I did not want to drive the Road to Hana myself, not because I don't think I could handle 615 turns on a winding, often one-lane road with two-way traffic, but because I wanted to see the sites and not have to focus on the road 100% of the time. This was the perfect way to do it. The vans are small and comfortable, with one minor problem that I will discuss below. But best of all, with (80-year old!) Wayne Smith ("Pono") at the wheel, we felt totally safe and learned much about Maui. He is the living version of Google Maui and very respectful of and patient with all of his guests. The breakfast stop at Cafe Mambo in Paia was tremendous, and even included espresso or lattes for those who wanted them. The hippie quesadilla was perfect and more than I could eat. Lunch was at the beautiful Travaasa Hana Hotel, a luxurious resort in a town that offers not much else, and the Kalua pulled pork sandwich was to die for....possibly the best pulled pork sandwich I've ever had.
The only complaint we have with this tour was the seating in the van. The van carried eight passengers. Two couples can sit in very comfortable bucket seats behind the driver. But then the other two couples are not so lucky. One can sit in the bucket seat next to the driver while their companion has to squeeze to sit in the three seat back row with the last couple. So one couple has to split up and the other couple has to sit with a third person squeezed into their row. This is not at all ideal for couples. It is only ideal for a group of three people travelling together and a solo passenger. If we had boarded the van after the two couples had taken the two rows of bucket seats behind the driver, we would have been very unhappy with our seating options. Luckily, that did not happen to us since we boarded first but be forewarned.
Nevertheless, Pono made this experience one we will never forget. Thanks.
Odpowiedź od gospodarza
Nov 2017
Aloha David:
Thank you so much for the review! It’s an honor to have garnered a five-star review from such a prolific TripAdvisor reviewer, and we’ll be sure to pass along your kind words to Pono. He’s been with our company for years, and has ushered thousands of guests along the Road to Hana. It’s no surprise that you’ve dubbed him “Google Maui,” and we think we might make that nickname a permanent one!
We’re thrilled to know that you enjoyed your meals on your Hana Ultimate tour—Café Mambo and the Travaasa Hana are two of our favorite Maui eateries, and we created our Hana Ultimate tour to share both with our guests, along with a fully narrated Road to Hana tour. We hope you enjoyed the sights and experiences along the Road to Hana, and of course, it’s great to avoid driving yourself, if you can!
We’ll be sure to take to heart your comments about the seating; our Tour Guides are always sure to rotate seats in the Luxury Limo-Van, so nobody’s “planted” in one spot for too long. We appreciate your comments!
Mahalo again for the review, and please feel free to request Pono for another adventure the next time you’re here!
Warm regards,
Dave & Kathy Campbell
Owners
Temptation Tours