Road to Hana (Part 2)

My last post left off on Part One of our adventure, arriving into the town of Hana.

After stopping at Hana Farms market stand and enjoying some much needed ginger beer, we were ready to head to the beach to cool down.

The Waiʻanapanapa State Park beach is located along the Hana Highway.

I’ve found that the beaches in Hawaii are a little bit different than your average mainland beach. 

At least, in my opinion, the ability to explore a lava cave is very different.

Everyone and their GoPros were out and about in these caves.

But there’s only so much room in a cave (obviously) so we went back out to the open air to stick our toes in the sand.

We only had about a half hour of beach time on the tour, so we decided to forgo a full submerge into the ocean.

I definitely didn’t feel like drying off on the bus for the next six hours.

Moving on from the beach it was finally time for lunch. And we were starving.

If you ever do a full day tour, a word for the wise, pack snacks!

Our tour brought us along to a little place called Bradduh Hutts BBQ Grill.

Let’s put it this way…it’s an absolute dive of a place, a food truck in someone’s front yard.

Old cars are rusting away, and tatty tables and chairs make up the dining area.

But aren’t those the kinds of places that always end up having the best food?

I couldn’t wait to try it out.

The chef cooks right there on the truck in front of you.

You go up to the window and order, but we had called ours in hours early. After all, with a tour of 10 hungry people, you don’t want to be waiting around for long.

I ordered the Mahi Mahi and I swear to you, I ate the entire plate.

J had the BBQ ribs… also, no leftovers to be found after.

Here’s the Bradduh Hutts BBQ van in its full glory with another one of the tour guides from our group.

There were three vans, so around 30 or so people touring at the same time. Each tour bus houses about 10 people.

Since we’d had our fill from the food truck, our tour took off again and we continued on our way.

Onto red sand beaches…

And to the waterfalls…

We had a great day and on our way back around the island, we even made a few new friends.

These horses knew exactly when the tour groups were coming through, ready for their fill of fresh fruits.

They’re friendly and cute.

But our true last stop of the day was at the Maui Winery.

Naturally, this is what I’ve been anticipating the entire day.

I was disappointed to find out that we weren’t actually touring the winery, but simply stopping along at their store.

I consoled myself with samples.

They have some pretty killer wines, the best are infused with pineapple.

Get a nice bottle of Maui Blanc when you’re there. It proved to be the perfect accompaniment to the sunset later on the trip.

Don’t pass up this stop if you ever travel to Maui!

Review of the Road to Hana (Parts One and Two)

Overall, we had a fun tour. But it was a 12 hour day that circled most of the island. A good chunk of the island is desert area as well. Who knew, right?

And while we did enjoy ourselves… you’ve got to remember, that’s 12 hours on a bus. It’s closed off and air conditioned. I’ll admit it, I’d rather have the windows down, enjoying taking in the sights that way.

Plus you can get stuck with anybody. Our tour guide was a bit unsteady… he even complained when his boss told him he had to take J and I back to our hotel instead of the other families! He didn’t want to do this because of rush hour… and that made us feel pretty uncomfortable.

So always remember, you’re at the disposal of your tour guide!

We went through Mahalo tours and did their Road to Hana adventure. They have phenomenal reviews, so it just depends on who you get as your guide and who makes up the rest of your bus group.

On the other hand, the Road to Hana would be pretty scary to undertake on your own. I know if J and I had driven it, we would have felt really uneasy. There are twists and turns that you’re unprepared for. The road is on the edge of cliffs at times… we felt really safe on the bus and were able to relax and take in the scenery.

Anyways, the photos speak for themselves. Overall, it’s a great experience where you see and learn so much, so in the end, I’d recommend a bus tour. But maybe one where you can keep the windows down…

Have you ever had a guided tour before? Was your experience good or bad? 

xx Kelly