Six Days in Kauai: Budget Birthday in Hawaii

Tropical views overwhelmed Wyatt and I as we descended onto the beautiful island of Kauai. Although we’d been on several beach adventures, neither of us had ever been to Hawaii.

We knew everything (including alcohol) would be much more expensive here than foreign destinations, so we packed two massive bottles of rum along with our usual large backpacks and smaller day packs.

Additionally, we had an enormous duffel bag stuffed with a tent, air mattress, and sleeping supplies.

Determined not to spend more than necessary, and content with roughing it, we planned to camp for an entire week at Salt Pond Beach Park.

Even hostels and AirBnb’s on the island are overpriced. There are plenty of awesome beach park campgrounds encircling Kauai for a mere fraction of the price!

The absolute cheapest hostel we could find was $30 a night per person. We paid $3.

The only catch to these beach parks is that each is closed one day per week.

The simple solution is to research online and figure out what days you’ll be camping, then go for the park that will be open for that span of days. That’s how we ended up at Salt Pond.

You could also just move sites sometime during your stay. That would not be a big deal except we hadn’t rented a car, opting to rely solely on public transportation.

This was a fairly last-minute trip (as our excursions usually are), and we had tried to rent a car via a Rent-a-Wreck–type place without success. Rent-a-Wreck and similar companies rent out vehicles at prices much cheaper than a typical rental agency.

The catch is that the car may not be the prettiest or newest, but is still fully functional. Neither of us were over the age of 25 yet, so renting at a “normal” agency was out of the question due to the extra “young driver” fees.

Even if we were over 25, we would definitely go the Rent-a-Wreck route. However, we found out the hard way that these deals get snatched up months in advance, so plan ahead if you can.

The first step of our journey was retrieving our camping permit. I had reserved it online, but you still have to go into one of the offices on-island to pick it up and pay.

We were getting a little too close for comfort towards the end of daily operating hours, and had yet to figure out Kauai’s small shuttle system.

After successfully boarding the shuttle and getting off at the nearest permit pick-up location, we discovered the place was deserted. No one was answering the phone.

Perhaps they closed early– island time, you know? We finally got a hold of someone at a different office that was conveniently close to our chosen beach park.

The man on the line was just about to head home for the day, but he kindly offered to wait a little longer for us to arrive so we could legally camp that night.

We didn’t have time to wait for the next shuttle, so we called an Uber. Now, Ubers and Lyfts are not easy to come by in Kauai.

I’m not sure why because I feel like they’d do very well, but we learned several times on this trip that these services are not to be relied upon!

The one driver in the vicinity picked us up in his white truck, and promptly showed his disappointment after one look at us in the back seat.

The older man admitted that he rarely drives for Uber. He only accepted our request because he saw that my name was “Katelyn” and thought I might be Caitlyn Jenner. I cannot pretend that I understand his logic on that, but we were grateful for the strange ride anyway.

Once we had our permit in hand, we debated our next steps. The beach park was not too far away (probably a mile), but we had all of our bags. The tent bag, which weighed 35 pounds, was extremely awkward to carry.

Our office hero noticed our struggles and offered to drive us to the park after he wrapped up a few last-minute phone calls.

We gladly and graciously waited another half hour for him, then thanked him for the ride as we unloaded our gear, finally at our home for the next week.

We set up our little camp under an expansive tree, pumped up the air mattress, and made the bed (sheets and all).

In talking to friends and family about our plans to camp in Hawaii, there seems to be a misconception that this is dangerous or risky because of the homeless population.

Truthfully, there were quite a few unhoused people camping at Salt Pond, but we never once felt threatened.

We did bring a small padlock for our tent zipper, which made us feel more secure about leaving our belongings while we went out exploring during the day.

I wouldn’t suggest leaving anything valuable in your tent, but the lock is enough of a deterrent to prevent anyone from snooping around in your stuff.

Because each beach park is closed once a week, the homeless population has to move around quite a bit. Despite this, some people had pretty impressive set-ups.

One massive islander had a huge tent, plus couches and lamps. I think I even saw a toaster.

We have no solid evidence, but we believe he may have been dealing drugs. Many times during the day and night, someone would drive up, talk to him for a bit, then leave.

All things considered, I would absolutely camp in the Hawaiian islands again.

Yes, there is a strong unhoused presence, but mind your own business, be smart, and you’ll be fine.

Our goal for this trip was to snorkel every single day. Excitedly, we headed into the water for a short evening swim.

Back on the beach, we met an interesting nice man living out of his camper van.

We kept running into this guy the whole week we were in Kauai– at Salt Pond, in the grocery store parking lot, on other beaches.

He tried to call a buddy of his at a car rental agency to help us out with our vehicle situation, but they were fully booked out too.

