Kauailihu

Lihu'E

The island of Kauai is known for its remote and pristine natural habitats such as the gorgeous Na'Pali Coast. The city of Lihue (the second largest city on the island of Kauai) combines the best of Hawaii: the unique Hawaii natural environment with a small city life filled with business hubs, great restaurants and luxurious lodging. This is typically visitor's principal entrance way to Kauai, through the Lihu'E International Airport or Kauai's main harbor, both located in Lihue. You will find unique traditional and foreign restaurants and excellent golf courses. And only a few miles south of Lihue you can find the impressive Ha'upu mountain range and miles of forest that stretch out to the Pacific coastline.

Lihue is a modest city that requires some amount of exploration for visitors to get a good feel for it. But there is certainly a lot the city has to offer its visitors that is very worth their time there. What they will find in Lihue is one of the most multicultural and diverse cities in all of Hawaii, populated by Japanese, Polynesians, Caucasians and many other ethnic groups. The city is also the administrative and commercial capital of Kauai. Even still, Lihue remains a small city by any measure, with an estimate of 5,000 residents. Kauai in general is a more rural island, allowing for visitors to explore life in small Hawaiian villages and, of course, the vast wilderness of valleys, cliffs, mountains, volcanoes, and tropical forests.

Lihue is, however, the most developed city in Kauai, boasting the airport, Kauai's largest shopping center (complete with the huge department store Macy's), and more restaurants than in other Kauai cities. But despite the few commercial strongholds in Lihue, the heart of the business are found in the many smaller mom-and-pop type shops that are found here. For great local fruit and flora, head to Kauai Frut & Flower, about a mile north of the airport and for local crafts and other hand-made products, check out the Kukui Grove Center or the Kauai Products Store.

While in Lihue, you will not want to miss out on the diverse dining options, many of which are located really close to each other. Try out the Hawaii-unique saimin dish available at Hamura's Saimin Stand. Saimin is a traditional Hawaiian dish in the sense that it is a combination of Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino culinary dishes. Hamura's Saimin Stand will serve you what is probably the best saimin in all of Hawaii. For saimin and other varied dishes, including American dishes, try out Kako's. You can find delicious and fairly inexpensive Japanese food over at Restaurant Kiibo. And for delicious and traditional Pacific island cuisine, as well as beautiful and historic architecture, check out Gaylord's, built on one of the sugar plantations from the 1930's.