We are heading out to Kauai in August for our 10 year anniversary. Any suggestions on places to stay, eat, do, or visit?

We will be taking our golf clubs, so we'll play a couple rounds of golf while we're there. Any info is appreciated.

We always stayed on the south side, at Poi Pu. The golf course there was run by the Sheraton, if memory is correct. And the Sheraton had a great Bloody Mary. In town there’s a restaurant, the Beach Club. If it’s still there, you want an evening meal so you can watch the sun go down. Magnificent. Good food and good wine list. The young folks will be surfing near the restaurant, so get a window table. They’ll be right outside the window.

Take the helicopter tour. Find the summit of one of the high spots and have your picture made at the wettest spot on Earth. There’s a sign there. Go see the blow hole. If you are into hiking, walk the Na Pali coast trail. Wear very good hiking boots. Prepare to be wet and muddy, maybe. I slipped and fell on my butt twice. The kids thought that was really funny. Good ice cream on the island. Boat tour will take you to the sea turtles. Good food on the North side of the island (the wet side) and lots of places to shop. Supposedly, the North side is where the song Puff the Magic Dragon was written (by dopers, I presume).

On the south side, at Poi Pu, there’s a cove where the beach scene from Here to Eternity was filmed.

Back when we went there, it was the quiet island, which is why we liked it. Don’t know how it is now. My data is dated, so forgive me if everything isn’t like I said.

Hike the Alakai swamp trail all the way to the end. From there, you overlook the coastline thousands of feet below, and it's gorgeous. The alakai swamp is the highest elevation swamp in the world, and looks like no other swamp I've ever seen.

Appreciate the info, the chopper, and boat tour are both on our list.

We plan on doing as many trails as we can. Thats actually why we picked Kauai. I see that the Alakai trail is difficult. That's rightup our alley, and the pictures are beautiful. Appreciate the info .

it's been decades for us, but a few things that still stand out in my mind was the "Smith's fern Grotto tour" and we also did the Smith Family Garden Luau (did the traditional pig wrapped in banana leaf, buried in the ground), driving route up thru Waimea Canyon on up to the Pu'u O Kila Lookout (wettest spot in the USA) with some of the most amazing views (if clear). We rented snorkeling gear and went snorkeling up on the north side in some of the coves surrounded by reefs (protection from surf) for some amazing fish scenery, we did that several days since our time there was very low key after hitting Honolulu the first portion of our trip.

sounds like a great trip. enjoy while you're young.

my answer

chill on the beach

Put a baby in her.

Keep a cLose eye on your valuables

Coolest place I’ve ever been! Much different than the other islands. Everything is green and beautiful… and very laid back. Not near as crowded either. The North Shore is beautiful and if I ever win the lotto I will buy a place overlooking Bali Hai and Hanalei Bay. Since you are bringing your sticks, try and play Princeville. It is an amazing course… or at least it used to be when we played it. (My wife and I are a lot like you and yours… we both love to play golf and plan our vacations around great “once in a lifetime” courses)

The Napali Coastline is something else. The first time we went we did a big catamaran tour that lasted maybe 4 or 5 hours. This last time we took the helicopter tour and got up close. Totally different experience, and man was it worth it. Those cliffs are over 4,000 feet high! My daughter got a little motion sickness from it though, so maybe take a Dramamine if you have a weak stomach and decide to do it.

Waimea Canyon is a must see while you are there. Kinda like the Grand Canyon with some great places to stop and check out. (There are these red dirt areas that are real cool and fun to run around on as you make the drive up). Be sure to go all the way to the very top so you can get a great view of the Coastline! We found a good pizza place on the way back called Brick Oven Pizza.

The Sheraton at Poipu is a nice quiet resort and has amazing snorkeling if you walk down the beach a few hundred yards to the East where the water is real calm. You’re gonna have a blast!

Pro tip here. Download the app Shaka Guide and purchase the full Kauai package for $30. Best money I spent when I went last year. Gives you turn by turn directions to everything worth seeing on the island, and gives great insight and historical back ground. It's like having a personal tour guide in your back seat as you drive around the island, and it will send you to a lot of places you won't find otherwise like secluded beaches and hidden waterfalls and caves.

Hope you like free range chicken.

Enjoy the trip!!

I went ultra lighting there about 12 years ago (power gliding basically) was a blast. Try some BBQ for breakfast and some masubi from a gas station, it stinks but tastes oh so good.

I spent most of my week there hiking and snorkeling otherwise

Here are a few from the helicopter ride. It had a real nice camera mounted on it.

Seriously… things are everywhere. And they’re brave, too. Bastage jumped up in our cart and went to town on my cheeseburger while we were on the green

Not what it once was. More crowded and draws more tourist than it used to. My personal preference is to stay on the north shore. Buddy is going this summer, here’s what I put together for him.

