The Best 7 Day Kauai Itinerary You Need to Follow
Are you searching for the best 7 day Kauai itinerary?
We had the most incredible time exploring the island of Kauai during our one week trip, so we knew we had to share our 7 day Kauai itinerary with you all.
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Before diving into our detailed 7 day Kauai itinerary, we wanted to answer some common questions about planning a trip to Kauai, Hawaii.
Is 7 Days Too Long In Kauai?
Absolutely not! I believe that 7 days is the perfect amount of time in Kauai.
A week in Kauai allows for you to relax but also gives you enough time to hike, snorkel, and go on any other excursions you would like to adventure on!
Do You Need To Rent A Car In Kauai?
YES! I’m sure there will be some people out there that will say no but we truly believe that renting a car is a must in Kauai.
There are so many things to see on the island including various beaches, waterfalls, hikes, and restaurants.
We believe you should rent a car in Kauai so that you can move around freely throughout the island and truly take in the island experience and everything it has to offer!
What To Pack For 7 Days In Kauai:
Besides the traditional items that you need to pack for every beach vacation (swimsuits, flip flops, t-shirts, etc.) There are a handful of unique items we believe you should pack for a week in Kauai!
Reef Safe Sunscreen– As with any beach vacation, sunscreen is an essential. Make sure to bring SPF so that you don’t turn into a lobster on your getaway! Additionally, make sure that your sunscreen is reef safe to protect our reefs.
Sunglasses– Another important element for a safe beach trip is a pair of sunglasses! I love these sunglasses from Amazon and own 2-3 pairs, I bring them with me everywhere.
Cressi Snorkel with Splash Guard– We were so happy that we brought our own snorkels to Hawaii. This was super nice so that we did not have rent gear or buy some once we got the island. We cannot say enough good things about this Cressi snorkel and we love the splash guard feature so that ocean waves don’t cause the snorkel to fill with water.
Water Shoes– Bringing water shoes to Kauai is an incredible idea because of the amount of activities that involve water and rock formations. Additionally, if you plan to visit a site like Queen’s Bath, we highly recommend that you bring water shoes to keep your toes and feet healthy and safe so that you don’t cut yourself on any rocks, shells, or other obstacles!
Now back to our 7 day Kauai itinerary including where to eat, stay, and play… keep reading below for our favorite experiences and more!
After talking with friends and family as well as countless hours of research we decided to visit the island of Kauai.
We had heard that Kauai was much more green, had a more local feel to it, had beautiful mountains with great hikes and waterfalls, and wasn’t “as” touristy as the other islands in Hawaii.
We started researching flights from Denver to Kauai and were pleasantly surprised that we could book flights for around $400 roundtrip so we snagged those flights as soon as possible before the post-pandemic flight prices soared through the roof.
We booked our flights about 6-9 months in advance and had been eagerly waiting for this vacation to arrive!
We hadn’t been to the beach in about a year and although we absolutely love the Rocky Mountains, you are definitely landlocked here in Colorado. The nearest beaches are a good 12+ hour drive away!
Before leaving for our vacation, we had a good list of excursions, beaches, and restaurants that we wanted to hit while staying in Kauai.
After doing an abundance of research, we decided that we wanted to stay in Princeville, Kauai due to the less touristy vibe, proximity to the mountains, hidden beaches, and better prices.
I am so happy to say that we made the right call! We absolutely loved the location of our AirBnb.
It was walking distance to our favorite beach, to Queens Bath, a magnificent golf course, tremendous mountain views, and countless sidewalks to walk on.
The Best Places to Stay in Kauai:
If you’ve asked yourself, where should I stay in Kauai? You’ve come to the right place!
When planning a trip to Kauai, we highly recommend that you stay in the Princeville or Hanalei area.
The views are breathtaking both of the ocean and of the surrounding mountains.
Additionally, we found that the prices tended to be a little cheaper than other parts of the island.
Although, keep in mind, it is still Hawaii so you’ll be paying a good chunk of money wherever you go but we definitely noticed that prices were a little less for both accommodations and food compared to other parts of the island.
