Guests at The Old Wailuku Inn at Ulupono on Maui get a taste of the old Hawaii of the 1920s and 30s, learn about Don Blanding, poet laureate of the period, and trade insider travel tips over sumptuous breakfast feasts.
This gem of a B & B, listed on the Hawaii Register of Historic Places, draws a unique clientele. They might be entertainers performing at the nearby Maui Arts & Cultural Center (MACC), honeymooners, business travelers, or vacationers who want to mix up a stay at one of Maui’s beachside hotels or condos with this gracious 1924 gem once known as the “Queen of Wailuku Homes.”
Built by a wealthy island banker as a wedding gift for his daughter-in-law, the home features gleaming Hawaiian ohia and eucalyptus wood flooring, breezy verandahs and tranquil gardens.
Owners Janice and Tom Fairbanks bought the house in 1995, lovingly restored it, and opened it two years later as a seven-room inn. They added the three- room Vagabond’s House cottage in March 2002, named after the title of one of Don Blanding’s books. The inn and gardens pay tribute to Blanding, a distinctive Hawaiian quilt in each guest room designed for one of the exotic flowers featured in his poems.
A walk along Wailuku’s tree-lined High Street, with its courthouse, church, library and school built by the distinguished architects of the day, extends one’s immersion into the history of Territorial Hawaii.
A few blocks away on North Market Street, a one-of-a-kind store called Native Intelligence dedicates itself to the preservation and evolution of Hawaiian culture through books, photos and beautiful handcrafted items used in hula and other native traditions.
Some guests book a night at the inn, some stay a week, enjoying the sense of authenticity that differs from many a resort experience. They come for the personalized service and full gourmet breakfast, along with all the modern amenities like in-room high-speed internet, phone and TV, Aveda personal care products and Jacuzzi tubs or spa-style showers.
Breakfast features local fruits in season: Kula strawberries, papaya from the garden with currants and gooseberries, and Maui Gold pineapple with raspberries and blueberries, along with carafes of fresh orange juice and coffee. Daily changing
entrees feature banana pancakes with macadamia nuts served with passion fruit, coconut and maple syrups one morning, Portuguese sausage and scrambled eggs served with mushrooms forestière and whole wheat cinnamon swirl rolls another.
The inn’s central location is well-suited to exploring Maui’s diverse attractions. Misty Iao Valley State Park is but a five-minute drive, while charming upcountry towns on the slopes of Haleakala, with art galleries, boutiques, restaurants and gardens, are easily accessible. The inn is an ideal starting point for those planning a 3am wakeup to watch the sunrise atop Haleakala crater, or a more reasonable post-breakfast departure for the long and winding road to Hana. Of course, beaches are within reach, and the owners provide beach towels, mats, snacks, and best of all, their insider tips to Maui’s hidden treasures.
Priced from $165 to $195, The Old Wailuki Inn at Ulupono offers value and a unique experience. Visit their website at http://www.mauiinn.com to learn more.
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Contact the Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau for Maui support.
Hawaiian Airlines is one of nine airlines that offer service to Maui from San Francisco and Oakland. Most connect through Honolulu. United offers the most nonstop flights.
©Carol Canter
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