I am hitchhiking here on the island of Kauai to find out: Is Hawaii overrated, or does it meet the hype? I just arrived yesterday evening on an amazing, nice, warm, sunny, a little bit windy day here.
I figured out that I think this is my 12th time to Hawaii since the summer of 1989. I was 17 years old, I had just graduated from Berkeley High School in California, and my mom paid for a trip to Hawaii as a high school graduation gift along with my brother. The three of us came to Kauai here. She planned the whole trip; I wouldn’t have had any idea which island to go to. I knew almost nothing about Hawaii other than the basics. We just came here for a week.
Since then, I have visited five of the eight Hawaiian Islands. It is an island chain here smack in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I have been to the four main islands that most tourists go to: the Big Island (Hawaii Island), Maui, Oahu, and Kauai.
So, having been coming to Hawaii for almost 36 years now—35 and a half years, 12 visits, and having lived here twice—I thought that I would talk in this post and show, in the course of getting out here and seeing more of the island, whether Hawaii is overrated. Does it meet the hype? Is it really the tropical paradise that it is pumped up to be, or is it kind of a letdown?
The Reality of Paradise: Weather and Wildlife
Is it really The Tropical Paradise that it is pumped up to be? You are getting a nice taste of it right now: great weather, beautiful tropical greenery, and amazing plants. There are no dangerous animals you have to worry about, other than the centipedes.
These big centipedes, which I think are originally from Asia, are very ominous looking and they can bite. It can be quite painful; I got bit by one once, and it was indeed painful, but not the end of the world. Those are very rare to see—I’ve seen them twice that I can recall. They are even rarer to get bitten by, and if you do get bitten, it’s not going to be deadly.
So, the point being, there is nothing really to worry about except for, of course, sharks in the ocean. Ask Bethany Hamilton about that, who got her arm bit off by a shark while surfing here on Kauai. Other than that, maybe some angry cows if you get too close or whatever.
It is a Tropical Paradise with nothing much really to worry about as far as the wildlife. It has great weather year-round. Summer is just a few degrees warmer on average than winter. It is rainier in the winter. Winter, now, we’ll see how it goes.
I have a rain jacket. The problem is that it is the wrong rain jacket to have for the tropics. It is a very warm jacket that is waterproof but not a nice thin jacket, so I’m hoping to not have to use it but probably will at some point.
It is beautiful: great weather, sunny, slight little breeze, amazing beaches, etc.
The Cost: Is Paradise Only for the Rich?
The one main and really only drawback of Hawaii is it is freaking expensive. I’m going to discuss that a little bit right now, in particular accommodation.
I am staying in a nice one-bedroom apartment with a kitchen, balcony, and great view. The price on booking.com for one week—which is what I reserved it for, staying from January 11th to January 18th—is significant.
380 per night. However, notice that it says “12% genius discount” because I use booking.com constantly. If you don’t have genius level, you aren’t going to get that discount. Then you have to do the math and work out what it is without the discount, and what you get is $422 US per night.
422 bucks a night. I cannot afford that. That is way over my budget. I mean, I have the money in my bank account that I could pay for that, but I would be losing thousands of dollars for the week because I’m not going to make that up at all. I cannot afford to travel in Hawaii.
However, there are ways to manage. I got a massive discount. I can’t afford Hawaii to the extent that I didn’t rent a car. That is why I’m now on the side of the road because I’m going to start hitchhiking North and hope for the best. But Hawaii is one of the best places to hitchhike in the world, so it should work out eventually. And then there is the Kauai bus.
Good luck finding a room here on Kauai for less than $300 a night. I looked on booking.com and literally $300 is the rock-bottom price and up. If you are budget-conscious, you might be asking about cheap houses and wondering if you should vacation somewhere else entirely.
You have to expect to spend a lot in Hawaii not just for accommodation. Food is expensive, and rental cars are expensive. The last time that I rented a car on Kauai here—that might be the only time I ever rented a car here back in 2018—I don’t remember exactly how much I paid, but I think that it was like $800 for 6 days or a week. That is why I’m walking right now and hitchhiking: to save that 800 bucks. Also, just because I’ve lived here, then I know that you can get around with the hitching and the bus when it is actually running.
