First time to Molokai - suggestions?
 

Hi -

We are planning to spend a few days (3)on Molokai in February and I am looking for suggestions on what part of the island to stay and things to do.

Would love to hear feedback on this island! There does not seem to be much information posted about it. When I do a search on the forum, it primarly pulls up post from people saying that they have not been there.

We prefer lush and green. How much rain should we expect if we stay on the wet side of the island (East?) And I am fully aware that there is no night life (we have small children anyway!). Dying to see unspoiled Hawaii.

I have not yet been to Moloka'i. I hope to make it there someday, and have been respectfully preparing. I am not particularly religious. But have a true interest in the spirit of aloha and her people. I've prepared myself by reading "Leper Priest of Molaka'i,The Father Damien Story" by Richard Stewart, which is perhaps the most recent in depth history of Molokai and the leper colony. This was a pretty heady book, I'm sure there are other books to understand the changes that Captain Cook set in motion.. But to visit Molokai and not come prepared with its huge history, well then you wouldn't come to understand the unspoiled Hawaii that you seek. This may be farthest from the advice that you seek, but truly, this is and island to truly understand, and as hoale, it is the best way to approach this island. With true aloha and respect for the history of hawaii and its people.

Sorry if that was too deep!
gyppie

As far as I know most of the tourist accomodations are at the southeast part of the Island. We stayed at the Molokai Ranch. You can also stay in a tentalow (tented bungalow) on the beach for as little as $150/nt. The ranch accomodations are more expensive. Molokai ranch has a great beach and even a resident monk seal!

I would definitely plan a trip to the scenic overview at phallic rock where you can overlook Fr. Damien's village or visit the village by a horse ride.

The other must do would be a coastal drive along 450 up to Halawa and the waterfall. The drive is harrowing along a one direction street much of the way but I can guarantee it will be one of the most beautiful places you will visit in your lifetime, hope this helps:)

Check out this website for more info:

http://www.hawaiiweb.com/molokai/sit...waterfalls.htm

No rain while we were there for a week in Devember a few years ago. If you do not stay at the ranch it would be a good idea to visit anyways, there is a cattle and horse farm for the kiddies to see. Be prepared to spend a lot of $$ for dining.

BTW, Gyppielou my spouse read that book while we were visiting, he thoroughly enjoyed it. Amazing man, Father Damien.

Alohaaaaaa!

Being the hard charging party-animals that Mrs Kal and I are when it comes to our Hawaii visits, our first few trips over were spent mostly on Kauai and Molokai. I-) I-):$:$

Used to stay at the old Kaluakoi Resort on the West end.
Had a large room with a nice view of the northern part of Oahu and the 18th hole of a good golf course from our lanai.
Sadly, it was shut down and I don't know if they ever reopened it.

It was at the tip of a long and basically empty white sand beach.

As mentioned above, Molokai Ranch has a lot of stuff to do like mountain biking.
Golf.
Kanemitsu Bakery and Restaurant.

Ditto T'wife's suggie on a drive to the end of the East side and take a nice hike. Just make sure the rental care has good brakes! We didn't make it all the way once since our brakes o'heated once. Scary!

The NorEast cliffs rival the NaPali.

Loved the airport.
I love to tell my friends that the tower is an old lifeguard stand and the controller waves you in with two old red ping pong paddles.

We'd go back but we're stuck in our on-going extensive and exhaustive reseach into why people are still enthralled with Kauai! :O)

Oh yes, please pardon my error, I believe most accomodations are on the south -west- side of the island, oops ((r))

Yes, the airport... that flight may sure give you white knuckles....small planes:)

When I sat in the front row of the turbo-prop airplane, the pilot leaned back and asked me to hold the map.

That's hilarious!

I swear a dolphin jumped over us on approach.....:^o

Kal,

I am in love with Kauai as well. Well at least the "wet" side of the island - lush and green : ) And I do like the slower island pace there. So how different is the terrain on Molokai from Kauai?

RX3,
Welcome!
Not much diff but Kauai is bigger so much more "Garden" on Kauai.

Most of the west side of Molokai and Kauai reminds me of the drive from Chico to Oroville in Nor Cal.
Volcanic terrain, canyons and some vegetation....but no ocean!

