Must see in Kauai, Hawaii, Maui?

That wilderness trail on the north is worth a look too. You can stay on it for days (or, I assume, weeks) if you're so inclined, or go for shorter day trips. I think it's a pretty well-known tourist destination on Kauai...
 
Went to Kauai a few years ago and it’s one of my favorite places I’ve ever visited.

To your point I know this isn’t the best time of year for it but it would be a shame to go there and not see the Na’pali coast via a boat tour, if hiking is totally out of the question (it’s a strenuous hike). There should be options for bigger boats that offer somewhat smoother rides if you’re worried about sea sickness.

If I were there for two days I would rent a car and spend one of the days doing the boat tour (I believe all of them leave from the south side of the island) and maybe spend some time in the towns on that end, and then the second day I would drive to the north end of the island. Ha’ena State Park/Tunnels Beach, walk around and grab lunch in Hanalei, or you could look into eating a meal or grabbing a drink at the 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay in Princeville. Super nice and has outstanding views of the bay, but if your son is trying to avoid White Lotus vibes then maybe that isn’t an option lol.
 
nycfan said:
About to head to Hawaii for the holidays — we’re doing a couple of nights in Honolulu before doing the cruise as a floating hotel approach to spend two days in each of Maui, Hawaii & Kauai.

Staying on the beach in Waikiki and will probably spend Thursday night sleeping after the long trip and Friday adjusting to the time zone. I do have us on a boat to view Waikiki and fireworks at night. We’re renting a car in Maui and Kauai, so have a lot of flexibility (subject to weather). Doing cruise excursions to Volcano National Park and Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

I’ve been to and driven all over Kauai once before, but that was nearly 30 years ago. We will definitely be back to canyon and TBD on a boat around the Na Pali Coast — it is stunning but the seas are rough and right now might be too rough the two days we are there.

Anyway, any suggestions on must see things in Maui, Kauai, Hawaii or Honolulu?

Fair warning, my son is going through college student let’s not exploit anyone White Lotus reaction and he doesn’t like to snorkel. My husband suffers vertigo. Sooooo I won’t get to be nearly as adventurous as back when we hiked and kayaked all over Kauai back in the day (when we spent a week there on the cheap due to relatively recent hurricane damage and cheap airfare).
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My only suggestion, unless you have a LOT of extra time, is don't do the road to Hana drive in Maui. It's long, slow and will consume an entire day, morning -> night.

EDIT: I see I'm the only anti-Road to Hana person here 😁
 
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IllegalMotion9999 said:
North Shore on Oahu. Check on the surfer dudes and dudettes. DO NOT even consider venturing into the water there. Currents are too strong.
Or, much closer to Waikiki is Pearl Harbor, which is of course worth doing.
Say hey to Magnum and Higgins for us.
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The prime time for surfing at Waimea bay is in February. Still, Waimea Valley is worth the bus stop. Pearl Harbor is a definite must see. The Arizona Memorial is a shrine to the men who died that day. About 400 yards to the left memorial is the Missouri.
 
Recommend the helicopter also....leave his ass at the port. Waikiki is very overrated. For a more true Hawaiian experience take the ferry over to Lanai.
 
keywestheel said:
Recommend the helicopter also....leave his ass at the port. Waikiki is very overrated. For a more true Hawaiian experience take the ferry over to Lanai.
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We picked Waikiki for ease of access to the cruise port on Saturday. We get in around 7 pm local time on Thursday and expect to be wiped out, so really have all day Friday to get our internal clocks adjusted somewhat and either crash on the beach or get outside that area to see some sights.

we’ll figure it out but my husband and son have so many things they won’t do I’m starting to wonder why we didn’t just rent a house in the Virgin Islands instead.

Nope, nope, it’ll be great. I just have to get them there.
 
If Kilauea has a lava flow going into the ocean (and it is pretty rare,) the night time boat tours are absolutely worth it. Extremely coal to see and experience.

This is a great off the beaten path place in Honolulu. They used to be cash only, but I haven't been in well over a decade and that likely changed

 
This is a local favorite for breakfast if you are on that side of O`ahu. Obama's favorite shave ice place, Island Snow is in that town too; it's where he stays when he goes back to Hawaii. Just south of Kailua is Bellows beach, which was my favorite on the island. Bellows was an military airfield in the 30s and 40s

 
People lineup around the block for this place, but you can order ahead or go at off-peak. It's a pretty authentic Japanese udon joint. Good value too.

Marugame Udon in Waikiki
 
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The Na Pali cost on Kauai
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The Waimea Canyon on Kauai
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I guess this is kinda redundant since if your going to Kauai, it's unlikely you'll not make it to both of these.

But honestly, the island of Kauai is (along side Iceland) the most magical place I've ever been. Mind blowing. If you're after a bigger more metropolotan feel, Kauai is not for you. If you're after magical nature, then I don't know what to tell you, the air there just vibrates with magical energy. It's like Sonoma, but on steroids.

I've hiked the Kalalau trail (11 miles in one way) twice in my life about 30 years apart. Peak experince both times (thought a lot harder three decades later, extremely strenuous hiking). You backpack in and litterly camp on the beach (plan it for the time of year when the zodiacs are not allowed to land on the beach to get more isolation). After the first trip it literally haunted me for decades until I had to go back. Photo bleow is random internet photo, but shows a fun part of the trail. It get's super narrow after that part and it's a 300 foot drop to the sea below! And that volcanic soil is nice and loose!
1765914349425.png
 
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nycfan said:
We picked Waikiki for ease of access to the cruise port on Saturday. We get in around 7 pm local time on Thursday and expect to be wiped out, so really have all day Friday to get our internal clocks adjusted somewhat and either crash on the beach or get outside that area to see some sights.

we’ll figure it out but my husband and son have so many things they won’t do I’m starting to wonder why we didn’t just rent a house in the Virgin Islands instead.

