Like most Americans, we enjoy very few hours of vacation time. We made the most of it this year by visiting two islands in Hawaii, the Big Island and Kauai, in one week. We visited the islands of Oahu, Maui, and Lanai on my honeymoon in 2005. Now that my husband and I were going back with our teenage kids, we wanted to see two other must-see Hawaiian Islands!
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Big Island & Kauai Travel Logistics
Flights
As mentioned in my post Why Travel Hacking Makes Sense, using credit cards has opened up more exotic travels for my family. Hawaii is definitely our most far-flung family trip destination to date. We accrued Southwest points from a bonus on the Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card. Then we transferred Chase Ultimate Reward points earned with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. This gave us enough Southwest Airlines points to fly to Hawaii and between the Big Island and Kauai. These tickets are free except for a $5.60 security fee for each segment per person. We also earned a Southwest Companion Pass this year, so we got one ticket for 0 points! For more information, read my post about how you can also fly free on Southwest.
Lodging
I’m saving points for a trip to Europe in 2023, so I decided to use cash for hotels. There are two types of Hawaiian vacations and two types of travelers. There are travelers who go to Hawaii to relax on beaches and enjoy the amenities of a resort. Then there are travelers who want active vacations full of sightseeing. Since I value the second type of vacation, I searched for affordable hotels with decent reviews.
On the Big Island, we originally planned to stay at the Grand Nanilo Hotel in Hilo. This hotel had some of the amenities of a resort hotel for a very reasonable price. But I realized at the last minute that this hotel was two hours away from our arrival airport. Normally, that would be OK since we were arriving at 7:30 p.m. I didn’t consider the fact that we would have been flying all day and that it would be past midnight in our time zone. So I decided it would be easier (and safer) to stay on the Kona side of the island.
We booked a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo through VRBO for the same amount the hotel would have cost. We ended up driving more on some of our days, but it saved us the extremely tiring drives on our travel days. Plus, having the extra space (and an extra bathroom) was great for a trip with teens!
In Kauai, we stayed at the Hotel Coral Reef in Kapa’a. I had searched for an affordable VRBO rental in Kauai, but I was unsuccessful. The hotel was fine for us, but it is pretty run down. It could use a bathroom remodel at the very least. But it is affordable, in a great location, has ocean views, and offers immediate access to a small sandy beach. The best part was that they provide beach towels and chairs and other amenities like cruiser bikes for use. We missed the extra space we had in our condo on the Big Island, but close quarters help with family bonding. Maybe?
Rental Car
Our itinerary made a rental car a necessity. We opted for comfort over value and rented a SUV on both the Big Island and Kauai. I made our rental reservation as soon as I booked flights. Then I entered in our rental information into AutoSlash. This great service tracks rental rates and sends you an alert if the rate decreases so you can rebook. We ended up saving $255 on our rental using the service. If you use it, make sure you book refundable rates that you pay for upon arrival. Warning! Car rentals in Hawaii are crazy expensive!
Tour Guide (Sort Of)
Finally, we hired our own private tour guide for our week in Hawaii. Well, not really. I bought the GuideAlong app itineraries for Big Island and Kauai. I found this app before going to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. It was perfect for that trip, and I knew it would also be useful in Hawaii. The app uses your GPS signal to identify where you are and narrates sights, activities, points of interest, and facts about the area. It’s like having a guide in your car for the low price of $12.99 per island!
Big Island Itinerary
We had three full days to spend on the Big Island during our week in Hawaii. There’s a lot to do – see my related post on 5 Must-Do Activities on the Big Island. We decided to divide our time on the island up into three quadrants so that we could see everything.
Day 1 – Kona Coffee Coast
Our week in Hawaii officially started the day after we arrived. After a much-needed night’s rest, we were anxious to start our adventure! The plan was to drive through the Kona Coffee Coast to experience a bit of Hawaiian culture. We had several stops in mind, but took full advantage of the GuideAlong app to see sites we might not have considered.
We spent the day driving south on Highway 11 on the west side of the island. Briefly we stopped at Lekeleke Burial Grounds. I hoped that this would give us a better understanding of Hawaiian history. But it mainly gave us a terrific view of the ocean surrounded by black lava rocks. My son enjoyed exploring the tide pools and climbing over all the rocks. I think we could have spent the day there!
Our next stop was Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Park for a deeper dive into Hawaiian culture. This interesting site is the location of a temple housing the bones of 23 Hawaiian chiefs (called ali’i). We walked around the Royal Grounds once only accessible to the chiefs and their servants. The area also was a place of refuge or sanctuary for those who broke sacred laws and beliefs. If the violator made it to Pu’uhonua, they were forgiven. I particularly liked the interesting wooden Ki’i (images of Hawaiian gods) scattered throughout the site.