As for me kidding about no nightlife on Kauai....Molokai not mo' bettah!
Darn!;)

As for pace....much slower on Molokai.
And the prices we a bit diff too. We paid about $80 for a dinner on Kauai at the Kapaa Chowder House the night before we flew to Molokai...then on Moloaki we had just as good of big meal, big cuts of fish AND desert for about $50 less at the old Mid Nite Inn.

Too bad it burned down and was never re-opened.
Last time there we had a great pizza at Molokai Pizza.
Hmmmmmmmm...might be time for a return visit?

The drive up to Halawa is entirely along the ocean until you reach the mountains, amazing views along the way and also panoramic views of the 2 neighboring islands - Maui and Lanai I believe.

T'wife,
Breathtaking views...but that's redundant in Hawaii!

Ah, to be in a place where warm weather, the ocean, and clean air is redundant ((r))((r))I'm so jealous of you all that are planning trips!((#))

RX3: I was on Molokai for 3 nites about 2 years ago. It is so much smaller than the other major HI islands (and uncrowded roads, no traffic lights? can't remember) that no matter where you stay, it won't be too inconvenient.

Most of the commercial activity is on the south side near the main town (which I probably have not remebered the correct spelling here- Kaunaunakoi?). If you stay on the south part near the main town, you will be closer to restaurants and groceries, but the beaches are not so nice on the south part. I found the west side to be dry and windy the day we spent over there. The east side was the more scenic and nicer beaches in my opinion.

Sounds like your kids may be too small to do the mule ride or hike down to the Kalapapua(sp?) peninsula (the former leper colony), but perhaps you could do the flight option as the scenery is gorgeous down there and it is a great tour.

Molokai pizza was yummy when we were there, as well as our meal at the Hotel Molokai. We stayed at Hotel Molokai, but I may try a condo if/when we return as I was not overly impressed with the accomodations or the beach there. Though very nice people.

Enjoy Molokai! It is a different experience than the other islands.

We visited Molokai years ago, so take these comments with a grain of salt...

We remember miles and miles of white sand beaches with not a soul on them. In some areas, the surf was really rough and swimming was not possible.

We remember a quiet, sleepy island with very few tourists. We stayed in a very nice condo and ate at the same restaurant most days as there were very few options at the time (I think this was the restaurant that burned down and was not re-opened)

We've often discussed returning to Molokai, but I'm always discouraged by having to fly there in a small plane.

IMO, Molokai is definitely unspoiled Hawaii. Don't remember it being particularly lush OR green though.

I've stayed on Molokai and it's very very quiet. I remember arriving at the Molokai Ranch, then going out on my room's lanai to take in the view. For the first time in my life, I found the definition of "the silence was deafening." I couldn't even hear myself breathing--I felt like I was being compressed by the sound of silence. We did horseback riding and a whole lotta drinking!

Another time, I went camping in Kalaupapa. You need to arrange this (I think through the federal govt?) beforehand. While on the beach there, I saw an eel nearby, lots of reef fish, and in the distance, a monk seal.

Funny you should mention the airport. When I flew home from Kalaupapa, I had to catch one of those little propeller planes from Kalaupapa up to the main airport. There would then be a 20 minute break before flying to Honolulu, so they had us get off the plane. I asked if I could just wait on the plane, but they said no. So I went to make a phone call. 10 minutes into the call, I hear the "airport loudspeaker" calling my name! I ran to the plane and saw my 5 other seatmates waiting there, arms crossed and scowling. Ooops. Look what happens when Dagwood is late for the carpool, eh?

RX3 ?
I had one of those once, what a rocket :)

Just an update on Molokai's West End hotel and grounds. Over the next year or so, these will be updated, and a small on-site spa is proposed, along with a luau area etc. The pool will be improved to have better views of the ocean. It will be wonderful to have the hotel reopened, and more wonderful dinners, watching the setting sun. Molokai is a wonderful, soulful place for those who appreciate that.

Lots of great comments. Molokai can be quite lush, especially when you head up into the mountains:)

There are some wonderful books on Molokai's Kaulapapa, which is still a leper colony. The patients can leave now, which of course wasn't always the case. We took the mule ride down and had the tour by Sheriff Richard Marks, a former pt. There are still 35 residents living there. I would recommend A Holy Man, the story of father Damien, The Shoals of Time, both by Gavin Daws, and the Story of Mother Marianne. I was very moved by our mule ride and wished I could have stayed longer in Kaulapapa. All visitors must be older than 16.