We stayed at an AirBnb in Princeville! AirBnb’s are a great option if you are looking for a more local experience with more room and a kitchen!
However, if you are wanting to stay at a hotel in Kauai. We highly recommend that you stay in Princeville. The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas are an incredible option for those looking for a great location and incredible amenities.
Another option that we highly recommend is the Hanalei Bay Resort. This resort has incredible pools, tennis courts, and even a beach shuttle!
If you’re looking for a 7 day Kauai itinerary or just want some inspiration for your next trip then you’ve come to the right place!
Below you’ll find a detailed 7 day Kauai itinerary including where to eat, stay, and adventure!
Day One: Saturday (A Long Layover and Travel Day)
We flew from Denver to LAX and had a massive layover in LA (about 10 hours to be exact).
We couldn’t decide whether to stay in the airport all day or to go out and see some parts of Los Angeles.
After walking around the airport a bit, we noticed that several parts of the airport were under construction and we had to take various modes of transportation to get to the AMEX lounge inside the airport.
Once we finally arrived at the lounge, we decided to hang there for most of the day because it was going to take quite a bit of time to get out of the airport and to get back and it was going to be a hefty Uber charge to get anywhere in LA.
The Centurion Lounge
Ultimately, we decided to have a day in the AMEX Centurion lounge filled with free cocktails and food. It was definitely the right call because we saved a fortune on both booze and food.
Upon our arrival, they scheduled us for a free 15 minute back and shoulder massage and asked us whether we would like to schedule a time slot to use their shower facilities.
We took them up on the 15 minute massage and proceeded to drink and eat good food while we waited on our next flight.
After several hours of watching Hulu and Netflix, we left the AMEX lounge to head to our gate.
We boarded our plane for Kauai and landed on the island around 9:00 PM. So I don’t really count day one as part of our itinerary because it was mainly spent in the LAX airport or flying to Hawaii.
Late Night Arrival to Kauai
Once we arrived, we waited for the Turo transportation vehicle to take us to our car.
Then we hopped in, headed to the grocery store for a few snacks and dinner.
Afterwards, we did the hour drive to our AirBnb in Priceville.
It was a super long day traveling but we had a great time and our spirits were high as soon as we felt the island breeze!
Day Two: Sunday
We woke up in Princeville, Hawaii and were so excited to catch our first glimpse of Hawaii in the daytime.
We brewed up some coffee and had a quick breakfast before heading to one of our all time favorite beaches.
Our AirBnb was in such a prime location for some of the most beautiful hidden gems in Hawaii. One of which was Hideaway Beach. This beach was about a 10-15 minute walk from our apartment rental and was one of our favorite destinations in Kauai.
Hideaway Beach
To get to the beach, you have to follow a dirt path past some greenery and it’ll take you to a lookout point… that’s when there’s a pretty steep hike down to the beach that’ll take you to Hideaway!
This hike requires a good amount of maneuvering and agility to get down. Luckily, there’s some ropes and guardrails that help you but it’s still not super easy. I highly recommend that you wear tennis shoes!
The hike down is definitely a bit of an obstacle but it was well worth it, in our opinion. A good thing to note is, don’t overpack for this beach!
Due to the complications of the hike, it’s much better if you’re well balanced and don’t have your hands full with beach umbrellas, chairs, a cooler, and so on!
Once you arrive at the beach, there’s a good amount of shade provided by the trees but there’s also many places to lay out in the sun!
This is where some of our favorite snorkeling adventures occurred. We saw so many gorgeous tropical fish and sea turtles around this beach.
Due to the moderate/hard hike down to the beach, we recommend that you bring snacks, beverages, plenty of water, and sunscreen so that you don’t have to hike up right away!
Instead, bring all your essentials so that you can relax and hang out on the beach for a few hours without worry.
After we had spent several hours at Hideaway, we hiked back up the steep incline so that we could do our walk back to the AirBnb to grab a late lunch/early dinner. We headed home and took quick showers and got ready for our evening out.
