Four Days in Kauai, HI

Whether you're making a quick and easy getaway for the long weekend or hitting the road for an exploration of a far-flung frontier, allow us to remind you that there's nothing quite as freeing as a road trip. In this recurring series, we ask seasoned travelers to share all the details of their best recent trip, from the car they drove to the clothes they packed—and, of course, the must-visit locations on their itinerary.

The Destination

Kauai is the oldest of Hawaii's main islands, formed from volcanic activity five million years ago and carved into lush mountains and deep canyons over those centuries by its uniquely high rainfall. (Hawaii is the only state in the country to boast tropical rainforests and this island is home to one of the rainiest spots on Earth.) Its unique ecosystem makes Kauai a marvel of natural beauty—a place with so much to explore, but where shrinking your environmental footprint is just part of being a responsible traveller. One way to do that is to go electric, which is why Audi invited me to take their line of e-tron electric vehicles out for a few days on the island.

I arrived with a friend on the cusp between the island's two seasons—wet and dry—which made every day's sky a carousel of weather patterns. Rolling mists turned to brief showers, which broke to leave behind sunshine glinting off waterfalls that hadn't existed only hours prior. On Kauai, each day didn't just hold something new—each hour did.

Where We Stayed

1 Hotel Hanalei Bay.

Nestled on the north shores of the island, between the tony tourist area of Princeville and the historic small town of Hanalei, is 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay. It scales the walls of a beachside bluff, ensuring that every room has a spectacular view. The 1 Hotel group is known for luxury properties built using "biophilic design," an architectural philosophy that emphasizes a connection to nature via the use of natural light, plant life, integration of the local environment, and sustainable practices. In its metropolitan locations, that means creating an oasis in the middle of an urban jungle. But in Hanalei Bay, which opened early last year, it meant gut renovating an existing property to better integrate it with the surrounding landscape.

The open-air lobby at the 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay.

Rooftop gardens at the 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay. 

The hotel partnered with Reuse Hawai’i to salvage, reuse, and donate materials and furniture from the previous property; opened up the structure to daylight, reducing energy use; reintroduced indigenous plant life; and incorporated things like green roofs to filter water runoff for irrigation and help grow vegetables and herbs for its in-house kitchens.

An ocean view suite at 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay.

The hotel continues to work with local businesses and artisans to stock and decorate the hotel, as well as with local organizations to help protect surrounding wildlife. (Our room included a card asking us to close our shutters in the evening so the light wouldn't disorient the endangered Hawaiian shearwater birds during their migration season.) And as an Audi partner, it provides guests with a fleet of Q4 and Q8 e-tron electric SUVs and curated travel guides complete with a map of the charging stations that pepper the island. So while the hotel features cliffside and beachfront views from impeccably curated rooms—not to mention a luxe spa and ocean-to-table restaurants—its concierge was still more than happy to see us out the door to take in the island firsthand.

What We Drove

The Audi e-tron fleet at 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay.

Choosing from the hotel's electric fleet, we opted for the new 2024 Audi Q8 e-tron, their newest flagship electric SUV. (Audi has committed to fully electrify by 2030.) A roundtrip drive between the north side of Kauai to the south side takes just over two hours, or 80 miles, which leaves a lot of room for rambling considering that the car has an estimated range of almost 300 miles before requiring a recharge.

Inside the 2024 Audi Q8 e-tron.

The ride is smooth and quiet, the interiors are supple and bright (thanks to the panoramic glass roof), and there's plenty of room to pack gear for surf or turf.

The Itinerary

Tuesday

Stop One: The Bamford Wellness Spa at the 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay

The Relaxation Room at the Bamford Spa.

After spending most of Monday up in the air, we decided to get grounded at the 1 Hotel spa before hitting the road. Like everything else at the hotel, the spa maintained a naturalistic, earthy vibe. The facilities offered a holistic suite of offerings that ranged from the traditional to the technological—from acupuncture to an infrared sauna, Hawaiian plant medicine to hyperbaric oxygen therapy. We even booked some pre-treatment astrology readings so we could mull over our life choices once we hit the massage table.

Stop Two: Lydgate Chocolate Farms

Cacao fruit at Lydgate Farms.

