Taking a Kauai vacation and staying in beautiful Princeville will bring you tranquility and fill you with the Aloha spirit. While we always encourage guests to take advantage of all of the adventure the Garden Isle has to offer, we also want to guide our guests into the best tours for the best experiences. Always thoroughly research everything before you purchase a tour or make a reservation at a restaurant. However, here is a list of tourist traps that may disappoint if you partake.

Time Share Tours

Getting a great deal on fun tours can seem enticing, especially when you only have to listen to a two hour proposal on a time share. No big deal, right? Maybe… but maybe not. Time share tours are designed to sell you a time share. They employ aggressive sales tactics with a series of questions designed to continually have you saying yes. If you are actually interested in a time share, this may be a perfect option for you. Saving money can be great, but remember, this is your dream Kauai vacation. Do you really want to spend two hours of your vacation listening to a sales presentation? If you are looking for tour discounts, look online! Many tours offer discounts for booking online in advance.

Souvenir Shops

I know it may be tempting to grab souvenir’s for your family and friends from these shops, but stay away. You can find great Kauai made gifts at the art festivals, farmer’s markets, and even the local Foodland. Shop around and price check. We created a blog some time ago on events around the island. Check it out to find information on the local farmer’s markets and art shows. For unique gifts, find something that is locally made, like jewelry or a painting of your favorite beach on the island. Our blog called Made in Kauai offers great tips to locate Kauai made products.

Local Fare

On the same topic as souvenir shops, finding foods, art, and souvenir’s that are locally made can be a bit difficult to discern at times. Our resource, Made in Kauai, above is a great place for starters. Additionally, read the labels! Some products purport to be Hawaiian based on their name, but you can usually decipher the real deal by looking at the label to see where a product was bottled or fabricated. Support our local economy and take a real piece of Hawaii home with you!

Restaurants

In Kauai, more expensive does not necessarily mean better food. We profiled fantastic restaurants in a few blogs. Dining in Kauai is a fantastic resource, as well as the reprinted magazine article called Eat Like a Local, although that article is from 2010. With so many fantastic resources like Yelp and Urban Spoon, you can find recently reviewed restaurants before you book your reservation. Also, as residents of Kauai, we have great suggestions and would be happy to give you a recommendation. Send me an email or give us a call!

Have any topics you want covered? Any burning questions you need answered before your trip? Send us an email and we will be happy to cover that topic for you as soon as possible. We would love to hear your feedback and ensure that we are providing great information for your dream vacation.

On a last note, Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Kauai’s fantastic year round weather makes this island an ideal place to getaway!