Dinner in Princeville, Kauai
We decided to go out to eat in the Hanalei area because it was a quick drive from our Bnb and had several options for dining.
We decided to go to Tahiti Nui because we had read several good Google reviews, the line wasn’t long, and they were able to sit the two of us very fast.
We had a great experience at dinner and highly recommend you try their famous Mai Thai and coconut shrimp!
We loved the food and drinks here and loved venturing around the Hanalei area. There’s many cute shops, bars, and restaurants within walking distance of Tahiti Nui.
After eating out, we made our way back to the AirBnb for the night so that we could recover from our jetlag and get an early start to our next day!
Day Three: Monday
We woke up pretty early both because we wanted to and because of the sound of roosters nearby!
Luckily, we had been warned that there are quite a few rouge roosters living in Kauai but it’s also a good thing to note.
Fortunately, our AirBnb host had given us a heads up and provided us with some earplugs that were super helpful!
After waking up, we had our breakfast and coffee on our lanai overlooking the gorgeous greenery and mountains of Kauai.
From there, we put on our swimsuits and put hiking clothes over top because we knew we wanted to make our way to Queen’s Bath, another hidden gem near our AirBnb.
Queen’s Bath
The walk/hike to Queen’s Bath from our Bnb in Princeville took about 30 minutes. The walk was fairly easy until you got to the area where the hike began for Queens Bath.
There’s a small parking lot with a bunch of signs surrounding it. This is when the hike gets pretty difficult! The hike wasn’t nearly as hard as the hike to Hideaway Beach but we do recommend that you wear tennis shoes!
The hike is a steep incline that requires maneuvering around tree roots, greenery, and other obstacles.
However, it’s another attraction that we highly recommend you do but with caution and the right equipment (good shoes).
Queen’s Bath, itself, was gorgeous and so was the hike down! Queen’s Bath is essentially a pool made from the ocean water that you can swim in!
It’s surrounded by volcano rock formations and the pool is formed from the ocean waves that crash in.
It’s very important that we note, check the tides before going! Depending on the tides, you’ll either have great conditions or super dangerous conditions.
The pool is pretty large and there were upwards of 20 people that were swimming in the pool at one point during our time at Queen’s Bath! It was super beautiful to swim in and the views are breathtaking from there.
It’s tranquil to watch the waves crash on nearby rocks, the mountains in the distance, and to be swimming in a fun “pool” made by the ocean/rocks! We were also able to see a handful of sea turtles swimming out in the distance!
Delicious Açaí Bowls and Local Beaches Near Hanalei Bay
After our time exploring Queen’s Bath, we made our way back home so that we could venture out for lunch! We decided to hit Nourish Hanalei, a local açaí hut that was known for their fresh fruit bowls, smoothies, and other small bites.
We really enjoyed our açaí bowls and the views from the hut were astonishing! You could see the sky high mountains in the distance accompanied by the teal blue ocean waves. It was truly a magical site and we highly recommend that you venture up there for the views and the delicious food.
After we enjoyed our lunch, we started driving towards our AirBnb and saw several smaller beaches on the side of the road with a few people laying out and enjoying the ocean. We decided to stop at one of the smaller beaches and hang out for a bit! We loaded up on our sunscreen and enjoyed some relaxing time in the sun before we went out for dinner.
Beachfront Dinner in Kapa’a
We couldn’t decide where to eat for dinner and we didn’t want to go home, get tired, and not want to go back out. Ultimately, we decided to go to dinner in our swimsuits/cover ups and I’m so glad that we did!
Sam ended up finding us a beachfront restaurant called Lava Lava Beach Club that is known for their mouthwatering cocktails, yummy food, beachfront views, and they even had live music! We had an absolute blast at this establishment and loved the atmosphere and our food.
Afterwards, we made our way home for the night because we had an exciting morning coming up!
Day Four: Tuesday
We woke up super early on Tuesday morning because we had an exciting day ahead of us! This was the day that we had our first ocean scuba dive since getting certified.