In recent years, the Hawaiian islands have cultivated a reputation for being the Sonoma Valley of chocolate, and Kauai's award-winning Lydgate Farms in particular have been lauded for growing some of the best cacao beans in the world. The family-owned farm offers educational tours about local botanicals and agricultural practices—complete with tastings that school you on why they're some of the best in the chocolate game.

Stop Three: Bar Acuda

Bar Acuda.

This tapas-style restaurant is popular among locals and visitors alike, with an ever-changing menu made from locally-sourced and seasonal ingredients and a backyard that opens out to green views. (And if you're in the mood for something more hearty, just step next door for ramen at their sister restaurant AMA.)

Wednesday

Stop One: Limahuli Garden & Preserve National Tropical Botanical Garden

Limahuli Garden & Preserve.

Tucked inside an emerald green valley that touts some of the most biodiverse flora and fauna in Hawaii, Limahuli Garden is home to endangered plants and birds that exist nowhere else on earth. Take a guided tour to hear about the valley's place in local legend, ancient customs, and how the garden employs traditional methods to not only conserve the area's delicate ecosystem, but also to preserve Hawaiian cultural practices.

Stop Two: Kīlauea Point Lighthouse

Atop a peninsula perched almost 200 feet over the northernmost point of the island, take in an endless view of the Pacific and look out for humpback whales in waters that have been designated a National Marine Sanctuary.

Stop Three: Welina Terrace at the 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay

The view from inside Welina.

We made sure to get back to our hotel in time for the sweeping sunset views from Welina Terrace. The Japanese-inspired restaurant features a menu created by Chef Misao Masuda, who helped launch Nobu on the Hawaiian island of Lanai and later led the kitchen at the five-star Vintage Cave in Honolulu. Indulge in an omakase experience using fresh-caught fish and try sake pairings from over two dozen labels recommended by an in-house sake sommelier, all while listening to revolving live sets by local musicians.

Thursday

Roadtrip!

Wailua Falls.

To get to the island's Nāpali Coast State Wilderness Park—where epic mountain ranges tower over the ocean and where you can take aerial tours of landmarks like the iconic Manawaiopuna Falls—you'd have to practically circumnavigate the island. Considering we could potentially make it there and back twice before needing more juice in our Q8, it's safe the say Kauai is the perfect location for a daylong roadtrip.

Shop the boutiques in Kapaa Town. Go kayaking on Wailua River or explore Wailua Falls. Take in local artisans at the Kaua'i Museum. Lounge on Poipu Beach Park. Or hike the trails around Waimea Canyon State Park, known as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific."

The lagoon outside Tidepools.

Inside Āina Kaua’i.

Before calling it a night, have dinner at one of the island's culinary hotspots. On the South Shore, you'll find Eating House 1849, a farm-to-table restaurant from James Beard Award-winning chef Roy Yamaguchi that features a mash-up of Hawaiian, Asian, and classic mainland American flavor. For a date night vibe, try nearby Tidepools, where you'll be seated in thatched-roof bungalows overlooking koi ponds under starry skies. On the eastern Coconut Coast, you'll find the sleek Āina Kaua'i, which serves a Japanese-style tasting menu that recently earned it the title of Best Restaurant on Kauai.

Friday

Last Stop: Beachside on Hanalei Bay

Our ride might not have needed much recharging, but we did. So our last morning was spent on the beach, of which Hanalei has plenty of options: there's the small Puu Poa beach leading off of the hotel's pool area, where some of the wild roosters that have become the island's unofficial mascots roam; Hanalei Beach, the two miles of sandy coastline in town by the historic Hanalei Pier; and the secluded Hideaway Beach just north, a favorite spot for hikers and snorkelers. We hit the road just in time to see the mountains across the bay sprout waterfalls one final time.

Nojan Aminosharei is the Entertainment Director of Men’s Health and the Special Projects Editor of Harper’s Bazaar. He was previously the Entertainment Director of Hearst Digital Media, and before that a Senior Editor at GQ. Raised in Vancouver, Canada, Nojan graduated from NYU with a master’s degree in magazine journalism. The late Elaine Stritch once told him, “What the fuck kind of name is Nojan? I’m 89 years old, I don’t have time for that shit.”

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