Hana is NOT Heavenly. iamq and Marteen in Hell.
Apr 14th, 2009, 07:54 AM
#41
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sarge, finding a hotel like the Hotel Hana Maui is what Fodor's is great for -- but FWIW, it's a very well known hotel, at least to Californians (who obviously find it much easier to get to Hawaii than do others from other parts of the US).
iamq, arent' you glad you took a chance and chose Maui??
iamq, arent' you glad you took a chance and chose Maui??
Apr 14th, 2009, 11:31 AM
#42
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I will be posting some photographs of the trip sometime in the next few days. I am no pro, but I am happy with how many of them came out.
As many have stated here over the years, the choices for places to eat in Hana are fairly limited, but there are choices. I was a little worried that the food at the hotel's places was not going to be great because some of the latest tripadvisor reviews are less than complimentary. I shouldn't have worried.
We ate 2 lunches and 2 dinners at the Hana Ranch Restauant. It us the hill from the hotel in the small commercial center that also has the post office, a gift store and the Hana Ranch Store. The Hana Ranch Restaurant has somewhat odd hours that seem to change throughout the year. It served lunch and dinner every day throughout the five days we were there. The best things that we ordered were the fried chicken and the bbq ribs. The chicken was juicy, tender, crispy and perfectly cooked. It came with some of the tastiest French fries I have eaten. The ribs were cooked perfectly too. They were "falling off the bone", but not overdone. The sauce was a unique tasting blend of sweet and hot. Very good. Marteen ordered them twice, which says something about what he thought of them. They come with these delicious seasoned wedge fries. Good eats! The fish sandwich and the pulled pork sandwich we had for lunch were small and skimpy. Dinner was better than lunch. They serve a lot of ribs and a lot of burgers.
We also ate at the Paniolo Bar at the Hotel. This is a great place to get dinner as the prices are a bit lower than in the restaurant and they have a great selection of pupus and other dishes that won't be found on the restaurant's dinner menu.You can sit in sofas and lounge chairs in the hallway/lobby or you can eat in the bar itself. They also have a small lanai. This is also a great choice if you want to hear some killer local music. both nights we were there, they had a couple of guys who sang like they were "singing for the Queen", to quote my good friend iceeU2. One played the slack key guitar and the other played the ukulele. The one who played the ukulele, sang in that amazing Hawaiian falsetto style that I love so much. We ordered pupus and everything was great, especially the chicken wings and furimake fries. If you eat in the restaurant you will be able hear whatever musical group is playing in the Bar as they are connected.
back to work...
As many have stated here over the years, the choices for places to eat in Hana are fairly limited, but there are choices. I was a little worried that the food at the hotel's places was not going to be great because some of the latest tripadvisor reviews are less than complimentary. I shouldn't have worried.
We ate 2 lunches and 2 dinners at the Hana Ranch Restauant. It us the hill from the hotel in the small commercial center that also has the post office, a gift store and the Hana Ranch Store. The Hana Ranch Restaurant has somewhat odd hours that seem to change throughout the year. It served lunch and dinner every day throughout the five days we were there. The best things that we ordered were the fried chicken and the bbq ribs. The chicken was juicy, tender, crispy and perfectly cooked. It came with some of the tastiest French fries I have eaten. The ribs were cooked perfectly too. They were "falling off the bone", but not overdone. The sauce was a unique tasting blend of sweet and hot. Very good. Marteen ordered them twice, which says something about what he thought of them. They come with these delicious seasoned wedge fries. Good eats! The fish sandwich and the pulled pork sandwich we had for lunch were small and skimpy. Dinner was better than lunch. They serve a lot of ribs and a lot of burgers.