Before arriving in Hawaii, we had already researched and decided that we wanted to dive with Dive Kauai. They had great Google reviews, their website looked good, and we felt confident that this was the organization that we wanted to dive with.
They offered a few different dives including a shore dive and boat dive but we ultimately decided to go with the shore dive. This dive had many great reviews on Google and we figured it would be a “baby step” to help us get into ocean diving.
After about an hour of driving, we arrived at a parking lot with a small boat ramp and met the staff and other divers. They were extremely organized and had all of our equipment along with a few chairs set up for us. After a short brief, we geared up and went out to dive.
Scuba Diving in Kauai
The dive itself was spectacular! We had been diving in Colorado in a dive pool and reservoir but had never really seen any fish or other animals while diving.
As soon as we submerged under water, we saw countless tropical fish and several stingrays! As we continued swimming around down under, we came across countless sea turtles and other wildlife including an octopus! The experience was truly unforgettable.
After our dive, we had a short brief about any questions we had and talked about our experience. It was really cool being able to chat with the other divers who had experience diving all over the world including the Caribbean, Egypt, Germany, and many other destinations! After our chat had finished up, we made our way to our vehicle so that we could begin the drive back to our AirBnb.
Incredible Poke Bowls and Delicious Mango Bread in Koloa
On our drive back, we decided to stop for a celebratory flight of beer at a local brewery. It was delicious. We then continued on our journey home and this is when we came across the legendary Koloa Fish Market.
This local establishment serves poke, bbq, and mouthwatering mango bread. We highly recommend that you check this place out! After a quick bite to eat and a pint or two of beer. We made our way back to Princeville to hangout for the night!
Day Five: Wednesday
We woke up Wednesday morning and did our daily morning routine of breakfast and coffee on our lanai overlooking the lush green mountains. Once we were finished with breakfast, we put on our swimsuits and jumped in the car to head to Tunnels Beach!
Tunnels Beach and Phenomenal Snorkeling in Kauai
We had read many good Google reviews about this beach and how it has tremendous snorkeling. It took us about 30 minutes to get to the beach. It was definitely worth it because the beach itself, views, and underwater life were all unbelievable.
A Memorable Dinner in Halalei
After several hours of sunbathing, snorkeling, and taking in the surrounding scenery… we headed towards Hanalei for a delicious lunch. We ate at Kalypso and indulged in bbq nachos, a fish sandwich, and some grilled shrimp. We tried some Mai Thai’s and even ordered one of their shots from their extensive shot list. It was such an incredible meal and we loved our server here!
Afterwards, we drove to Hanalei Bay Beach to watch the sunset. Kauai has some of the most incredible sunset’s where it looks like the sun goes right into the ocean. Watching the sunset in Hawaii was one of my favorite memories that we did almost every night!
Day Six: Thursday
On Thursday, we woke up and heard about a famous mountain hike that the local’s highly recommended. It took us about 2 hours and 30 minutes to get there so we woke up right around 5:00 AM to begin the car ride. The drive was fairly long but wasn’t half bad listening to tropical music with the windows down as we took in the passing mountain and ocean views.
A Local Hike in Koke’e State Park
The hike that we did was Kalepa Ridge Trail. It’s important to note that the drive up to the hike gets pretty rough about 5 miles from the parking lot! There are many potholes and the road is pretty steep. We recommend that you have a 4WD vehicle or at least make sure that your car has enough lift underneath so that you don’t bottom out!
Upon our arrival, we paid the $20 fee ($10 per person to park) and scurried out to the viewpoint. The views were incredible! Next, we began the 2 mile hike. The hike was fairly steep and we highly recommend you wear hiking shoes with good traction.
There’s a dirt path that you can follow or there’s a fence that goes the length of the hike. I highly recommend that you hike along the fence because it made me feel much better and wasn’t overlooking the side of a mountain. The views were absolutely breathtaking the whole time!
A Delightful and Healthy Lunch at Kalalea Juice Hale
After the hike, we made our way back towards the AirBnb and stopped at a local acai bowl hut, Kalalea Juice Hale. The bowls were absolutely scrumptious. We highly recommend that you stop here for their fresh bowls and delicious coffee.
