Hanalei is a small town on the Hawaiian Island, Kauai. We absolutely love Hanalei. Hanalei is on the northern shore of Kauai and the gateway to the Na Pali Coast. Some people drive right through this quaint town without stopping and they are missing out! Here’s how to spend the perfect day in Hanalei!
The perfect day in Hanalei:
1.) Eat at Wake Up Delicious!
We have been to Kauai three times now and we make it a priority to stop at Wake Up Delicious. You will see a line at the Hanalei Bread Company… leave it! Wake Up Delicious is an unassuming breakfast spot with a killer Pork Burrito and Churro French toast. They have a stand alone coffee bar and a cute little shop with unique souvenirs. Grab your food to go and find a picnic table for the beautiful views of Hale Naninoa. If you are visiting in the late winter early spring, chances are you will see endless waterfalls on the giant mountain.
There food portions are huge! This is a half size Churro French toast!
2.) Visit Hanalei Pier
Enjoy a relaxing morning on the beach at Hanalei Bay and see the iconic Hanalei Pier. This is such an amazing beach with lush green mountains in the background and vast open ocean in the foreground. It is truly a magical place to be. We had some cloudy skies and raging waves when we visited making for amazing surfing and rainbows.
3.) Grab a snack at the Hanalei Street Eats
There is a lot dedicated to food trucks where you can find just about anything for everyone in your group. We frequented the Holy Grail Donuts truck and the Hanalei Burger Truck. Really you can’t go wrong with anything from one of these local favorites.
Holy Grail has different flavors every day! My favorite in this sampler was the Lilikoi donut! These donuts are made fresh to order and have a cake consistency. Seriously to die for!
4.) Wander through the local surf shops and artisan galleries
Hanalei has a ton of local store fronts to wander through. If you are looking for a unique souvenir or gift to bring back, this is the place to go. There’s family owned shops offering clothing, sculptures, trinkets, jewelry, you name it. My mother in law was able to find a pair of local Koa wood rose gold earrings that are stunning. I found an Oahu artist, Nick Kuchar, that makes vintage Hawaiian city prints I fell in love with. There is really something for anyone in these shops. So sip on your Kona iced coffee and stroll the stores.
My favorite store is Sway. This store gave off all the bohol island aesthetic vibes! You can find the perfect beach attire in this store!
5.) Eat at AMA
This is a popular ramen house that fills up on reservations months in advance. We weren’t able to get a reservation but when I spoke with the hostess she suggested I arrive 30 minutes before they open and get on the waitlist. We did just that and by 5pm, there was about 20 people in line for the waitlist plus reservations. Needless to say the restaurant was at capacity 5 minutes after opening! We got in though! The food was amazing and the views even better!
All the reviews rave about the brussels sprouts for a reason. A lot of restaurants do charred brussels sprouts, but Ama gives it an Asian flare! The onions are pickled in rice wine vinegar giving this savory dish a tangy bite, you won’t regret ordering these!
Pro-tip: eating earlier allows for sunset views of Hale Naninoa!
We were lucky to have waterfalls the majority of our trip! I hope you enjoy this perfect day in Hanalei! Leave me a comment with your favorite things to do in Hanalei!