First time to Maui and I have been reading these boards and checking websites regarding the road to Hana. Everyone goes in the morning, but I was wondering if it is okay to start in the afternoon. Because we have only 5 nights, we thought it might make sense to make the drive to Hana the afternoon we arrive, and just drive from the airport. Will we run into all the traffic coming back--which could be problematic given all the one-lane bridges. Our tentative itinerary for 5 nights is:

Arrive afternoon, Day 1 drive to Hana, night in Hana.

Day 2: Return from Hana--not sure where to stay the night yet.

Day 3: Sunrise tour, hike Haleakala, return at night to Kannapali

Day 4 & 5: Kannapali

Would appreciate your thoughts and advice.
Much thanks.

We were at the beginning of the Road to Hana about 6:30 AM and I personally did not have enough time to do /see all the side stops I wanted in the entire day we spent going (all the way around).

In fact, we had to speed things up when we got to Hana and missed some things there. Still arrived back at Mana Kai at 8:30PM (a LONG day, but very enjoyable!). The back side is VERY DARK at night.
I would recommend you spend another night in Hana, because, in effect you will have less time than we did, considering check in and all that.

I don't see any problem if you have about 4 hours of daylight to get to Hana.

You can continue around the next day & take your time.

If I had it to do over again,I'd only drive 1/2 the way to Hana,and explore waterfalls,trails,ect right off the road.I think the town of Hana is a little bit overplayed,not really a lot there to see,ect.The winding road is kinda fun,but going back can be a drag as we were both (SWMBO) pretty tired.

I like your plan. Sounds like a great trip. What time does your plane arrive?

On day two, keep going around the other side of the island and you could spend the night at Kula Lodge or somewhere else in upcountry.

-Bill

I remember really wantin' to stay at David Paul's place up island....he, they are a fav restaurant and have a very cool place upisland that could work for day 2. I'll see if I can find it!

I would first suggest you get the book Maui Revealed. You will find valuable information about Maui, and it will make your trip much more enjoyable. My husband and I were first timers to Maui in June and had the most amazing time!

The Road to Hana is really about the journey to Hana, not Hana itself. There is literally nothing in that town. With that being said, because you're spending the night in Hana, you can afford to leave in the afternoon and miss the heavy traffic. Because my husband and I were planning to spend the night in Hana, like you, we left Kihei at around 12:30 and took our time. If there were cars behind us, we just pulled over and went along our merry way. Read through Maui Revealed and choose a few places to stop. Don't stop at every waterfall alert... it'll take forever. Just pick about 4-5 places you want to see and stick to those. We stopped at the Gems. In the morning, get up early, have a nice breakfast at Tutu's... then head over to the 7 Sacred Falls. We got there at around 10am, and it was empty. We played in the water for about 3 hours and left while the crowds were coming. Make a loop, don't go back the way you came.

Your itinerary sounds good. The only concern is that you'll be too tired to enjoy the trip to Hana. It is quite a drive.

Thanks so much for the replies! Our flight gets in at 2 pm from SFO, so the jetlag won't be unbearable. But now we are thinking that's too late--by the time we get the luggage and car, we won't be on our way til 3. So I think we may have to rethink the itinerary and just make the drive from Kaanapali (we had hoped to avoid the extra hour each way that would add).

It depends exactly what time you'll arrive. It is possible, but if you arrive later than 3 in the afternoon, you may want to reconsider your plans. The road to Hana, is what makes the trip. As mentioned above, Hana town is very isolated (I personally recommend that you do your food shopping before heading in that direction. There are grocery stores that you can stop by near Kahului Airport). The road to Hana is extremely tight, the roads curve in and out of many gulches and there are numerous sections that are single lane accessible. The drive itself is approximately 2 hours to 3 hours...depending on how much time you spend at each scenic spot (I won't spoil it for you). Maybe you should pick up Maui Revealed to gain more information.

It works well...I did it...you miss alot of the traffic.

David Paul's cottage is lovely--hubby and I stayed there a couple of years ago--sistahlou, here's the website--http://www.maui.cc/KulaHideaway.html