I had the unique experience of staying at Kalaupapa as a guest - I worked in the hospital in Honolulu and one of my workmates met Richard Marks and wife Gloria at the hospital so they invited us over for a weekend.
We flew in on a plane loaded with eggs and newspapers - and Gloria was our hostess for the weekend. She drove us all over the colony and gave us the history from the eyes of a permanent resident and victim of the disease. We stayed in the visitors quarters -
It was really a memorable weekend - it was very beautiful and very quiet -
Didnt make to any other parts of the island though-

Sunbun, that must have been a memorable experience. While we were there, it was drizzling and misty and while it was indeed beautiful, there was a sense of desolation about it, I am sure, accentuated by the weather. I could imagine that in the winter, the seas would be very rough, limiting access of supplies and thwarting any hope of escape. It is hard to imagine that there are 7000 unmarked graves on that pennisula. A guilded cage is still a prison. I am glad things are different now.

My wife and I did the day trip on the ferry from Lahaina in late March this year, on a bit of a last minute basis, and got a rental car as part of the package.....or maybe it was a "wreck" - the wipers didn't work, but we didn't need them anyway. It is so laid back and quiet over in Molokai, it is almost scary. To see totally empty, perfect beaches is somewhat unbelievable. One stop light on the island, and you almost don't have to look both ways when you get to a stop sign, as there won't be anybody coming. The golf course at the west end looked plenty good enough to suit us, and not a soul was out there. And it seemed reasonably lush and green, at least around the area of the resort. On the way over, you pass lots of dryer pasture/ranch land, of course. We would stay in the west end, no problem. I suppose you could do the peninsula for one day, see the rest of the island for another, and do the beach/snorkel thing in between and on the third day, so unless you are into non-stop action, 3 days should not leave you with too much free time. Molokai sure is a "one of a kind" place, and I was disappointed to have to leave after such a short stay. While a lot of people couldn't handle that much peace and quiet, we will be back, guaranteed.

Dawn and sunbum,
You lucky dawgettes!

We spent about an hour at the K'papa overlook. Beautiful!!!

Mrs Kal wanted to spend more time at Phallic Rock but we didn't want to take any chances........ :-"

Kal- I forgot all about the Phallic Rock- I think I have a pic of me somewhere standing beside or sitting on

Maybe its time for a trip back to refresh my memory

I got a few of Mrs Kal <i>riding it</i>

PHEW!!!!

Hi All,

Thanks for the posts. Sounds like my kind of place. My favorite vacations have been to tiny 18 mile around islands like remote French Poly islands and the Cooks. I think we will increase our time to 5 days in Molokai to really appreciate it. Can't wait!

This month's CondeNast Traveler mag has a nice article on Molokai.

Darnnit! Too bad I've booked the whole Kauai trip already.

Just returned from my first trip, 6 days in Molokai. Sniff. I'm looking for sympathy, does anyone feel sorry for me? Seriously, I was fighting back tears when we left. It was a beautiful experience and we really didn't do anything. We (boyfriend and I) rented a condo at the Kaluakoi community on the golf course. Beautifully boring, we walked to the beach twice a day to watch the waves, the surfers and boogie boarders. The wind and the undertow were too strong for my swimming skills and I didn't get to go in except for getting my feet wet. But we visited most of the island's beaches and they all have different features and attributes. I know I won't have the money but I would love to go again this summer when I would be more comfortable in the water.
The people were so darn nice, helped us with directions, where to find a calm cove, even offered to defer payment for our dinner until the next day when we discovered the Cookhouse didn't accept debit/credit cards.
The restaurants were okay, nothing to write home about, and fresh fish is strangely lacking.
We read our books a lot, walked a lot, played golf once, looked for whales (bf saw one, I didn't) talked to a few people, listened to some live music at Paddler's Inn once, went to the movie theater (to see Underworld!) and just hung out.
I'd go again in a heartbeat.
RX3, February would probably not be the best time for the kids due to the strong surf. The east side of the island is definitely more green and has 20 Mile Beach (mile marker 20, not a 20 mile beach)which I believe has lots of reef and snorkeling opportunity, and safe because it's shallow for a long way out.
Three days is not enough, though.