What to do after flight in Kauai?

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

My husband & I will be in Kauai September 27th from 8AM-5PM. :) We booked the Grand Deluxe Air Tour with Wings Over Kauai for 9:30 AM. We should be through by 11AM. WOK will pick us up & return us to the port if needed.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions for the rest of the afternoon or have any recommendations for a tour that would pick us up at WOK & return us to the port after our tour? I am really excited about our flight but want to experience more of Kauai in our limited time there.

 

I have booked a rental car in Kauai (that I can cancel) but since we will only have approximately 5 hours after our flight I am afraid it will take up to much of our time with the rental process & getting our bearings.

 

Thanks,

Juli

[punkincc]

If you are docked at Nawiliwili, Kalapaki Beach is within walking distance of the ship. It is a sheltered cove with a mountain view and lots of shade and grass. There is a Mariotts there with a Dukes Restaurant. A mall backs up to the beach with shops and restaurants.

 

Or, you could drive your rental car to Waimea Canyon, a coffe plantation or to the Poipu area beaches and restaurants.

[js4rq]

^^ what punkincc said! :D

 

If you are looking at doing something at night, I recommend the Smith's family luau. We enjoyed the buffet dinner and entertainment. If you end up not having a rental car, Robert's Hawaii offers the luau with transfers. Highly recommended.

 

Good luck and happy planning! :cool:

[Crznaway]

With only 4 or 5 hours be careful about advice telling you to see the canyon. I'm very familiar with Kauai and I would say it depends on what you want to do.....beach and I would suggest poipu area beaches...brenneke beach area is good...especially with kids. I would also suggest driving to the north shore hanalei/princeville area....unbelievable scenery, the whole way there. You can stop in Kapaa, where there is a great walking/biking path along the ocean. Riding to the north shore, you can literally drive to the end of the island where the cliffs you are seeing on your helicopter begin. if you're interested in botanical gardens, lighthouses to visit, great scenery and waterfalls I'd head to the north shore.....

 

 

 

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[VideoTech]

The Waimea Canyon drive is not a short one. About 40 minutes one way from Nawiliwili over to the base of the drive, and then it really slows down as the road is twisty and narrow. It's really worth the drive, particularly if the weather is clear, but it sounds as if you'll already have seen the canyon from the air that morning.

 

Koloa and the beaches of the south shore (Poipu area) could be a good exploration that afternoon. I'd also second the recommendation for Smith's Family Luau in Wailua (if they're offering that day...it's not done every day - check their website).

 

Or you could head the other way, north up the shore from the port towards Kilauea Lighthouse, but that's a long-ish drive as well, and if there's one thing I learned on our recent cruise in Hawaii, it's that traffic moves slowly and can be very congested at certain times of the day.

 

Kalapaki beach right by the ship is great alternative if you don't want to hassle with the car. It's nice beach, easy swimming, you could take surfboard or paddle board lessons if you wanted, and, as mentioned, there's shops and restaurants. It's an easy walk from the pier and back, or you can take the Anchor Cove Shops shuttle bus that runs to the pier every 5 to 10 minutes, and drops you off right by Kalapaki beach.

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Thanks for the responses. I would really like to find some kind of tour that would pick us up at Wings Over Kauai after our flight so we do not have to rent a car but at least I have a car reserved if I do not find any other options.

 

As much as I would love to see Waimea Canyon I am afraid that would be pushing it time wise as we have to be back on-board at 4:30PM.

 

We love beaches but would really like to see more scenery, waterfalls, etc. I don't think the botanical gardens would be to high on our lists. We also like activity type days like kayaking, ATVing, ziplining, etc. I have contacted several tour operators about a NaPali boat tours but none of them worked with our time frame.

 

We want to make the most of our limited time in Kauia as it is one of the islands I am looking forward to the most.

 

Thanks again,

Juli

[crafter188]

I've read this post with interest because we are thinking of cancelling our rental car on Kauai. We are going on a helicopter tour in the morning and then Smith's luau in the evening. Since they'll pick us up, it means we don't need to draw straws to see who has to be the designated driver! The rest of our time, we'll take advantage of the shuttle and just enjoy the beach.

 

Thanks for the information.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[VT Hokie Cruiser]

If you see Waimea Canyon by helicopter, is it worth the drive there to see it from the ground? Thanks.