Shopping is a pleasure on Kauai Island. At Kauai's small, tasteful boutiques, you can satisfy your shopping desires in concentrated spurts around the island. This is a bonanza for the boutique shopper, the one who appreciates the thrill of the hunt. From quaint shops, artists' studios to elegant art galleries, and large shopping centers, you'll enjoy Kauai Island's style of shopping. You'll find many unique items, from T-shirts dyed with Hawaiian red dirt, to macadamia nut cookies, music CDs by local musicians, coffee, books, designer clothing, custom jewelry, furniture, surfboards, tropical flowers, and fine art and gifts handcrafted of wood, ceramics, fabric, or glass.

"Downtown" Kapaa continues to flourish, and Hanalei, touristy as it is, is still a shopping destination. Kilauea, with Kong Lung Store and the fabulous new Lotus Gallery, is the style center of the island. The Kauai Heritage Center of Hawaiian Culture & the Arts makes it possible for visitors to escape the usual imitations, tourist traps, and cliches in favor of authentic encounters with the real thing: Hawaiian arts, Hawaiian cultural practices, and Hawaiian elders and artists. The gift items and treasures you'll find in east and north Kauai, however, may be among your best Hawaiian finds.