Molokai Adventure

Bryan and I have always wanted to go to Molokai. We had decided a long time ago that it would probably be our favorite island.

We finally went this past weekend.

This is a story about expectations. And how to work around them, not with them...


We arrived Friday morning and weren't set to check in until 3pm so we got our rental SUV (free upgrade) and began to orient ourselves with the island. We quickly found town (the only town) and selected the bakery for breakfast which was GOOD. We toured around a bit, bought a tourist map and decided to drive to the east side of the island to see the sights and do some snorkeling at mile marker 18 as the man on the plane had suggested. Molokai is beautiful. It truly is. It is so different from how you probably picture Hawaii but it is very dynamic. Red dirt, rolling hills and sharp mountain peaks, smooth beaches with no waves on the south side, to rough pounding surf on the west side.

We stopped just past mile marker 18 at a beautiful little beach to snorkel. Too bad the snorkeling was terrible. We enjoyed the view and then got back in the car to go all the way to the far side. Most definitely the most beautiful part of the island. But we were enjoying it too much to take pictures. Sorry!


I had made arrangements to stay at a place called the Tentalowes because someone once told me it was incredible. The Tentalowes are run by the Molokai Ranch which is a beautiful boutique hotel surrounded by a true working cattle ranch. It's sort of hokey and old school but very charming and authentic. I'd thought the Tentalowes were funky cabins with canvas walls - something I imagined they might have on upscale Safari trips. I thought it would be great. A wonderful unique relaxing experience.

The Tentalowes are not for us.

We hated the Tentalowes. Unfortunately for the Tentalowes I had a headache, Bryan was hungry and we were both tired. We were too grumpy to look past what were essentially permanent tents with bugs and spiders around. We didn't want a shower that opened up to the sky or a "room" without temperture controls. We were miserable.

We stayed the night but in the morning transfered up to the Lodge to a gorgeous room with soft sheets, a bathtub and AC. We were in heaven! And the story gets much better from here.


We spent the morning enjoying a good meal, playing a game of pool and checking out the gardems of the Ldge. Then we packed up and headed to the Kalapapa lookout. Molokai is know for its leper colony. I promise you. It's famous. Everyone knows you have to go down there and check it out. We were all set to do that until the family that runs the tour cancelled on us. And you can't go down without a permit - even though we were tempted. So instead we settled for visiting the lookout and I made Bryan promise we can go back to visit the lepers another day. Near the lookout is the Phallic Rock. Why this is a tourist destination I have no idea but of course we hiked to see it. And yes, it's phallic. The other tourists around told us to "touch it if you want babies." I'm not sure how powerful it is so we didn't touch it just to be safe.

Kalapapa, famous leper colony. Waaayyyyyy down there.....

Jenni and Bryan with Phallic Rock. Giggle all you want.

You weren't sure you believed me about it being phallic, right?

We spent the rest of the day getting fancy coffee drinks, reading, taking a nap and enjoying the sunset with a bottle of wine. It was true vacation! That night we went to dinner in town for pizza and then did the other activity that Molokai is famous for - Hot Bread. The tradition is to go down a dark alley at 10pm to knock on the back door of the bakery and ask for Hot Bread. We didn't really know what we were in for but we did it anyway. So fun! So funny! And the bread is not just a slice as I imagined - it's an entire loaf!

Dark alley of Molokai Hot Bread.

Hot Bread so good, so big.

The next day was out last day and we dealt with the sadness of leaving without doing everything we'd come to do. We headed out to the east side to explore the beaches and try to swim. We decided the beaches were too rough but we did sit and enjoy one the longest beach on the island. Then we went into town for lunch but found that EVERY place was closed for Easter. We ended up eating fried appetizers at the weird 70's style hotel. Finally we went for a swim back on the west side but this time at mile marker 20. Very nice! And again, no pictures.

Hotel, so pretty!

All in all, a bit of a weird weekend. It was a great getaway but instead of being full of fun, it left us both feeling a little lost. I think we'll be back again. Next time we'll make sure our mule ride to the lepers won't get cancelled, we'll hire someone with a boat to show us the highest seacliffs in the world that are on the north shore, and we'll take the once-a-month guided hike of the rainforest.