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When my husband suggested that we take a weeklong family vacation to Kauai, I was more than thrilled — I was ecstatic! With our family’s busy schedule, it’s extremely rare for us to take a full week off from work and personal responsibilities for leisure travel. In fact, I don’t think we’ve ever vacationed for a full week together – not even on our honeymoon! We travel a lot, but it’s usually over long weekends or we’ll attach some vacation days to a work trip. That being said, we were more than ready for a vacation where we could spend some real quality time together relaxing, going on adventures and creating memories. And, I knew Kauai would be a fabulous destination for this!
If you’re not already familiar with Kauai, it is Hawaii’s fourth largest island and the furthest from the mainland that you can visit. It’s easy to see why Kauai is nicknamed “the Garden Isle” with its plethora of tropical green beauty covering the entire island. So far in my Hawaiian travels, I’ve visited Maui twice, Oahu twice, and now this was my second time to visit Kauai. It was a very meaningful visit, because Kauai was where my husband and I spent our “babymoon,” so it was really special bringing both of our kids with us to explore the place where mommy and daddy spent our last vacation before becoming a family.
At the time I’m writing this, our children are 4 and 2 years old. Some people might think we’re crazy for spending a whole week on vacation with our toddler-aged children in a different time zone and out of their routine. But, in my opinion, a whole week away was actually easier than a few days! By day three, we all had settled into a routine and finally felt that we could relax. Yes, RELAX! It is possible to relax with toddler aged children, and we did it! We also had many memorable adventures and fabulous dining experiences. I’ve outlined our full 8-night and 7-day Kauai itinerary with kids below!
But, first!! Do you know what makes a weeklong family vacation easy? Having the right kids’ travel gear!
My Must-Have Travel Products for Kids:
- Best Packing Cube: This Portable Hanging Organizer
Packing and unpacking your family is so easy with this four-tier packing cube that acts as a carry-on closet to keep your belongings organized and in plain view. You will no longer have to dig in your suitcase to locate your 2-year-old’s tiny socks! What makes this luggage organizer stand out among other packing cubes out there is the fact that it has four compartments — three shelves to store folded clothes and one zip-up container at the bottom that’s great for stashing toiletries, shoes or dirty laundry — and two hooks so that it can hang, making it easy to unpack and repack at your destination. This packing cube is durable and lightweight, in addition to coming in two different sizes and multiple different colors. I purchased the large and extra large in grey earlier this year, and it has been such a game changer to keep mine and my children’s belongings organized. I typically put pajamas, socks and underwear in the top compartment, my son’s clothes in the middle compartment and my daughter’s clothes in the third compartment. I’ll put shoes in the bottom zip-up compartment. In the large size, I was able to pack 4 days worth of clothes for the kids, who are ages 4 and 2 as I’m writing this. I love that I simply hang it up in the closet when we arrive, so we’re no longer living out of disorganized suitcases or accidentally leaving a shirt or sock behind in a hotel drawer! Do yourself a favor and get this portable hanging organizer before your next trip!
2. Best Portable “Car Seat” for Toddlers and Older: RideSafer Travel Vest
Car seats are a huge pain to schlep through the airport, especially if you have more than one child, like me! I also dislike taking them with us to a destination where we’re not renting a car. Constantly installing the car seat in Ubers then carrying it into a restaurant or museum can be really annoying. Enter: The RideSafer Vest!!! This is a safe, legal and convenient device that makes it easy to travel in taxis or ride shares when you get to your family’s destination. The vest lightweight (less than 2 pounds) and comes with a small backpack that children can easily carry themselves. Most importantly, it’s crash tested and safety certified – it meets or exceeds Federal safety standards! The RideSafer Vest features a unique, 3-clip design that positions the car’s seat belt comfortably and correctly on your child. Just slip it on like an article of clothing, fasten in the front and place the seat belt through the metal belt guides. Most children can do all of that themselves if you teach them and practice a few times. It also comes with a shoulder tether for a consistent sitting position and increased security. The tether also makes it possible for kids to ride safely in the middle seat without a shoulder strap! RideSafer offers four different sizes of the Vest, so this device is an option for parents with children ages 2 and up.
