Persoanlly, I don't give a rat's ass if phillymazes like driving east Maui or not. Goodness knows there are enough cars on the road as it is. But some of the references in his dialog seem to be a bit antagonistic. When I first read this I though Troll, and whether the trolliing was intentional or not he seems to have caught his limit!

As for Hana Highway, technically it begins in Kahului and ends in Kipahulu where the road then become Pi`ilani Highway. But there is no true beginning or end to your individual journey--there is no rule that you must spend 3 or 6 or 8 hours in the car, no one but you decide if you want to drive straight through in a few hours, or make several stops and never even make it beyond Kaeanae.

And the attraction is neither Hana Town nor the "road," but as in many of the more subtle things in life, the journey itself. It has very little to do with the actual driving of the road, but much to do with what you find along the way. When my husband and I drive to east Maui we cherish the beautiful scenery and the time we have together along the way. He might play his `ukulele while we sing, or we might spend the time searching for mongoose, stopping along the way to just take in the sights from a lookout, or to just stand in the wind out in Kaupo and listen to the waves.

We meet many visitors who leave early and drive the full circle, stopping for a few minnutes at each requisite stop in the tour book for a quick picture and then make a mad dash at the end to get back to their evening plans. When I lsiten to them talk about it it truly sound like the Bataan Death March, and I can undertstand why they were so disappointed. There is nothing there, really. And THAT my friends, is the point to me. If you don't get it, then thatis fine, and as much as I hate to sound negative, perhaps some of those who don't enjoy the trip should stay away. There are way too many people making this wretched trip each day, and I'd say half of them are miserable. I hear the irritable parents yelling at the cranky kids, or the unhappy visitor who found Lindbergh's grave to be "nothing" (it is just a simple grave at asimple church--what were they expecting? If you are looking for something to impress you around each turn, and it hasn't turned up by the time you hit Kipahulu, I'd say what you seek won't be found on this trip.

And, in closing let me say that I cringed when I read the post referring to east Maui as a "tourist attraction." I think that is the one of the big issues many have--they expect it to be a tourist attraction. Hana's charm is that it is NOT a tourist attraction, although it seems more and more than many would like to see it become one.

here_today, I agree with you that many people visit Hawaii-all the islands- expecting to find some large-scale Disney-type experience. I don't think any of the posters on this thread would fall into that category, but many, many people do.

cranky, cranky... as I like to say... get over it.

I appreciate everyone's thoughts and perspectives, and particularly thank JohnD and here_today_gone2Maui for their specific responses to my questions. I have ordered Maui Revealed and visited the websites, and I'm looking forward to exploring and deciding for myself how long and how far I want to go--the most important thing is to relax and enjoy. After perusing the map of the entire island more carefully, I am understanding that "west" has a couple of meanings on Maui, and "all around the island" probably means all the way around what I would call the south part of the island, but what is actually the east part of the island. It looks and sounds so beautiful, and I am encouraged to take my time without focusing on a particular destination or "must-see" sight (even as a tourist, I can understand that an "attraction" doesn't have to be a specific spectacle, but a journey that may or may not involve respectful exposure to low-key local charm). Again, I thank you for spreading some aloha my way, and I can't wait to see your beautiful island!

I think maybe where you're from and how much you've traveled has a lot to do with what you think of the Hana Road.

I'm originally from San Francisco, but now I live in Sydney and my husband and I travel a lot.

We did the Hana Road a few years ago, and thought it was the most boring, wasted journey in our lives.

But I think part of that is because a lot of the scenery along that road is the same as the stuff we have in our own backyard.

My parents, who didn't even have passports until a few years ago, thought it was beautiful.

We thought, Wow... banana plants.... so what. We've got heaps of those growing in our backyard.

So maybe it's things like that which make the difference.

karens - You are correct in your own assessment that don't understand. I don't believe I've read any posts trying to change phillymazes mind, just differing opinions. However I'm sure everyone appreciates your permission to post and disagree. Thanks!

Oh brother.

