville.  We really only had 1 day of rain.  It was also the day we were leaving (we had an 11:30PM flight out, so we were still there the full day).  We drove from Princeville around to Kapaa.  Almost as soon as we came around the mountains towards Kapaa, the sun came out and the rain was staying up in Princeville.  When we went back up to Princeville (we left our luggage with our timeshare and they also offer a hospitality room for 1 hour to shower since all the flights out are so late at night), it was STILL raining!  So my advice is, if you have a day of rain, just plan to go away from Princeville.  Poipu is usually a very sunny place, so just plan to go to their beach for the day.
    This is great! Thanks for the advice, i will be writing all of this in my planner for ideas! I am super excited to go and all of the activities you did sound like so much fun!

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  • Also, I should have mentioned that we did all those activities over two different vacations in Kauai.  It is expensive there!  So talk with your co-travelers and pick the activities that sounds best to you guys.  Unless you have an unlimited budget!!!!
  • We just got back from Hawaii and stayed in Kapaa at a small resort that was undergoing renovations.  We rented a car so it gave us a place to stay that was between the north shore and south shore but we really didn't utilize the hotel beach or pool (by the way- the waves are huge this season).   I found that the north shore is much more rainy, but also beautiful for hiking.  Be sure to check out kalalau park.  We didn't do the entire hike (one of the most dangerous hikes in the world) but we did the first 1/2 mile which provided beautiful views of the coast.  

    One activity I totally recommend is a sunset cruise of the Na Pali coast. There will probably be lots of whales (we saw around 5 but I hear you can see up to 20) And our captain took us under a waterfall that is supposedly good luck for newly wed couples.  We got soaked, but it was so much fun!  We also saw goats grazing on the mountain side and a sea turtle.  Came with dinner, unlimited mai tais and drinks.  So much fun!  

    While staying in Hawaii, I found that if you plan to do lots of activities that require a car, or leaving the resort, stay somewhere that won't be charging the huge resort fees.  We used VRBO to find private houses.  If you do rent a car, I recommend staying on the south shore to relax, golf, sit by the pool, utilize the beach for a few days, and spend the rest of the time in something more off the beaten bath like a vacation rental or private home rental for the remainder of the trip when you really only need a place to sleep.  
  • Oh and if you love coffee, try the Kauai coffee.... omg totally amazing and affordable.  We brought home 11 bags!  You can do tours, but we didn't have enough time.  

    But I can't stress enough the beauty of the na pali coast.  And the boat tour is the best way to see it up close!
  • klk111415 said:
    We just got back from Hawaii and stayed in Kapaa at a small resort that was undergoing renovations.  We rented a car so it gave us a place to stay that was between the north shore and south shore but we really didn't utilize the hotel beach or pool (by the way- the waves are huge this season).   I found that the north shore is much more rainy, but also beautiful for hiking.  Be sure to check out kalalau park.  We didn't do the entire hike (one of the most dangerous hikes in the world) but we did the first 1/2 mile which provided beautiful views of the coast.  

    One activity I totally recommend is a sunset cruise of the Na Pali coast. There will probably be lots of whales (we saw around 5 but I hear you can see up to 20) And our captain took us under a waterfall that is supposedly good luck for newly wed couples.  We got soaked, but it was so much fun!  We also saw goats grazing on the mountain side and a sea turtle.  Came with dinner, unlimited mai tais and drinks.  So much fun!  

    While staying in Hawaii, I found that if you plan to do lots of activities that require a car, or leaving the resort, stay somewhere that won't be charging the huge resort fees.  We used VRBO to find private houses.  If you do rent a car, I recommend staying on the south shore to relax, golf, sit by the pool, utilize the beach for a few days, and spend the rest of the time in something more off the beaten bath like a vacation rental or private home rental for the remainder of the trip when you really only need a place to sleep.  
    Thank you for all of this great advice! We want to do some hiking for sure so I will write that one down, and the sunset cruise sounds perfect for two newlywed couples! We did end up doing a VRBO condo on the north shore with a beautiful view of the ocean. I can't wait, it's coming up fast! I love booking a vacation less than a month out, it's like instant gratification :)

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  • CMGragainCMGragain member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited January 2016
    The best place for you to buy souvenirs, coffee and macadamia nuts is Walmart!  Yes!  They have a special section with tourist items, tee shirts and clothing.  They have the same coffee and macadamias that are sold in the little shops, but at much lower prices.  Read coffee labels carefully!  Kona blend is not the same as 100% Kona coffee!  If a cruise ship is in port, the crew makes a bee line to Walmart to stock up.
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  • People are going to start thinking I work for this company, I rec them to everyone going to Kauai haha: https://kauaiairtour.com/air-boat-combo-tour/

    Best thing we did on our trip! You get a booze cruise to the napali coast and an air tour around the entire island. So cool.

    One of my favourite bars is a ways from you, but the Kauai brewing co. Nice little place. We also ate at Kalypso which is on the north shore, and it was super cute inside and VERY tasty. Stopped at the little nut place there for some snacks too.

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