Do you need a car on Kauai with kids?
Written October 2026
Kauai is beaches, animals and wild chickens that turn up everywhere.
You need a car on Kauai. One highway runs past the beaches, the canyon and the north shore, and there's no real transit. The exception is a resort stay in Poipu, where the beach, the pools, a few restaurants and the shopping village are on foot, and a family with a toddler can go days without driving. For car seats, the rental companies rent them, and so do local baby-gear services that deliver to the airport.
Poipu, where you can park it for days
The beach, the Shops at Kukui'ula and a dozen restaurants are all on foot or a short shuttle.
Sheraton Kauai Resort
Poipu
The sand is a few steps away, and Poipu Beach Park, with its protected toddler pool, is a walk along the shore. There are two pools, and it's the most car-free address on the island.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
Koloa Landing Resort at Poipu
Poipu
The biggest pool complex on the island is here, with waterslides and a splash area. The villa kitchen means no drive to dinner, the ocean is across the road, and a family can do three days here and only drive to the airport.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa
Poipu
There's a lagoon with a sandy beach, gardens to push a stroller through and restaurants on site, so there's little reason to leave. The shopping village is a shuttle away.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
Kiahuna Plantation Resort by Outrigger
Poipu
Condos on Kiahuna Beach, with the Poipu Shopping Village across the road for groceries and dinner, and the waterslide pool is at the athletic club. It's the closest thing to a beach house you can stay at without a car.
- Suites
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- No
- Laundry
- Yes
Kalapaki, next to the airport
Ten minutes from the plane, with a sheltered bay and Lihue's shops a short drive.
The Royal Sonesta Kauai Resort Lihue
Kalapaki Beach
On a protected bay where kids boogie-board and wade, with a huge pool and a separate shallow kids' pool with its own slide. Restaurants are on site and at the harbor next door, and the car is for the days you go to Waimea Canyon or the north shore.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
Marriott's Kauai Beach Club
Kalapaki Beach
Roomier vacation-club villas that share the Kalapaki grounds with the Royal Sonesta, and a kids' pool of their own.
- Cribs
- No
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Waterslide
- Yes
Everywhere else, you drive
Kapaa and Princeville are lovely and the beaches are a drive from the door.
Waipouli Beach Resort and Spa by Outrigger
Kapaa
With flume slides in the river pool and a supermarket next door, a lazy day here needs no car, and Kapaa's bike path is the only car-free outing.
- Cribs
- No
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Waterslide
- Yes
The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas
Princeville
Hanalei and Anini beaches are ten minutes by car. The north shore is the drive-everywhere side, and the drive is the prettiest on the island.
- Cribs
- No
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
1 Hotel Hanalei Bay
Princeville
Seedlings, the nature-based kids' program, gives kids their own plan for part of the day, and a path leads down to the beach. Hanalei town is a five-minute drive. You could spend a day without leaving the resort, but you'll want the car for the rest of the island.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Connecting rooms
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes
More in Kauai
Where to stay on Kauai with kidsPhoto credits
Sheraton Kauai Resort: Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0) · Poipu Beach Park from the air, Kauai: Polihale (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa: tdlucas5000 from Lakewood Ca., United States (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Poipu Beach, Kauai: dronepicr (CC BY 2.0) · The Royal Sonesta Kauai Resort Lihue: Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0) · Marriott's Kauai Beach Club: Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0) · Kapaa Beach Park, Kauai: Travis.Thurston (CC BY-SA 3.0) · The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas: Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0) · 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay: Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0)