If you follow me on Instagram you probably saw me post a ton of pictures of my stay at the Maui Hana Resort in October of 2022. It was a great place to go as a celiac, I highly recommend it! Now that does not mean it’s a gluten free destination, it just means that I was easily able to find meals at every meal. Not tons of variety but I was happy with it.
We went there for a wedding and unfortunately couldn’t stay longer to make a really good vacation out of it. Get this, when the very considerate bride asked the hotel about how to get me gluten free meals, they offered to make the meals entirely gluten free. AND SHE DID! I cried.
If you can, I would stay at the resort as long as possible and tour around the island. I would have loved to stay in Maui near OGG airport for a few nights then drive to Hana. The view is amazing. It is a windy 2 hours drive with some traffic but there are many stops for waterfalls and swimming. Because we were short on time we reserved a charter plane from OGG to Hana that was about $50 a person, you pay extra for baggage and no carry-ons allowed unless it’s a purse or backpack. We flew Southwest on the way there and United on the way Back. United booked the charter plane for us. The Charter is called Mokulele but United app calls it Southern Airways. On the way back, I got a text from Mokulele that the flight was delayed, we ended up having to change our connecting flights from OGG to have enough time. It was a whole ordeal but worked out. OGG has pretty much zero gluten free options. I couldn’t even see real places for snacks. They had some nuts and candy and jerky. Bring food with you, make sure it’s something that will make it through the checks. Fruits and some things won’t make it through security. Transport to and from the charter plan to the resort was easy, we called ahead and they had transport for us.
Most people want to know pretty much right away about the cost. It’s a nice resort, y’all. It’s not cheap. If you can, get the ocean front bungalow. We did not and after seeing the views I wish we had. We opted for the garden view suites which were large and very nice but nothing beats the ocean views there. All rooms seem to be spacious with extra seating and a little kitchenette with a coffee pot, glasses and a little fridge.
The resort was just bought by Hyatt and not all rooms had air conditioning when we stayed. They said they are upgrading. Our room did not have AC and we were actually okay at night because of the 2 fans in the room plus overhead fans and keeping the windows open. I was worried because we generally keep our place at 68 degrees at night. In early October it was hot and humid and we were pretty sticky the entire time we were there.
At the resort there are many on campus activities such as 3 hole golf, croquette, more than 1 pool and 1 pool with a beautiful ocean view, an art gallery, hot tubs and more. As part of the wedding party I didn’t have time to enjoy much of this. On Friday there was a farmer’s market going on walking distance. There is a hotel shuttle available to take you to Hamoa Beach. Other activities on the island such as farm tours and lava tube walking require a car to get there. There are no Lyfts or Ubers, and Taxis are outrageously expensive. They did say they had some kind of car rental service where they will drop them off but I have no idea about the price. There is some hiking and exploring on or around the hotel as well.
There are 4 main eateries with the hotel. Breakfast is on campus with beautiful view. Lunch and Dinner are available at the Hana Ranch Restaurant. Both have gluten free items labeled. I had the Teriyaki Steak with a side of rice and it was plenty. The breakfast spot didn’t have anything gluten in the menu. They are very accommodating and will work to make accommodations if needed. The pool bar is open during the day and has a small menu. They were able to make me a gluten free poke bowl that was very delicious. There are also some food trucks lined up walking distance, near the Ranch Restaurant as well. I saw at least one truck marked some gluten free options. I don’t know about cross contamination because we didn’t eat there so you will need to check. Food is expensive. Get ready to spend $25 a meal. If you drive then stopping by a grocery store would be a good idea before you head into Hana. They have a little market near by with some essentials and beverages that will be less expensive than the hotel.
I cannot talk up this vacation enough. I wish we could have stayed longer but I’m definitely motivation to return to Maui in the future.
Mahalo!