Nope, nope, it’ll be great. I just have to get them there.
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I have been to Maui and Oahu (just spent a day on Oahu for Pearl Harbor). Maui was great and the Road to Hana was awesome…although I did the drive in a rented minivan and 6 people…that was 4 years ago and I am yet to fully recover…am convinced that drive took 5 years off my life. Anyway, sounds like you are already doing a volcano on Hawaii, but H’aleakala (Maui) at sunset was one of the top 10 things I have seen/experienced. I hear sunrise may be even better. There’s a great pizza place (name escapes me, but maybe someone else knows) in Paia Town, which is on the way to the Road to Hana and likely on the way to Haleakala as well.

Sounds like it’s not an option, but the snorkeling was great…maybe you can talk your husband or son into it. We bought full face snorkels, which made things so much easier.

We did a very touristy luau at Old Lahaina Luau, which I don’t think was affected by the fires…but could be wrong. It was entertaining and educational. Food wasn’t bad.

Lastly…played golf on Maui…the wind…my God, the wind.

Have fun and safe travels!
 
I believe Hawaiian Ice Cones in Kailua-Kona has natural flavorings for the shave ice (better than the run of th emill slurpee syrups many places have.) Can also get ube ice cream added to it besides the usual vanilla and of course the adzuki beans. They also have Filipino halo halo, which is why I sought it out in the first place.

Also I recommend if you are near a farmer's market or produce place seeing if you can get mangosteen and cherimoya or sweet sops and well amy other fruits you don't see on the mainland.
 
On Kauai (and pretty similar on the other Hawaiian islands), the nicest resorts tend to cluster on the sunny, dry leeward side of the island, becuse you're almost gaurneteed to get sunny weather there.

But I love the windward wet side so much more (same deal on the Big Island). Sure you get rain and clouds, but those ussually pass quickly and you get so many rainbows. I mean Hanalei on Kauai is amazing for this. You can't drive a mile down the road before you're pulling over to take another picture of a rainbow. For the reasons I go to Hawaii for, the rainy side of the isalnd is perfect. If you want to hang out on the beach (or in a beach chair by the pool) all day, then you may prefer the sunny side of the island.
 
nycfan said:
We picked Waikiki for ease of access to the cruise port on Saturday. We get in around 7 pm local time on Thursday and expect to be wiped out, so really have all day Friday to get our internal clocks adjusted somewhat and either crash on the beach or get outside that area to see some sights.

we’ll figure it out but my husband and son have so many things they won’t do I’m starting to wonder why we didn’t just rent a house in the Virgin Islands instead.

Nope, nope, it’ll be great. I just have to get them there.
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If I dont listen to her my wife can make my life miserable if ya know what i mean ;)
 
Ddseddse said:
The Na Pali cost on Kauai
1765913725293.png
The Waimea Canyon on Kauai
1765913686100.png
I guess this is kinda redundant since if your going to Kauai, it's unlikely you'll not make it to both of these.

But honestly, the island of Kauai is (along side Iceland) the most magical place I've ever been. Mind blowing. If you're after a bigger more metropolotan feel, Kauai is not for you. If you're after magical nature, then I don't know what to tell you, the air there just vibrates with magical energy. It's like Sonoma, but on steroids.

I've hiked the Kalalau trail (11 miles in one way) twice in my life about 30 years apart. Peak experince both times (thought a lot harder three decades later, extremely strenuous hiking). You backpack in and litterly camp on the beach (plan it for the time of year when the zodiacs are not allowed to land on the beach to get more isolation). After the first trip it literally haunted me for decades until I had to go back. Photo bleow is random internet photo, but shows a fun part of the trail. It get's super narrow after that part and it's a 300 foot drop to the sea below! And that volcanic soil is nice and loose!
1765914349425.png
Click to expand...
Yeah we were stunned by Kauai. We kayaked up river (well past the grotto a lot of tourists were visiting) through a crazy rain storm and hiked through mud to an amazing waterfall we had all to ourselves. Barely made it back to return the kayak on time but just wow. I was really tempted to just stay there the entire time again but decided on a taste of several islands instead.
 
keywestheel said:
If I dont listen to her my wife can make my life miserable if ya know what i mean ;)
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Yeah, my husband and son are stubborn bastards when it comes down to it, picky as hell in their own ways. I already cancelled the zodiac tour of the Na Pali coast sea caves for my husband and agreed not to have a privately chauffeured drive up the road to Hana so my son wouldn’t feel too exploitative (now I’ll be the chauffeur for the three of us), so just going with the flow. I love to swim and swim laps nearly daily for exercise. On my own, it would be snorkeling and boating most of the time with a helicopter trip thrown in. I’m too old for that kind of hiking in Na Pali but fortunately the last time I was I Kauai we hiked down into the Waimea canyon over to the top of a massive waterfall and sat in the little pool just at the edge of that. So at least I’ve done a lot of truly spectacular things on Kauai already in this lifetime and just want to enjoy it with my family 30 years later.
 
The helicopter tour on Kauai is spectacular. Going through the canyon and coming up over that ridge and suddenly you are over the Na’Pali coast…

But my wife threw up in the helicopter so I’m sympathetic to your husband’s concerns.

She managed to get most of it in the air sickness bag 😉
 
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