Perfect Days #45 - #47 — Kaluakoi and Molokai Ranch

For exploring the West and Southwest coasts you’ll base yourself either at a vacation rental in Kaluakoi Resort or the Molokai Ranch Area, including vacation rentals on Molokai Ranch and lodge and “tentalow” units in the Sheraton Molokai Ranch & Lodge. From any of these locations, you can drive (4WD) and bicycle along the West and Southwest Coast and around roads and trails through Molokai Ranch, without driving excessively long distances.

Kaluakoi

Only one low-rise resort was ever built on Moloka’i, Kaluakoi Resort and Golf Club, more than 25 years ago. The hotel at the Kaluakoi Resort and Golf Club is still closed at this writing, as it has been on and off for several years through at least three owners. Even so, the front nine holes of the Kaluakoi Golf Course are open for golfers and some of the best vacation rental unit deals in Hawaii are still available at three condominiums on the resort.

Beaches of Kaluakoi
Besides golf, the best part of the Kaluakoi Resort has always been its beaches:

• Three miles of deserted Papohaku Beach down Kaluakoi Rd. to the south;
• two parts of Kepuhi Beach out front, sand coming and going with the seasons on one part to the left and sand staying more in place on the more protected beach to the right;
• Pohaku Mauliuli Beaches to the right of Kaluakoi Resort reached by a walk along the shady edge of the golf course; secluded Kawakiu Beach, a walk of more than a half an hour from Pohaku Mauliuli Beaches on the rocky shore (and back), that otherwise is reached by 4WD or mountain bike for seven miles on Kawakiu Road, a dirt road off Hwy. 460.

Papohaku Beach
Justly renown for golden sands, length, breadth, crashing surf and excellent facilities (cooking grills, picnic tables, restrooms and showers) that hardly anyone uses, Papohaku is a beach for beachcombing rather than watersports. Deserted Papohaku Beach (a.k.a. Three Mile Beach), 300-feet wide, the longest and one of the most beautiful beaches in Hawaii, has a handful of large (beautiful) houses for rent adjacent to the beach, such as Papohaku Beach House, Papapa Plantation and Miller Moloka’i.

For families with 6-10 adults and up to 6 children, these properties are ideal for vacations, reunions, wedding parties and the like and offer some of the best deals in Hawaii. Other large vacation rentals such as Hale Aloha are within a mile of Papohaku or just a short walk from Kapukahehu Bay and Beach, another idyllic spot for honeymoon getaways and family vacations in beautiful homes at less than the cost of hotel rooms.

Local camping
Moloka’i's best year-round campground is at Papohaku Beach Park where facilities include restrooms, drinking water, outdoor showers, barbecue grills, and picnic tables. Groceries are available in Maunaloa, only 6 miles away or 7 miles from Kaluakoi Resort. Get camping permits ($3 per person per night) by contacting Maui County Parks Department in Kaunakakai (553-3204). Camping is limited to 3 days, but if nobody else has applied, the time limit is waived.

Kapukahehu Beach and Kaunala Bay

Kaluakoi Rd. ends at Kapukahehu Beach where you can walk down the rock coast to Kaunala Bay and a series of lovely little coves and beaches. (The best way to reach Kaunala Bay by car or mountain bike is the road from Kaupoa Beach.)

Moloka’i Ranch
For the rest of the beaches on the southwest coast, you have to drive to Maunaloa town where Pohakuloa, the main dirt road, starts into the southwest part of Moloka’i Ranch. Dole’s former pineapple fields have become the pastures of 60,000-acre Moloka’i Ranch. Stop by Moloka’i Ranch OutfittersCenter in Maunaloa to find out about their adventure activities and schedules, and mountain bike rentals, and pick up a map of the whole ranch. A drive or bike ride through the Moloka’i Ranch is will seem more like the African Savannah than Hawaii.

Rent one of the Ranch’s “tentalows” next to the brilliant white sand and crystalline waters of Kaupoa Beach in combination with various adventure activities or stay in one of six Lodge guest rooms or 16 Garden Cottages. In summer, the crystal clear waters of Kaupoa probably are calm enough for swimming. The vacation packages at Kaupoa include mountain biking, horseback riding, ocean kayaking, stargazing with a university astronomer, “SpaVenture” treatments like hot lava massage, aromatherapy facials, yoga classes and more. Bring the kids, stay in a beachside canvas bungalow. It’s expensive but ask about specials and activity credits.

Maunaloa and the West End also have some great vacation rental choices. For example, a family of 4-6 can rent a luxurious 3-br, 2.5-ba house on the ranch property with a spacious great room, separate dining room, and expansive U-shaped verandah all for under $200 per night. The house was designed, built and decorated by the same company that constructed the Moloka’i Ranch Lodge.