Will I regret skipping the Road to Hana?
 

We have 5 days/4 nights on Maui (and 6 days/5nights elsewhere) and I'm considering skipping the Road to Hana. We are planning on making the drive to see the sunrise at Haleakala on our first morning from Lahaina, and I'm afraid of spending too much time in the car on our Maui leg. Also, I'm pregnant and while I've had no motion sickness issues in the past, I'm wondering if the ride/the road is a little too rough for me in terms of the sickness and bumpiness. I also won't be able to do many of the hikes. I really hate to miss one of the "must dos" in Hawaii and typically don't mind busy itineraries, but I'm thinking we'll have spectacular scenery on Kauai. So, is it ok skipping or worth making time for? There are so many other places I want to see, I'm not sure if/when we'll be back to Hawaii.

Hey Doublek,

If you are pregnant I wouldn't even think of the road to Hana. You won't miss it. I love driving on mountain roads and I am never motion sick, yet the hundreds of hairpin bends on the road were beginning to affect me--the others in the car did much worse.

It is an adventure of you like that kind of drive (I do), but I would save it for some other time. You and your baby will be happy for it. :)

Have a great trip!

Puck.

There are so many great sights and things to do on Maui, you can easily skip the road to Hana and have a fabulous vacation. In fact, some people are disappointed with the road to Hana drive if they have seen a lot of other beautiful scenery already in their life. It's NOT the most spectacularly scenic drive in the world. It is just one of many. It's really over-hyped though.

I didn't regret it. We flew to get to Hana as I didn't really wanna sit in a car for that amount of time either. We did like our stay there though. Very peaceful and relaxing after a long flight.

If by regret you mean to feel sad or disappointed, I hope not. There is plenty to do and see without the road to Hana, leaving you satisfied, content, and with a happy disposition.

HTTY

The road to Hana is time consuming. Remembering back to when I was pregnant it wouldn't be the possibility of road sickness that would worry me but more the concern of having to make (numerous) unscheduled pitstops along the way. My vote is to pass, and wait until another time when you can truly enjoy the drive and your time once you arrive there.

Enjoy your trip and Congratulations!

I hated the Road to Hana. I did not see what the big deal was.

MY

I regretted DOING the road to Hana. It was a long day and I spent most of it trying to keep from being carsick. If I had been pregnant, it would not have been pretty.

Thank you so much everyone. I'm relieved to be able to cut that out of our trip without fear of regret.

The only reason to do the road to Hana is so that you can answer "yes" when someone asks "Did you drive to Hana?" Is that worth it? No. The towns of Makawoa and Paia are nicer days trips. Congratulations and have fun.