3. Best Travel Booster Seat: TravelSmarter Booster Seat
The same company that makes the RideSafer Travel Vest also makes an extremely lightweight TravelSmarter Booster Seat. This seat can be used with the vest, and they both fit into a backpack weighing less than 3 pounds. My kids have no trouble carrying it! The TravelSmarter Booster Seat is great for smaller children who may enjoy looking out the window, but it is not required to use with the vest. You can use the booster alone or with the vest or you can use the vest without the booster.
4. Best Kids’ Headphones: Puro Sound Labs Volume Limiting Kids Headphones
There’s a growing concern over the rise of noise-induced hearing loss from headphones and earphones, leaving parents alarmed and looking for solutions to protect their children’s ears. Thankfully, I found Puro Sound Labs Junior Jams bluetooth headphones, which help keep little ones entertained on long flights while limiting volume to 85 decibels (the recommended listening level). What sets these volume-limiting headphones apart is their 22 hours of battery life, superior sound quality and fold-up feature, making them easy to store in little kids backpacks. These headphones also boast a sophisticated design, bright color options and durability. We have gone through a couple of headphones in the last 3 years that simply couldn’t hold up to travel or stopped working shortly after purchasing, but Puro Sound Labs creates quality headphones with a 1-year warranty! These headphones are perfect for children ages 3 to tween.
Puro Sound Labs also has developed PuroQuiet, which features active noise cancelling for little ones to tune out the loud world around them without having to increase their headphones volume. PuroQuiet bluetooth headphones have a volume limit of 85 decibels, 35 hours of battery life without the active noise canceling on, and 23 hours with it, and blocks out 78% of background noise. The PuroQuiets cost a bit more than the Junior Jams, but they’re so worth it for the active noise cancelling feature!
5. Best Way to Keep Kids Busy While Traveling: Melissa & Doug Take Along Activities
Our favorite toy brand Melissa & Doug is fantastic at developing toys and activities to keep babies and toddlers engaged through screen-free open-ended play. The Water Wow! reusable travel painting sets have been a staple in our house since my firstborn was around 18 months old. I love to throw these in my diaper bag and surprise the kids with them once we get on the plane or when they need to keep busy at a restaurant. Simply fill the pen with water, and your kids can paint the pages in the book to reveal colorful, educational scenes. The color disappears when the pages dry, so kids can paint them again and again. The best is that there’s no mess (besides maybe a little bit of water)!
For babies under 1 year old, Melissa & Doug just launched the Take Along Ice Cream Toy that clips to strollers, diaper bags, high chairs, car seats, and more to keep the fun close to little hands. Babies love pulling the cone to reveal four adorable ice cream scoops with friendly faces. When expanded, the toy vibrates and plays chiming sounds as it shrinks again. This toy helps kids develop fine motor and sensory skills with its multi-textured features, vibration and sounds. If I had a baby again, I’d definitely bring this cute little toy with me! Make sure you check out all of Melissa & Doug’s awesome travel-friendly toys on their website!
6. Best Kids’ Backpacks: The North Face Kids Backpacks
One of the best things a family can do when traveling together is have each person responsible for their own stuff! Traveling got so much easier once my toddlers were able to wear a backpack filled with their favorite snacks and toys. Plus, it’s fun for them! They love the sense of purpose and responsibility, and my kids enjoy packing their own backpack, too! The North Face has been a trusted brand for family adventures for years and makes three different sized backpacks to fit your child’s travel needs at every age. The Mini Explorer is perfect for preschoolers, the Youth Mini Recon is great for elementary school age children and the Youth Court Jester is a solid choice for tweens and high schoolers. I love The North Face, you get a lifetime guarantee with free returns, durability and high functionality. These are high quality backpacks that your kids can use for everything!
Now, on to our one week in Hawaii. Check out our entire itinerary, below!