Small Local Beaches and More Amazing Food Near Princeville
After our snack, we stopped by one of the beaches on the side of the road to enjoy some time in the sun! This is one of my favorite things about Kauai, there are countless smaller beaches on the side of the road to choose from!
We literally were just driving and saw a small beach with 3 people on it and decided to pull over and go join them. After a few hours of snorkeling and laying out, we made our way back to Princeville.
After showering and getting ready for the evening, we went to a local lookout point in Princeville to watch the sunset. These were some of my favorite views that I had experienced on the trip! Once the sun officially set, we made our way to Tiki Aniki for a bite to eat and a cocktail before calling it a night.
Day Seven: Friday
On Friday we woke up and decided to go back to Hideaway Beach to have a relaxing last full day on the island. We did our walk/hike to the beach and enjoyed several hours of sunbathing and snorkeling.
Afterwards, we went home and showered for the evening and decided to head back to Hanalei for a bite to eat. After checking some wait times, we ended up back at Kalypso and had another delicious dinner outside on their deck overlooking the beautiful mountain landscape. Once dinner was over, we watched another marvelous sunset and headed back to our Bnb for the night.
Day Eight: Saturday
The last day of vacation is always bittersweet… we always have mixed emotions between being grateful for an incredible week and the opportunity to travel but not wanting the trip to come to an end.
Our flight didn’t leave until 8:00 PM on Saturday so we still had a whole day ahead of us! We reached out to our AirBnb host a day prior to see if we could get a late checkout and fortunately she said we could checkout at 12:00 PM.
One Last Trip to Hideaway Beach Before Leaving the Island
We woke up early and grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading to Hideaway Beach for the last time. We made the walk/hike down to the beach and enjoyed listening to waves crash around us. We popped on our snorkels and went for a quick dive. We relaxed on the beach for a few hours before heading back to our AirBnb to shower and get ready for the travel day.
Incredible Burgers in Koloa and Astonishing Waterfalls at Wailua Falls
After packing up our things and checking out of our AirBnb we swung by Bubba’s Burgers, which was incredible, before we ventured towards a waterfall that we had heard great things about close to the Lehi area. The waterfall was beautiful and we really enjoyed taking in the sound of the rushing water.
Taking in the Views and Fresh Food in Kapaa
After spending some time looking at the waterfall, we made our way to a local beach in Kapaa where we sat on a rock taking in the views for about an hour. Then we made our way to a Serve Yourself Beer spot and had a few pints of beer. Next, we went to Sam’s Oceanview Restaurant for our last meal in Hawaii. We had such a great time at Sam’s and highly recommend it if you’re visiting Kauai. The food was exceptional along with the staff and the oceanview!
Once our dinner was over, we made our way back to the airport to return our Turo car rental and get ready for our flight back to Denver! We took the red eye back to the mainland and after a 5 hour plane ride with a layover in Phoenix and then another hour or two plane ride back to Denver we ultimately got back home around noon on Sunday.
What Should You Not Miss in Kauai?
We highly recommend that you visit Hideaway Beach, Queen’s Bath, and Tunnels Beach for some of the best ocean and beach experiences. We cannot recommend these three enough!
7 Day Kauai Itinerary: Restaurants You Need to Try
All of the food we tried in Hawaii was delicious! So after a week of exploring new restaurants and bars and doing an extensive amount of research, we wanted to make a list for you all to try so that you don’t have to spend hours doing research, trying to decide which places to hit!
We hope this post helps you plan your 7 day Kauai itinerary! The island is truly magical from the greenery surrounding the island to the picturesque ocean and mountain views. If you are looking for fresh and healthy food, mountain and ocean views, along with a refreshing vibe, a trip to Kauai should most definitely be on your bucket list.
We can’t wait to visit Kauai again and hope this blog post convinces you to visit the island/helps you plan your 7 day Kauai itinerary! Happy Travels!
