Kauai

The beaches are a large part of why people come, and they vary sharply by coast. The south shore around Poipu is the most reliable base: sheltered sandy coves, calm water most of the year, sea turtles hauling out and endangered monk seals resting on the sand. The north shore has the most beautiful settings, Hanalei Bay under green mountains, Tunnels and Ke'e with their reefs, and the lagoon at Anini, at their best for swimming and snorkelling from May to September. In winter the same coast takes big Pacific swells and becomes a place to watch the surf rather than enter it.

The sea stays warm all year, from about 24°C in winter to 27°C in late summer. The caution is real: many beaches have rip currents and shore breaks and no lifeguards, so visitors who stick to protected spots and lifeguarded beaches such as Poipu, Lydgate and Hanalei get the most from it. Polihale on the far west is a vast, wild strand better for walking than swimming.

Eating on the island is casual and local at its best. Poke from supermarket and fish-market counters, plate lunches of rice, macaroni salad and kalua pork, saimin noodle soup, malasadas and shave ice are the everyday pleasures, and farmers markets in each town sell lilikoi, apple bananas, papaya and avocados grown nearby. Food trucks gather in Kapaa and Hanalei.

Beyond that the range is narrow. The widest choice of sit-down restaurants is on the east side, along the Kapaa and Wailua coast and in Lihue, while Poipu and Princeville lean on resort dining rooms with ocean views and Hanalei has a small cluster of its own. The island goes to dinner early. A visitor will eat well and simply, but nobody plans a trip here around the table.

The heritage here is small in scale and spread thin. The Kauai Museum in Lihue tells the island's Hawaiian and plantation story, Grove Farm preserves a sugar-era homestead, and Waimea, where Captain Cook first landed in Hawaii, has the ruins of a Russian fort and old plantation buildings. Ancient heiau temple sites line the Wailua River, and the Kilauea Lighthouse stands on its northern headland.

These are rewarding stops on a drive rather than reasons to come. A visitor interested in Hawaiian culture will find it more in place names, hula and the land itself than in museums or architecture.

Kauai goes to bed early. Evenings mean a sunset drink at a resort bar in Poipu or Princeville, a few local bars in Kapaa, and perhaps a band at a restaurant on a weekend. There are no clubs to speak of and little open late. People who want a night out are on the wrong island; most visitors are up before dawn for a hike or a boat trip anyway.

This is the heart of the island. The Na Pali Coast is one of the great coastlines on earth, fluted green cliffs rising more than 1,000m straight from the sea, seen from the Kalalau Trail on foot, by kayak or catamaran in summer, or from the air. On the west side Waimea Canyon cuts a red and green gorge into the island, and above it the cool forests of Kokee lead to lookouts over the Kalalau Valley and trails along the edge of the Alakai Swamp.

The east side offers kayaking up the Wailua River to waterfalls, the north shore has the taro fields of the Hanalei Valley and mountain walls streaked with cascades, and the south has gardens of tropical plants. Snorkelling reefs, green turtles, monk seals, spinner dolphins and humpback whales from December to April complete it. Rain is frequent on the north and mountain side, which is why it is so green.

Outings here are drives to the island's other small towns rather than trips to separate destinations. Hanalei with its pier and surf shops, the old plantation streets of Koloa, the art galleries and swinging bridge of Hanapepe, and historic Waimea on the west side each make a pleasant half day. Everything lies on one road, so they fold easily into days spent in nature.

The neighbouring island of Niihau is private and largely closed to visitors, and reaching the other Hawaiian islands means a flight. A visitor wanting variety of places will find the list short.

For a family that wants an outdoor vacation, the island works well. Poipu and Lydgate, with its rock-walled pools, and the lagoon at Anini give young children calm water, and turtles and monk seals on the sand are an easy thrill. A plantation train ride, botanical gardens, waterfall lookouts reached from the car and gentle river kayaking fill other days, and the pace is relaxed and safe.

What it lacks is anything built for children: no theme park, zoo or aquarium, and rainy days have few indoor options. Many beaches have dangerous currents and the famous trails are steep and muddy, so families need to choose with care.

A hire car is the normal way to get around, and the island is small enough that driving is rarely a burden. A single highway runs from the end of the road at Ke'e on the north shore round the east and south to Polihale in the west; the Na Pali cliffs mean it never closes the loop, so going from end to end takes about two and a half hours. Traffic backs up between Lihue and Kapaa at busy times, and the north shore road crosses one-lane bridges.

The island bus is limited and not built for visitors, and no town is walkable beyond its own few streets. The best way to save effort is to pick a base on the side you care most about.

Shopping is small-town and casual: surfwear and boutiques in Old Kapaa and Hanalei, an open-air centre at Poipu, galleries in Hanapepe and craft stalls at Kilohana. The one craft worth seeking out is the Niihau shell lei, fine necklaces made from tiny shells gathered on the neighbouring island. Otherwise it is aloha shirts, coffee, local honey and fruit from farmers markets. Nobody comes here to shop.

Kauai is an expensive place to stay. Resort rooms and vacation rentals in Poipu and Princeville are priced high, a hire car is close to unavoidable, and because almost everything is shipped in, groceries and restaurant meals cost well above mainland levels. There are no budget districts to choose instead.

What keeps a trip in hand is that the main attractions cost little: beaches, lookouts and most trails are free, and poke counters, plate lunches and farmers markets make eating out simply manageable. Boat and helicopter tours of the Na Pali Coast are the big extra cost.

Live performance mostly means a luau with hula and fire dancing at one of the resorts, slack-key guitar and ukulele players at restaurants, and the occasional hula gathering or community concert. Hula and slack-key are real living traditions, and catching them away from the resort stage is a pleasure, but there is no regular theatre, opera or concert life. Visitors after the performing arts should look elsewhere.

The island's pace does much of the work: little traffic outside Lihue, no nightlife, early nights and green quiet everywhere. The north shore around Hanalei and Princeville draws yoga retreats and has a soft, rainy calm, while Poipu has the large resort spas with open-air treatment rooms and lomilomi, the traditional Hawaiian massage.

There is no bathing tradition, no hot springs and no public bathhouses, so wellness here means resort spas and a slow way of living rather than a culture of taking the waters. A visitor who wants a quiet garden, a massage and an early night will be content; one who travels for thermal baths will find nothing of the kind.