Sunrise. Hana, Maui.

As day breaks the cottages come into view.

This is Travaasa Hana. A very unique Hawaii resort.

The location of this place is kind of ridiculous.

Hana is a small town in East Maui. It takes about two hours of driving on a windy road to get here from the airport in Kahului. Once you get to Hana you can feel the pace of life slow down and everything feels peaceful.

I was invited to stay at Travaasa Hana recently as part of a press trip for the East Maui Taro Festival. We stayed for four nights and as remote and slow-paced as Hana is I could definitely have stayed for a couple more. Hana may seem slow and small but if you like the outdoors, there’s a ton of stuff to do.

To get to Hana you’ll drive the “Road to Hana.” That’s the name for the 52 mile stretch of the Hana Highway that’s carved into the east Maui coastline. It’s a two to three hour drive, depending on how many stops you make and how fast you drive.

A lot of tourists spend a day driving the Road to Hana making several stops along the way to look at waterfalls or ocean views. They might drive the highway all the way down to Kipahulu where the Ohe’o Gulch and Pipiwai Trail are located. Then they might turn around and drive home. But if you’re going to drive all that way, I’d recommend spending at least a couple nights in Hana to soak it all in.

And if you’re going to stay a couple nights in Hana, I can tell you that Travaasa Hana is a very nice choice.

I should mention one thing though. Being that I was on a press trip, my room and board were comped by Travaasa. If you’re on a budget, there are definitely other places to stay in Hana. You’ll just have to do some research to find the one that suits you.

If you do decide to stay at Travaasa Hana, my recommendation would be to drive straight to the hotel without making many stops. In my opinion the 52 mile drive from OGG (the airport in Kahului) is more pleasant when you don’t make all those stops. I actually like driving through the twists and turns but I’m sure some people prefer stopping to take breaks. My advice though would be to get to the hotel as fast as you can so you can enjoy the grounds as soon as possible.

But, when you leave Hana, give yourself an extra hour or so to stop by all the waterfalls and lookouts along the Hana Highway on the way out.

Travaasa Hana is much different than any resort I’ve seen or stayed at in Hawaii. It’s quiet, spread out and feels very private.

The grounds are so spread out that the staff uses golf carts to get around.

After you check in they’ll shuttle you and your bags to your suite or cottage. They don’t have traditional rooms at this hotel.

We were provided an ocean view cottage. They call them “Sea Ranch Cottages” and they are located behind this gate. If you are traveling without kids, stay in a cottage. Children under 16 are thankfully not allowed in this section of the hotel.

Each one of these structures is divided in two and they have ocean views. The cottages give you as much of a secluded feeling as you’re gonna get while having the convenience of a hotel.

Each cottage is a suite with a country feel. All I could think of was how quiet it was. I live right next to Waikiki and hear construction during the day and sirens and crazy people yelling at night. Here in Hana, even though I was in a hotel, all I could hear was birds chirping and a horse making horse noises.

Please note that this type of accommodation is probably not for everyone. There’s no TV, no Internet and no clock in the room. (So you’ll just have to use your iPhone for all that.) Many tourists are better off staying in Lahaina or Wailea with the masses in Maui. But if you’re the outdoorsy type that enjoys the peace and quiet of camping but wants to treat yourself to the convenience of a hotel, you’ll probably enjoy this place as much as I did.

The lanai is huge. Some of them (not ours though) even have private jacuzzis built into them.

We didn’t get a jacuzzi in our room but I did get a very nice banana bread. It was very moist. Not too sweet. Generous with the nuts. (Hana is known for it’s banana bread.)

Each suite has coffee, tea and a fridge.

Hasegawa General Store is a 3 minute walk from the hotel if you want to pick up some beers and snacks for the room.

I like to check out these community bulletin boards to see what’s going on around town.

There are a few dining options in Hana but for the most part we ate at the Travaasa Hana restaurant. On the first night we had a big dinner with all the press folks on the trip.

The menu changes frequently and there are both healthy and decadent options. Travaasa hotels seem to emphasize health and wellness so they list calorie counts next to each of their menu items. I didn’t think the calorie counts would affect my decisions but they totally did.

The hotel also has a nice bar so if you’re out here in Hana camping you can always pop in to grab drinks and pupus.

I was invited to Hana for the 21st annual East Maui Taro Festival. People come from all over Maui to this free festival.

A big draw is the live music (with lots of awesome bluegrass).

You can get great local food with an emphasis on taro from a number of food stands.

