I know I just add to the echos of most travelers when I say that Maui holds a special place in our family’s heart. It was our first trip ever by airplane with our kids. And it was the first time I collaborated with a travel partner when we visited nearly 10 years ago. We were actually trying to revisit the Napili Kai which was all booked up for our travel dates when I found the Hana Maui Resort. And when I re-read my blog post from our drive to the Road to Hana before we left for this trip, I realized I wrote that the next time I visited Maui I wanted to stay in Hana for a bit more time. I’m so glad we booked this stay.
Staying in an Oceanview two bed bungalow at the Hana Maui Resort
We chose an Oceanview two queen beds bungalow for our 2 night stay and it felt spacious enough for our family of two adults and two teenage boys and the length of our stay felt just right too. We left our hotel in Lahaina at 11am on the first day and meandered our way along the Road to Hana and made it to the Hana Maui Resort by about 4pm. We were greeted with POG juice on arrival and were told how to get to our gated parking lot that turned out to be near the entrance to the red sand beach nearby.
Our room was simple, clean and comfortable with high ceilings and a beautiful lanai. (I have a video tour of the Ocean view bungalow here) The bathroom was a little dated but also ginormous-there was a separate shower and toilet and bathtub. When traveling with our teenagers, it is so nice to have a lot of room. I loved the Malie products in the bathroom as well.
There are two pools at the Hana Maui Resort but we only went to one because it was perfect. It felt just warm enough that when we swam at night in the cool breeze we were refreshed for the end of the day. When we visited we read that this pool is open 24 hours too but we didn’t try to go in the middle of the night. The pool is almost like an infinity pool and it has an incredible view.
Where to eat when staying at the Hana Maui Resort
Our rate with Expedia included breakfast at the hotel and this was really convenient, delicious and more than substantial. Each of us were able to pick a drink and an entree and we were allowed two sides for the table too. One morning we had saimin noodles with sides of fresh fruit and fried potatoes and another morning the mochiko pancakes were the hit of the table. We should have eaten at the Bar here on our first night because it was closed the 2nd night we visited. (There aren’t a lot of places in the area that are open after 6pm.)
Our first night we ate at the Hana Ranch and this was an easy place to get dinner. We were able to just walk across the street and we might have been able to take a golf cart there too. We had a small fridge in our hotel room so we picked up a few snacks and drinks from the Hasegawa Store a short walk from the hotel. We noticed food trucks nearby so when we weren’t able to eat at the hotel lounge the next night we ordered from the food trucks. I’m not the biggest food truck fan but they are very popular on Maui Island.
We absolute loved Hana Farms about a 10 minute drive away where we had pineapple pizza and pizza with breadfruit on it and a ginormous beautiful salad. We also bought banana bread here because we missed buying it at Aunty Sandy’s (we also missed it again on the way home! We were in line when the sold out sign went up!). There were many different types of banana bread here and we picked the one with chocolate chips. This place had restrooms, good food and lots of seating in a really picturesque garden setting. (We brought bug spray!). I wish it stayed open longer but when we were there it closed around 4:30pm.
Things to do nearby the Hana Maui Resort
We had a 7am booking for the Wa’anapanapa State Park for the morning after we checked into the Hana Maui. I forgot to book this right when reservations opened and when I checked there were only 7am bookings left so it was good we were staying only 10 minutes away. As of now I think reservations open 14 days in advance and you cannot get a same-day reservation. We ate breakfast at our hotel before we went to the park and I was worried we wouldn’t have enough time to explore but even with a short hike to see a blowhole we had ample time. This is the park that has a famous black sand beach and while we didn’t swim here it was beautiful to see.
After our time at the black sand beach we stopped at the same lava tube we visited years ago with the guys. I stayed in the car this time just in case it got crowded and I still can’t do crowds without a mask (and I did not want to wear one in a cave!). They took about 30 minutes to explore the area. We also visited two chocolate farms nearby. The East Maui chocolate farm was really informative and passed out chocolate in various stages for us to taste.
We noticed so many people turning around near the parking lot at our hotel and people walking by the gate. It turns out the Hana Maui resort is right next to a famous red sand beach. According to the audio guide I bought on the recommendation from an Instagram friend Missy, it’s quite treacherous and maybe the place on Hawaii that gets the most rescues and isn’t a recommended visit anymore. I’m glad I listened to the Audio guide after I visited or I wouldn’t have gone at all. It is a really spectacular sight but definitely check conditions and do this at your own risk. I actually didn’t make it all the way down to the beach because I don’t feel agile enough right now but my guys went and had a swim too.
Hamoa Beach is another place about a 10 minute drive from the hotel. The waves are a bit scary for me here but the boys loved splashing in the waves. We spent a few hours here and this might be a good stop if you decided to head out to the Pools of Oheo (we did this early morning before breakfast on our last day at the Hana Maui). We felt like we had the whole area to ourselves because we were there first thing in the morning-it’s often the last stop for people driving the Road to Hana. We saved our ticket from the entrance fee for this park to use when we went to Haleakala for sunset because they are part of the same National Park and the ticket is good for 3 days.
The Hana Maui resort is a Hyatt hotel
My family has stayed at many Hyatt hotels (we love the one in Seattle and Bellevue) and we should probably consider joining the World of Hyatt loyalty program. But if you do have Hyatt rewards and you are heading to the Hana Maui you might want to check if you can book on points-now that would be an incredible stay!
Have you stayed at the Hana Maui? (PS. Maui has a direct flight to Seattle if you are looking for places with direct flights too. Also, if you don’t want to drive the Road to Hana, the Hana Maui has its own plane and there are packages that include a flight to the hotel as well.
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
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