Where to start this place is unbelievable the view and the relaxing country vibe. Entrance fee is…read more$5 although being Kamaaina it's only $2 what a deal . This Alii Kula Lavender farm is located in Kula approximately 25 mins from the airport. This farm is not only strictly Lavender they have all kinds of pretty flowers and trees . There's a nice little gift shop which they sell all kinds of merchandise from Lavender oils, lotions, bar soap, clothing, exfoliation soaps and more. Inside their Gift shop they also have a small cafe that they sell coffee, teas, scones, muffins and cheesecake. Normally I'm not a cheesecake person but this cheesecake also had a hint of lavender taste it was very good . The only downside to this review is that they only have porta potty . Other then that i highly recommend this stop if your visiting Maui. Support local

After checking out of our hotel, we needed to kill some time before our red-eye flight out of Maui,…read moreso we decided to stop by Aliʻi Kula Lavender Farm. We had visited before in 2012 during lavender season, which was lovely, but coming in mid-January there really wasn't much to see. Admission is $5 per person, and there's a café and gift shop on-site for souvenirs. During our previous visit, we really enjoyed the lavender scone and iced tea from the café. The views at the top are still beautiful, but I'd honestly recommend visiting only when lavender is in season to make it worthwhile. Also worth noting: it's quite windy in this part of Maui, and the terrain is very steep, so walking around can be a bit challenging.

O'o Farms delivered a truly, unique and interactive experience with their Farm Tour and Farm to…read moreTable Lunch. I took my parents for their 44th Anniversary and we all love outdoorsy activities so I knew we'd all enjoy this! We were asked to arrive at 10:30 am for the tour and it lasted until 1-1:30 pm. Arrive with good walking shoes, SPF, light sweater and hat (it can get either a little chilly or hot from the direct sunlight), and well hydrated if possible. We were greeted by our friendly and knowledgeable tourguide, Kate from Maryland! She shared with us so many facts about the locally grown produce from herbs, vegetables, fruits, to the friendly worms, to compost and facts about the Farm and the hardworking staff! It was interactive because we got to sniff the herbs, taste the locally grown lettuce, carry a chicken (as seen in the photo with my mom), and even pick the Cherry coffee! After the 2 hour tour, the last hour takes you back to this beautiful seating area in a garden like setting for your 4 course lunch! Each course, the chef comes out and shares details of each course. First course was a Medley of Greens grown on the farm with Tangerine vinaigrette. It was a generous portion for our party of 3 and tried to eat it throughout. There was spiraled carrots and radish with julienned snap peas. Second course was Pan Seared Ono (their proteins are all locally sourced) with Mamaki Tea and Lemongrass Rice with Bok Choy, Collared Greens and Cabbage. Third course was my favorite! I'm usually a big fan of fish but the chicken was so savory and that rub was delish! It was an Organic, Cage Free Chicken with Coffee Cherry Citrus rub with Caramelized Coffee Honey Hash of Carrots, Parsnips, Rutabaga and Celery Root. The spread was a Turmeric and Parsnip puree. Last course of dessert was the O'o Freshly Brewed Coffee with Milk and Simple Syrup with a Dessert Platter of Fresh sliced Pineapple, Tangerine and Apple with Homemade Chocolate Truffles. The meal left us full and nourished! What a wonderful anniversary gift to give my parents. We truly enjoyed it and even made some new friends, both local and visiting.

The best meal that I had in Maui! Everything was fresh and I loved knowing exactly where our food…read morecame from. My son enjoyed the mahi mahi tremendously, which for a kiddo who only eats chicken normally, is a huge compliment! I thought the tour was very informative and interactive as well. Our guide Molly let us pick, smell, and explore a lot of the plants they have growing on the grounds. She also very nicely picked a tangerine for my son because he really wanted one. Overall, worthwhile experience, despite the long drive from Lahaina. I would do this again, whether it is the brunch + coffee tour or the lunch tour!

This tour was so educational honestly my husband and I feel like pineapple experts now! Lots of…read moregreat pineapple tasting on the way and you get a pineapple on the way out! (Packed for TSA)! 100% recommend to anyone traveling to Maui! Tour guides were sweet, educated, and personable! This is also locally owned and operated by Native Hawaiians completely now and is the 2nd last pineapple farm in the US and last pineapple farm on Maui!! I bought a pineapple for this Christmas for all my family members and they all loved them so much!

Overall the tour was interesting, and even though I have been to the Dole Plantation, I still…read morelearned a lot on this tour that I didn't know. The pineapples were definitely some of the best I have ever had. Very cool you get to take one home (and it did survive the plane ride). I have to agree with some others that it is a little pricey for what it is, but I also understand the challenges of keeping the farm going in today's economic climate. I would say if you feel comfortable about doing a tour for that price, go for it. If not, there are lots of other cool places in that region of Maui too.

