Hotel Review | Honeymoon at Maui’s Travaasa Experiential Hana

Location

Hidden away at the end of the Road to Hana, this luxury hotel is well worth the travel. We flew into Kahului Airport, rented a car and drove the two hours to the resort. Note that this includes the famous Road to Hana, which is the most crazy drive of your life. It’s full of single-lane bridges and insane curves. Not for the faint of heart. You can also fly directly to Hana. The resort is also a short walk from the famous red sand beach in Maui.

Check in/out

Upon arrival, staff warmly greeted us and escorted to sit down. We were taken care of immediately. This was the first check in experience ever where I sat down the entire time. I’m accustomed to checking in and THEN sitting down with the concierge service. Anywho, while the welcome desk checked us in, we were treated to a warm towel and tropical juice. The staff answered any and all of our questions, and we ended up sitting and chatting for over 20 minutes (this was for fun, and the check in process did not take that long). Checking out was a breeze as well. A golf cart swooped us and our items up and drove us to the welcome desk, where we quickly checked out. Oh, and our car was already pulled around and waiting for us. 

Hospitality

As a gal who grew up working at a five diamond resort, I have really high expectations for the hospitality industry. The service was impeccable and did not disappoint. Our needs were anticipated, and the staff was overly friendly. I felt like we made true connections with the staff. The people are just so genuine. My favorite part is that even though it’s a smaller resort, the staff can drive you around in golf carts. No questions asked. If I wanted a ride from our room to the pool, which was about a 2 minute walk, they could have carted me over if I wished. Also another major perk: valet parking is free. Okay, wait, my other favorite part was just about every day, a messenger came with a present/surprise for us! One day they gifted us fun Hawaiian flashcards, and another day it was THE BEST homemade chocolate chip cookies. 

The room

We selected the Garden Junior Suite. We didn’t require the family suite, and the beach was a quick walk away, so we didn’t feel the need to spend extra on a beach bungalow. After the trip, we agreed that we made the right choice. Two garden suites make up one building, so you only have one set of immediate neighbors. We overlooked a lush, green space. Our suite was spacious and well-kept. It included a bedroom, outside deck area, living room with a wet bar and bathroom inclusive of a shower, double vanity and whirlpool tub. The only unfortunate thing is that the rooms do not have air conditioning. We visited in December and can’t imagine visiting when it would be any warmer. Even with fans on, it was already pretty hot. Keep in mind, though, that we’re from Wisconsin and not used to warm weather. 

Amenities

Two pools, a spa, a hot tub, complimentary Hawaiian coffee (YUM!) in the rooms, bon fires every night, access to daily experiences and so much more. 

Experiences

You know how most resorts have a fitness or kids activity schedule? This resort does that, except it’s for experiences. We made leis & acai bowls, took a yoga class, learned how to throw Hawaiian spears, took a ukelele lesson and more. If we could come back to only enjoy their experiences, I feel we would have a really nourishing trip. We could have ridden horses along the sea, husked coconuts or bamboo pole fish to name a few other experiences. My husband and I are not the type to sit on a beach our entire vacation. These experiences aligned well with how we like to spend our trips– making the most of every moment.

Dining

We didn’t get a chance to dine in the restaurant as we ran to the general store and stocked up on food there. They had one place to eat- the main restaurant called “The Preserve”. For quick sandwiches and to-go beverages, their small general store had a very limited selection. The area of Hana is very small and only has a few places to eat outside the resort. Across the street there was a food truck area. They seemed to have weird hours though so be sure to check those out ahead of time. 

Booking & price

We used Chase credit card points to stay for 6 days/5 nights. Without those points, rooms start at over $500/night. We booked directly through the Chase rewards online portal. 

Honeymoon Touches

When we arrived at our room, a bottle of champagne, banana bread (really big in Hawaii!) and a handwritten letter waited for us. The staff acknowledged our honeymoon at both check-in and check-out. This was the ONLY lodging that truly put an effort to recognizing our honeymoon while in Hawaii. 

Tips 

-The junior suite don’t come with a microwave, but if you ask, they’ll bring one to you. 

-The Road to Hana isn’t terrible to drive in the dark. Since our hotel was so far from attractions, we usually got up before sunrise and got a decent amount of the Road to Hana in. We also drove back home in the dark numerous times. The reason it’s not that bad is because there’s little to no people on it. Just keep your lights on and honk before corners! 

-Knowing the resort is so far away from everything else on the island, be sure to maximize your time away from it. 

-Bring things to do as the rooms do not have TVs. We enjoyed drinking wine by the pool at night, but I’m positive kiddos would easily be bored. 

-Tip for all of you: remind me in 10-years to do our vow renewals here. I would DIE to do have them here. They also do weddings. Could not imagine a more intimate and breathtaking location for one.

Note: I was not paid to write this post. The resort had no idea I was even going to write the review. These opinions are my own.

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