We ordered some Kalua pork tacos and taro malasadas. Both of which are being cooked in the photo above.

If you want malasadas you better order them early. They are in high demand. I had to wait 15 minutes for mine.

Inside there were these little balls of goodness. There’s sugar at the bottom so you can shake the bag to coat the malasadas.

This little taro haupia (haupia is a coconut pudding) pie was a big winner. A winner in my belly.

There’s seating all over the place where you can eat your food and listen to the bands.

Hana’s got a real country vibe. Just imagine live blue grass coming from the speakers.

This being a taro festival, there was of course poi pounding on display.

Kapa cloth making was also on display.

In this tent different native plants were on display. Most hikers in Hawaii would recognize these trees. (They are the ohia lehua.)

Cute dogs were everywhere as well.

After the taro festival we retreated to the hotel and plopped on a hammock to rest from all the good eating.

Travaasa Hana is super relaxing. I had a busy month prior to this trip and I would have seriously been content staying on the grounds staring at the the ocean and palm trees all day. But don’t get stuck on the hammock for too long. Once you’re rested be sure to venture off and see what’s around you.

There are plenty of hikes around this area.

You can get some nice ocean views. Scattered showers are common here so bring a rain jacket.

One must-do hike is the Pipiwai Trail to Waimoku Falls. It takes you through the iconic bamboo forest that you may have seen in photos online or in guidebooks.

There’s also the rocky coastline you can explore.

Wai’napanapa State Park is definitely worth a visit. It’s less than 10 minutes up the road from Travaasa Hana. You can spend a few hours exploring the coastline, swimming at the black sand beach, and checking out the lava tubes and small sea caves. This would also be a nice place to eat a sandwich.

Just a one minute drive from the hotel is Hana Bay Beach. It’s a simple beach that’s easy to get to.

But the beach I’d recommend is Hamoa Beach. It’s a short, maybe 10 minute, drive South from the hotel.

There’s beautiful sand and clear water here. When we were there, there was a fun little shore break you could body surf. This beach also seemed like a nice place to eat a sandwich.

Travaasa Hana also has many organized activities you can do. Some, like archery, pilates and yoga are free for guests. There are a few that require an extra fee. I was able to do a horseback ride along the coast.

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We went through Hana Ranch.

We got right up close to these huge bulls. As long as you are on a horse, the bulls are friendly.

The highlight of the horseback ride was talking story with Jolynn (our guide) and learning about what it’s like to live in Hana. She had some stories to tell.

On Friday and Saturday evenings you can drive about 15 minutes up the Hana Highway to a banana bread stand.

You should definitely pick up some banana bread while you’re here (try the chai one). But that’s not why we came on this evening.

At this particular banana bread stand they’ve built a clay oven.

On just these two days each week, they make pizza. That’s right, pizza. You can get some super tasty pies and a big ol salad. BYOB. (Look up Clay Oven Pizza on Yelp.)

Once night falls they turn on a projector and play Jurassic Park. I like to imagine that the movie is always Jurassic Park.

If you have leftovers they wrap it up in a banana leaf like so.

On each day, before or after your outdoor adventures, if you feel so inclined, don’t be shy about hitting the spa. Unless you are a guy. Or if you’re a guy, then just don’t admit that you went to the spa. (I definitely did not go to the spa on this trip.)

After four nights in “Heavenly Hana” we left refreshed but not entirely ready to return to Honolulu. There are a couple more hikes and a couple more waterfalls I’d like to see in Hana but that will have to wait until next time.

Many thanks to Travaasa Hana for the hospitality. The staff was incredibly friendly and we enjoyed our stay completely.

See also:

• Travaasa Hana Official Website
• The must-do hike near Hana: Pipiwai Trail to Waimoku Falls
• Read about the Road to Hana on TripAdvisor

There are four key points of interest on this trail. (There were five actually, but one proved to be too dangerous so the state closed it down.) The first one though is this enormous banyan tree.

The second is this view of Makahiku Falls.

The third is the picturesque bamboo forest.

And the fourth is the 400 ft Waimoku Falls.

The Pipiwai Trail is one of the finest hikes I’ve been on in Hawaii. It’s part of the National Parks System and is probably the most ridiculously well maintained hiking trail I’ve seen.

The Pipiwai Trail is located in southeast Maui. It’s within Haleakala National Park in the area called Kipahulu. The Pipiwai Trail is a 4-mile (round trip) hike that takes about 2 hours to complete. If you want to linger in the forest, you could spend up to 4 hours on this trail exploring the terrain and not be bored.

