~ Stay ~
This last spring me and my wonderful brother micah went to Kauai Hawaii. And had the time of our lives! We were there for 8 days and did so many fun things! And the best part was we did it cost efficiently! We camped on the beach 5 of the 7 nights we were there. And only costs roughly $5 a night! Yes you heard me, $5 a night in Hawaii! You can have An amazing vacation on a budget! Airbnb it if you want as well for under $100 a night. What me and my brother did was rent an air bnb the first and last night, and boy am i glad i did that! that way we got great rest the first night and a shower the last. Rent a car for a week, for around $200 ( we rented ours from the airport when purchasing our tickets online) the first airbnb was lated in in Kappa. It was perfect for the first night to get rested up, but it was a one room hut with cots. the showers and bathrooms were outside. but overall very nice. The final one was in Waimea ( this one was my favorite out of the two because there were three very large, comfortable beds, a shower and the owner was very kind.
Heres the info for where to purchase your camping passes from:
KAPA`A NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER
4491 Kou Street, Kapaa, – Ph: 808-822-1931
~ Food ~
Then you can shop at Costco/Walmart/Safeway for all of your main food, shop local markets and defiantly stop by Kauai Juice co. Their heavenly juice is made from fresh fruit, native to the island and they help the ecosystem by using glass bottles that can be refilled. The food, yes is a bit more costly than the “main land” but not over the top expensive. Micah and I found Mango trees on the East side of the island! We stocked up and really lived off of those for a day! Make sure to bring your own reusable shopping bags! They don’t have plastic ones on the island, and they can also double as a beach bag.
– The Napali Coast –
Parking is free so you can go to any of the beach’s and swim ( we brought our own snorkeling gear ). We got to snorkel on the east side, saw tons of beautiful fish and a sea turtle right off shore! Theres lots of hiking spots with fantastic views! Kauai is known for all of the waterfalls and you can just drive around and stop at them all! The longest hike we did was on the Napali coat to the waterfall, it was an 8 mile hike but it was so worth it! We swam under the waterfall, picked up mango’s on the way, the halfway mark is a really pretty beach that you can lay on ( but you cant swim at because the waves are to big) but is stunning never the less. Id say the hike is not hard, but just long. I was able to do it and i’m not the most athletic person out there. It is a stunning hike and i really recommend going as far as you are able! Its free .99 for such a stunning view!
– The North Point of the Island / Okolehau trail-
The north side of the island is where it gets tropical again. The road ends, and a hiking trail begins. Its such a stunning hike going over top of the Napali coast. A popular spot to camp is the “secret beach at the end of the Napali trail ( 11 miles ) we would have camped there but the camping permits were filled. And who wants to hike 22 miles on vacation? so instead we got to see it from a birds eye view from the mountain range. The spot we found by trail blazing. And was only a mile or so from the road. these mountain ranges are so steep but so immaculate in beauty. Me and Micah rested in this spot for over an hour waiting for the perfect moment to snap a pic that does the view justice. It was quite foggy at times.
– Kayaking Wailua Bay –
The only excursion we payed for was the kayaking trip (Click here to book or search prices) The one we did was not guided so we were able to take our time and enjoy everything. I believe it was a little over $100 to rent the kayak for the whole day. Thats only $50 per person for the whole day. we kayaked up the river, then did a 20 min hike to this waterfall! super easy hike and you can enjoy the not so warm water crashing onto your face if your into that lol.
– Camping on the West Beach –
For our last night camping we went to the west side of the island, It was crazy to me that the east side of the island was lush, green, mountains, and rains often. then the west side is flat dry and dosnt have a lot of big trees. The beach was really nice tho! me and my brother found an abandoned hutch, ( as you can see in the picture) It had a few tents, a underground cooler and a crows-nest ( which I slept in) And as you can see from the picture above, The stars there are spectacular this side of the island.
~ Tab’s Top Tips ~
Bring a lose bed sheet as your towel! works the same way, but dries a million times faster than a towel and wont get musky.
If your a Gal, Brig at least 3 throw on dresses! I only brought one and it got dirty the first day from Mango’s. They are the best to throw on and go! also make sure to bring easy slide on sandals
Bring Ear Plugs! There are chickens everywhere, and they defiantly don’t wait for the sun to crow.
Photos taken by Micah, my brother from Silverline films.