FAMILY TRAVEL ITINERARY: ONE WEEK IN KAUAI WITH KIDS
Day 1: Travel Day
Everyone is a combination of tired and excited on travel days, so we take this day to settle in and get organized. We arrived at Kauai’s airport in Lihue just before noon, picked up our rental car (rental cars are a must if you want to conveniently explore the island at your leisure), and went straight to our resort, Marriott’s Kauai Beach Club, which was also located in Lihue. My in-laws are Marriott Vacation Club timeshare owners, so that made choosing our accommodations easy. Marriott has two properties on Kauai (one in Lihue and one in Poipu), and we chose the location in Lihue, because we had never stayed there before. For our babymoon, we enjoyed staying in Poipu, which is a very popular resort location, but wanted to try something different for this trip.
Our villa wasn’t quite ready when we arrived, so we left our bags with concierge and headed to Duke’s Kauai for lunch. Duke’s is an iconic restaurant in Hawaii, and it was a nice way to kick off our vacation with Mai Tai’s, fish tacos and an ahi poke bowl while watching surfers and stand-up paddle boarders ride waves into Kalapaki Beach.
Once our villa was ready, we unpacked our bags, and the kids and I went down to enjoy the pool while my husband went to the local market to get breakfast, lunch and snack items for us for the week. Our 2-bedroom villa had a kitchenette, which made it convenient to save money and let our little kids relax for breakfast and lunch every day. I also really loved that the kids and adults each had their own room joined together by a common living space. A couple years ago, the four of us stayed in a hotel room on Maui with double queens, and I’ll probably never do that again with little kids! It’s way too challenging with nap schedules, the kids needing to spread out and play, along with mom and dad needing some alone time on vacation!
That evening, we were all worn out from the time change and still full from our massive lunch at Duke’s, so we had small snacks and went to bed early so we could be ready for our next adventure tomorrow!
Side note: If you’re looking for tips for traveling with kids, check out some of my favorite kid-friendly travel products here.
Day 2: Resort Orientation Day
On any big vacation, I always like to take the first full day to get completely acclimated to our new short-term home. We had a big day exploring the Kauai Marriott Vacation Beach Club. Since we were awake so early with the 3-hour time difference, I started the day with a run around the resort. There were lots of golf paths which provided beautiful views. Our family then headed to the beach, where my husband rented a surf board and boogie board for the day from the resort’s on-site beach rental hut. The kids enjoyed jumping over waves and simply digging in the sand while dad surfed. Then, daddy helped them learn to boogie board. I also purchased a ball from the resort, so we spent a bit of time kicking the ball back and forth on the beach before it was time to head up to our room for lunch. After lunch and naptime, we spent the afternoon at the pool, which had an awesome kids pool with a slide! The resort sold child-size pool floats at the pool hut, and our kids loved splashing around in those all afternoon. For dinner, we did poolside dining at the resort’s Kukui’s Restaurant, which served classic Pacific Rim fare. It was convenient and tasty, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here if you’re not staying at Marriott’s Beach Club.
Day 3: Daddy Golf Day!
If you have a golfer in the family, don’t miss The Ocean Course at Hokuala — Kauai’s only Jack Nicklaus Signature course and the longest stretch of oceanfront golf in Hawaii! Our 4-year-old son tagged along with daddy (for a fee) on this spectacular course where they enjoyed amazing scenery and challenging golf. Our son’s favorite parts were the wild roosters and hot dogs, of course. Our 2-year-old daughter and I enjoyed a relaxing morning in our room before spending time at the resort pool together. The whole family met up for lunch at the room, then did more pool time in the afternoon.
