Hana and environs are a magical, stunning place. The drive to Hana is extraordinary and worth so much more than a day trip – even after four days of exploring the area, the scenery and natural beauty of the area never failed to deliver. The highway south of Hana towards Haleakala National Park is, in a word, jaw-dropping. We were treated to gorgeous waterfalls, pristine tidal pools and glorious coastal vistas. Do not miss this part of Maui….it is true aloha spirit, free from the hordes of tourists, tacky eateries and ABC stores!

We enjoyed a four night stay at the Hotel Hana-Maui in the glorious sunshine. After hearing from hotel staff and locals that it had rained constantly for the previous weeks, we were blessed to enjoy this spectacular location in its full glory.

The resort is simply stunning. Set on expansive grounds bordering Hana Bay, the resort is gorgeous, peaceful and very much the Maui that I have always imagined! The grounds are well cared for, the pools and hot tubs welcoming and the spa facilities were wonderful - outdoor showers, steam rooms and “lava” hot tubs provided solace and relaxation at the end of every day.

We booked a garden view junior suite with the “explore Hana” package. Even with the free night and the resort credit, the cost bordered on prohibitive even despite that we were in the lowest class of rooms.

The room itself was spacious and comfortable, if not a bit weathered – we overlooked the grounds and had a nice view of the pool and Hana Bay. Save for some noise from the mini-fridge, the room was quiet and peaceful with a nice lanai. The furnishings and décor are a bit dated, however, and a bit dark in the evening (lots of natural light in the day). True to other reviews, there are lots of ants and you cannot leave food or toiletries out.

The hotel staff was gracious and welcoming, particularly those at the concierge, valet and Hamoa Beach. We were always able to get fresh beach towels, water and directions! The private facilities at Hamoa Beach are a nice touch and we really enjoyed our day there, and we also enjoyed the manager’s cocktail party (yummy mai tais!). The yoga instructor was really good as well.

The one very substantial drawback about Hana, however, is the lack of dining alternatives. While the hotel provides mini-fridges, cooking in the room is not an option as there are no barbeques or kitchen facilities. You are very much at the mercy of the hotel when it comes to food – and that, we found out, was a very expensive proposition indeed. There are basically only three options – the hotel restaurant, the lounge and the “Hana Ranch” restaurant just down the street. There are a couple of more casual, local places with BBQs, but certainly not the dining options you have in say, Paia or Makawao.

The hotel restaurant fell very short of expectations – although the chef is clearly trying to be inventive, the menu selections were odd, the portions too small and the prices ridiculous. The main courses at dinner run $30-35, wine by the glass $12 upwards and cocktails $10 and up. The lounge menu is extremely limited and pricy as well, but not as bad as the restaurant – we did enjoy the burgers there. The service in the restaurant was just plain lousy most of the time – one morning at breakfast I received my meal and then never saw the server again! The same morning, I had a conversation with one of the busboys outside the restaurant while checking the breakfast menu after returning from my morning run…when I returned to eat he didn’t even remember that I was the same person he had a conversation with fifteen minutes previously! In addition, we were very put off by the fact that locals dining in the restaurant seemed to receive preferential treatment….extra large fruit trays and scones in the morning, servers oozing over their tables while we could not get a word in edgewise.

Our four days in Hana were magical and we will return to this area. We would recommend Hotel Hana-Maui, on the caveat that the hotel has some hiccups with pricing and its food service. However, we truly hope that in these times they are able to make it work so that many more people can enjoy the peace, solitude and stunning beauty of the east side of Maui.

stayed for a week, with our 4 year old son. we all loved it, the whole experience was beautiful and relaxing. a real luxury for me, no tv, no internet in my room....fantastic. we had some very good food while we were there, but the menu is limited if you want to eat off it for a week.

Hotel Hana Maui and the town of Hana formed a combination that was the most relaxing stay I have had anywhere to date.


I'll get my only complaint out of the way. The Disappointment of the food. They actually seemed to master the bar menu foods, which I actually thought were quite good. The main dining room was very disappointing - I would recomend saving yourself $30 on the fish and just go for the cheeseburger in the bar. I had to send my appetizer back twice and was not impressed witht the oddly concocted fish dish I ordered at our last meal of our honeymoon. Did't let it spoil my overall feeling though.