Our final stop before lunch was the Painted Church circa 1842 to admire the interior and snap a few photos. The paintings were created by a Belgian priest named Jean Berchmans Velge to illustrate the Bible stories he told to the local illiterate population. It’s extremely charming and well worth a stop!
After a quick picnic lunch, we got our exercise for the day by hiking 5 miles round trip to see Papakolea Green Sand Beach. While the beach wasn’t the brilliant green that my kids had in mind when I told them about it, it was very beautiful and different. The hike wasn’t super strenuous, but it was pretty hot. My son decided a dip in the ocean was in order once we trekked all the way there, and he enjoyed body surfing in the waves. The rest of us just enjoyed the views and a bit of a break before hiking back to the car.
Exhausted, we drove back to our condo. We had dinner at an unremarkable restaurant close to the condo and were definitely ready for lights out afterward!
Day 2 – Volcanoes National Park
We spent our second day of our week in Hawaii exploring Volcanoes National Park. It is located about 90 minutes away from our condo, so we had a long day of driving. On the way there, we stopped to get malasadas at Punalu’u Bake Shop. Malasadas are doughnuts brought over by Portuguese who worked on sugar plantations in the 1800s. Filled with various fruits, they are a delicious way to fuel up for the day.
We made a quick detour on the way to the national park to visit Panalu’u Black Sand Beach. The beauty of this unusual beach is that it is easily accessible. It’s a must-do when you visit the Big Island. We saw several sea turtles there and enjoyed waking through the sparkly black sand.
Finally, we arrived at Volcanoes National Park. Kilauea Volcano is currently erupting, which makes it a unique time to visit. GuideAlong was very handy during our day in the park. I researched itineraries in advance, but we were able to just drive along the two main roads on the park and stop where the app suggested. We made sure to stop at all overlooks and take a few hikes.
We vacationed in Yellowstone National Park last year, and the first thing that struck us was how similar Volcanoes National Park feels. In fact, the Sulphur Banks trail outside of the Visitor’s Center was just like some paths in Yellowstone! I don’t think of Yellowstone as being an active volcano, but the truth is that it’s a super volcano and that we are in big trouble if it erupts!
One of the best sites in the park is the Thurston Lava Tube. Entering into it is just like entering into a ride at Disney World – it truly felt like an immersive queue to a wonderful ride. Even though we didn’t board ride vehicles inside the tube, we enjoyed walking into it and marveling at how lava could create such a thing! (And admiring Disney Imagineers for using such sites in real life to inspire their pretend worlds!)
After a picnic lunch, we drove towards the coast on the Chain of Craters road. We especially enjoyed the view at Kealakomo Overlook.
We also stopped to take the short hike to Pu’u Loa Petroglyphs. This was a fun hike – no straight smooth path here – and the reward at the end were more than 20,000 petroglyphs.
At the end of the Chain of Craters road, we stopped to see the Holei Sea Arch. This arch is about 90′ tall and was created by a lava flow over 500 years ago. The amazing thing about this is that it is temporary and will eventually crumble. We can’t count on it being there for our next visit!
We aren’t the most active of families, but I saw a sign that promised lava flow views after a 1.5 mile hike. I pitched it to the family, and they were wary. I had decided to do it alone for a chance to see lava. But then I saw a ranger who told me where we could park and get to the lava in 1 mile. So we did that instead. The hike is on a paved road and is super easy. Unfortunately, you could see very little lava – only a bit of orange periodically that doesn’t show up in photos. It was still worth the easy and brief hike to me!
We headed back to the Kona area, stopping to pick up delicious pizza from Black Rock Pizza in Captain Cook on the way. Seriously (and perhaps sadly), this was one of our best meals of the trip!
Day 3 – Northern Explorations
With half of the island still to explore, we had another early start. We drove the Saddle Back highway over to Hilo. You may read online or hear that rental car companies do not allow you to take rentals on the Saddle Back Highway. This is old news – the highway is now completely paved and easy driving as long as you stick to the main road. If you are just using it to drive between Kona and Hilo, don’t hesitate to use it.
Our first stop was them Lava Tube at Kaumana Caves State Park where we enjoyed the novelty of climbing down a ladder into a lava tube created in 1881. We discovered how little light our iPhone flashlights produced as we explored deeper into this cave!
Then we visited Rainbow Falls and Boiling Pots. Unfortunately, it was cloudy, so we were not able to see the rainbow effect that the falls are named for. The Boiling Pots aren’t actually boiling water but just an effect as the water flows through lava tubes. But after visiting Volcanoes National Park, we expected it to be boiling water!
We drove through Bayan Tree Drive to see the massive trees on our way Lili’uokalani Garden. Unfortunately, it was raining steadily by this time, so we quickly walked through this beautiful Japanese garden.
