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Kauai: What to do, where to stay, and where to eat?
Sending my mom and step-dad to Maui and Kauai for their 10-year anniversary... My step-dad has never been to either islands (my mom has but years ago).
1. Any activities you can recommend? Biking? Anything other?
2. Any restaurants? (Both casual and nice would be great)
3. Will they need a car?
4. Good hotel recommendations?
Re: Kauai: What to do, where to stay, and where to eat?
wow!! what an amazing gift!!! i LOVED kaui, it is so gorgeous and really has a unique charm to it. It's been about 10 years since I was there but we did a lot of hiking, kayaking, swam in a waterfall (amazing!), horseback riding, ATV riding, and a helicopter ride are some of my favorite memories. Gosh, and I remember we participated in protecting a baby seal on Kaui too.
On Maui I would defintely do the bike tour down Haleakala if they still do that. That was amazing. You go up the volcanoe early in the morning before the sunrise, you are literally in the clouds and can taste them and watch the sun come up and then bike down the volcano 33 miles. One of my favorite hawaiian memories actually.
I honestly can't remember the name of the hotels where we stayed but they were all gorgeous! I think we were next to the Hilton on Kaui (which was amazing) I don't know what your budget is, but I would definitely recommend that one. Check out trip advisor I am sure you can find some good recs.
I also don't remember any of the restuarants we visited (mama's fish house is one name I remember that I loved but i can't remember what island that is on...maui?)
And yes, I would definitely recommend a car. I say get them a jeep or a convertible (although they might get stuck in some rain but that makes it fun/interesting).
This makes me want to go back!!
Good luck planning!
For Kauai (I've never been to Maui):
Activities:
The two must do's IMO are seeing Waimea Canyon (they can do a scenic drive or hike) and either a boat or helicopter tour of the Na Pali Coast. The coast is breathtaking and these are the only two ways to see it.
Restaurants:
Beach House, Roy's, Puka Dog. For a Luau, the Smith Family Luau is the most popular on the island.
They definitely need a car.
Hotels:
I'm not terribly familiar with North Shore hotels. If they want to stay in Poipu (the southern beach area), I recommend the Hyatt if they are pool people or the Sheraton if they care more about the beach. The beach at the Hyatt is not swimmable, but the resort and pools are pretty amazing. The Sheraton has a very nice, swimmable beach.
If they would rather stay in Lihue, which is near the airport and a sort of central area to explore, the Marriott resort is very nice. It has a big, gorgeous pool and a small but swimmable beach.
Definitely agree. We hiked to see the Waimea Canyon and took a catamaran boat tour of the Na Pali Coast- it was my favorite part of our entire honeymoon. Breathtaking! We used Holo Holo Charters and took their champagne sunset cruise.
1. Any activities you can recommend? Biking? Anything other?
-NaPali Coast, depending on the time of year
-Snorkeling there can be very good
-Waimea Canyon
-Helicopter Tour if that's their thing
-Plenty of good hikes to waterfalls, beaches, etc.
2. Any restaurants? (Both casual and nice would be great)
-I think we ate at Roy's in Poipu and that was good; there wasn't any place we went that was outstanding (we ate at Koa Kea, where we stayed, and their food was good but the menu was limited)
3. Will they need a car?
Yes, absolutely.
4. Good hotel recommendations?
-North/Princeville: St. Regis
-Poipu: Koa Kea (tends to be almost all adults / couples); Grand Hyatt is very popular but you'll have kids there
And this is for Maui:
1. Any activities you can recommend? Biking? Anything other?
-Snorkeling at Turtle Point
-Whale watching (if in season)
-Road to Hana (can be a little treacherous at times, so if they're not adventurous maybe not?)
-The volcano - drive up to catch the sunrise (do it early before they adjust to the time change)
2. Any restaurants? (Both casual and nice would be great)
-Mama's Fish House is always a favorite. Also the places in Wailea we ate at were all good (but expensive)
3. Will they need a car?
Yes, the airport is not conveniently situated near any of the areas people would want to stay
4. Good hotel recommendations?
-Wailea: Four Seasons Wailea is amazing! Also the Grand Wailea and the Fairmont Mauna Kea (Fairmont is good for "more affordable") - this is a little ways from Lahaina and so you're pretty much stuck eating in this resort community - food there is good but the restaurants are all pretty pricey. We went off-site to "dine cheaply" at Ruth's Chris, just to give you an idea of what's around.
-Kanapaali: Never stayed there, but the Ritz Carlton (north of Kanapaali) is very nice (probably about 8 miles north)
For Kauai:
1. We spent a lot more time lounging around by the pool than we expected. We also visited Waimea Canyon, did a drive up to the North Shore and went to Ke'e Beach, went to the blowhole. Kauai was definitely much more relaxing than Maui, so take that into account when figuring out where they might want to go first.
2. Restaurants we loved were Merriman's (love, love, love), Josselins and Puka Dog
3. It would be a shame not to have a car on both islands - there's just too much to see and do not to! We always use Priceline to get a good price.
4. Normally I like a small, boutique hotel, but we absolutely loved the Grand Hyatt and I'd definitely recommend it. The rooms were pretty large chain hotel basic, but the grounds and the pool area are spectacular. We thought about going to the Koa Kea, but I preferred the look of the pool/beach at the Hyatt. If they'll be spending a good amount of time lounging around, I'd strongly recommend the Hyatt. Yes, there will be kids, but we didn't find that to be an issue for us (we normally go adults-only when we can.)
On Maui:
1. Road to Hana, sunrise on Haleakala, a West Maui drive (Nakalele Blowhole, Olivine pools, Honolua Bay), South Maui drive (Big Beach, Secret Cove Beach, Ahihi Cove, La Perouse Bay); surfing with Goofy Foot was ridiculously fun; I'm guessing your parents would also greatly enjoy the sunset champagne cruise with Scotch Mist. We absolutely loved it - it was a really small boat (I think we were 2 of 8 passengers total?), which we thought was really nice.
2. Merriman's (we love both locations, but if they can only do one I'd choose Maui. They have the most fantastic sunset views from the restaurant. Amazing.) Old Lahaina Luau - book asap so they'll have a seat up front.
3. Yes.
4. West vs. South Maui is always the debate. If they do West Maui, I'd say the Hyatt or Westin. If it's in the budget, I would totally say the Four Seasons on Maui.
Nice choices! We sent my parents to Maui last February for their 60th birthdays and they were SO surprised and had the absolute best time.