Hikes
Wailua River kayak to Secret Falls Hike-There is a couple places that rent kayaks on the river. Depending on which one you use, its about a 1.5-2 mile paddle up the river to the start of the hike. The hike itself isn’t hard, but you will get wet and muddy. Take water, snacks and camera. They should provide dry bag for kayak. Bring a backpack to put stuff in for hike. The hike is maybe a mile or a little over, one way. It ends at a really nice waterfall. You can swim below the falls, be warned the water is chilly but once you get in, really refreshing. Once you get done at the falls, you can paddle back down the river a little ways to where the fork is and take the other branch to a spot where you can do some cliff diving into the river. Nothing crazy, maybe 15-25 ft. They should provide a map of the river so you know where to park kayak to start hike and where to go to cliff jump. Its not an activity that will take up an entire day, so you could plan to hit a beach afterwards. I’ve used a couple different places for rentals, this is just one of them. There is another one further up the road that will make the paddle shorter, so do some research on kayak rental. I’d say this is a 9/10 on the must do list. Guided Tours on Wailua River – Wailua Kayak & Canoe (wailuariverkayaking.com)

Kalalau Trail from Ke’e’ Beach- This hike is 10/10 on the must do list, but be warned it is not an easy hike especially if you decide to go to the falls. The maintained trail (first 2 miles) will take you to the hidden beach. Unfortunately, going in the winter time the beach will more than likely not be there. DO NOT GET IN THE WATER! I don’t care what other stupid tourist are doing. Very serious surf/current/rip tide. If you get taken out, no one is coming to get you. From there, if yall feel up to it, the trail will go upstream another two miles to a really big waterfall. This section of the trail is not maintained very well and can be tough in some spots. Climbing over boulders, through the stream, etc. Most of the way has some kinda path but being a guy, I kinda took the difficult route sometimes just for adventures sake. We have done it a couple times but the older we get, the harder it has become. Don’t know if we’ll do it again when we make it back. I’d leave it up to your wife to see how she is feeling after you get to the beach. This is a whole day affair, plan to start early and you’ll be dead tired after. Next day, I would plan for a relaxing day at the beach or something, not another hike. This is the beach I mentioned where you have to take a shuttle now. Have to reserve a shuttle pass and look at shuttle schedule to make sure you catch an early departure and don’t miss the last shuttle for the day. Also looks like you need a day pass to access the trailhead now. Very important-take as much water as you can comfortably carry. Full camelback + another two full Nalgene bottles at least. Throw some energy bars and a camera in the pack as well. Round trip distance to falls and back-8 miles. To beach and back-4 miles. Division of State Parks | Kalalau Trail (hawaii.gov)

-Other

If you really wanna do it up, I’d highly recommend a helicopter tour of the island. We did the doors off tour and it’s a great way to see the entire island, spots that no one else will see and vantage points that you wouldn’t otherwise get. It is a little pricey, but YOLO. AND! You get to see the waterfall from the original Jurrassic Park movie. If you do decide to do it, take a jacket and plan to do it early in the trip to use it as a “scouting trip”. Can kinda get an idea of area you may want to see from the ground. They rarely crash. Tours – Jack Harter Helicopters (helicopters-kauai.com)

-Beaches
They’re all good. Seriously. I have my favorites but explore as many as possible.
I am partial to Hanalei Bay on the North Shore. Good place to kick back and swim.
South shore, Shipwrecks is nice and so is Poipu.
East side is loaded with beaches, so take your pick.
West side is a little trickier. The missile facility is over there, so some is off limits. There is a stretch of beach that goes on for miles at the end of the road that can almost be guaranteed to be uncrowded. There are some caveats. 1. Swimming can be dicey. The waves can get really, really big and when they do I wouldn’t get within 10 ft of the waters edge. 2. The dirt road to get there is not maintained and is literally (as of two years ago) covered in the worst potholes in the history of mankind. So if you rent a little Corolla, you may be swerving all over the road. It’s a few miles off the paved road. Maybe they’ve graded it since then. Its worth a look. While youre over that direction, the “Grand Canyon of The Pacific” is right there too. Waimea Canyon. There’s some hikes and vantage points. I’ve driven up there but never hiked any of it. Here’s a map to the beach I was saying. Red is dirt road.

I could google but I assume it’s not in Texas so I don’t care. Enjoy,

I've only been there once - honeymooned at the Coco Palms Resort, where some of Blue Hawaii was filmed. That was a beautiful place, and one beautiful island back then.

Free, expand your horizons beyond that deer blind or tripod man, lol.....

Queen’ bath
Napali coast
Drive/hike Waimea Canyon
Brewery
Roy’s poi pu
Puka dog

Tube Tunnel Float with Kauai Backcountry Adventures. IT's a blast.

https://kauaibackcountry.com/

Golf at Poipu Bay GC. Fantastic layout views on the back are sick.

I'll check it out, and yeah Poipu bay is one of the courses we want to play, along with Princeville Makai GC.

Appreciate the info.

That is worth the chopper ride! 100% gonna do it!

Lol, appreciate the pro tip, am sure it will come in handy.

Lol, she asked me if she would be able to golf if she gets knocked up......

Appreciate the info, but last time we were in Hawaii my wife would not go into the water...

I've seen that grotto, and its on our list.