One of my favorite things to eat are poke bowls, and I was excited to try those at Suisan Fish Market. I was so disappointed! Perhaps what I’ve had state-side is not authentic, but I was surprised at how little flavor this dish had. It was basically just chunks of raw fish on rice.
Then we piled into the car and drove about half an hour to Akaka Falls. We were planning to take a hike to the falls, but it was pouring rain. So we settled for a view from the carpark!
The weather continued to deteriorate as we drove another hour to Waipio Valley Lookout. The Waipio Valley is closed to tourists right now due to hazardous conditions, but we were supposed to be able to see the view from the lookout. The top photo is what we saw. The bottom photo is what we were supposed to see!
We consoled ourselves with an exotic fruit plate from a roadside stand near the valley. It included lychee, rambutan, papaya, mango, apple bananas, passion fruit (lilikoi), mountain apple, pitaya, quince, guava, and a few other things I can’t identify.
Once we rounded the northern end of the island and headed down the west coast, the weather cleared up. So we stopped for a frolic at Hapuna Beach. This mile long beach has nice white sand and is flanked by black lava rock. It was a great place to relax for a few hours after a long day of driving.
We stopped at another mundane restaurant on the way back to our condo for burgers and hot dogs. So far, the meal scene in Hawaii is skippable!
Kauai Itinerary
Midway through our week in Hawaii, we had to transfer islands. We had roughly 3.5 days to spend in Kauai since we had to travel there from the Big Island. We flew from Kona to Lihue via Honolulu. This was the downside of using Southwest points. We could have flown direct on another airline. But free is free! We departed Kona at 10:30 a.m. and arrived in Lihue around 2:30 p.m.
Day 4 – Lihue Area Attractions
Since we lost most of the day to travel, we limited sightseeing to sites along the 40 minute drive to our hotel.
Our first stop was Wailua Falls. There was no hiking required, which the kids appreciated. We were able to see the rainbow effect that we missed the previous day at Rainbow Falls near Hilo on the Big Island!
We also took a quick look at Opaeka’s Falls. If you have more time on your arrival day, you can consider going to Smith’s Fern Grotto, Kamokila Hawaiian Village, or taking a hike to see Sleeping Giant mountain.
After yet another ho-hum meal at a restaurant in Kapa’a , we arrived to our hotel and settled in. Before bed, we enjoyed exploring the small beach in front of the hotel and walking part of the 10 mile path through the town and the surrounding area.
Day 5 – Grand Canyon of the Pacific
Day 5 of our week in Hawaii was spent exploring the Waimea Canyon. Known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, it stretches 14 miles long, 1 mile wide and more than 3,600 feet deep. We started our day with making the long drive from our hotel to see Waimea Canyon Lookout. Luckily, we had beautiful clear views.
Continuing on to Koke’e State Park, we enjoyed views from Kalalau Lookout and Pu’u o Kila Lookout. My son and I enjoyed a brief hike on the Pihea Trail beyond the Pu’u o Kila Lookout. We honestly wanted to go a bit further, but were glad we stopped when we did when it was time to start climbing out of the canyon!
We rewarded ourselves for our efforts with our first Hawaiian shaved ice at JoJo’s in Waimea. I’m not usually a shave ice fan, but JoJo’s concoctions with macadamia nut ice cream are to die for! I recommend #14 Locals South Shore with coconut and pineapple shaved ice over macadamia nut ice cream with Hapua cream topping. I wish we had sought out shaved ice earlier in our week in Hawaii!
We continued on to the cute town of Hanapepe next. We browsed through some art galleries and shops. For a little adventure, we strolled across the Hanapepe Swinging Bridge. We had several spots picked out for lunch, but most places turned out to be closed. We ended up eating another mediocre meal at the local brewery.
Next we made a stop at a place I was most looking forward to visiting during our week in Hawaii. Glass Beach is filled with sea glass resulting from bottles dumped into the Port Allen Harbor in Ele-ele decades ago. We spent time digging for beautiful frosted pebbles of glass. But perhaps my favorite thing was the adjacent old Japanese cemetery. I love exploring cemeteries, and my teens also enjoy a bit of the macabre!
We spent the remainder of the afternoon at Salt Pond Beach. This beach offers protected shallow pools that are good for beginner snorkelers, so we broke out the snorkel equipment we brought. After a few hours, we headed back to our hotel, making a brief stop to buy a boogie board for the kids at Walmart.
One must-try cuisine in Hawaii is a ramen-like noodle soup called saimin. So we stopped at Humura Saimin to check it out. It was delicious! We also enjoyed the lilikoi chiffon pie. I guess when the food scene is failing you, choose the place where there aren’t any tourists!