After being nickled and dimed to death on parking and safe fees and the like at OTHER resorts (I will also be reviewing) around the island that were just a tiny bit cheaper, I was pleased to find that almost everything (except food and drinks) was included at the Hotel Hana Maui. Not just the large stock of Water, Juice, Pop, Champagne and Grind Your Own beans coffee, we had unlimited access to the excellent spa facility and a wide range of amenities to do indoors and out. We had a larger garden cottage. The room was very spacious, comfortable, neat and well stocked with quality linens and furniture and a basket of fresh papya and other hawaiian foods to snack on. Attention to detail and service is obviously a constant at this hotel. They even seemed to inform all the managerial staff that my wife and I were the newlyweds in town. We were congratulated even by the building engineer at the manager's Thursday cocktail reception.

The hotel was hardly booked when we were there, so we fortunately were able to sign on for a third night here and extend our stay. Pretty well all of Maui had beather weather during our stay in Hana, so it definitely rained in Hana about 90% of our stay, and we still loved it deeply. Could never say that being cooped up in the rain at some resort on the beach.

The best part of this experience, and I can't stress this enough - I would have a difficult time truly capturing the serenity and beauty of this place in words - you have to experience it. The hotel is the social and geographic center of town and is the largest employer in the area. So, most of the staff are locals and many of the locals come to the hotel and are very friendly. It really felt like were a part of the town for our stay, which is a really nice feeling after I felt most other parts of the island had a lot of anti-tourist attitudes that could be felt and seen at times. The town of Hana is so nice and is a place that will stay in our hearts and minds for a long time. I know we will be back to the Hotel Hana Maui.

Hana is such a beautiful location that I feel compelled to be forgiving of the faults of this resort. Really, overall, this experience was fabulous and the bottom line is that I will be returning to this resort in the future. You simply cannot get past the beauty of this place. Its the kind of place that makes you stop and think to yourself what a priviledged life you've lived to even be at such an amazing location. Everywhere you look is simply breathtaking. They have done an outstanding job with their landscaping. Very impressive and you will not be disappointed.

The spa is fabulous. I had the best massage of my life there. You can use the spa facilities for free (services are expensive but top quality). For free you can do the detox steam therapy which basically consists of using the steam room and then getting into the freezing cold plunge pool, back in to the steam room, then to the hot tub, and then a cold shower. Its really a nice treatment, you should try it if you go. The spa hot tub built out of lava rock is facing the ocean and overlooks a rock pond with a fountain. Its stunning and so serene. I kept thinking to myself as I was in the hot tub what a lucky person I am to be experiencing all of that beauty and I felt sorry for all of the peole who will never make it to Hana. It is something that should be experienced by everyone. Truly spectactular.

We had a sea side cottage and it was nice and spacious. There is a little kitchen with a small fridge, a sink, and a coffee maker but not microwave or oven (which would have been nice considering how bad the restuarnat is). They had a small basket of food and fruit for us which was really nice. The bed is comfortable and the room is clean. The view is to die for. I loved sleeping with the glass doors open and the sreen closed. The sound of the ocean was so relaxing and a real treat!

The bathroom was not that nice. It was pretty ugly, but clean. The lighting is awful. I ended up just using the spa facilities to get ready every night. The lighting is way better and the counter was bigger. I recommend doing the same if you stay here. It worked out perfectly actually because we timed our days so that we were doing the spa detox thing in the steam room around five thirty and I would just get ready there after I did the shower portion of the treatment.

I reviewed the restaurant elsewhere, please see that review for more detail but the short version is that it is horrible and because it is the ONLY option for dinner in Hana and surrounding area, it feels like a cruel joke to be in such a beautiful amazing place but have nothing to eat. Yet, despite all of that, I will definitely be back because I just can't imagine never seeing Hana again. You have to go, at least once. We were there two nights, wish we'd stayed five.

If you go, load up on fruit and banana bread so you have somthing to eat for breakfast. Then for lunch, hit up the Taco stand at mile market 32. They have the best smoked pig taco ever.