For dinner, we went to Hualani’s at Timbers Ocean Club & Residences, which was one of the very best meals we had in Kauai! The view on a cliff overlooking the ocean and a lighthouse is breathtaking, the ambiance with live music is so pleasant, and the food is top-notch. The restaurant uses ingredients predominately sourced from local farmers and purveyors, so everything is fresh, and it was all cooked to perfection. They had a special mango and prosciutto appetizer on the menu that night, and it was the best mango I’ve ever had in my life! So fresh, soft and sweet! I need to note that Hualani’s is a bit more upscale, but they were very welcoming to our children. If we do go to a fancy as a family, we always try to dine on the earlier side and bring lots of activities to entertain our children while waiting for our food. Luckily, there was a spacious lawn area where our children were able to get some of their wiggles out before dinner arrived. We 10/10 recommend this restaurant if you can get a reservation!
Day 4: Poipu Beach & Gaylord Plantation Adventure
By our fourth day, we were all settled in, adjusted to the time change and ready for a big day!
First, I got a massage at the resort’s spa. To be honest, it wasn’t the most luxurious spa I’ve been to, but my masseuse was very good and I felt relaxed afterward. Then, we headed to Poipu which has a great beach for kids where you can swim and snorkel in shallow lagoons. There’s also lifeguards! This was an incredible experience for the kids, because we got to see three large sea turtles on the beach and one swam right next to us! We got to see some seals swimming next to us, too. It was really cool to be so close to nature!
For lunch, we ate at the famous Puka Dog which serves Hawaiian style hot dogs. To be honest, I’m not sure what all the fuss is about, as I thought the bread was dry and there wasn’t enough sauce, but my kids absolutely loved it! The shop also sold Hawaiian Shaved Ice, so this is all around a fun family-friendly spot to grab lunch. We took our hot dogs and shaved ice over to a picnic table at Poipu Beach Park to enjoy watching the waves.
After lunch, we went back to our resort where we spent an hour at the pool before cleaning up and getting ready for our evening at Gaylord Plantation, a famous large estate on Kauai. We did the Plantation Train Tour, which included a 2.5-mile ride aboard an old-fashioned train around the plantation where we saw a working farm and got to feed farm animals. This was a huge hit with the kids! Afterwards, we ate dinner at The Plantation House, which had a really cool ambiance in a historic home. We had the Hamachi and Ahi Crudo to start, my husband tried the Kurabuta Pork Osso Bucco Island Style and I ordered the Plantation House Signature Oscar, which is the day’s fresh catch encrusted with parmesan cheese, pan roasted and topped with crab meat, truffleyaki and Hollandaise. Everything was really decadent!
Day 5: Hike & Luau
This was one of my favorite days of the whole trip. We got up bright and early to drive to Waimea Canyon to hike the Canyon Trail to Waipo’o Falls. This 3.6-mile “moderate” hike was definitely challenging with a 4- and 2-year-old, but we made it work with the Piggy Back Rider which is a ergonomically designed standing child backpack carrier. The Piggy Back Rider is convenient for travel, because it can fold up to fit inside a backpack. Our busy kids loved that they could hop on and off the carrier as they were exploring on our hike. I’m so happy we did this trail, because the views are incredible. You’ll definitely get some great pictures! Fun fact: My husband and I did this hike together on our “babymoon” when I was pregnant with our first baby. That made this hike all the more special to show our kids what mommy and daddy loved doing before we became a family.
Check out our tips for doing this Waimea Canyon hike in Kauai with kids at the Instagram Reel video below!
After the hike, we were all starving, so we hit up Island Taco in Waimea on our way back to Lihue. This place was so cute, and the staff really took pride in their food while sharing excellent recommendations and suggestions for different combos and sauces based on how they personally like to eat their tacos. My husband got the Kalua Pork Taco, and I got a Coconut Crusted Shrimp Quesadilla that was on special for the day, and it was SO GOOD! Island Taco’s tortilla chips are amazing, too. You can tell they’re freshly made in house. This place really hit the spot after a big hike!
