On the east side of Kauai, north of Lihue, hundreds of coconut trees soar straight up into the blue sky, thus the nickname for this coastline. Visitors come here to see several popular attractions, including Opaekaa Falls, Sleeping Giant, and the Fern Grotto, which sits alongside the 20-mile-long Wailua River, Hawaii’s only navigable river.

The Coconut Coast isn’t as upscale as Princeville to the north or Poipu to the south. It’s a more middle-of-the-road resort area offering less expensive accommodations in a variety of less chichi hotels, condominiums, and bed-and-breakfasts. It’s also an area with lots of shopping centers and restaurants, so you don’t really get a sense of seclusion here, if that’s what you prefer.

Kapaa, an old plantation town along this coastline, is a charming-looking little oceanside community. It can get quite busy, however, because visitors driving through town on Highway 56 are often enticed to stop and check out the many quaint shops and restaurants that line the road. It’s hard to resist the appeal of the freshly painted wooden storefronts, which suggest a bygone era.