We also ate at the Paniolo Bar at the Hotel. This is a great place to get dinner as the prices are a bit lower than in the restaurant and they have a great selection of pupus and other dishes that won't be found on the restaurant's dinner menu.You can sit in sofas and lounge chairs in the hallway/lobby or you can eat in the bar itself. They also have a small lanai. This is also a great choice if you want to hear some killer local music. both nights we were there, they had a couple of guys who sang like they were "singing for the Queen", to quote my good friend iceeU2. One played the slack key guitar and the other played the ukulele. The one who played the ukulele, sang in that amazing Hawaiian falsetto style that I love so much. We ordered pupus and everything was great, especially the chicken wings and furimake fries. If you eat in the restaurant you will be able hear whatever musical group is playing in the Bar as they are connected.
back to work...
Apr 15th, 2009, 11:25 AM
#45
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I love making you wait!
By far our best meal and most enjoyable event was the Friday night Hawaiian buffet and hula show in the hotel's dining room. This is a tradition that was started many years ago and continues to this day. Guests of the hotel and local residents were both in attendance. If one is planning an overnight or multi day stay in Hana, plan to be there on a Friday night so you can attend!
The food at the buffet was REALLY good and contained some really interesting items. Things like Hawaiian style ceviche, fiddlehead fern salad, Surfing Goat cheese (made in Kula), taro encrusted, and deepfried kalua pork balls occupied space with other Hawaiian fare like poke, Mahi Mahi, Ono, fresh Hawaiian shrimp, papaya, pineapple and mango, and poi. Everything was delicious. The dessert table contained the best thing we ate all week! It was a banana layer cake with whipped cream frosting. The banana cake was one of the most delicious things I ever put into my mouth. It was banana, banana, banana, moist and naturally sweet. This cake tasted like the same recipe of the banana bread that they put in the rooms as part of a welcome basket. It is unlike any banana bread/banana cake I have ever eaten! They make it at the hotel from their own recipe.
As good as the food was, the real gem that evening was the hula show. It was the antithesis of the big, glitzy, over produced shows seen by many tourists. This one was small, intimate and carried an emotional impact that was totally unexpected. The musicians and dancers are all residents of Hana and some of them are employees of the Hotel. Many of them have grown up together and have been dancing together for decades. There were four generations of dancers and singers on that stage. Great grandma led the band and was the leader (kumu) of the halau hula (hula school). She sang and played ukulele. She was amazing. Her daughter was clearly the most senior dancer and chanter and lead many of the dances. When she wasn't dancing she was standing nearby making sure everyone was doing the right thing. She seemed serious, but loving. The youngest were the great grandchildren, who of course stole the show. The youngest was about 3 and she was the cutest little thing. Not all the dancers and musicians were related, but it was clear that this group was a family, even if not related by blood. Marteen and I had tears in our eyes as they danced. You knew that it meant so much to them to be able to perform this tradition for you and you felt it in your heart. There was one dancer who smiled this genuine smile the whole time she danced. After the show, I had a chance to thank her. She was very humble. All she said was, "I love to dance hula. It makes me happy." End of story.
The next day we left.
more later...
By far our best meal and most enjoyable event was the Friday night Hawaiian buffet and hula show in the hotel's dining room. This is a tradition that was started many years ago and continues to this day. Guests of the hotel and local residents were both in attendance. If one is planning an overnight or multi day stay in Hana, plan to be there on a Friday night so you can attend!
The food at the buffet was REALLY good and contained some really interesting items. Things like Hawaiian style ceviche, fiddlehead fern salad, Surfing Goat cheese (made in Kula), taro encrusted, and deepfried kalua pork balls occupied space with other Hawaiian fare like poke, Mahi Mahi, Ono, fresh Hawaiian shrimp, papaya, pineapple and mango, and poi. Everything was delicious. The dessert table contained the best thing we ate all week! It was a banana layer cake with whipped cream frosting. The banana cake was one of the most delicious things I ever put into my mouth. It was banana, banana, banana, moist and naturally sweet. This cake tasted like the same recipe of the banana bread that they put in the rooms as part of a welcome basket. It is unlike any banana bread/banana cake I have ever eaten! They make it at the hotel from their own recipe.
