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Road to Hana Guide: Hana Maui
Hana is a tiny town at the end of the road to Hana that allows you to enjoy some solitude and isolation from the more developed areas of Maui.
Hana beaches, restaurants and lodging are more laid back than in the more developed and populous areas of Maui. If you stay overnight in Hana, the waterfalls and pools at Ohe'o Gulch (often referred to by a marketing term - Seven Sacred Pools) are a popular destination for a leisurely day.
Hana RestaurantsDon't expect to find much to eat at Hana:• Just about the only standalone restaurant in Hana is the Hana Ranch House, which is renowned for marginal food and indifferent service. When there are no competitors, what else can you expect? • We have had simple burgers at Tutu's Snack Shop at Hana Bay, where we used the outdoor picnic tables near the beach. The burgers are ordinary, but after driving for half a day, they taste pretty good. 
• Hana is such a casual place that we have even purchased items such as banana bread from food stands along the road. These food vendors - including one that offers Hawaiian mixed plate lunches on the road between Hana and Oheo Gulch - are open when they put out their signs.
• We bring our own snacks, not just because of the lack of Hana restaurants, but also to save time for the long drive back. Hana LodgingYou can also eat (and stay overnight) at the Travaasa Hana, formerly called the Hotel Hana - Maui.This hotel has recieved several awards (#2 - Top 10 Hotel Spas in Hawaii -Travel & Leisure, October 2006) and has a price to match - ranging from $500 to $1500 per night. That's way over our lodging budget. The Hana coast area also has a lot of private rental cottages for overnight stays.
Hana BeachesSeveral Hana beaches offer relative solitude compared to many west Maui beaches:
Hamoa BeachHamoa Beach, rated as the 6th best beach in America in 2006, is just a few minutes drive from Hana on the southeast shore of Maui.
This beach is not a casual drive while you are vacationing on Maui. It is only practical if you decide to drive the road to Hana. Hamoa Beach is a popular surfing and bodysurfing area. Snorkeling is good in the summer on the left side of the beach. Hamoa beach access is not simple. You park on the shoulder of Haneo'o Road, then walk down lava rock stairs to the beach. This is not the private beach for the Hotel Hana - Maui and Honua Spa, but it may seem that way (all Maui beaches have free public access). The Hotel Hana runs a shuttle bus to the beach for its guests, and also maintains bathrooms, umbrellas and beach chairs only for its guests. There is a public bathroom and shower that anyone can use. Celebrities like the solitude of the Hana area. Oprah Winfrey recently purchased six lots at Mokeo near the beach and is expected to build a single house on the 63 acre spread. The famous author James Michener described Hamoa beach as the most beautiful beach in the Pacific: Paradoxically, the only beach I have ever seen that looks like the South Pacific was in the North Pacific. Hamoa Beach on Maui Island in Hawaii; a beach so perfectly formed that I wonder at its comparative obscurity. Hamoa Beach VideosThis Hamoa Beach video gives you a birds eye view of the beach from a helicopter. Click on the PLAY button in the image below to view the video.
Hana Bay Beach
Hana Bay Beach Park includes Tutu's Snack Shop, one of the few places in Hana to eat. We have had simple burgers at Tutu's and used the outdoor picnic tables near the beach.
Maui Red Sand Beach
A row of jagged lava rocks (often called dragon's teeth stretch across the small bay and protect the beach from a lot of the high waves, which create a lot of spray and noise when the waves hit the lava rocks. Beach access is not easy - you have to hike along an unmarked and rough trail that is not easy to locate. Follow the trail starts on the South side of the Hana Community Center for about fifteen minutes along the narrow path along the steep cliff.
Seven Sacred Pools - Oheo GulchIf you want to continue beyond Hana to for more waterfalls and Oheo Gulch (also known as the Saven Sacred Pools), see our page Seven Sacred Pools.Hana Maui VideosThe Hana Maui video below is a quick view of Hana town and the surrounding beaches. This birds eye perspective is provided by a helicopter tour company. Click on the PLAY button in the image below to view the video, or just scroll down to read more about Hana Maui.
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UPDATE: You can once again go to Ohe'o Gulch from Hana. The Paihi Bridge (built in 1911), between mile marker 44 and 45 on the Hana Highway, was closed to traffic due to damage from the October 2006 earthquake in the channel between east Maui and the Big Island. A temporary bridge has been erected to provide access while a new bridge is being built.
My Road to Hana Pages
Road to Hana Overview
Road to Hana Guide
...Road to Hana Best Stops
...town of Hana
...past Hana at Seven Sacred Pools
...past Pools on Piilani Highway
Road to Hana Beaches
Maui black sand beach
Hana beaches
Planning & Options
Drive the road to Hana?
Or take a road to Hana tour?
Road to Hana Waterfalls
Watch and View
Road to Hana videos
Road to Hana maps
Road to Hana pictures
Road to Hana Tours
If you want someone else to drive on a road to Hana tour, you have several options:
• Temptation Tours includes a breakfast and beachside lunch, road to Hana stops at waterfalls and beaches, then turnaround at Hana and stop at windsurfing Hookipa Beach on you return trip.
• Valley Isle Excursions is a luxury tour - customized high roof large window 12 person vans, large captain's chairs, and a lunch served with silverware and linens.
• Roberts Hawaii includes a box lunch and a trip all around the road to Hana and beyond. Roberts Hawaii is a value priced company and works with several cruise lines.
If you want to talk to someone right now on Maui about a road to Hana tour, call Barefoot Tours toll free 877-489-3054 (they are on Hawaii time). 
Even if you are on Maui or Hawaii now, or soon will be, they can get your tickets to you by email, fax, mail, or even delivered to the Road to Hana tour operator for last minute ticket reservations.
Tell them Randy Willis sent you and recommended that you ask about their low price guarantee.
I have several free Road to Hana Maui maps on these web pages that you can print and take with you to Maui.
If you want a traditional folded Maui map, I recommend purchasing the folded version of the Frankos Maui map ($6) to give you a good orientation of the Road to Hana.
What makes Frankos maps unique? Descriptions and tips are written right on the map.
So you don't have to read about a destination in a Maui book, then locate that destination on a map.
It's like you scribbled your own personal vacation notes all over your own personal map.
Franko also has a laminated Maui map (great to use as a placemat at home or during your Maui vacation), folded and laminated Maui dive and snorkel maps, and a 6"x9" laminated Maui fish ID card.
If you purchase the map in advance of your Maui vacation, you can spread the map out for some trip planning on the long flight to Maui.
So for a few bucks, you can get some Maui specific maps that focus on what you want to see as a vacationer, rather than a focus on advertisements.
You can just print this page and other pages on this site to build yourself a pretty good free Road to Hana Guide to take with you to Maui.
If you would prefer to have a more conventional printed book, or just want a lot more detail than is provided on these pages, try the Road to Hana category at my Maui Vacation Guides page. They include:
General Maui travel guide books such as Maui Revealed, by far the largest selling Maui guide book, that include Road to Hana maps and chapters.
Specialty books such as Hana Highway: Mile by Mile with Hana maps
Traditional Maui folded maps such as Frankos Maui Guide Map that highlight the Road to Hana
