KAUAI TRAVEL GUIDE + Vacation outfits

CJ & I went on a mini honeymoon <3 Ha just kidding, BUT since we postponed our wedding this year – when our friends invited us on a trip to Kauai, we couldn’t say no! It was SUCH a nice little getaway with some friends during this difficult year.

COVID precautions:

CJ & I were super safe by wearing N95 masks & face shields, and loading up on hand sanitizer + wipes. Traveling was definitely a bit nervewracking, but I will say that Kauai (and Hawaii and general) have been doing things right. They have super strict guidelines. We had to take a COVID test 72 hours in advance of our flight – and if you test negative, you upload your results to their portal. If you test positive, you have to quarantine for 14 days (and they do check on you, so no getting around this!) We luckily got our negative test results the night we got there, so we were good to explore! If you do any activities, you have to show your negative test results too. It’s super easy to social distance from others on beaches & hiking trails – so we felt safe the whole time. I know a lot of small businesses in Kauai that are centered around tourism have been really struggling this year with little to no tourists, so we were really happy to support them. HERE are the most up to date Hawaii COVID travel regulations / restrictions [I believe it varies by island].

Places to Eat:

So I’ll caveat this by saying don’t eat any seafood // sushi, but my fiance & friends LOVED the poke and seafood they got during the trip. I was perfectly content with my mac salad, chicken katsu & beef 🙂 We got some good food on the island, be sure to check out my faves below!

Things to Do:

I definitely recommend spending a week here; that’s how long we were there & it was perfect! I’ve been to Oahu and Maui before (see my Maui travel guide HERE), and will say Kauai is less crowded / touristy, more ‘green’ / nature-y, and has different vibes. It’s great for those who like to hike and want to relax. Everything is SO beautiful and honestly, any pictures don’t do it justice.

North

Kilauea Lighthouse

Maniniholo Dry Cave

Haena Beach Park

Anini Beach

Hanalei Bay

East Side

P.S. We stayed in the East side in Marriott Beach Club. It was pretty nice, but if you want to splurge a bit more I would recommend the Grand Hyatt Kauai. The east of south side are probably the best, most convenient areas to stay in.

Wailua State Park + Wailua Falls (our kayaking trip here got cancelled but it’s probably so fun!)

Opaekaâ€™a Falls

Fern Grotto

Sleeping Giant Trail

West Side

Na Pali Coast (MY FAVORITE THING OF THE TRIP – we sailed in a private boat!)

Waimea Canyon / KokeÊ»e State Park

South

Glass Beach

Shipwreck Beach / Maha’ulepu Heritage Trail

Poipu Beach

Spouting Horn