What I Packed and Wore in Kauai, Hawaii

The month of January flew by in a busy start to 2025! I have lagged in finding time to shoot seasonal outfits, but you may have seen on my socials that my husband and I recently spent a week on the island of Kauai. The purpose of our trip was bringing my family together to celebrate my Grandma's 90th(!!) birthday along with a quick hop over to Oahu to visit my mother-in-law and dear friends. While on Kauai, we did some sightseeing including a helicopter ride and zip lining (highly recommend both!) balanced with quiet mornings whale watching on the lanai with a cup of coffee in hand and lazy beach days. It was truly a wonderful trip and seeing my Grandma so happy the entire week brought me so much joy. Today I am sharing what I packed and wore for one week on Kauai: a variety of lightweight pieces that are ideal for a tropical vacation. Please continue on to see more photos and outfit links to the same pieces or similar items to plan your own warm weather vacation packing list.

First, let's talk about dresses. I packed a lightweight green ruched dress and a bright floral romper that you've seen before here on the blog. This dress comes in a variety of colors, but I was drawn to this vibrant shade of green that pairs nicely with my Goyard Hirondelle crossbody bag. A denim jacket was the perfect evening layer for both outfits as it barely got cool at night. Since I didn't get a full body shot of the romper during our trip, I included one from a former post. Both are fabulous pieces for a warm weather vacation--easy to dress up or down for a daytime or evening.

Dress: exact here

Denim Jacket: similar here

Espadrilles: similar here or here

Crossbody bag: exact here or great budget-friendly option here

Romper: similar here or here

Espadrilles: similar here or here

Next up are casual tops and shorts that can be easily mixed and matched for a variety of outfits. I packed one pair of white tailored shorts and one pair of navy blue tailored shorts along with four tanks (grey, navy, striped, and white) and a short sleeve linen crop button-up shirt. I was able to create a series of outfits with these pieces, and could add my denim jacket on top for cooler days and evenings.

Denim Jacket: similar here or here

Tank: similar here or here

Shorts: exact here (now on clearance!)

Sandals: exact here or budget-friendly option here

Belt: exact here or budget-friendly option here

Crossbody bag: exact here or great budget-friendly option here

Sunglasses: exact here

Cropped Button-up Shirt: exact here (under $40!)

Shorts: similar here or here

Sandals: exact here or budget-friendly option here

Belt: exact here or budget-friendly option here

Crossbody bag: exact here or great budget-friendly option here

Sunglasses: exact here

In addition to dresses and casual wear, I of course packed activewear for our outdoor adventures. I took one pair of pants, one pair of shorts, a windbreaker, two baseball hats and a pair of sneakers. These pieces served me well for plane rides and outdoor activities including visiting lookouts along Waimea Canyon, various beaches, and zip-lining with Koloa Zipline which I highly recommend if you are looking for some outdoor adventure and great views!

Windbreaker: similar here

Tank: exact here

Pants: exact style current colors here 

Shorts: similar here

Hat: similar here

Sneakers: newer version here

Finally, I could not create a warm weather vacation post without mentioning swimwear. I packed three swimsuits for this vacation including this extremely flattering green set linked below. You may recall seeing this set a few times before in Miami, Bali, and Cancun recaps (plus a pink version in India and Morocco). No affiliate link for this one--although maybe at some point they will sponsor me because I have two of these sets and continue to wear them and share them on my travels.

Bikini set: exact here

Have you visited the island of Kauai? If so, please don't hesitate to leave me a comment below to share your favorite memory. If not, what is your favorite warm weather vacation destination? Thank you for visiting my blog today and I hope you have a fabulous week!