Maui – Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm
One of the most unique experiences I've had in Maui was visiting Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm. I'd never been to a lavender field or farm in my life, being a Francophile, I thought they only existed n the South of France. I was particularly interested in visiting the lavender fields after spending time with Lani on the Big Island.
She began her foray into agritourism by transforming the Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm into what it is today, a destination to visit in Maui. There are lots of farms in the Kula area of Maui, it is a fantastic area to explore, this farm is quite special.
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When florist Ali’i Chang decided to retire he bought the property that the farm is currently on today with the thought he would have a nice quiet retirement. At his retirement party, a friend brought him a lavender plant as a housewarming gift. Not knowing what else to do with it, he planted it. The plant thrived and Ali'i decided to grow more. A few years in, Lani came to visit him and the two of them collaborated to build the thriving business that exists today. Ali'i passed away in 2011 and his son has been carrying on running the farm.
The farm is at 4000 feet elevation on the slopes of the Haleakala creator, the air is crisp and there are spectacular views. It is serene, peaceful, exceptionally designed. There were probably 30 cars in the parking lot when I arrived, but it felt like there was just a handful of people on site. I arrived early for my tour and had about a half-hour to kill so I was treated to one of the boutique's specialty's: a homemade scone with lavender lilikoi jam served with a lavender tea blend (lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, and mint) with lavender honey – delicious!
Belly satisfied and warmed up inside, I took a tour of the property with one of the gardeners, Dustin. He showed us the different varietals of lavender along with the many, many, many other types of plants that were planted by Ali'i Chang and his teams. There are full-time gardeners who pick a dozen bouquets of lavender every day. Some of the harvests go to flower bouquets and the rest goes into lavender-based products that are sold in the boutique and around the world.
Dustin picked various varieties for us to feel and smell. Four of them ended up as a mini-bouquet hanging on the edge of my ONA Bag. I brought them back to my hotel room to enjoy the rest of my stay.
The property is absolutely gorgeous and thus a no-brainer for events such as weddings and small gatherings. There are different spots around the property and a little party house as well. It is truly a stunning backdrop for any event.
It's fun for kids too, the farm has a treasure/scavenger hunt for them to do and when they collect all the spots on the map they get a prize at the shop. I saw several kids doing this and witnessed the biggest smiles on their face when they turned in their maps. There are chameleons all over the property so that is a fun “can you spot them” game…even for adults!
The farm has hundreds of lavender-based products and I bought a few for gifts as well as treats for myself. For the past several years I have slept with a lavender-scented mask and love the relaxing scent. All that walking around made me thirsty and I bought one of their refreshing lavender lemonade for the road. I normally don't like lavender in my food or drinks, but this was seriously awesome. They have an iced tea too, but I was already on the road to my next stop when I was drinking the lemonade so I didn't have time to turn around to try it (although I definitely contemplated it for a moment!).
I really enjoyed myself, the Kula area is absolutely gorgeous and the people at Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm, like everyone else I met were super friendly.
The farm is located at 1100 Waipoli Rd, in Kula. The lavender fields are open 9 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday. General Admission is $3.00. They have 2 tours are available and reservations are recommended for any of them:
- Guided Walking Tour which takes 30-40 minutes at 9:30 am, 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1 pm and 2:30 pm daily, the cost is $12.
- Guided Cart Tour which lasts an hour. You get to see more of the 13 acres this way. Tour times are at 10:30 am and 2 pm, the cost is $25.
BONUS: If there is a little bit of wind, you can also catch hang-gliders floating above, which is a cool bonus! It is the ONLY place to do it on Maui and they glide right over Ali'i Kula (you can see it in this video really well at 1:49), think I would want to try that on the next trip!
How about you? Have you been to a lavender farm before? Did you know that Maui had such wonderful farms? Would you consider visiting?
My visit to Hawaii was courtesy of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, my farm tour was comped. As always, all opinions are my own.
You can also view more of my trip to Maui in my Magnificent Maui Wanderlist on AFAR.
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How lovely. I have never visited a lavender farm and didn’t know that they existed in Hawaii. I love that this is at a higher elevation–offering views and that cooler mountain air–and that they have activities for kids. I am pinning for a future family trip to Hawaii! Oh, and that scone with honey looks like heaven.
@Jenna, it is a wonderful spot for kids and a really peaceful spot to wander around, I like the cooler weather, so I was in my element there!
I want to try the paragliding!! That lavender farm looks gorgeous. Lately I’ve been in the habit of mixing some lavender essential oil with some coconut oil and putting it under my eyes before bed. The smell is heavenly!
@Katie, me too, when I saw the video, I said to myself “I want to do that!” I bought lavender essential oil which I put on my temples, love it!
No, I have never been but would love, Love, LOVE to go. Thank you for sharing.
Oh wow. I wanna go to all of these places featured.
This looks beautiful! I’m sure it smelled lovely as well.
I LOVE lavender, everything about it! I never associated lavender with Hawaii before, what a beautiful setting for one of my favorite flowers! I’d love some of that lavender honey and lemonade right now 🙂
@Kimberly, it was delicious. I have never been a big fan of lavender in food or drinks, I think a lot of people do it badly. It was so amazing to me how much I liked it when it was done right!
I never in a million years would have thought lavender would be found in Hawaii! Stunning!
@Leslie, it was a big surprise to me too, but it is there and it is beautiful!
Wow! Didn’t know Hawaii had lavender. I just learned that Long Island has it as well. It’s my favorite. LOVE a good lavender drink, too! The photos of this are so stunning!!! Amazing!
@Travelpanties, I was so surprised too! There is also lavender in the San Juan Islands off of Washington, for the longest time I thought it was only in France!
Wow Andi, what a gorgeous place to visit! No, I’ve never been to a lavender farm, but the smell must be intoxicating! The scone alone is enough to get me on a plane to Hawaii! It looks fantastic! Great place to visit.
@Christina, the smell was delightful, I smelled so many different varieties! The scone was fresh baked and still warm, with that housemade jam it was out of this world!
I’ve been to Maui and Oahu and I never even knew that they had lavender farms! How beautiful!
@Angie, maybe next trip!
I never would have associated Hawaii with lavender. I would love to go and tour the farm and try the scones.
@LyndaS, I know I was so [pleasantly] surprised!
Wow, the lavender farm looks so relaxing and amazing!!
@JulieD, it was pretty great! Between the beautiful landscaping, the heavenly smell and the food, I was one happy girl!
Wow!! The colors are stunning. I need a vacation stat 🙂
I had no idea Maui had lavender farms! I love lavender and I have been to some farms in Provence. Culinary lavender is delicious and I love the teas, honeys, and even just sprinkling a bit of culinary lavender on a baked potato is surprisingly good.
@Jennifer, I was so surprised myself. I only knew of French lavender and then I saw it in the San Juan Islands off of Washington and thought it was a fluke! Oh, baked potato? That sounds strangely good!
That lavender farm is beautiful! 🙂 I have never been to Hawaii, but it is definitely on my travel bucket list. I would give anything for one of those scones with the lavender honey!
Love the chameleon photo. Took me a minute to see it and it was right there in the middle! How fun it would be to find those little guys! 🙂