What a killer view! I spent 10 minutes just absorbing the view! Please make sure you add this to…read moreyour adventures. It added a year back to my life, I'm sure!

08/22/2017 Wailua River & Heritage Trail Overlook. This overlook is directly across the street from…read morethe Opaeka'a Falls rest stop. The Wailua River is 20 miles long and is Hawaii's third longest river. It's also the only navigable river in the Hawaiian islands. It's popular for boat tours, kayaking and water skiing. Numerous points of interest include; Huleia National Wildlife Refuge, Kamokila Hawaiian Village, Uluwehi Falls otherwise know as Secret Falls, Opaeka'a Falls and Fern Grotto known as Ma`ama`akualono. Hikinaakala at Hauola is part of the Wailua Complex of Heiaus. Holoholoku and the Royal Birthing Stones is one of Hawaii's most sacred sites. Nounou Mountain or Sleeping giant has three mountain hiking trails. Wai`ale`ale mountain peak is the highest point on the island at 5,243 feet.

A place of reverence. Sacred. Tread lightly there & rest. I could have stayed there for hours!read more

This is the remains of a small heiau, an ancient sacred site, which one may freely explore. It…read moreconsists of the remains of a small stone wall enclosing a grassy platform. The location is on a promontory on the beach in Kapa'a, with some nice views along the shore. It is reached by a footpath along the beach. At the southern end by the Kaui Shores Hotel, the path goes through woods and vegetation to the Lae Nani beach and resort and the path to the heiau is in the woods. There was nobody else there when we went and it was a peaceful spot to contemplate and take in the area. It is, as the sign says, sacred, so one should respect that but is it an interesting, peaceful and scenic site.

This ruin is unlike any other on Kauai…read more It's different because you can actually walk into it. This is really cool. It is forbidden to walk on any other heiau and considered disrespectful to ancient and current Hawaiians. It's ceremonial site, a place for worship, and is very well kept, landscaped with retaining walls and offers a nice view of Wailua Bay. I dare say beautiful. It is nice to just stand here. Canoes would find the safety of Wailua River because of the Kukui nut oil candles burning here. It was built nearly 500 years ago and once stood 230 feet long. It still has a great presence.

This may well be the most sacred site in Kauai. Really great history in these stones…read more Centuries ago, it was important that all of Kauai's kings were born here. There is a stone where the pregnant woman was leaning against with her back and another stone where she put her legs while giving birth. Within the stone enclosure once stood a grass shack, where the mother-to-be stayed prior to giving birth. The flat stone in the front was used to cover a sacrificed dog, signifying to commoners that for them the place was kapu (forbidden). After birth, the baby's umbilical cord was placed in a crack in the rock wall. If the cord was taken away by a rat, then that was a bad sign, indicating that the child would later become a thief. If no rat showed up, it was a good sign.

Our group of 6 loved our tour with Doug! We took the North Shore tour. He was very accommodating…read morewith our ship docking time which meant our tour had to start later than he usually does. He knew so much about the island and his love of it really shone through. If you're Canadian, be sure to mention it so you can connect with him through WhatsApp prior to your tour. He took us to the BEST lunch, we were all super happy with it (Tony's Catch food truck fyi) and the island is just spectacular. One thing we appreciated is that he didn't just take us to look at beautiful sites, he explained the history and significance of them. It was such a good experience. Our only disappointment was that we only had the one day and wish we could've done his second day tour! I guess we will have to visit again :) We highly recommend this!

Doug was a great tour guide! He clearly has a passion for the island's history and well-being. My…read morehusband and I took the east side and north shore tour and Uncle Doug brought us to the must see areas of this part of the island and pointed out things we never would have known had we just driven around ourselves. He also had great recommendations for lunch the day of the tour and gave insight on where to go and what to see the remainder of our days there. Doug is a wealth of information on all things flora and fauna on the island. Highly recommend Kauai Tour Guy if you're looking for a private tour experience!

10/18/23 Another must stop when in Kaua'i...Kadavul Hindu Temple. It gives me an overall sense of…read moresolace. A few years ago, I managed to attend a meditation session presided by the monastery's guru & abbot Satguru Bodhinata Veylanswami. It was a solemn ritual that was both spiritual & inspirational. He led the meditations in a rhythmic & transformative fashion. It was mesmerizing to feel & hear. The way the temple was architecturally designed, it reverberated & I felt it touch my soul to my very core. You have to experience it for yourself to understand what it is all about. The grounds are well maintained by the monks & people from the community (volunteers). It is a lush landscape in a prime property of Kaua'i. Through the years I have seen how the main temple has been constructed. As you enter, there is a gazebo at the entrance where sarongs are provided for visitors. These are provided to have guests dress appropriately for respect before entering the temple. Additionally, there is a round stone hearth to "burn" your troubles away. Pieces of paper & pens are provided for you to write your "troubles, challenges, problems" and a couple of lighters so you may burn it to ashes. As i may have written in the past, it is a cathartic experience as you watch it burn away, and up it goes in smoke. Experience it....