Dia was a great guide! We learned a ton about organic farming and all the plants they grow for use…read moreon the island. The chocolate making and tasting was awesome, and we really enjoyed the private experience. Highly recommend!

Really enjoyed our tour of the farm with Dia - she was knowledgeable, kind, and answered all of our…read morequestions. The tour was small and private which was nice - really enjoyed seeing the plants, tasting the coffee and chocolate and other foods, and being a part of the creation process. Fun and engaging and a great way to enjoy a week in Maui that didn't go to plan because of the storm. Don't skip out on buying some of their coffee, lilikoi jam, and dried apple bananas at the end of the tour!

After checking out of our hotel, we had some time to kill before our red-eye flight out of Maui, so…read morewe stopped by Surfing Goat Dairy Farm. We had visited once before back in 2012 and remembered it being a great experience, and it's nice to see how much the farm has upgraded since then. They offer goat and cheese tours that you can sign up for online. This time, we just wandered around the grounds and relaxed while watching the goats and baby kids play in their pen. We also bought a $10 bucket of hay to feed the goats off to the side. We were told they were under a year old, though they were already pretty much adult-sized! They were extremely enthusiastic about the hay, and the bucket was gone in no time. It was such a fun and wholesome experience, for both me and the goats. Definitely a cute stop, and I hope to come back next time and sign up for one of the tours next time in Maui.

We decided to go last minute after ending up with more time than we thought while exploring the…read morearea. We didn't reserve a tour ahead of time, and the next one was not for over an hour, so we decided to just walk around the grounds on our own. We started with the cheese tasting. They offer 2 different options, and we chose the mixed. Between 2 of us, it was plenty. I would say even 3 people could share. We enjoyed most of the cheeses - a few were definitely unique. They have a patio area to sit at, and they just call your name when your tasting is ready. They give you information with the cheeses, so you know what you are trying. The shop had a nice assortment of other gifts, as well as the truffles. The truffles were definitely my favorite. You can just get one if you want, or you can pick out several to make a box to take home. We walked around and saw the area where the babies/young goats played on the surfboards, which is super cute. The adults are all over in different areas, and you will even see them on the roofs of different buildings. The tour would have been nice to learn some history and information, but it is still really nice to go without the tour. It was a fun and peaceful little experience.

This quaint little place is up a side road in upcountry. They sell local honey, delicious homemade…read morepastries, sauerkraut, some fresh produce. They have a menu also. The gentleman behind the counter came from Truckee California. We had a little in common since we live approx 50 min from Truckee. Nice little spot to stop at and enjoy a treat!

Maui bees is a great place to visit in the upcountry, beautiful view in the mountains down to the…read moreocean and wonderful little farm. I tasted their honey choices both summer and winter. I got both cause they're excellent. Also their cinnamon rolls are extraordinary, all worth a visit.

OMG, what a fantastic excursion! Jan had all the bases covered, you can tell that she cares deeply…read morefor her guests and that she's got the experience necessary to anticipate everyone's needs. We loved not having to drive all the way up the mountain and were completely confident in her skill navigating that winding road. Jan gave us plenty of breaks on the way up and the group got a chance to get to get comfortable with one another before star gazing time. I must admit that I was a little concerned that she "only" had a manual telescope and not a computerized, motor driven one but Jan doesn't need anything like that. She put all the electronic ones I experienced to shame. She is able to slew to targets far more quickly and accurately than any computer can guide a scope. Furthermore, she keeps her 12" Dobsonian finely tuned and the stars appear crystal clear and her telescope, with its large aperture, can resolve individual stars in tight globular clusters. This was a great experience and not one to be missed, I highly recommend it.

