I'm going to Maui in July and the Road to Hana is obviously a must! However, I'm kind of leary of going past Kipahulu, which is the point it says your rental car agreement is being violated. I'm more concerned with road conditions and getting stuck or something as opposed to the agreement. We're getting 2 convertibles. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Unless something has change since last year I see no reason why that particular part of the road isn't doable in a normal car. It's definitely bumpy, and you will get tossed around a bit, but I really don't understand why rental companies forbid people from driving it. I found that part of my Hana tour to be the most enjoyable and beautiful in terms of scenery. Our tour guide recommended we go the backroad first in order to avoid the lines of cars and tour bases. It made our trip so much more enjoyable to not have to sit in lines of traffic.

Hi:

We just got back from Maui and loved the Road to Hana. We had a group of 6 and rented a minivan and a convertable for the total trip. I am really glad that we all piled into the minivan for the Road to Hana. There isn't much space to park at many of the waterfalls, so one car was good. We did not take a tour, but I would recommend driving it on your own with Maui Revealed and the "Craig CD" as guides. It is a challenge for the driver, but not too bad. If funds were unlimited hiring a driver to take you and stop when and where you wanted to would be perfect. There definetely is not time to do everything in the Maui Revealed Book even if you leave really early. We left Wailea at 7:00 Am and got home about 12 hours later. We turned around just past the Ohe'o Gulch. That was one of my favorite stops and don't miss the Blue Pool. Spectacular!

If we go again I will pack a picnic lunch. The dining options in Hana are lacking. Tutu's had good looking ice cream, but just ok burgers and other food. I would rather have eaten at one of the overlooks, beaches or hikes rather than in Hana. Ultimately I would spend one night in Hana so we could do a couple of the longer hikes that we didn't have time for this trip. So many spectactular waterfalls and views. It really is breathtaking.

Kristen

of the women who've been on the road to hana, would you take that drive alone. (yes. i'll be traveling solo)
don't get me wrong i'm an excellent driver, but i guess i'm wondering if it's as creepy as the drive is on the west side of lake tahoe? i don't think i minded the drops as i much as i hated the inclines WITH the drops.

Yes, absolutely. I've done it solo, alone with elderly mother in law, with hubby, and with kids. Every single time it was beautiful, a wonderful day. (also every time but my very first was the complete drive all the way around)

thanks sylvia. : )

Let's talk about the drops with no railings. My brother in law who drives too fast and aggresive for my taste was intimidated by the road. He said he didn't enjoy it because he was too worried about the DROP. His wife loved it because she got to enjoy the scenery. I want to go badly but I hate to have that nervous feeling for 50 miles. I can deal with the winding road but the drops would make me nervous. We were in St. John recently and didn't like their roads at all. Please tell me he was exaggerating!

I think the west end Maui road (near the blow hole), is narrowere with more drop offs, than the Hana road. Just take it slow. FYI, I get motion sick on most windy roads and didn't have a problem with it (Bonine or Dramamine non drowsy could be taken). I did have slight motion sickness with the West End road, and coming down the road from Haleakala.

I meant the Maui West end road is "more narrow".
Thanks.

We took a tour(Valley Isle Excursions) & it was great! They picked us up& returned us to our Hotel. It was an all day tour. We loved it . It appealed to all 5 senses & we learned alot about the beauty & richness that Hawaii has to offer.The tastes of local baked goods(Hot Banana Bread),fresh produce at the roadside, a small breakfast, a hot lunch in the park at the Black Sand Beach, & wine tasting at the Tedeschi Winery were delicious. The sights,sounds,& smells -waterfalls, rain forests,flowers at the Flower Greenhouse & the beauty of the tour stops were unreal. The trip was awesome. It was in a smaller type air conditioned vehicle & the tour guide was so full of tidbits about Hawaii. I would highly recommend them.(And the driver can enjoy the drive instead of dealing with the many, many curves & traffic!)

i got back from maui about a week ago. i didn't want to come back. maui is...exquisite. i had to find a word. and even that word doesn't do it justice. my first excursion out was the road to hana. i cannot find words to express how amazing it was.
i was alone. so the only bad part was that i couldn't look around as much as i had wanted to. i started late. maybe 8 or 9am. which turned out to be perfect because i was on the road almost by myself. for me the drive was easy. why? maybe because i have driven curvy roads almost all my life. i can totally understand why passengers would feel queasy though. i think bonine would help for that. not sure.
anyway, the drive was easy for me and as long as everyone respects the other drivers on the road everything works out fine. the one lane bridges are what i mean. some people would just start crossing over without checking oncoming traffic first. i wanted to spend more time in hana but activities the next day were already planned. i left hana early afternoon too. so again i was almost by myself. i did manage to stop at wainapanapa park and did find that red sand beach. got an awesome view of a male nudist. : )
anyway... passed by hamoa and made it out a few miles more. but i wanted to return the same way i came for the banana bread. couldn't find any but i did pick up a pineapple. delicious!
to me, it is something i would do again and again, i guess i think it's worth it. but i would remember to put on the OFF spray before heading out. the mosquitos REALLY loved me. eh, but i'm used to that. they really loved me in texas too. and btw, Maui Revealed is all you need to buy.
maui no ka oi!