Lets Get Going
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Has anyone visited Molokai? I just read a wonderful book about the island and the leper colony and now the island sound so interesting. Any comments?
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Molokai?
- Thread starter Lets Get Going
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We visited several years ago. I got a lot of information from DeniseM, and I think she may still has her write ups available. You can also look at the sticky on this board for information on Hawaii. There is a little bit about Molokai there.
Things have changed since we were there. Molokai is very undeveloped and besides the main town, there really are not any grocery stores or restaurants. The main town is about a 20 to 30 minute drive from the only timeshares on the island. When we were there Molokai Ranch (which was about 7 minutes away) was still open and we ended up going there for dinner (in their bar) quite a few nights. But Molokai Ranch has closed down so there is nothing available at that end of the island any longer.
I really enjoyed Molokai because it is so quiet. The rest of the family wasn't quite so sure. Dh complained that he did a lot of driving. Dds felt the beaches weren't as friendly (we hit a lot of wind and other conditions that made swimming difficult). However they also said that one of their best evenings during that Hawaiian vacation was the evening we spent at the Molokai Hotel when the local "aunties" gathered to sing and dance. It's a Friday night event. Older dd and I did the tour of Kaulapapa (the leper colony) which was very interesting and sombering. It is on an absolutely breathtaking part of the island. Richard Marks, who owned and operated the tours, passed away recently, but I believe the tours are still going on. A tour is the only way you can visit the colony.
Again, see if you can find Denise's write up on Molokai.
Things have changed since we were there. Molokai is very undeveloped and besides the main town, there really are not any grocery stores or restaurants. The main town is about a 20 to 30 minute drive from the only timeshares on the island. When we were there Molokai Ranch (which was about 7 minutes away) was still open and we ended up going there for dinner (in their bar) quite a few nights. But Molokai Ranch has closed down so there is nothing available at that end of the island any longer.
I really enjoyed Molokai because it is so quiet. The rest of the family wasn't quite so sure. Dh complained that he did a lot of driving. Dds felt the beaches weren't as friendly (we hit a lot of wind and other conditions that made swimming difficult). However they also said that one of their best evenings during that Hawaiian vacation was the evening we spent at the Molokai Hotel when the local "aunties" gathered to sing and dance. It's a Friday night event. Older dd and I did the tour of Kaulapapa (the leper colony) which was very interesting and sombering. It is on an absolutely breathtaking part of the island. Richard Marks, who owned and operated the tours, passed away recently, but I believe the tours are still going on. A tour is the only way you can visit the colony.
Again, see if you can find Denise's write up on Molokai.
Last edited:
DeniseM
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Here you go - http://www.freewebs.com/denisetravels/molokai2004.htm
Molokai is undeveloped and has no obvious tourist attractions or activities. We loved it, but it is very laid-back. If you plan to go, buy the book Driving and Discovering Maui and Molokai, by Richard Sullivan, and really do your homework. I know someone who went with no prior planning, and sat at the resort all week, because they had no idea what to do.
Molokai is undeveloped and has no obvious tourist attractions or activities. We loved it, but it is very laid-back. If you plan to go, buy the book Driving and Discovering Maui and Molokai, by Richard Sullivan, and really do your homework. I know someone who went with no prior planning, and sat at the resort all week, because they had no idea what to do.
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San Diego Country Estates
One more comment from me. Denise took the ferry from Maui to Molokai. We flew (Hawaii to Oahu to Molokai). Just wanted you to know there are options on how to get there. Also, there are rental cars availalbe at the Molokai airport. We also rented off site, I'm not sure I'd do it again as it took us forever to get our car.
We visited a few years ago, before the Molokai Ranch closed down. Did a a hike (with a tour to avoid stink eye from the locals) at Halawa Valley to the falls. A great hike and very enjoyable. We arranged this through the Hotel Molokai.
I did the mule ride, and my husband hiked, to Kaluapapa. It was a great experience with lots of history. Note that the hike can be brutal on the way back up if you are not an experienced hiker.
Molokai is the most laid back island. Definately not a tourist destination, but still worth going for us. We found the locals to be the friendliest of all the islands we have visited. Everywhere we went they asked us where were from, where we were staying and what we liked to do, and then we were given suggestions of how to get the most out of our stay.
We planned to rent a 4X4 car while we were there. We went to pick it up only to find the car had not made the ferry and would not be arriving until the next day-which was fine we had no firm plans. But we spent an hour and a half just visiting with the woman who ran the company from a living room. We left with a map of the island with all the spots to stop on our travel along the island: ie: stop here for drinks and sandwiches nothing available beyond this point. Stop here for the best snorkeling on the island, etc.
We probably won't visit again, but we did enjoy our stay here quite a bit.
I did the mule ride, and my husband hiked, to Kaluapapa. It was a great experience with lots of history. Note that the hike can be brutal on the way back up if you are not an experienced hiker.
Molokai is the most laid back island. Definately not a tourist destination, but still worth going for us. We found the locals to be the friendliest of all the islands we have visited. Everywhere we went they asked us where were from, where we were staying and what we liked to do, and then we were given suggestions of how to get the most out of our stay.
We planned to rent a 4X4 car while we were there. We went to pick it up only to find the car had not made the ferry and would not be arriving until the next day-which was fine we had no firm plans. But we spent an hour and a half just visiting with the woman who ran the company from a living room. We left with a map of the island with all the spots to stop on our travel along the island: ie: stop here for drinks and sandwiches nothing available beyond this point. Stop here for the best snorkeling on the island, etc.
We probably won't visit again, but we did enjoy our stay here quite a bit.