I want to start with the disclaimer that everyone is on their own journey in life, and because of…read morethat, experiences are personal and may be seen differently by others. I also want to apologize for revising this review twice; my first attempt was rushed and full of misspellings, and the second was a quick fix of those errors. However, after being home and having the time to relax and reflect, I realized there were details gnawing at my soul that I needed to share. While I could have justified the $250 price tag if the experience had met my expectations of what was included, I simply cannot justify it for the experience we actually had. I am left with a soured, bitter aftertaste in my heart for an experience that I wanted with my family. It is hard for me to give a five-star rating just because someone "tried"; I believe a top-tier rating must be earned through the experience one had, and Jan lacked in presentation, friendliness, and overall value. For our party of four, we paid $1,000, and in hindsight, we could have had a significantly better experience by using our own rental car and buying a high-quality telescope for half the cost. Don't get me wrong, the views were amazing, but Jan expected the National Park (which she did not create) to carry the entire value of the tour. There was no historical context shared about the land; she simply relied on the scenery to do the work. The lack of consideration for her guests was most apparent in how she rushed us. Both of my parents have medical limitations--my mother is a brain surgery survivor and my stepfather was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's. Both were medically cleared by their doctors for this visit, so while their conditions were not life-threatening, they naturally move at a slower pace, or what some would refer to as "Hawaii time." At the stop at the top of the mountain, Jan initially told us we would have an hour to look around, then suddenly changed it to 15 minutes. This was incredibly insensitive; 15 minutes is a rush for someone physically fit, let alone for people managing mobility issues. The actual stargazing was equally frustrating and felt hypocritical. Jan would complain if someone accidentally turned on a phone screen, claiming it affected her dilated pupils, yet she had no problem using a high-powered laser pointer against rocks instead of the sky, refracting the light directly into our eyes. Furthermore, none of us got long at the telescope because she insisted on refocusing it after every two people, all while a personal friend of hers joined for free and took up our paid telescope time. To put the lack of value in perspective, we recently paid $165 for a snorkeling tour on a catamaran that included a crew of five, two full meals, and equipment. Here, we had to bring our own snacks and water, and Jan even requested to use our personal National Park passes to get the group through the gate. Between the conspiracy theories playing loudly on the radio, her robotic and demanding attitude, and the underwhelming equipment, we felt massively overcharged. You can find better value elsewhere or by driving yourself at your own pace.

One of my coolest days on Maui was the famous ALL DAY "Road To Hana" drive. I booked a small group…read moretour led by Henry @rentamauiboy, and the reason I booked him was because he takes allllllll the photos. Traveling solo, it feels weird to take selfies everywhere or worse, asking someone to take your photo. The tour was me and 2 other couples: one couple were newlyweds and the other couple were on their very 1st trip together (as a couple). (Honestly where do you go after a trip to a Hawaii?!?) We could not have had a group that meshed BETTER than all of us. Our guide Henry clearly knew "the good spots" because we didn't stop anywhere that anyone else was... he made us climb down treacherous "root ladders" and walk through the coldest water up to our necks but his ideas were always SO worth it. And he captured the best pics! I highly recommend this EXACT excursion because you don't have to worry about any photos. He has it covered, and trust me, it's truly UNFORGETTABLE!!!

Henry was a wonderful host, we got to see and do more than what I expected. Well worth the price…read more A magical experience. I will recommend to all my friends and family. Thank you Henry!!

Charming ! Small biz ! Woman owned ! Minority business !! A goat named Baba after Ali Baba !!…read more Tasty veggies & fruits !! Healthy food to hang out all day & nite at the beach !! What's not to like !! I I should up this to 5 * but its not as modern as I would expect & I feel others would ding it also for the primitive vibe. If you've been to Thailand, you will get it. Some might not buy anything cuz it's all outdoors & very unlike a whole foods.... There's a purple food truck at the entrance. A friendly & tame brown goat follows you around. There are the typical shrines with elephants & a lot of plots, dirt mounds, piles of vegetation. You put your hillocks of picks into a basket. The owner calculates everything by hand. No credit card machine but we joked that she should take bitcoin. What'd I buy?...A bit of everything like carrots, japanese white yams, golden potatoes, tomatoes, mini bananas, scallions, lilikoi, oranges, iimes, lemons, and flowers for the suite. We talked to all the other locals that bought lots of other items like the pineapples, greens, jalapenos, broccoli etc. They all lived close by while we came from Lahaina, about an hour away for this adventure of a farmers market. A nice drive of Maui Hawaaian splendor was well worth it to procure all these earthly bounties! I cooked the sweet carrots & potatoes, washed the tomatoes & fruit to be ready for endless beach day (s)!! Everything was fresh, tasty & delicious. That's the best if you can get a panopoly of fresh tasty local fare. Scooping out the seeds of lilikoi right now.... Simple yum.

This is a great place to buy fresh produce if you're Upcountry. They're open until 5 p.m. on…read moreSaturdays and Sundays and have a wide assortment of locally grown fruits and vegetables, including potatoes, onions, kabocha, etc. Over the years, Nui has gradually improved the property with walking paths and gardens, making it a nice place to stop and relax for locals and visitors. The food truck in the front of the property is also operated by Nui and serves delicious Thai food.

Such a great experience! Manny and Kaleb were very welcoming and took the time to get to know each…read moreof us on the tour. Lots of laughs and great directions and encouragement at each zip line. It was obvious that they Loved what they do. Highly recommend! The van ride was a bit rough but added to the adventure.

We really enjoyed our visit to Haleakala Skyline. There were four of us and the only ones signed…read moreup for our time slot, so we got somewhat of a VIP treatment. Ray and Noah were our guides. Both were great and provided an awesome experience. They provided us a lot of information and knowledge about the local ecosystem and wildlife, and also provided some local insights on food and Hawaiian culture. The ziplines were awesome and there were some great views as well. Highly recommend this experience.