Kauai, the oldest of the main Hawaiian islands, is known as the Garden Isle for its rainforest, river valleys and sharp green ridges. The Nā Pali Coast on the north-west shore can only be seen by boat, from the air or on foot, and Waimea Canyon cuts deep into the island’s western side. Visitors split between Princeville and Hanalei on the north shore, with the 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay and its golf courses, and Poʻipū on the sunnier south coast, home to the Grand Hyatt Kauai and many rental estates. Development is tightly controlled, with no building taller than a coconut palm, and the pace stays slow, which is why families and repeat visitors return year after year.
Private flights land at Lihue Airport (LIH), on the east coast about 2 miles (3 km) from the centre of Lihue. Poʻipū is around 25 minutes south by road, and Princeville roughly an hour north along the Kūhiō Highway. With a suitable long-range jet the island can be reached non-stop from the West Coast, avoiding the connection in Honolulu that most airline passengers face. Flight times are about 5 hours 45 minutes from Los Angeles, around 5 hours 15 minutes from San Francisco and about 35 minutes from Honolulu. Two runways of equal length give room for most business jets. The Jet Collection chooses an aircraft with the range for the crossing, arranges handling at Lihue and books the car for the drive to the north or south shore.