By time we got back to our resort, we only had a few minutes to rest before getting ready to go to the Aulii Luau in Poipu. There are a few Luau’s to choose from in Kauai, but we chose the Aulii Luau, because its the only oceanfront celebration. Being by the ocean is one of the whole reasons we came to Hawaii! This was the third authentic luau I’ve been to in my life and probably the best. The setting on Poipu Beach was stunning as the sun set in the background while watching the talented Hawaiian dancers and musicians. Our kids had so much engaging with the performers before the show started, and we were all mesmerized by the talented fire dancers! The host of the show did a great job being very interactive, too. This luau definitely had the best food compared to the two ones I’ve been to on Maui. Warning – this luau is not cheap! But, we thought it would be one of the most memorable and authentically Hawaiian moments of our trip, so it felt worth it to us!
Day 6: Resort Day – Again!
The last two days were so jam-packed with excursions and activities around the island that we decided to take it easy at our resort. My husband went surfing while the kids jumped over waves in the morning, then we spent the afternoon by the pool. For dinner, we popped over to Duke’s Kauai (located on property). Afterwards, we walked to a little ice cream shop in Lihue, then sat on the beach watching the sunset while eating our frozen treats.
Day 7: Last Chance For Tourist Attractions!
In our opinion, Kauai’s land and ocean are the most magical of all the Hawaiian islands, so it was important for us to share its natural beauty with our kids. We decided to take the morning to visit Spouting Horn Park, which is a scenic viewpoint featuring a blowhole spouting water high in the air. The kids got a huge kick out of watching the blowhole, but the attraction didn’t take longer than 15-20 minutes to explore so our morning activity was over quick.
We drove past the McBride & Allerton Gardens National Tropical Botanical Gardens, so we decided to stop in and see what it was about. We were visiting on a Friday, and according to all the signs we saw, Thursday evening was the best time to go during the summer with a farmers’ market, live music and family movie projected in the gardens. There was an option for a guided tour, but at $60 per adult and $30 per child, we decided to skip and tour ourselves around the preliminary grounds close to the parking lot and gift shop. As I looked back through photos of the tour on Google reviews, I wish we would have tried it! Kauai has some of the most extraordinary fauna, so it would have been cool to see some of its magical trees and plants in person!
It was starting to get close to lunchtime, so we headed over to Poipu Shopping Village to walk around, shop and grab a bite. We hadn’t purchased any souvenirs during the week, so we grabbed a couple of fun t-shirts for the kids at Crazy Shirts. I love that the shirts are dyed with natural substances, like crater dust, cinnamon and apricot. We lunched at Bubba Burger, which has the best hamburgers on Kauai! We also treated ourselves to onion rings and truffle fries! The treats continued with ice cream at Lappert’s, which is the best local ice cream in Hawaii and made in Kauai! I wanted a flavor that felt Hawaiian, so I got the Caramel Coconut Macadamia Nut, and it was creamy and delicious!
The rest of the afternoon was spent by our resort pool before we got ready to go to a sunset dinner at The Beach House, which is arguably one of the best restaurants in all of Hawaii with a spectacular oceanfront setting. I love that the restaurant felt very upscale but they still had a kids menu that included a scoop of ice cream. I ordered the seared ahi steak which came with jalapeño mashed potatoes, local grilled broccoli and soy sesame maui onion sauce, and it was divine!
Day 8: Goodbye Kauai!
Our flight was scheduled to leave at 1:10 p.m., and since we were located close to the airport, we had a little bit of time in the morning to enjoy the resort one last time. I got up really early to be the first one on the beach and in the ocean as the sun was rising, and it was magical. I had only been to the beach with the kids (which we all know isn’t so “relaxing”), so it was really special to have a peaceful swim out by myself and look back at the island. When I came back to the hotel room, my husband had the kids dressed to go swimming at the pool one last time.
Then, it was time to go home. We felt a little sad leaving, but we also were so grateful to be able to spend a whole week on Kauai that there wasn’t much room to be upset about it. We got everything out of this vacation that we wanted: quality time as a family, new adventures, relaxation and priceless memories.
What would you like to know about visiting Kauai with kids? Was there anything we didn’t do on Kauai that we should try next time? Let me know in the comments below, or I’d love to connect with you on Instagram! Follow me @maggiehjackson.
XO Maggie
Maggie Jackson 