It’s hard to believe that it’s already been nearly two full months since we got married. After all of the stress surrounding the wedding, one of the best things we did was take a Kauai minimoon the week right after the festivities.
It was not originally in our plan to do a Kauai minimoon right after since we’re going to Australia for our actual honeymoon in January. But true to form, at the very last minute, we bought plane tickets.
Going to Kauai after such a hectic time was THE BEST thing we could have done for ourselves. We had always planned to drive up to Big Sur so that we had something to do right after, but looking back, all we wanted to do was lay on a beach somewhere with a drink in hand. There was a lot of adventure involved, sure, but there was a lot more relaxing. It’s exactly what we wanted out of our minimoon, and I can’t wait to share everything you need to know about taking a trip of your own!
TRAVEL
The flight was easy – we even got to upgrade our seats to first class on the way there!! Since we booked SO last minute, the flights were insanely expensive, but we used our points for most of it. That helped a ton, but I see flight deals weekly that are around $300-$400 round trip. Just keep an alert on if you’re looking for cheap flights. Don’t do what we did and book last minute!
We flew direct from LAX to Lihue, but you can also find flights that layover in Honolulu.
It’s an absolute MUST to rent a car for the time you’re on the island – especially if you can get your hands on a Jeep Wrangler. It made for such a great experience to have such a versatile off-roading vehicle. Not to mention it was thrilling to be able to drive around the island with the top off in pouring down tropical rain.
Our original plan was to be in Kauai from October 14 – 18. But as the end came too quickly, we pushed our flight back a day and it was (once again) one of the best things we could have done.
If you’re planning a trip to Kauai, I definitely think you should give yourself longer than a week!
ACCOMMODATIONS
We stayed at the newly renovated Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach and it was absolutely PERFECT. It’s located right in Kapa’a, making it the perfect middle point between the North and South shore.
The hotel grounds are welcoming, luxurious, and calming. We loved our time there and would stay again in a heartbeat. We only have good things to say about the entire experience – not to mention the hotel staff was so kind and accommodating throughout the entire trip as well.
We loved the hotel so much that we would go back each day early enough to hit the bar and hang out in the pool to catch the sunset. They feature live music, and even have a preview to their Luau some nights – aka flame dancing poolside. It was iconic.
Highly irrelevant detail, but something I appreciated was that there was a Rite-Aid right near the property so if you forgot to pack anything or needed something really last minute, it was within walking distance. Also great for snacks for the room.
ITINERARY
We didn’t go into the trip with any expectations. In fact, if it weren’t for an app someone on the plane told us to download called Gypsy Guide, we really wouldn’t have known WHAT to do.
If you haven’t heard of this app, I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend – they have it for other locations too, not just Hawaii. But basically it’s your own personal tour guide who will tell you the in’s and out’s of wherever you are. It was hooked up to our GPS, so when we’d be driving it would randomly mention “a dirt path that leads to a secret beach on the right,” and even brief you on what the parking situation is like.
It was a total game changer and the reason we did everything we did each day.
Brennan wrote down how each day went down, literally everything, so I’ll outline our Kauai minimoon in detail below 🙂 ENJOY!
MONDAY – OCT 14
9AM: Flight from LAX to Lihue
12:30PM: Hit the ground running by going into Kapa’a to grab fresh poke at Leong’s Meat House
3:00PM: Back to the hotel to explore, check in and hit the beach.
5:00PM: We kicked off our first night at a local favorite, Tahiti Nui, with the marketing director from the hotel, and it was SO MUCH FUN
TUESDAY – OCT 15 – NORTH SHORE DAY
6:00AM: Sunrise on Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach
8:30AM: Açaí bowls at Kalalea Juice Hale in Anahola
9:30AM: Moloa’a Bay to kick off beer a beach – Kilauea
10:30AM: Secret Beach – Kilauea
12:30PM: Hideaway Beach – Princeville
2:30PM: Hanalei Dolphin to grab fresh sushi and poke
3:30PM: Hanalai Bay for sushi/poke picnic
5:15PM: Princeville Inn for a walk / attempted to catch the sunset but it was a little too foggy
5:45PM: Happy Talk Lounge – Princeville
8:00PM: The Crooked Surf at the Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach hotel for apps and live music by the pool
WEDNESDAY – OCT 16 – SOUTH SHORE DAY
8:00AM: Aloha Roastery in Lihue
8:30AM: Wailua Falls – we just drove up to it, parked and checked out the view, but someone told me you can hike down to see it up close!
9:15AM: Pit stop in Koloa at The Market
9:40AM: Baby beach in Poipu
10:10AM: Spouting Horn
10:35AM: Little Fish to share a Lox bagel and açaí bowl
11:15AM: Shipwreck Beach – rain started, but this was my favorite spot the entire trip!
2:15PM: Kauai Island Brewing Co. to escape the rain and eat lunch – SO GOOD
3:45PM: Kauai Coffee Company in Kalaheo
5:30PM: Back to the Sheraton in Wailua for live music, pool and hot tub
8:30PM: Dinner at Saimin Dojo – across from hotel – order the chili pepper chicken, it’s SO GOOD!
THURSDAY – OCT 17
7:05AM: Sunrise Coffee in Lihue
7:45AM: Little Fish for breaky in Poipu
8:20AM: Shipwreck Beach walk
9:45AM: Mall to pick up some sunglasses
11:15AM: Marriot in Lihue
12:00PM: Pono Market in Kapaa for a picnic lunch on Kapaa beach
1:45PM: Sheraton for poolside margs
6:00PM: Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach for Luau Makaiwa – SO FUN and so authentic
FRIDAY – OCT 18
7:45AM: Java Kai in Kapa’a – hands down my favorite coffee on the entire island
8:10AM: Açaí bowls at Kalalea Juice Hale in Anahola – this was our favorite spot for Acai bowls, it’s hands down the best!
9:00AM: Kalihiwai Bay beach in Kilauea
11:15AM: pushed back flight
1:15: Sushi Girl in Kilauea
2:15PM: Tunnels Beach in Kuhio
6:15PM: Tahiti Nui with Damon & his wife in Hanalei
8:15 Tiki Iniki in Princeville
SATURDAY – OCT 19
8:30AM: Java Kai in Kapaa
9:00: Shopped at Shipwrecked – cute store connected to Java Kai
9:45: Deja Vu for t-shirt
10:00 Headed to airport
*AT THE AIRPORT we realized our flights weren’t booked correctly – soooo we had one more full day until our newly scheduled redeye*
1:15: Kauai Beer Company
2:00: Photoshoot with Julia from Julia Kathleen Photo (SHE’S THEEEE BEST!)
2:35: Marriott pool in Lihue
5:30 JJ’s Broiler for beers and sports
Back to airport to fly home!
To say the least, our Kauai Minimoon far exceeded our expectations. We loved driving around to hit as many beaches as we could, all while consuming as much coffee, acai and fresh fish as humanly possible.
If you have ANY questions about Kauai – comment below, DM or email me! Would love to chat more in detail 🙂
Learn more about Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach here!
The trip looks so beautiful! Thanks for all the tips. We are trying to decide on which island to go to for our next trip – I was afraid Kauai would be too rugged or not have enough beaches, but this is proving me wrong! 😍
Omg no it’s AMAZING!!!! There’s a ton of different terrain, so you can find whatever you’re looking for 🙂