Budget Options: Camping and Hitchhiking
I am now in Anahola going up to the North Shore of Kauai. It took about 13 minutes to get a ride there, and I learned a few things from the lady who gave me the ride. She is staying here, and so I decided to come down here and take a look. This is called Kumu Camp, and I had never heard of it before.
It is a campground with Yurts—little wooden bungalows. You can pitch your own tents in spots. According to Sabrina, the woman from Oregon who picked me up, those are further away from the beach. So this is a good budget option for visiting Hawaii.
Now, there are the beach park campgrounds on Kauai here that are an even better deal
If you don’t book it in advance and they find you in the morning. That could be outdated information—last I heard that was still the price—but anyways, there are a few of these campgrounds run by the county that are the three and five dollars a night campgrounds. But Kumu Camp is nicer; they have hot water at the showers, and she said the little wooden Bungalows might be like $85 a night or something like that with a bathroom outside in a shower room.
So you have arrived at Kumu Camp. Right on the beach here—I haven’t spent any time down to Anahola in all my times of visiting, so that’s one reason I decided to come down here with her is to take a look. It’s a nice beach but definitely not one of the nicest beaches.
The Beaches: Quantity and Quality
Fun fact about Kauai: it has more beaches than all the other Hawaiian Islands combined. Now, I’m not sure if that’s the total number of beaches or length of beach by mile because there is Polihale down in the southwestern part of the island which is a massive long stretch of beach for like 30 miles or something. But anyways, there are just tons and tons of beaches that you can find on Kauai here that are not crowded.
The most beautiful beaches in the world, including one that I will plan to go to today—one of my favorites—some of them are very secluded. You have to know the right way to get there, drive down a road, and then hike down a path. So the selection of beaches here on Kauai in particular is really amazing.
But on the Hawaiian Islands in general, there are a lot of beaches. There is Waikiki in Honolulu which is the ultimate Hawaiian beach and of course, it is super crowded and packed with umbrellas and it is hard to find a spot to put your towel. But there are just tons and tons of beaches all over the Hawaiian islands that are not like that. So that is one of the advantages that makes it a true tropical island beach Paradise.
The plan for today is definitely to get to a nicer Beach on the island better for swimming and relaxing. I am currently at a very nice Beach—not sure what it’s called—it is in front of the resort where I’m staying. A little choppy and rocky, not ultimate swimming here by the looks of it.
The Weather Factor: Erratic but Beautiful
I asked the lady there, Sabrina, how the weather’s been since she’s been here, which is for the past 3 weeks, and she said it has been quite dry with just a couple of days of rain. So that’s pretty nice for winter because winter on the Hawaiian islands is definitely a distinct season. Not like Alaska obviously, but on average it is only a few degrees cooler in the winter. But you do feel it; it feels generally a bit cooler and it is also a lot Rainier—much more likely to rain.
It can be perfect beach weather in the middle of winter, but you can also get spells of rain that can last for weeks sometimes. But mostly it is on and off a bit of rain for short periods of time throughout the day.
The Surfer’s Paradise vs. The Swimmer’s Struggle
Another drawback for me is the waves. As compared to my love with the Greek Islands and the lack of waves there, it makes it a lot easier to get in the water to be able to swim. Of course, if you’re a surfer, you’re not going to like the Mediterranean. This is a surfer’s ultimate paradise here.
But a lot of beaches, especially in the winter—because winter has bigger waves and summer smaller waves—the beach that I’m going to try to get to today, Secret Beach, it can be almost impossible to get in the water there because the waves are so big.
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Transportation: The Bus and Hitchhiking
I learned something else from Sabrina there, which is that the Kauai bus doesn’t run on Sundays. Today’s Sunday. I was going to hop off in Kapaa and show that town a bit, walk around there, and then catch the bus. That occurred to me—I was wondering, “Okay, does the bus run Sunday?” Couldn’t remember. And so she confirmed no, it doesn’t. So this will be a day of hitchhiking.
Also just because I’ve lived here, then I know that you can get around with the hitching. It is a half-mile walk from Kumu Camp there to the main Highway, and so I am walking back to the Highway to continue the hitchhiking further up to the North Shore. I am now on the side of the road because I’m going to start hitchhiking North and hope for the best.
Is Hawaii Overrated? The Verdict
So I will finally give my answer: Does Hawaii meet the hype?