Wow....it's a shame you didn't enjoy it. The Road To Hana was a highlight for us. Places to stop were numerous. We picnicked near pristine waterfalls, hiked into the wilds to secluded pools for a refreshing dip, ate the best banana bread I've ever had from a roadside stand, and saw some of the most incredible scenery ever. We didn't even make it to Hana we stopped and explored so much. To each their own, I suppose, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

It's simple...if you don't like winding roads, don't go. As for me, I loved it and would go back just for the drive to Hana. I wouldn't miss it.

The queen of Maui has commented. Refreshing to see others did not just fade away as is common when the subject of Maui arises here.

I might as well give my opinion as well. We just returned last month from 6 days in maui and 6 in Kauai. I will never return to Maui but will only go back to Kaui. I am sorry if I am insulting any people from Maui but Maui is a little too built up for our tastes. Kauai is so much more peaceful and quiet.

I agree with you. I would eagerly plan another trip to the Big Island, Oahu or Kauai, but have no desire to go back to Maui. I was there 15 years ago and it felt "built up" to me then. I can't imagine what it might be like now.

Totally agree with HereTodayGone2Maui on this one. The beauty is in the journey, taking your time and making your own discoveries. We spent two nights in the Hana area so we could do just that. One of my favorite memories was being alone at the Kipahulu cemetery where Charles Lindbergh is buried. We fed the horses grazing in the yard and sat in the open air church. There were some donation dollars still there from a previous visitor. What a serene place!

Topping so that others may realize the the Road is not for them.

Agree - skip the Road to Hell; I mean Hana. We were very disappointed; and it was about the only disappointing reco from Fodorites. Other people we have known since cut it short and turned around because it was too long and took too much time.

I have to say, I love this thread. It always amazes me when two groups of people experience the same thing and have such different opinions of it.

I've added the Hana Road to my list of Hawaii 'to-dos' so that I can form my own opinion.

It reminds me of a recent trip to Argyll region of Scotland. My wife and I took a short cut that cut out about about 20 miles of semi-decent paved road for 10 miles of typical Scottish single track rock/gravel/dirt road during a typical Scottish rainstorm. Well, I did my best World Rally Car imitiation in a Vauxhall Astra (include a few detours around some Highlands cattle) and (even with a really nasty flat tire and changing it in the rain), we had a blast. Even half the local though we were nuts.

To each his own!

astein, you crack me up! Reminds me of one of my husband's fondest Caribbean memories: Coming face to face, on a hairpin mountain curve in St. Vincent, with a truck full of island farm workers. He was happy to back up, and only upon passing and waving at the folks in the back of the truck, did he realize they all held machetes. Big machetes. And they all grinned and waved. (By the way he loved the road to Hana and you will too I bet...)

Hey Joan! That's too funny... never managed the machete bit... did have a few encounters with zebra, orangatan, and even a rhino.

For some reason, many of my best vacation memories seem to have something to do with trashing a rental car. Amazingly, I've never gotten a bill for damage to any of them.

Hi. Just got back from Maui. Were not planning on doing the Hana Road. We did take a helicopter tour that went over the Hana coastline. This was amazing. We got to see TONS of waterfalls that we would not have been able to see from the road.

We did drive a bit of the road with friends from my husband's job. (We were in Maui on a business trip). We drove the road as far as Twin Falls. I never get car sick (except I might get light headed when reading), but those turns were making me uncomfortable. (I was sitting in the back seat of the car).

I would recommend skipping the hike to Twin Falls. We are seasoned hikers, but the trail was poorly marked and the waterfall nothing special. We spent 45 mins. here that would have been much better spent elsewhere. If we were continuing on to Hana, I would have been upset wasting time here.

The best stop we did along our shortened drive was MAMAS FISH HOUSE!!

All.
I would highly recommend the Road to Hana with one caveat. Plan to stay in Hana at the end of your journey. The Hotel Hana-Maui was one of the most beautiful and romantic places I have stayed. We stayed in the cottages and enjoyed Hana after the tourists had left. The next day we drove around the "back" side. Yes the road is a little rough but I grew up on a gravel road in Indiana, so it never got any worse than that.

I think most folks are disappointed when they try to rush down the road and have to turn back to rush back to their hotel for the evening.

Relax and enjoy the ride. It's vacation for heaven's sake.