As good as the food was, the real gem that evening was the hula show. It was the antithesis of the big, glitzy, over produced shows seen by many tourists. This one was small, intimate and carried an emotional impact that was totally unexpected. The musicians and dancers are all residents of Hana and some of them are employees of the Hotel. Many of them have grown up together and have been dancing together for decades. There were four generations of dancers and singers on that stage. Great grandma led the band and was the leader (kumu) of the halau hula (hula school). She sang and played ukulele. She was amazing. Her daughter was clearly the most senior dancer and chanter and lead many of the dances. When she wasn't dancing she was standing nearby making sure everyone was doing the right thing. She seemed serious, but loving. The youngest were the great grandchildren, who of course stole the show. The youngest was about 3 and she was the cutest little thing. Not all the dancers and musicians were related, but it was clear that this group was a family, even if not related by blood. Marteen and I had tears in our eyes as they danced. You knew that it meant so much to them to be able to perform this tradition for you and you felt it in your heart. There was one dancer who smiled this genuine smile the whole time she danced. After the show, I had a chance to thank her. She was very humble. All she said was, "I love to dance hula. It makes me happy." End of story.
The next day we left.
more later...
Apr 15th, 2009, 11:29 AM
#46
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Hi Mary, yes they did! Many of them told me they are going to bring me sand from their adventures this summer. They thought it was funny that I don't have sand from the beaches over the hill in Half Moon Bay, but I have sand from a faraway places like Fiji and Chile.
Apr 15th, 2009, 05:58 PM
#48
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Oh Bill, now I am hankering for the islands (and that banana cake!)
We stumbled on a fantastic Hula show on a trip to Oahu. We were enjoying a sunset cocktail at the Moana and they were setting a Guiness world record for largest/longest hula and there were hundreds of dancers from all of the hula schools on the island each in their school's distinctive garb. They lined the beach up and down Waikiki as far as we could see!
I would love to see the intimate type show that you described, not the commercial version you usually see in the resorts.
We stumbled on a fantastic Hula show on a trip to Oahu. We were enjoying a sunset cocktail at the Moana and they were setting a Guiness world record for largest/longest hula and there were hundreds of dancers from all of the hula schools on the island each in their school's distinctive garb. They lined the beach up and down Waikiki as far as we could see!
I would love to see the intimate type show that you described, not the commercial version you usually see in the resorts.
Apr 15th, 2009, 07:16 PM
#49
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Yeah Mary, I think the next time we go to the islands I am going to plan at least a portion of it around a hula festival. I think that would be a lot of fun. The only one that I have been able to find that happens in the summer is the Prince Lot festival in Honolulu.
Apr 16th, 2009, 01:36 PM
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Oh well Patrick, you will still have a nice time. Make sure you stop the bar at the hotel. I think they have music most nights of the week. You could also check around while you are there, as there might be something happening around town.
icee honey...it will be worth your wait.
There's another story I want to tell you. So...much of Hana is ranch land where they raise cattle. Where there are cows, there are cowboys (paniolos) and where there are cowboys, there are horses! There are stables in town where one can sign up for trail rides most days. I didn't do it this time, but intend to next time. Anyhow, there were usually a group of 6 to 10 horses that grazed in the pasture adjacent to the hotel and the Sea Ranch Cottages most mornings and afternoons. They were a good looking group and are obviously well fed and well taken care of. Often there would be hotel guests down there watching them and petting them. I took pictures of them from our deck, but one day when I saw a whole group down there close to the fence, I figured I would go over and take some close up photographs to show with you all. There was one other woman and a mom and dad with two small girls also there talking to the horses. They were the friendliest bunch of horses I have ever seen! When I walked up, the solo woman was gently rubbing the white horse's nose. This horse was in heaven! It's eyes were closed and it was as still as could be. She kept at it for a few minutes, when all of a sudden the horse backed away, collapsed down on front legs, then its rear legs, flopped down on the ground, rolled over onto its back and started wiggling back and forth on its back! It was the funniest looking thing I've seen in a long time. Its legs were straight up in the air and it was squirming all over the place, scratching its back just like dogs do! I have never seen a horse do that! All of us started laughing our heads off. After it was done scratching, it got back up and walked over to me and it was clear that she wanted her nose massaged again, so I obliged. What a crack up. About this time the woman walked off, and I started chit-chatting with the other man and woman. Their girls were having a good time with the horses too. I offered to take a picture of the four of them in front of a gorgeous white horse. They all gathered around the horse's head and I clicked some very cute pictures. Another horse had come around, this one was a very handsome tan one, The woman offered to take a picture of me with this horse. So I walked over to the horse and she started clicking away. Damn it if this horse didn't know it was having its picture taken! It started nuzzling me, poking me with its nose, and giving me kisses! Yikes, I've never been that up close and personal with a horse before. It was so damn funny. The horse just kept nuzzling and slobbering all over me! She ended up taking several pictures of me and that funny horse. I wished Marteen had been there to see it. It was quite an experience. They were the happiest horses I've ever seen. I will post those pictures along with the others. There are pretty damn funny.