I would say absolutely yes.
As far as tropical island beach paradises go, it is definitely one of the best places.
Why It Meets The Hype
- Safety and Management: It’s very well managed as far as the towns being nice, mellow towns. I would say Honolulu is one of my favorite cities in the United States for being a big city—it is really quite nice. Elsewhere on the islands, the towns are nothing special as far as the architecture or construction, but they’re just super low crime, not trashed out or anything. For example, in the Caribbean—I haven’t been to a lot of the Caribbean but a number of Caribbean islands—you get about the same prices but then the towns don’t feel as nice. They’re often neglected, kind of abandoned feeling, and definitely feel more rough around the edges with more crime.
- High Standard of Living: There is that aspect of just being a high standard of living.
- Natural Beauty: The natural beauty is just the best in the world. It is up there with Switzerland, the Himalayas, and the national parks of Canada and Alaska if you’re picking the most beautiful natural places in the world. Hawaii is on that list absolutely.
- Variety: Here on Kauai, you have like seven different microclimates. From the wettest place on Earth, Mount Waialeale at the center of Kauai—I think that kind of depends on the year, like it changes around, but at some point some year than it has been the wettest place on Earth right over there—but then you also have desert on the southwestern Kekaha beach around there is considered to be desert. So there’s a lot of variety, a lot to explore, a lot to see here as compared to some other Tropical Islands that might be a lot smaller, not as much to explore, maybe more flat. Here you have great hiking.
Comparison of Hawaiian Islands
Here is a quick breakdown of the islands mentioned to help you orient yourself in this paradise.
The Major Hawaiian Islands
| Island | Nickname/Feature | Accessibility | My Experience |
| Hawaii Island | The Big Island | Main tourist island | Visited |
| Maui | The Valley Isle | Main tourist island | Visited |
| Oahu | The Gathering Place | Main tourist island (Honolulu) | Visited |
| Kauai | The Garden Isle | Main tourist island | Currently Here |
| Molokai | The Friendly Isle | Accessible | Visited |
| Lanai | The Pineapple Isle | Accessible | Visited |
| Niihau | The Forbidden Isle | Privately Owned (No tourists) | Not Visited |
| Kahoolawe | The Target Isle | Research/Cultural Use Only | Not Visited |
The four main islands that most tourists go to are the Big Island, Maui, Oahu, and Kauai. Off of the coast of Kauai here is Niihau, which I have not been to. I’ve been to the four main ones and then you have Molokai which I did go to recently, and Lanai.
You can’t visit Kahoolawe as a tourist. You also cannot visit Niihau; it is privately owned. So six of the eight Hawaiian Islands you can visit as you like as a tourist, find a hotel, etc. I would love to get over to Lanai one of these days.
That won’t be happening this time because I am here on Kauai for a week staying up here and then have a flight from Honolulu heading South.
Getting There: The Logistics
I just wanted to mention my journey getting here and the cost of the flights. I was in Mexico City before here; that was just yesterday morning. I had booked a flight from Mexico City to here on expedia.com. It was $585 US for three flights including seat selection and luggage: Mexico City to Houston, Houston to Honolulu, Honolulu to Lihue (the largest town here on the island of Kauai).
Considering that I’ve been coming to Hawaii for almost 36 years now, the cost of getting here can be reasonable if you plan it right. Just like you might wonder about Memphis people you might wonder why flight prices fluctuate so much. But finding a deal is possible.
Final Thoughts from the Road
I’m continuing the hitchhiking, although it’s probably better that I get down to the bottom of the hill to the bus stop which will be a much better spot for people to pull over. Also, I think there’s a store down there to get a drink, so I think I’m just going to keep on walking.
You get a good idea of the local houses here. This is typical in Hawaii to not have fences between the houses. I’m not really sure why not—maybe it’s just kind of customary to not wall yourself off from your neighbor, something like that. Here you do have a little chain-link fence but anyways, nice manicured lawn and surrounded by the beautiful jungle greenery.
Is Hawaii overrated? No. Despite the high costs, the erratic weather, and the waves that might keep you on the sand, the sheer beauty, safety, and variety make it a destination that meets the hype every single time. Whether you are paying $400 a night or camping for $35, the island of Kauai delivers an experience unlike any other. Aloha!