I can't believe how beautiful this place is. I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into when we…read morecame here, but overall, it was very majestic. The grounds are large, but you can't see it all, unless you make an appointment. Still, what you see is amazing. I don't want to spoil much, but I HIGHLY suggest visiting this location while in Kauai.

Fun fact: Malae Heiau was desecrated in the 1830s when the last Queen of Kauai Deborah Kapule tore…read moredown the interior walls and used it as a cattle pen.  This was how she declared the ancient ways of kapu were dead and their society would thereafter be christian. This is the most substantial sacred site on Kauai and one of the largest surviving temple platforms in the Hawaiian Islands.  The heiau covers almost two acres and the original walls were 8-10 feet high and 8 feet wide with a ledge running around the inside for seating.  But it doesn't look like much from the path.  Kauai county has unfortunately allowed the sugar cane to grow and grow so much that you can't really see the structure.  So you gotta climb up.  There are two small spaces where you can see the stone walls stacked by ancient Hawaiians.  Once you get up there, you see it is huge.  You feel the weight of this place But it is a peaceful quarter-mile walk around the perimeter. It might be worth a stop for a leisurely stroll around what is still an important site, just across from Kauai Resort. I hope the County will restore this.

My family enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Gaylord's following the Kauai Rum Safari, an excellent way…read moreto follow up the tour. We sat outside near the courtyard, but the restaurant would be a great place to go in any type of weather. It is located inside a 1930s era plantation house, so the building is a little older with all that entails while also being very scenic. Most of our party ordered the fresh fish (the fresh catch or the fish tacos), which was mahi mahi. It was perfectly cooked and delicious. Service at Gaylord's was excellent, and our server checked in frequently and offered good recommendations when asked. Be sure to check out the shops upstairs for souvenirs.

My wife had the ahi poke stack, and was almost uneatable. Full of ligaments within the ahi where…read moreit was difficult to eat. I know good sashimi, and this was not it. We told the server and the response we got was "I'll tell the kitchen". No offer to replace or take off the bill. We also left a comment card, but heard nothing. Other food was good. Ahi stack was terrible

Every few months I run across this unfinished review. Today is April 2nd 2025 and it's still…read moresitting here. I'm sending it even if it's a rough draft. Y'all will enjoy the photos if nothing else. Aloha! In tribute to not only this one of a kind island but, the entire Hawaiian chain. As 2023 comes to a close,I am humbled by the opportunity to once again experience the unparalleled beauty of this magical place. In a day and age in which everything seems to be traveling at the speed of light,it's time to slow down and reflect on our good fortune. March 2024 Continuing my accolades of Kauai. My experience here gets better each time. After visiting Kauai in 1991 on a multi island tour,I've been back countless times. Going once a year only to be thwarted by the pandemic. Every time I go my self talk goes something like this," God I love this place and am so comfortable here. It's impossible to beat the natural beauty and people but,this is my last trip". And I continue returning. Then I " wake up" and say," what was I thinking"? It's in America,easily accessible,perfect weather. Who am I kidding. There's a reason Billionaires are buying it up. It's getting crowded," trafficie" and It's still America's true paradise. I would be remise if I didn't tell you to.... Go!

I loved Kauai! Yes, it's the "Garden Island" and, true to this nickname, it is lush and beautiful!…read moreWaimea Canyon was breathtaking, and we only drove through it to drop some work-related items off at the top. The Napoli Coast was so beautiful to see and the boat tour we took was well done and a lot of fun! The Sheraton resort fit the bill for a long-ish stay (on site laundry, restaurant and bar and yes abundant chickens and roosters). The rental car company was beyond helpful as I needed a rental car and lost my driver's license at LAX! Thanks to their extraordinary customer service, I was able to get in touch with the Madison County DMV and get documents Faxed so I could rent a car. I was surprised how Kauai basically rolls up the sidewalks at around 10 PM. There are not a lot of late-night options on the island. This was my first visit to Hawaii, and I hope it isn't my last. I enjoyed the local rustic food, especially breakfasts! And, of course, the abundant fresh seafood! Thank you, Kauai for your hospitable people; beautiful, lush scenery; and extraordinary views of the mountains and ocean!!

The site was very pretty and the staff was knowledgeable and helpful. This was a nice way to spend…read morea couple hours and learn about the history of this family and sugar cane.

This tour was VERY interesting…read more In our mid-50s, we were the youngest of 4-5 couples doing the tour. But these were some dumb Americans! They didn't seem to have any understanding of history, or even how their own parents probably grew up. But I digress... The story of the family was very interesting and to see everything kept in such original shape was really cool. I loved the kitchen lady, who told of working their in the 70s and then eventually ending up back there again. Her little cookies were precious and a very pleasant way to end the tour. I have a real interest in historic kitchens and cooking so I was a pig in you-know-what. I took a gajillion pictures because how often do you get a chance to see a place like this?