That night, we found out why no one else had set up their tent under the nice big shade tree. It was the chicken roosting tree. There were SO MANY roosters loudly squawking like crazy all night every night.

I don’t think we really had one good night’s rest the whole time we were in Kauai. The island is completely overrun with these birds. There’s nothing you can do about it. Even locals we talked to said the chickens keep them up at night. Needless to say, bring ear plugs!

My New Year’s resolution was to become a certified scuba diver. I spent my Hawaiian mornings studying the open water diving book and completing assigned homework.

It was surreal to be learning about the underwater world while digging my toes into the sand, listening to the waves crashing just inches away.

After my study sesh, I did my makeup at the picnic table using a small portable mirror I’d packed. There is a fully operational bathroom at the beach park, but its mirror is rusted and warped.

The outdoor showers are pretty cold, but a toilet and sink are all you really need. Chilly showers and bad mirrors are no reason not to camp for only $3/night!

Another advantage of camping on the beach is that we were already right there– no need to pack up and drive somewhere to experience Hawaii’s wildlife.

During the calm morning hours, before throngs of families with loud children in tow showed up, a monk seal appeared.

His curious head popped up in the surf, then he proceeded to slink onto the shore and plop down for a nap. We kept a safe, respectful distance and observed our new friend’s peaceful moment.

These types of encounters make me feel one with the natural world. Who doesn’t love laying on the beach soaking up the sun?

After a day of studying, sunbathing, and snorkeling, Wyatt and I took the shuttle into town for dinner. Kauai Island Brewing Company proudly boasts that it is the “world’s westernmost brewery.”

We’re all about trying local beers while traveling, so we were stoked! As we usually do at new-to-us brewhouses, Wyatt and I each got a flight.

All of their beers were absolutely delicious. Many of them included tropical flavors, which are my personal favorite. The tasty food and cool, laid-back atmosphere added to the fun excursion.

With full bellies and tipsy dispositions, we wandered out of the brewery. It had gotten dark, and we discovered that the last shuttle of the night had already passed us by.

Because we were less than sober, the two and a half mile walk back to our campsite did not seem too daunting.

Right outside of the brewery, we spotted a “Boise State Bronco Mom” bumper sticker. Drunk us got so excited and took pictures with our alma mater’s logo. It’s always fun to find a piece of home so far away, in a little town on a tiny island.

The next day, we decided to try out a different beach. We hopped on the shuttle headed toward Lydgate Beach Park, located behind Hilton Garden Inn.

This fancy hotel has an open floor plan, so we walked our raggedy selves right on in and used their gold-plated bathroom.

On first glance, one might think Lydgate is a private beach for hotel guests, but it is public (not that we would’ve cared anyway). We’d read that it has good snorkeling.

In reality, there’s just a rocked-off area made for children to paddle around safely guarded from the open ocean.

Even though it’s just a kiddie area, we did see a few cool fish. I saw a barracuda, a matter still debated by Wyatt and I to this day. I know what I saw!

After snorkeling, we set up the hammock, listened to reggae, and sneakily sipped rum cocktails out of water bottles while children ran around all over the place and stressed-out parents tried to wrangle them.

On the flight over, we’d sat across from a family with two young, screaming kids. Wyatt and I looked at each other in horror as we recognized their screeches coming closer.

Sure enough, it was the same family. We turned the speaker up a little bit more. I laughed as the song I used as my birth control reminder alarm (Sublime’s “Caress Me Down”) blasted out.

As it grew later, we explored nearby Wailua Beach. It was almost deserted, and we watched the sun set over die-hard tow-in surfers.

It was time to head to the luau. We wanted to experience this important and classic part of Hawaiian culture. However, it is ridiculously expensive to do the whole thing, which includes pre-show dinner and drinks.

Instead, I found out that you can just book the show itself for only $25, rather than $140 for the all-inclusive deal!

We snuck in our own alcohol (in our trusty opaque water bottles) and ate beforehand at a cheap fast-food Chinese restaurant. The company instructed us to meet at a specific gate outside of the property.

There were a few fellow cheapskates (excuse me, budget travelers) waiting with us. The employees let us in before the others had finished dinner, so we all got front-row seats for paying FAR less than everyone else (hee hee, suckers).

In fact, we all seemed to enjoy the luau a lot more than most of the spectators who’d paid full price. The dancers were wonderfully talented, and the story-telling was top-notch.

I’m ashamed to admit it, but one of my favorite parts was when a fire twirler dropped his blazing torch. (He recovered and finished the show out strong.)

On weekends the shuttle runs later, so we were able to catch the Friday night bus back to our campground area. Even still, the closest stop was a mile away from the actual campsite.