What I liked about the Pipiwai Trail was how much you get to see in such a short amount of time. And with an elevation gain of just 600 feet, the hiking is not too strenuous. You will break a sweat though.

Though the trail can be completed in 2 hours, it does take some time to get here. The Pipiwai Trail is located towards the end of the “Road to Hana” on Maui. It’s actually 12 miles past Hana town.

You park at the Haleakala National Park Visitors Center. Parking is $10. This is a different visitors center than the one at the top of Haleakala Crater.

This sign gives you an idea of what you can do in Kipahulu. The ‘Oheo Gulch label you see in the lower right of the sign is the Seven Sacred Pools.

The trailhead to the Pipiwai Trail is pretty unassuming.

From the start it looks like any other hiking trail in Hawaii. Pretty standard.

But then right away, you see some great views. You’re hiking along the western slope of a ravine. On the other side you can see the top of a bamboo forest.

Stop off at this overlook to take a peek of what lies below.

You’ll see the 200 ft Makahiku Falls.

Hike a bit more and you’ll come across this enormous banyan.

People have carved their names all over this tree.

The branches look like brontosaurus necks.

Continue on over a few bridges that seem well maintained.

The bridges take you over Pipiwai Stream and offers views of several step falls.

And then you enter the bamboo forest.

As cheesy as it sounds, this forest does feel “magical.”

As you walk through it you can’t help but think that Jet Li is going to fly over you at any moment.

The National Park Service has done a great job at making this hike accessible to most.

They cut out a huge hallway through the dense bamboo so you can easily pass through.

Then they created a boardwalk that keeps you out of the mud.

I was really impressed with the design of the boardwalk.

For me, it actually added to the beauty of the hike.

The boardwalk lasts for quite a while twisting and turning.

Photographers could easily spend an hour in this forest setting up different shots and compositions. I didn’t have my tripod with me, but I wish I had brought it. It would have definitely been worth it.

You eventually pop out of the forest and make your way to the stream.

You’ll walk on some wet rocks at first.

But then, just when the trail would get muddy, there are more boards in place for you to walk on.

As you start getting closer to the stream, keep looking up. You’ll see the Waimoku Falls between the trees. Remember, this thing is 400 feet tall.

The trickiest part of the hike is right before the waterfall when you need to cross the stream. Don’t be afraid to get your shoes wet in the stream if you need to. Better to have wet socks than slip on a rock and crack your head open.

When you reach the falls you’ll be standing in a giant waterfall chute at the bottom of a massive cliff.

Waimoku Falls pours down from the stream above.

There is no swimming hole at the bottom of Waimoku Falls. Do not by any means stand under this thing. Debris comes down with the water. Even a pebble could injure you if it hit you from 400 feet up.

You can get a good view from the hill. It’s a little eerie to stand on the hill when you realize it was created by a huge rockfall that happened when the sidewall of this gulch collapsed at some point in time.

After spending a few minutes taking photos at Waimoku Falls we set off on our return hike.

You go back the same way you came in.

See also:

• If you come to this area, I’d recommend staying a couple nights at the hotel in Hana called Travaasa Hana. I spent four nights there recently and found that there is a ton of stuff to do in Hana. It was so relaxing.
• We didn’t have time for this but if you do the Pipiwai Trail, you might as well walk over and check out Ohe’o Gulch, or “Seven Sacred Pools.”
• There’s a ton of stuff to check out on the Road to Hana. Here’s a website dedicated to the drive.

Haleakala Crater is a special place on Maui.

It’s at the top of the huge (and probably dormant) volcano that makes up the entire east side of Maui.

They say it feels like you’re on Mars up here.

I think there’s some truth to that.

The last time I went to Maui, I went hunting for waterfalls. On this trip my main interest was Haleakala. I’ve seen countless pictures of this place but the view of inside the crater in person is totally different.

It takes some time to drive up to Haleakala. 1 to 2 hours depending on where you’re coming from. But, in my opinion, to spend just a few hours at the top is worth the drive. We picked up some snacks and water and drove up in the afternoon. The plan was to stay until sunset.

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We spent a weekend last month backpacking through a very remote section of Maui. A friend had scouted this area for some time and planned a route that would take us to several seldom seen waterfalls. I was lucky to get an invite when a couple people from the original crew dropped out.

I can’t say much about this trip but I can share a few photos. The hiking was extremely rugged but sometimes that’s what it takes to find seclusion.

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