Enchanting is most accurate way to describe this “must-see” botanical garden on the south shore, located just across from Spouting Horn Park. A two-and-a-half-hour walking tour meanders through the gardens—ancient Moreton Bay fig trees, frangipani, heliconia and blue and red jade vines—fronting the house where the Allertons lived after purchasing the property in 1937 and then left in trust with an endowment for its upkeep. The most magical of sights is the bird’s-eye view of the 80-acre garden and the 1870s house, which once served as a retreat for Queen Emma, who started it all. The tram that transports visitors to the garden stops on a cliff above it, offering breathtaking views of the valley below. This is where Jurassic Park was filmed, and anyone who saw the movie will easily recollect the land where dinosaurs once roamed. Amazing, too, is the beach in front of Emma’s house, where sea turtles come to lay eggs each year (you can get to it only by boat).

The 45,000-square-foot Anara Spa in the Grand Hyatt is the second largest spa in Hawaii. Mostly open-air, with hale hut treatment rooms and private lava rock showers, the Anara is a wonderful diversion from the busyness of the grand resort. It has its own wing, with rooms for those who want to log a lot of spa hours. All on one level, the spa is surrounded by tropical gardens, with an open-air lap pool and a small café in the center as well as a 24-hour StayFit gym.

Hawaii’s largest helicopter tour company also offers tours on the island of Kauai. A one-hour helicopter tour (at over $200 per person) is one of the best ways to take in the stunning grandeur of the Na Pali Coast, the Mana Waiapuna “Jurassic Park” Falls, and the unforgettable Waimea Canyon.

Besides a helicopter tour, the best way to see the Na Pali coast—the rugged and beautiful state park located along the northwest side of Kauai—is from the water. Board a catamaran, motorboat or kayak for a half or full day of exploring. Hawaiian monk seals, spinner dolphins and green sea turtles are commonly spotted, and December to April is peak whale-watching seasons. Boat trips only available in the summer months.

A helicopter tour is one of the best ways to take in the stunning grandeur of the Na Pali Coast, which contains the Mana Waiapuna “Jurassic Park” Falls and the Waimea Canyon.

Visitors staying in Princeville or Hanalei will find many options for surf lessons, most of them geared towards individuals and small groups, and which include surfboards rental. Kuai North Shore Surfing School is one of the many surf schools on the North Shore.

The Kauai Surf School offers group and private lessons, as well as multi-day surf clinics, on a gentle beginner surf break. Top surfers teach you the basics you need to know to get started in this ever more popular sport.

This company has superb guides ready to lead fit visitors on a kayak trip along the 22-mile coastline of Na Pali. For those who’d rather have someone else do the exercise, it also offers rafting and sailing excursions along the north shore.

White sand beaches make up fifty miles of Kauai’s 113 miles of shoreline, twice that of Oahu. Though there are beaches all around, the biggest expanses are found on the west and north shores of the island.

• Tunnels Beach: Also called Maku, this beach on the north shore is two miles of sheer bliss. A fabulous snorkeling spot, it also has superb views of the mountain scenery seen in South Pacific. This is where you can watch experienced surfers, who come to grab the giant winter waves.
• Anini Beach: Anini begins just past the town of Kilauea in the north and runs for two miles to Princeville. It is crowded with cottages and houses that sit along the shoreline, which is not surprising, since it’s one of the safest beaches for swimming and a nice spot for family gatherings.
• Lydgate Beach Park: This spot on the east shore may be the top place for family outings. It has a large picnic area, playgrounds and rock-walled ponds where it’s safe to swim.
• Maha’ulepu Beach: Maha’ulepu, in the south, skirts the Hyatt’s golf course. Part of an expanse owned by Steve Case, it’s prime whale-watching territory. There’s a two-mile trail that runs along the cliff above the beach.

Kauai is ideal for hiking, since more than ninety percent of the island is inaccessible by vehicle. You can find everything from hour-long hikes to weeklong ones that necessitate camping along the way. Here are a few favorites:

• Waipoo Falls: The three-hour round-trip hike starts just off the Puu Hina Hina Outlook, up Highway 550 on the west shore. You’ll walk through jungles of flowering orchids, ginger and tropical foliage to get the final reward, which comes in the form of an 800-foot waterfall with a natural pool at the bottom.
• Sleeping Giant Trail: A nearly two-mile trail on the east shore up Nounou Mountain (dubbed “the Sleeping Giant” because of its resemblance to one)—gaining 1,000 feet in altitude—it has a panoramic view at the top that makes all the effort worthwhile.
• Na Pali Coast State Park: This park on the northwestern shore is, simply put, the most beautiful stretch of wilderness in all of Hawaii. It covers twenty-two miles of high cliffs, beaches and hanging valleys, which are impassable by vehicle. An ancient eleven-mile-long trail leads to Kalalau, probably the last completely wild valley in Hawaii. You won’t be able to do the entire trail in a day, so unless you go in for a couple hours and turn around, plan on camping for at least one night.