Warm weather, incredible views and amazing hiking trails are some of the reasons to pack up and go to Kauai. Also known as the Garden Isle, Kauai is a tropical paradise. Rich tropical vegetation, stunning cliffs and waterfalls makes Kauai the ultimate island getaway. Tired of wearing winter coats, my boyfriend and I decided to take a last minute trip to Kauai to ring in the New Year. But can you go to wild Kauai on a budget? I was curious to find out.
With United airline miles in hand, we booked our flights for $5.60 each, less than a Starbucks Coffee. We would leave in less than 24 hours With only 5 days before the New Year, finding a place to stay was harder than convincing TSA to give me back my slightly oversized $35 conditioner. My favorite booking site, Airbnb, only had only 2 options: A semi private closet/bedroom for $65 or a condo for $600. Yikes. Almost every hotel on the island was well over $500. Most of the popular campsites were also sold out. After browsing online through County Site and State Park, we were able to find a few campsites still open. As luck would have it, we also came across a cute inn at an even more attractive price of $103 per night on Craigslist. Booking the first 2 nights of our trip at the Kalaheo Inn, we decided to camping the rest of the 3 nights. Renting a Nissan Frontier Truck with 4 wheel drive for less than $200, we packed our tent and decided to wing it. With camping sites ranging from $5 to $20 a night for two people, it was a bargain.

Day 1 – Waimea Canyon & Polihale Beach & State Park




Kalalau Lookout & Pu’u O Kila Lookout
View from Pihea Trail



Polihale Beach





