If traveling to Kauai with your family is on your radar then you need to start thinking about accommodations soon-especially if your holidays happen during President’s Day or Spring Break. Here are eight tips we have from booking a recent trip we took for seven days in Kauai with kids in tow:
Sign up for mailings and look for deals!
We booked our hotel, the Koloa Landing,for our vacation during President’s Day week using a Black Friday deal that they emailed to me. It included a car rental and resort credit and it still seemed pricier than what we would usually pay for a similar hotel on the other islands we’ve visited. It could also be because we haven’t traveled to Hawaii in a while and it feels like EVERYWHERE has gone up in price since we last visited but this was still a little surprising to us. I also was taken aback at how booked up everything was in Kauai when we started our trip planning in November-we are usually very last-minute when we book. But when we arrived in Kauai and ran into people we knew from Seattle everywhere we went I realized why I had trouble finding reasonably priced accommodation-there is just too much demand. If you know you’re going to Kauai sign up for emails from hotels that you are considering and maybe even book something cancellable to so you have a place to stay before things book up and so that you have flexibility just in case your plans change.
Consider Poipu for February Break if you’re headed to Kauai with your family
Everyone told us that it never rains in Poipu and I think this might be true. Despite a forecast of flash floods and lightening for the whole week of our trip we inexplicably only had one evening of bad weather in Poipu while the rest of the island experienced a lot more wet weather. We spent a most of our time in Kauai at Poipu Beach, the beach in front of the Sheraton, Salt Pond Beach and Glass Beach and the hotel pool so good weather was definitely an important factor in our trip.
Hiking with kids in Kauai-make sure you research first
We had two 9 year old boys with us and we did not research the Waimea Canyon hike before we did it. We just got out of the car and began the hike. If we were to do it again I would bring water, snacks and an extra pair of shoes for the ride home. We went after a rain and it was slippery and slow-going and what seemed like it should be an hour-ish hike was a nearly 3 hour trek that left us incredibly worn out and muddy. Thankfully it was clear for most of the hike so we got some beautiful pictures. In hindsight we could have stopped a short way in and would have taken similar pictures without the crazy adventure but we were tempted by what we might see at the end. We also saw many families hiking without proper footwear and small kids so maybe we are not as skilled or as ambitious when it comes to these kinds of treks.
Acai bowls and shave ice are a total Hawaii must
Doesn’t Hawaii have the best cold treats? When we first started going to Hawaii years ago a friend told me I had to try Acai bowls and we’ve been hooked ever since. Our favorite bowl this trip to Kauai was at Kalalea Juice Hale on the way to Hanalei which was a picturesque side stop just off the road and probably the most gorgeous location that I’ve ever bought an açaí bowl from. We also really loved Anake’s Juice Bar which is in a grocery store like market in Poipu that also sells poke bowls and delicious tacos. For shave ice our favorite was at Riptides where the owner makes homemade fresh syrups like pineapple and strawberry. We tried them all and they were delicious and we always get ours with a scoop of vanilla ice cream too. We also the funky mustache adorned ice at The Fresh Shave (Ask for the secret menu if you want more flavors) and the artsy warehouse the trailer is parked at is a cool place to visit too.
Favorite Beaches from our Kauai trip
We don’t have swimmable beaches in Seattle so in Kauai that’s all my kids wanted to do. When I look back at the cost of the trip, even though airfare and hotel are on the pricier side, we didn’t have a lot of entertainment expenses like we would have in other places we could have vacationed. Our favorite beach was a beach right in front of the Sheraton hotel-we could always find easy parking and there was a perfect combination of waves, snorkeling and sand. Poipu beach was also a favorite and there was a little sheltered swimming area good for smaller kids. Salt Pond beach was my favorite for taking pictures. It had gorgeous scenery and we had our best sunset there.
Look for cool playgrounds
Lydgate beach and playground are so perfect for families! We saw some cool hotel rooms nearby that I would have wanted to know more about when the kids were smaller-you can’t get more convenient with a park and beach nearby. Even at 9-years old my guys thought the park was amazing and I’m glad they still love playgrounds.
Find out from others who have been there
I follow a ton of family travel bloggers and look for ones with similar travel style to my family when I start researching trips. Some recent Kauai posts I’ve read are from the World is A Book, 2 Travel Dads, Marcie in Mommyland and Global Munchkins. I also messaged a few friends that travel there frequently to find out what they like to do. And, my favorite resource for current travel trends is usually Instagram. I love looking through hashtags of beaches, restaurants and popular hikes from trips on my radar to try to gage what I might expect when I visit those places in real life. Here is one of my favorite posts from our recent trip to Kauai from my instagram.
Go for it!
We were so beach and sun-starved that we managed to do seven days in Kauai without doing any traditional touristy things like luaus or zip-lining or lava tube tours which we also usually lover. We didn’t even rent bikes! Kauai really is a perfect place for a family to unwind from the daily routine of home life and really spend some time together adventuring outdoors. Have you been to Kauai? I’d love to hear if you have a blog post or some tips for visiting with kids.
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)