How can you visit Kauai and not go to the Na Pali Coast and Waimea Canyon? These are two natural wonders of our entire planet!

We visit Hawaii for 6-8 weeks every winter, always very respectfully and sensitively. It is such a lovely place, but easily ruined by careless visitors (and locals). Many of the comments here are far more useful than the article itself, which is more about driving around and spending money than simply enjoying what the island offers. 36 hours is really way too little time and not worth the expense of getting there. You need a week at a minimum. There is a guidebook called Kauai Revealed which is the best of the guidebooks and which we use as a bible. There are many gorgeous spots to visit but they need to be savored leisurely, not on a frantic back and forth road race. Of all the islands Kauai is the best for a helicopter tour. Take the best and longest for lifetime memories. Also, for kids the Hyatt on the south shore is a lot of fun. The north beaches are too rough for swimming most of the winter BTW.

Please stop writing about Hawaii. We are overrun.

I just finished reading your article 36 Hours in Kauai. You covered a lot of ground between the North Shore near Hanalei & the South Shore towards Poipu. I was in Kauai about 3 years ago in the summer & found the roads to be good but just 2 lanes in many places. As a result, I find your recommendations for Saturday to be completely unrealistic, time-wise. You start off the day in Hanalei, then face an hour's drive south for an ATV tour, then recommend an hour's drive north to see a beach back in the Hanalei area & have drinks & a tour of a golf course, then another hour's drive back south again for dinner at an Italian restaurant on the road to Poipu Beach. This sounds exhausting & unrealistic. May I recommend one day on the North Shore & one day on the South Shore ? It would make for a lovely 36 Hours !

The South Shore is certainly something that should be explored and enjoyed for a couple of days. Certainly can be an HQ for exploring the rest of the island. While the St. Regis and other major chains have their thousand room monoliths, my wife and I abhor them. For those looking instead for a wonderful boutique hotel, may I strongly suggest the Ko'a Kea Hotel and Resort situated directly upon Poipu Beach in Koloa. Recently named Hawaii's 4th Best Resort in all of Hawaii by Conde Nast. Comparing this little gem against Larry Ellison's new and spectacular renovation of The Four Seasons on Lana'i just about says it all! Unbelievable ocean views and service; a terrific on-site restaurant, the Red Salt, and extraordinary value for what one pays for. A world class golf course is just minutes down the road, the Po'ipu Bay Golf Club, former home to the PGA's Grand Slam of Golf during the wacky season from 1994 to 2006. The course is in great shape with ocean views on many of the holes. Greens Fees are, again, quite reasonable in terms of value for money. Oh, BYW, the South Shore generally enjoys more sun and less rain than the rest of the island ... an added bonus!

Best new restaurant in Kauai - Piazza in Princeville. Great food. Great atmosphere.

Disappointing that the best photo the NYT could take of that beach is one of a woman turned away from it, talking on her phone!! I feel annoyed by this image,. But it is accurate in its own way: so many who visit the islands "miss" the islands' magic because of their own proclivities (and devices). Too bad for them.

This is nice, but I wish the NYT travel section would address the real problems of so many places you tout for tourists. The Hawaiian Islands as a whole have enormous sad problems. Water pollution, environmental degradation, ghetto culture, just for starters. The USA just seems to destroy everything it touches. We regard the world as our playground. It's not.

You can't go to Kauai for 36 hours. If you're only there for 36 hours, you're not really even there. You need to slow down, take in the vibe, gather some aloha (not to mention the best fish tacos in the world). You don't really need to go see those other islands (but if you do, spend time there--it's better in Hawaii to relax in one place than to try to see everything).

Kauai is a terrible place and everyone should stay away except for me and my wife!

Lumahai isn't empty because of lack of parking; it's incredibly dangerous. Many people have drowned there - usually visitors who don't realize (or believe) how dangerous it is.

You picked some great places to visit on the island, but for heaven's sake, what is with all the driving back and forth between the north side and the south and west side? Like on Friday - Lihue to Kilauea and then back down to the Kilohana Plantation? It can take up to 2 hours between those destinations, depending on the traffic. Best thing to do on Kaua'i is to pick an side of the island to be for the day, and see and do what you want there rather than running around and back and forth like one of the crazy chickens here. The traffic is bad enough already.

McBryde Gardens? Waimea canyon, Poke? Shaved Ice and so many other fun stuff! Boat trip, Plane ride over the island, cruise along Hanalei Bay

Is the woman in the photo at Kiahuna Beach really talking on her cell phone? I think she may have missed the whole point of Kauai.

Yea, our favorite special Kauai places haven't been revealed in this story.

Could all of us who love Kauai beyond measure, please.....,,shhhh. Don't tell.

The traffic is intense; parking often hard to find; and the ocean can be brutal. The last time I was there, three people drowned in eight days.

"James Michener’s book 'Tales of the South Pacific' and the Broadway musical and the (1958) film, 'South Pacific' it spawned, inspired legions of Americans to visit Hawaii." Gee, I wonder if James Michener's book "Hawaii," and the (1966) film it spawned, also inspired anybody to go to Hawaii, which is in the North Pacific.

Nothing about Waimea canyon. Nothing about hiking Alakai swamp, "the swamp in the sky". Nothing about Poipu beach, scuba diving or snorkeling, shave ice, street markets (where Niihau shell necklaces are a lot cheaper than in fancy gift shops). Nothing about Lappert's ice cream. Nothing about Lehua. Oh well...length limitations, I guess.

Love Kauai! No mention of the Allerton and McBryde Gardens, part of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens? Or Waimea Canyon State Park? Or Koke'e State Park? Hamura Saimin was amazing, too.

Truly a beautiful place. Sailed there several years ago from the mainland and spent two weeks anchored in Hanalei Bay.

This was great article but.... no shave ice? You can't got to Hawaii and not get shave ice!

Paradise for the 1 percenters like Zuckerberg or for those able to shell out to stay at the opulent St. Regis. For the locals who have to get by on way less, not so much.

Some of the pictures here almost capture its real beauty! Love this place.

OMG, I love loose chicken island (inside joke). Almost sad to see an article and beautiful pictures like this; the secret is no more of Hawaii's best Island

Once, hiking in Kauai, as I stood on a cliff overlooking Waimea Canyon, I imagined God speaking to Adam: " Adam, just before I slip in to the background and watch how you handle Eve and that snake over there, I want to show you just once, lest you doubt my dominion over heaven and earth, just what I can create when I put my mind to it." "Yes, Eden is beautiful -- sort of -- but just this once I am going go over the top." And on the 8th day, the Lord created the Nā Pali Coast on the Island of Kauai.

Moa! Hawaii's unofficial state bird.

Hanalei Colony Resort is the only place to stay on Kauai.

I first visited Kauai in 1978 on my honeymoon and have been back several times. It is a magical place where the roots of love can reach new depths; the tree of love can grow and bloom. It is surprising that the NYT only discovered this piece of paradise in 2017.

this is my favorite place on the entire planet - and i've seen a good chunk of the planet!

11 years ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Kauai on a family vacation. Allow me preface by saying that I have had the opportunity to travel to many tropical/island destinations and, in my personal opinion, those destinations do not even compare to the untouched beauty of Kauai. Kauai is one of the least developed islands in the Hawaiian island chain which adds to the natural beauty of the landscape. The people are friendly and the scenery is breathtaking. I highly recommend the off-road ATV tour, the boat ride along the NaPali coast, and the Puka Dogs!