icee honey...it will be worth your wait.
There's another story I want to tell you. So...much of Hana is ranch land where they raise cattle. Where there are cows, there are cowboys (paniolos) and where there are cowboys, there are horses! There are stables in town where one can sign up for trail rides most days. I didn't do it this time, but intend to next time. Anyhow, there were usually a group of 6 to 10 horses that grazed in the pasture adjacent to the hotel and the Sea Ranch Cottages most mornings and afternoons. They were a good looking group and are obviously well fed and well taken care of. Often there would be hotel guests down there watching them and petting them. I took pictures of them from our deck, but one day when I saw a whole group down there close to the fence, I figured I would go over and take some close up photographs to show with you all. There was one other woman and a mom and dad with two small girls also there talking to the horses. They were the friendliest bunch of horses I have ever seen! When I walked up, the solo woman was gently rubbing the white horse's nose. This horse was in heaven! It's eyes were closed and it was as still as could be. She kept at it for a few minutes, when all of a sudden the horse backed away, collapsed down on front legs, then its rear legs, flopped down on the ground, rolled over onto its back and started wiggling back and forth on its back! It was the funniest looking thing I've seen in a long time. Its legs were straight up in the air and it was squirming all over the place, scratching its back just like dogs do! I have never seen a horse do that! All of us started laughing our heads off. After it was done scratching, it got back up and walked over to me and it was clear that she wanted her nose massaged again, so I obliged. What a crack up. About this time the woman walked off, and I started chit-chatting with the other man and woman. Their girls were having a good time with the horses too. I offered to take a picture of the four of them in front of a gorgeous white horse. They all gathered around the horse's head and I clicked some very cute pictures. Another horse had come around, this one was a very handsome tan one, The woman offered to take a picture of me with this horse. So I walked over to the horse and she started clicking away. Damn it if this horse didn't know it was having its picture taken! It started nuzzling me, poking me with its nose, and giving me kisses! Yikes, I've never been that up close and personal with a horse before. It was so damn funny. The horse just kept nuzzling and slobbering all over me! She ended up taking several pictures of me and that funny horse. I wished Marteen had been there to see it. It was quite an experience. They were the happiest horses I've ever seen. I will post those pictures along with the others. There are pretty damn funny.
Apr 17th, 2009, 01:39 PM
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Billy, your hula description has melted me. This is so the essence of Hawaii that so many 'tourists" never get ahold of. Ohana... hula dance... it's a treasure for you to take away and hold tight. Those things don't happen always. Thanks for sharing that. I'll remember it. Hana is quite special. And I haven't been there in a very long time. Mahalo for taking me there with you... much love to you and marteen.
~smooch~
mak
~smooch~
mak
Apr 17th, 2009, 02:15 PM
#55
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Thanks makaioneandonly.
There is a spiritual power to tradition that I seem to "get" when it comes to things Hawaiian. However, being slobbered by a horse was also a spiritual experience, LOL.
There is a spiritual power to tradition that I seem to "get" when it comes to things Hawaiian. However, being slobbered by a horse was also a spiritual experience, LOL.