We wrapped up our day with a quick stop at the Alekoko Fishpond. This pond was created almost 1,000 years ago to help the ancient Hawaiians catch fish. It’s a great place to catch the sunset!
Day 6 – Poipu Beach Area
We headed south again for our second day in Kauai. This time we focused on the attractions at the southernmost part of the island. Driving through the Tunnel of Trees, we stopped at Shipwreck Beach. We hiked up to the beach cliffs to see the beautiful views in this area and watched the surfers from above.
We also visited Kauai Spouting Horn. This is a lava tube that spits a huge amount of water into the air when a wave flows in. Accompanied by a hiss, legend has it that the effect is made by a giant lizard’s roar and breath spraying from the blowhole. It’s like a miniature Old Faithful!
We stopped for brunch at Anuenue Café. Our food scene was getting better – our meal was terrific. We had Hawaiian Sweet Bread French Toast and Eggs Benedict. Our wait was about 45 minutes, but it was well worth it! Then it was time for another beach visit.
We planned to go to Brennecke’s Beach for boogie boarding, but it was high tide and the beach was almost non-existent. Nearby Poipu Beach was very busy and had little ocean swell. So we headed back to Shipwreck Beach. This offered the best of all worlds – nice sandy area, not too crowded, and good waves for boogie boarding. Best of all, there were palm trees for shade! There was also a few people cliff diving into the water, which was entertaining yet frightening to watch. We spent a few hours getting our fill of the beach. Then we headed back to the hotel to get cleaned up for our luau experience.
We attended Luau Kalamaku. This was the most expensive activity of our trip. Although Hawaiian luaus are very much for the tourist, we thought it was a good way for the kids to experience some local food and culture. We all enjoyed the food and entertainment. Go early to visit the craft stalls of local vendors and to enjoy the grounds.
Day 7 – Northeast Kauai
Our final day of our week in Hawaii was spent exploring the north and east part of Kauai. Our first stop was Kilauea Point Lighthouse & National Wildlife Reserve. The lighthouse is closed due to COVID, but we enjoyed the views from Kilauea Point. We also enjoyed wandering through the wildlife reserve and seeing many species of Hawaiian seabirds.
We continued onto Princeville and stopped to hike to Queen’s Bath. This is a moderately strenuous hike, but it’s just about 1.5 miles roundtrip. Many people were enjoying dips in the Queen’s Bath, and others were jumping from the relatively small cliffs into the adjacent ocean. We just enjoyed the pretty views and people watching.
Hanalei Valley Lookout was our next stop. This viewpoint provides a glimpse of the patchwork of taro fields with mountains in the background. We stopped for lunch in the town of Hanalei. This little village is filled with art galleries, food trucks, and cute shops. Unfortunately, our final lunch of the trip was also disappointing.
We had opted not to drive all the way to the end of the island to get a glimpse of Na Pali Coast State Park. This park is really only accessible by boat, air, or foot by hiking Kalalau Trail. Since boat or air tours cost approximately $200 per person, this wasn’t in the cards for us. Hiking to the park requires a strenuous 11 mile hike. Since we weren’t going to do any part of the hike, we opted not to get a reservation to Ha’ena State Park. Parking spot reservations are extremely limited, so we would have had to book a shuttle to enter the park. The shuttle costs $35 per person for ages 16+ and $25 per person for ages 4-15. We decided that was a little too expensive just to say we’ve been as far as most go on Kauai!
Instead, we drove as far as we could checking out the beaches on the way and stopping at Maniniholo Dry Cave. We walked to the very back, but opted not to go further in once it required you to crawl!
Our final beach stop was Hanalei Beach Park. This beautiful beach is surrounded by the Kauai mountains and offers a nice swell for boogie boarding. There were also some beginner surfers there as well. It was a nice place to spend our final afternoon in Hawaii!
We stopped at another location of JoJo’s for another shaved ice on the way back to our hotel. I wish our local shaved ice was so good – but my waistline is glad that it isn’t!
Summary
Overall, the trip checked all of my boxes. We saw all of the major sites on two islands, experienced the culture, had some quality beach time, and didn’t spend too much money in the process. But my family was weary from so much driving each day, and the kids were a little bored with all the scenic views.
See my related article Top Tips for Your Best Hawaii Vacation with Teens for my best tips and tricks for your Hawaii vacation. But in general, my advice for other travelers with families is to take it slower. Only visit one island in one week. Do all of the activities I listed but intersperse sightseeing with adventure activities like ziplining, ATV tours, kayaking, etc., especially if you have teens. Also, consider spending at least a few nights in a resort to enjoy the amenities. Our beach time would have been more pleasant with a comfy lounge chair, umbrella, and someone delivering fruity drinks!
How would you spend a week in Hawaii?
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