Hotel: Hotel Hana-Maui

Address: Hotel Hana-Maui

Website: www.hotelhanamaui.com

TraveLife Ranking: 4+ Stars

Rooms: 67

Room Rates: $375+

Awards: Among its many – Travel&Leisure’s top 500 in the world and won the magazine’s world’s best award in 2005.

Highlights: The hotel lends gear for snorkeling, bicycling, fishing, and other sports. Other complimentary activities include daily yoga and aqua-aerobics; lei making, ukulele, hula, or pandanus weaving classes; and guided garden walks. Celebrating couples, eco-adventurers, and vacationing businesspeople come to this property to learn more about Hawaiian history, culture, and entertainment, and the many on-site recreational and spa services. The hotel is set on a bluff overlooking Hana Bay and offers some spectacular views, especially at sunset.

History: Opened in 1947 as a working ranch, this 66-acre coastal beauty, the oldest hotel on Maui, was fully renovated in 2002. Isolated on the eastern side of Maui's Haleakala Mountain, it's accessed by a 3-hour drive on a winding, two-lane coast highway, with one-lane bridges over waterfalls.

Interior Highlights: The hotel's lobby, restaurant, bar, and library are all located in a central building with a beautiful open courtyard. A lovely fountain greets guests and its soothing effect puts you in a relaxed frame of mind quickly. The rooms retain that traditional Hawaiian feel by using native materials.

In The Next Room: Hana Village is where a number of entertainers call home - Willie Nelson, Woody Harelson, Chris Christopherson and Pat Benatar to name a few. So many of their Hollywood friends drop by and make the Hotel Hana Maui their retreat.

The Rooms: There are 10 different types of accommodation at this compact property. The favorites and most expensive are the ones overlooking Hana Bay. The one that tops TraveLife’s list is the Sea Ranch Cottage ocean front suite that comes with a whirlpool on the balcony and breathtaking views of the Big Island of Hawaii. Very romantic! The rooms use indigenous textures, materials and patterns that provide a warm, comfortable feel. To preserve your tranquility, all rooms at Hotel Hana-Maui are television free. There is a club room with a television and internet service available.

Amenities: Among the legends and lore relating to the Hana Coast are numerous references to its reputation as a place of wellness. Hotel guests can easily assimilate Hana's rejuvenating powers by experiencing their wide variety of spa treatments at its Honua Spa which features massage, body treatments, energy treatments and skin care services. The hotel even offers in-room spa treatments. The Honua Spa is best known for its signature aromatherapy blend, where guests experience deeply grounding, integrating aromatherapy treatments using the spa’s exclusive essential oil blend named Honua, meaning Earth. In honoring the traditions of the past, in recognizing the nurturing capabilities of the Earth, the spa utilizes pure, essential oils of ‘iliahi, ‘awapuhi, niu and vanilla orchid in a subtle yet empowering formula found only in Hana. This alluring fragrance and its benefits are enjoyed by men and women alike.

Restaurants: As you’d expect, the hotel’s restaurants use local ingredients like Maui onion to spice up their traditional dishes. TraveLife was a bit disappointed with the evening buffet, served Fridays and accompanied by a show featuring Hula dancers and native singers. The show was a lot easier to digest. Breakfasts overlooking Maui Bay and the azure Pacific are the true highlight here.

Shopping: You’ll save a bundle in Hana – only because shopping is reduced to buying local crafts at the flea market and in the town’s two stores, where T-shirts with the words “I survived Hana Highway” are the top styles.

Close By The crescent shaped Maui Beach, which has been described as the most beautiful in the world and the black beaches of stunning Waianapanapa National Park. Blue Pool, rated the best waterfall on Maui, is just a short drive from the hotel as well. Haleakala National Park and its mighty volcano are a must see but you’ll need a whole day to explore this Maui icon. The legendary ranches of Hawaii are east of the hotel as is the burial place of American aviator Charles Lindberg behind a small church in Haneoo.

Tips: The Hotel Hana Maui is the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow known as Hana Highway. The breathtaking beauty surrounding the hotel is well worth the price and the amenities one enjoys here are priceless. You could do the Hana Highway all in one day – it’s a 3-hour drive each way. But why rush? There’s plenty to explore on the eastern side of Maui. The stretch of highway east of the hotel is even more treacherous than the one that leads here from the airport. Some rental car companies won’t allow customers to proceed past Hana so make sure you check. With no TV, this is the perfect spot to catch up on some R&R – reading and rest.