Skip to main content

Maui Tropical Plantation Review

Tropical Plants, Hilarious Tour Guide, Wooden Art, Oh My!

My Dear Polite Travelers,

Traveling around an island might lead to questioning the types of exotic vegetation one might see.  As an avid—and sometimes irritating—questioner, I always have tons of questions.  So, a visit to the Maui Tropical Plantation was a perfect fit for me. 

The Maui Tropical Plantation is part farm, part shops/market, and offers unique activities and dining options.  The best part, in my opinion, is the tour. 

The Plantation Tour

The Tropical Express Tour is a 40-minute tram ride through the plantation grounds.  Throughout the tour, guests are introduced to the farm’s vegetation: trees, plants, fruit, and their uses.  We’re also treated to some great humor.  Our guide was hilarious and educational. 

Along the ride, we stopped for a coconut husking demonstration.  It was particularly interesting.  Of course, our guide interjected humor at just the right moments.  I think she’s done this before.  Adjacent to the husking demonstration is a sizeable exhibition of carved wood art.   Every piece was exceptional.   Check out the slideshow. 

Bottom line, this was an enjoyable and educational activity. 

Note: the tram was accessible and comfortable, even for seniors.

Don’t Miss!

For the Love of Art! Don’t Miss The Palm Springs Art Museum

From Kona Around the Big Island to See the Volcano

A Must-Skip Activity: Hilton Waikoloa Village Hotel Luau

Roam The Grounds

Besides the plantation tour, one can peruse the main area, which includes a duck pond, small shops, and the country market—the landscaping is stunning.   We came across dozens of ducks!   The market sells duck food, people feed the ducks, and the result is extraordinarily tame fowl.   The baby ducks are precious. 

The Country Market

The Kumu Farms and Maui Oma Coffee Roasting Company’s “The Country Market” features farm-fresh produce and various other unique items.  Because it’s also a coffee roaster (or was in the past) we also found a variety of coffee and tea-related items.  The fresh fruit was excellent.

Dining Options

Directly outside, in front of the market, is the Kumu Cafe and Farm Bar, which is a small kiosk-type affair.  They serve fresh fruit-related delights.  We chose to share a cup of chocolate macadamia nut ice cream.   Great choice.  So delish!  Luckily, there are several tables in a covered area adjacent to the café. 

Not that we had the time or appetite, there is a finer dining option on the grounds.  Not far from the market, you’ll find Cafe O‘Lei in the old Mill House.  It’s a quaint setting that serves simple to finer dining choices.  Check out their menus. 

Really?  A Zipline?

Yikes!  Yep, there’s also a zip-line operator on the property, but I chose to stay grounded…like literally on the ground.  Others, though, flew happily over the entire plantation.  Maui Zipline boasts five zip lines that vary in length (300 to 900 feet), and their mountainside adventure is approximately 2 to 2.5 hours long.   Impressive.  Still, I’ll stay right here.  On the ground.  I’ll wave, but you have fun.

 

Tropical Express Tour: Tue - Sun 9 AM - 3 PM

Cafe O‘Lei in the old Mill House: Tue - Fri, 11 AM - 8 PM; Sat & Sun, 9 AM - 8 PM

The Country Market: Tue – Sun, 9 AM - 4 PM; Mon, 9 AM - 2 PM

Kumu Cafe and Farm Bar: Tue - Sun, 9 AM - 4 PM; Mon, 9 AM - 2 PM

Maui Zipline: Mon - Sat 9 AM - 4 PM

Eat and Drink in Central Maui — Maui Tropical Plantation | Tour, shop, explore and dine 

Labels:
Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pluses & Minuses of The Hyatt House Vacaville

Beautiful But Needs Adjustments to its Accessible Rooms My Dear Polite Travelers I recently read about a new Hyatt House and since I needed a short brain-tidy-vaca near my home base in Davis, CA, I ventured twenty miles west to the sprawling city of Vacaville, the shopping mecca of our general area.  The Lobby/Bar/Restaurant Walking into the lobby, I noted calming tones, striking art, décor, and welcoming faces.  The registration staff was delightful and efficient.  The attractive bar and eating area are tastefully decorated and have ample seating areas. In fact, the entire area was so lovely that I brought many of those decorating ideas home with me.  The restaurant’s menu was limited and similar to what is typically found at bars: hamburgers, pizzas… etc.  I ordered a hamburger which was delivered overcooked.  Grr… Accessible Room 133 First off, this is a gorgeous room filled with outstanding artwork.  It includes a kitchenette, small ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Venue Review: Hilton Hawaiian Village

Unexpected Upgrade at Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Hotel Revised 4/2021 Dear Polite Traveler, For our most recent visit to the “Gathering Place”, better known as Oahu, we decided to split our ten-day stay between two excellent Hilton properties: Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel ( review ) and Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Hotel.   During our stay at the Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel, I thought it couldn’t get any better.  We enjoyed our stay immensely.  Nevertheless, Hilton surprised us once more. Note : Follow CDC and county guidelines when visiting.  Always wear your face mask when in public.   We’re upgraded to where? Yep, because we are Hilton Honors members, we were upgraded again to...wait for it…the Ali’i Tower!  Breathe, breathe.  Amazing upgrade.  Here’s a bit of the background about this excellent upgrade.  Earlier this year, my husband noticed an unbelievable half-price deal on suites at the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Arizona: The Grand Canyon

Four Hours Visiting The Grand Canyon Updated 4/2021 I have an idea why the Grand Canyon is called “Grand”.    I theorize it’s because “Awesome Canyon” sounds more like stoner talk.  Joking aside, it is quite awesome and grand.   Recently, I was lucky enough to have a few hours to gaze wide-eyed at our big hole in the ground.  Since we (hubby & I) had only four precious hours, please follow along with what I found most important to see.  Note : Follow CDC and all park guidelines when visiting.  Wear a mask and social distance.     First Stop The first place to stop for those with limited time would be the visitor’s center.  Don’t worry about missing it.  There are plenty of signs pointing the way.  There, we found information offering park rangers, giant exhibits (displaying the entire canyon, trip planners, canyon-related history, and science), and a movie theater...
4 comments
Read more