Getting in

• Līhuʻe Airport: Rent a car at or by shuttle from the airport and drive south via Kāumualiʻi Highway/Poʻipū Road: roughly 25–30 minutes to Kōloa or Poʻipū in normal traffic. This is the actually useful choice for a stay here; expect roughly $70–150+ per day before insurance, fuel and hotel parking, depending heavily on season. A taxi is workable for a car-free beach stay—fares are metered at about $3 per mile, so budget roughly $50–70 plus tip to Kōloa/Poʻipū—but it is poor value if you plan to see the island. The Kauaʻi Bus is cheap (about $2) but is not a practical airport-to-resort solution with luggage and does not reach many major sights.
• Nawiliwili Harbor (cruise port): For Kōloa/Poʻipū, take a pre-arranged taxi or rental car; allow about 30–40 minutes and roughly $50–70 by taxi before tip. Do not treat a cruise-port call as enough time for both Waimea Canyon and the North Shore—Kauaʻi’s roads do not loop around the island.