The entire time we were in Kauai, we could never get anyone going either direction on that long dirt road to give us a ride. Every time we needed food or mixers, we had to walk that distance to the little gas station by the bus stop.

Saturday’s adventures took us to a small local festival in Waimea town.

For lunch, we bought poke and rice from a convenience store (which is almost always delicious, cheap, and underrated). We munched while watching a ukulele competition.

After the winner was crowned, we decided to hitchhike up the mountain to hike in Koke’e State Park.

At this time, the park was free to enter. However, it now costs $5 per person, and a little more if you’re parking a vehicle.

Wyatt and I waited and waited on a grassy patch by the side of the road with no luck, multiple cars passing us by.

Just when we thought we weren’t going to get a ride (and therefore not be able to hike), a guy in a rented crossover SUV pulled over. He was a scientist visiting Kauai for a research trip.

Apparently wild cats had been killing seabirds, and he was trying to find a way to save the winged creatures.

Our noble nerdy cabbie drove us to Waimea Canyon Lookout. The three of us gazed upon the “Grand Canyon of Hawaii” and marveled at its impressive waterfalls and vibrant colors. We said goodbye and thank you as he dropped us off at the trailhead he’d recommended.

Awa’awapuhi Trail ended at the edge of a cliff, with jaw-dropping views overlooking the ocean. Winter is whale season in Hawaii, and it was surreal to watch humpbacks breaching down below.

It was hard to peel ourselves away from this awesome spot, and we stayed a little bit too long. By the time we got back to the road, it was getting dark.

We did not have cell phone service, and there were no more cars passing by. Everyone had apparently already gone for the night.

Getting desperate and slightly scared, we turned on our phone flashlights and started walking the fifteen miles back down the mountain to Waimea. A few people passed us, but no one stopped!

Finally, we saw one more car coming down. We thought it could very well be the last one we’d encounter before we were forced to walk all night without food or water.

Wyatt and I started jumping up and down, waving our arms frantically. I almost threw myself in front of the vehicle. The car slowed, but didn’t stop!

We were so upset, myself almost in tears. How could you not stop to see if we were hurt or something?!

Truthfully, we really were in kind of a dangerous, bordering-on-emergency situation. Angry and shocked, we continued walking.

Suddenly, the car made a U-turn and headed back towards us. A young couple was inside, and the female passenger said she’d convinced the male driver to come back for us. Thank goodness!

Wyatt and I were so thankful, and assured them that we are not serial killers (yes, they did ask). After arriving back in the little town, crisis averted, we went to the festival with our savior couple for a short time.

Eventually we got hungry and wandered off to look for a cheap restaurant.

We found a Hawaiian fast-food chain littered with rowdy, loitering high schoolers. Both of us ordered Loco Moco, a local dish consisting of a fried egg on top of a hamburger patty on top of rice.

Tired and ready to head back to camp, I attempted to call an Uber or Lyft. There were none available, and Kauai doesn’t have taxis.

It was pretty late, and public transportation was done for the night. Out of options, we waited on the corner for the day’s third attempt at hitchhiking.

It was so frustrating because there was a steady line of cars leaving the festival, but no one would pick us up.

This day provided abundantly clear evidence against the out-dated advice we’d heard that hitchhiking in Hawaii is really easy. It’s nice when it works out, but definitely not something to be relied upon.

Our struggle was not for lack of vehicles. People just don’t like giving rides to strangers anymore. After an hour and a half, a cool hippie couple with a friendly dog pulled over in their truck (it’s called a “pick-up” for a reason).

They were more than happy to take us all the way to our tent! Safely and gratefully back at our home for the week, we met a nice young couple who’d just set up camp.

They seemed to have very similar travel preferences to us, and gave great recommendations on where to snorkel for my birthday the following day.

Our morning started early. We trekked from our campground to the bus stop to catch a shuttle to Koloa Landing, stop #1 for my big day. The campground friends we’d met had suggested this snorkel spot.

Rather than a beach like you’d usually picture for a swimming area, this is actually an inconspicuous boat ramp.

Walk down the old cement slope, strap on your fins, and you’re treated to a beautiful underwater world bursting with color and life. I got so excited when I spotted sea turtles!

We’d yet to see these infamous creatures in Hawaii, even though we’d been snorkeling every single day. What a lovely birthday present! After enjoying the pristine waters and lots of cool fish, Wyatt and I dried off and headed to stop #2.

Poipu Beach is a very popular sandy spot, crowded with all of the tourists from the nearby fancy resorts and hotels.

We snorkeled here too, without much luck. Two eels squirmed around a little too close for comfort in the very shallow water.

There were not as many fish and zero turtles, no doubt because there were so many people in the water, including little kids splashing and kicking up a storm. Nevertheless, we had a really good time at Poipu.

