Six Days on Kauai... (Waimea, Kilauea: garden, beach, pool)

[Chaparral]

My family (wife, 2 yr old, 5 yr old, sister-in-law) is going to Kauai for a few days in early December. We've never been to Hawaii before and we're looking for suggestions that we "must-do" or "must-see". Or maybe even "don't bother" . I'm sure we'll have a couple days of just hanging out at the beach or pool with the kids, but I wanted to get an idea of what activities we should make time for.

Any info by locals or previous visitors would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Chap

[J-Lu]

I've been there twice. It's been a while ('96 and '98). But here is my list of things to do:

1. Waimea Canyon (Grand Canyon of the Pacific)
2. Zodiac boat tour of the Na Pali Coast
3. Kayaking the Wailua River
4. Trip to Hanalei (Hanalei Bay and the town of Hanalei).

Have fun - it's absolutely beautiful.

[Chaparral]

Thanks for the reply J-Lu! We definitely want to check out Waimea Canyon, but the others sound interesting as well. Any other suggestions out there?

Chap

[christina0001]

The best part of Kauai (in my opinion) was seeing wild chickens near the beach.

[Rapture]

The main attraction in Kauai is hiking, so bring your sneakers. There's so much to see and you don't want to miss out while there. You have to hike to get to a lot of the beaches and it's well worth it. My boyfriend took me to Kauai and Oahu in 2005 and The Big Island in 2006. Kauai is my favorite.

[greatdanes]

When we go to Kauai, we always stay in the Po'ipu, so it is a long drive, but some of the places we like are Allerton Gardens (where they filmed some of Jurassic Park), Smith's Tropical Garden, The Grotto boat ride, the Lighthouse Lookout (birds santuary), Salt Ponds and Limahuli.

[Idaho]

Hang-Loose! And J-Lu's to do list at the top is great. All are a must!
Don't stress out - You'll get there and you'll have fun & relax no matter what you do - Don't overbook yourselves - Breathing and "hanging-loose" are Hawaiian traditions....Enjoy.

[RETIREONBI]

J-lu's listed some great activities, although I would opt for a catamaran trip along the Na Pali coast, these catamaran are great for the keiki cause you can get them and yourselves out of the sun if you want or need to. On your way to Hanalei try not to miss the Kilauea light house. For a day of relaxing you can try Po'ipu Beach Park, it has a shallow protected area great for the keiki and adults too. So much to do on a small island. Don't forget to try to tan, even at a tanning salon, before you arrive, you will not regret it, the sun is intense and people not used to it can and do burn easliy and quickly. Don't spend your time burned up.
Also, Idaho had a really good idea, "hang- loose", this is a trip to relax.
Wish I could be there right now, but I will be retireing to the Big Island in May so I can wait bit longer.
Have fun and enjoy the "Garden Isle".

[LivingLikeAGradStudent]

Go up to Kee Beach, the last one on the north side that is also the entrance to the 11-mile hike along the coast. The snorkeling is nice, and the area is remote enough to allow for lots of distance swimming without bumping into too many others.