Main things to do in Kauai?

Question

Grand Canyon of Pacific, Kokee state park, Hanalei lookout, fern grotto, Na Pali coast by boat, kayak waimea river, beach house restuarant in Poipu. My husband will be on his R&R (military) from Iraq. We are stationed in Oahu, have seen Maui and Big Island. So, taking 5 nights in Kauai. IS this a good list to start? Could we use the bus/walk the whole time? We are both under 25 and car rentals seem quite high. What is your suggestion for a romantic, relaxing enjoyable visit together in Kauai? Thanks.

Answer 1

o i cant wait to go there! i been to/lived on maui before and been to oahu.got some cousins there in kauai .

should definitely jus talk&watch the sunset there on the beach

Answer 2

If your husband is on leave, I think you should spend more time enjoying each other's company and less time sightseeing.  ;)  You've got too much on your list for only five days. Here is what I would do in order of importance (to me). Maybe this will look good to you too and you can eliminate a couple of things off the bottom. After all, you're only 37 minutes away by plane...you can always come back and do the stuff you missed the first time!

1) Na Pali by boat (I recommend Captain Andy's. I have done the tour 3 times with different companies and Andy's is the best!)

2) Waimea Canyon - unique to Kauai

3) Kayak Waimea River (no navigable rivers on Oahu, so this is kinda special and unique to Kauai)

4) Fern Grotto - very pretty but not especially unique.

5) Kokee - I'm not much of a 'mountain person.' Kokee tends to be much colder than the rest of the island due to its elevation. It's nice but I wouldn't use up a whole day or more there if you only have 5 days on the island. Wait until you have more time and then rent a cabin up there or something!

6) Beach House restaurant - good food, beautiful location, but not particularly special. Oahu has such a great selection of restaurants that I wouldn't make the Beach House a huge priority.

Answer 3

I would take a helicopter ride over the Waimea Canyon and the NaPali Coast....you will see so much more than you would by boat or by car.  It is a very beautiful trip...I prefer it late afternoon towards sunset myself.  Having lived on Kauai I have taken the trip at all times of day and sunset is the best.  I would also suggest going to Waimea Brew Pub for a meal, as well as TomKat's Grill in Koloa and  Postcards Cafe and the Hanalei Dolphin (both on the northshore in Hanalei).  TomKat's is good food, reasonably priced and set around a lovely garden and Koi pond.  I also would suggest going to the lighthouse in Kilauea.  There is not the good public transportation that you have on Oahu, so a car will be a must.  Also, do pick up "The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook" from WIzard Publications...the best guide to the island!! But mostly just enjoy this time you will have together by relaxing and enjoying each other's company again.

ALOHA!!!    

Answer 4

There really isn't much of a bus system in Kauai, a car rental is almost mandatory.  If I were you, I would skip the fern grotto, but definitely do a Na Pali coast boat tour.  If you like to hike, there are tons of great hikes on Kauai.  Grab a copy of the Ultimate Kauai Guide, there are tons of great suggestions in there.  Enjoy!