North Shore Kauai Guide
Things to Do in Princeville, Kauai
A local's shortlist of beaches, trails, golf, and gardens around Princeville, all within a short drive of a stay at Kamalani Stay.
A local's shortlist of beaches, trails, golf, and gardens around Princeville, all within a short drive of a stay at Kamalani Stay.
Princeville sits on a bluff above Hanalei Bay on Kauai's North Shore, and it punches well above its size for things to do nearby. Most visitors base themselves here for a few days and fan out from a single rental rather than switching hotels, which is part of why direct-booking a home like Kamalani Stay near the Makai Golf Course works so well: everything on this list is a 5 to 20 minute drive, and several spots are walkable.
Queen's Bath is a natural lava-rock tide pool a short, uneven hike from the Punahele Road trailhead in Princeville, and it's one of the most photographed spots on the North Shore. The pool itself is only safe to enter in calm summer surf, typically April through October; during winter swells it is genuinely dangerous and the county posts closures for good reason. Go early to beat both the crowds and the midday sun, and treat any posted warning signs as non-negotiable rather than a suggestion.
Princeville Botanical Gardens runs small-group guided tours through a working tropical garden tucked into a valley just outside the resort core, with a strong focus on fruit tasting and native and introduced Hawaiian plants. Tours are by reservation and run a few hours, which makes this a good half-day plan on a morning when the surf report looks rough elsewhere. It pairs naturally with a stop at Na 'Aina Kai Botanical Gardens a bit further down the coast if you want a full garden day.
The Makai Golf Club's Mauka Course wraps directly around the neighborhood, and Kamalani Stay's covered lanai looks straight out over its fairways and the mountains behind them. Even if you're not playing, the clubhouse has a casual restaurant with one of the better sunset-adjacent views in Princeville, and the course itself is a scenic cut-through for an evening walk if you time it around play.
Princeville sits directly above Hanalei Bay, a two-mile crescent beach that's one of the most consistently recommended stops on Kauai, and within a few minutes' drive you can reach Anini Beach, Tunnels Beach, and Ke'e Beach as well. Each beach has a different personality, from Anini's reef-protected calm water to Tunnels' winter surf and snorkeling, and our North Shore Kauai beaches guide breaks down which one fits which kind of day.
The Hanalei Farmers Market, held weekly in Hanalei town a short drive from Princeville, is a reliable source of local produce, poke, and baked goods, and it's a good excuse to walk Hanalei's small main street afterward. Check current market days before you go, as North Shore market schedules shift seasonally.
Princeville Shopping Center is within walking distance of Kamalani Stay and covers the basics well: a grocery store, a handful of restaurants, and a coffee shop, so a no-car morning for groceries or coffee is genuinely realistic from this home rather than a theoretical amenity.
Kauai's North Shore gets real rain, especially in winter. On a wet day, Princeville Botanical Gardens tours still run, Na 'Aina Kai has indoor-adjacent covered areas, and a short drive to Waimea Canyon State Park often finds different weather entirely on the island's west side.
Kamalani Stay puts you minutes from everything on this list, with golf-course views from your own lanai.
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