I decide to relax on the Garden Terrace perched on the mountainside so I can soak up the panoramic views and order dinner.
The restaurant is open from morning to night. You can extend the sensory experience by ordering a Gourmet Picnic Lunch that comes with a lavender-infused dessert.Īs the sun gets lower on the horizon, highlighting the clouds with a pastel palette, Kula Lodge & Restaurant come into view. A Lavender Treasure Hunt in the Secret Garden is complimentary and a lot of fun. The thriving farm, product line and gift shop include an array of daily tours that attract adventurers, seniors and families.
This scenic spot is a perfect place for rejuvenation with its fields full of color and aromatic scents. The tour ends in the Martini Garden by picking fresh garnishes for a martini tasting served with vodka-goat cheese truffles.Īli‘i Kula Lavender Farm on Waipoli Road in Upper Kula is my next destination. As my guide escorts me through carefully tended sugar cane fields, pointing out the colorful varieties of Hawaiian cane, and manicured gardens around the distillery, we delve into the topics of land and water conservation, biodynamic farming and green manufacturing. The grounds, featuring a visitor center, organic farm and craft distillery, were established in 2013 but the best-selling organic vodka has been on the market since 2005. Next door is Ocean Vodka Organic Farm and Distillery. It’s part petting/feeding zoo, part educational tours and part cheese factory. There are 103 goats of all sizes and colors in this family-run dairy. Look for the white fencing and driveway lined with old surfboards. My next stop is the popular Surfing Goat Dairy on Omaopio Road. A free, guided walking tour happens twice a day.īack on Kula Highway I head downhill into the drier country.
The “King’s Cottage” Tasting Room is open daily with free wine tasting of the varietals available.
The vineyards thrive at 1800 feet in volcanic soil and produce eight varieties of wine, including two types made with Maui Gold pineapples that come in from the field. Maui’s Winery is a shining example of sustainability for this cattle ranch. I drive south from there, along the winding road that encircles the southeast side of Upcountry, to the rolling hills and bucolic views of ‘Ulupalakua Ranch. Grandma’s ambiance feels like coming home, whether you dine in the paneled storefront room or out on the covered patio. The hand-roasted cup of Maui beans is a perfect complement to my Keokea Omelet with farm-fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic and creamy Feta cheese crumbles. Al Franco established the coffee shop 28 years ago as a tribute to his grandma, who picked wild coffee from the mountain slopes and grew it in her backyard. The misty morning has primed me for breakfast at a famous road stop, Grandma’s Coffee House. 37), heading to the plantation village of Keokea. Follow me on a virtual taste quest through Upcountry Maui and get ready to plan your own fulfilling road trip. These fertile volcanic slopes are home to a wide array of farms and ranches, not to mention a multitude of activities and tasting adventures.
Dominating the eastern side of the island, Haleakalā (House of the Sun) Crater is the focal point of Upcountry Maui.