We got sufficiently tipsy on our homemade rum punch and enjoyed playing in the sand and surf. A monk seal joined the party, seemingly oblivious to the dozens of tourists with cameras out documenting his nap.

Rumbling bellies told us it was time to look for some food, so we walked to a close fancy-ish sit-down restaurant.

Brennecke’s Beach Broiler treated us well for my birthday dinner. We lucked out and got a corner table next to an open-air window with a lovely view of the ocean.

Mai Tais were flowing, and I took a quick bathroom break. When I returned, the wait staff surrounded our table, sang to me, and handed me a free dessert!

I was genuinely surprised and delighted. Wyatt had sneakily told our waitress it was my birthday. After our delicious meal, we headed back to the beach. There we had a decision to make.

If we stayed any longer, we would miss the last public shuttle back to our campground. Choosing to remain and splurge on an Uber, we were enchanted by an amazing amber sunset and another sleepy seal.

Romantic dusk light enrobed us as my golden birthday came to a close– 24 on the 24th, our last night on the island.

Our flight didn’t depart until late afternoon, so we had some time to enjoy Kauai for at least a few more hours.

In this short time, we were exposed to two counts of human compassion that have become some of my favorite travel memories to date.

The first act of kindness occurred when we wanted to get some lunch. Originally, we had planned to eat at food trucks for most of the trip, having read online that there were several on this island.

However, we had not even seen one until Rafael’s Aloha Tacos parked at Salt Pond Beach Park that afternoon. Everything on the menu sounded good, but had typical Hawaiian prices (a.k.a expensive).

In addition to being surprised about the lack of food trucks on Kauai, we were disappointed that prices were not much lower than at restaurants.

At this point we were very hungry. Rafael’s was the only option unless we wanted to walk a couple of miles in the late morning heat for gas station food.

After ordering and receiving our food, we handed up the debit card to pay. Regrettably, the cashier informed us they only accept cash.

This being our last day of the trip, we had almost no cash left. Wyatt and I had enough to cover about a quarter the cost of our bill, which we gave him.

It would only be fair to return the food that we couldn’t pay for, but the good-hearted man behind the register would have none of that.

Rafael wrote his address on the back of a business card and said we could just mail him the rest when we got back home. “Give more Aloha, get more Aloha,” he said with a smile.

This was such a warm gesture; I was completely touched. A fellow beach-goer overheard this conversation and kindly paid the remainder of our bill, for which we were equally grateful.

I still keep Rafael’s card in my wallet as a reminder to live out his wise mantra.

The kindness kept coming as our new friend from the campground (the guy who gave us snorkeling recommendations) offered to drive us to the shuttle stop in his Rent-a-Wreck so we could catch our flight.

This was so much appreciated because we had all of our huge bags, and trudging down the long dirt road with that amount of luggage was a daunting prospect.

While waiting on the bus bench, a homeless man drinking out of a paper bag passed by and paused in front of Wyatt and I. He greeted us with a toothy smile and offered us change for the bus.

This was one of those moments in life when you suddenly see yourself in the mirror of how another perceives you.

We were waiting for a public bus with dirty backpacks in tow. I had only showered once the whole trip, and my hair was a salty humid disaster. We blended in perfectly with the rest of the unhoused population of Kauai.

As amused as we were, in reality we were living very similarly to the local vagabonds (and camping next to many). I guess we actually were the Hawaiian version of homeless for a week.

Humbled by this man’s small, sweet action, we politely assured him we had enough quarters and thanked him for his generosity. To this day, that person’s benevolence stands out as one of my most cherished travel moments.

The Garden Island wound up being an excellent choice for my birthday week getaway. Although Kauai is a small island, there is so much variety in what you can do there.

We hiked, snorkeled, lounged on the beach, and even attended a local festival. I feel that we squeezed a lot into this short trip and didn’t scratch the surface of possible activities!

One of the main reasons that I would love to go back is the Na Pali Coast. During our stay, this entire area was closed due to flooding that washed out many trails.

Backpacking for a few days in this breathtaking region will remain on my travel bucket list.

In addition to Na Pali, there is so much more hiking to be had on Kauai. Based on our experience from just the one trail, it would be spectacular.

Another excursion we didn’t do was scuba diving. At the time of this writing, I am now a certified Advanced Open Water Diver with over 40 logged dives under my belt.

That is surreal considering I was studying for my very first diver certification while I was in Kauai!

Diving in Hawaii is fairly expensive compared to other locations around the world, so this experience may have to wait until we can afford to travel a bit more luxuriously, or at least save up for it.

For the time being though, roughing it in Kauai made our trip cheaper and allowed us two broke kids to experience the magic and majesty of Hawaii’s Garden Island!