Road to Hana Maui GyPSy Guide

This was hands down the highlight of our trip to Maui. Read about GyPSy on several blogs and the $5 we paid for this particular tour was worth 10x that. We started the day before the sunrise and I can’t tell you enough to start early. We felt like we were the only car on the road for pretty much the entire way up. We took our time and enjoyed all the stops and scenery. There are a ton on blogs out there to tell you all about the stops so I’m not going to bore you now but really appreciated the guide in the app telling us about all the best places and when not to waste our time. Found my coconut on the beach exactly where the guide said I would and cracked it open on a sharp lava rock. I drank that sweet coconut water while the surf crashed around my feet. Amazing!!! We went beyond Hana all the way to Oheo Gulch and walked the trail to see the seven sacred pools. After we spent half the day driving up to Oheo Gulch we thought the ride back would be a let down. Let me tell you, IT WAS NOT!! The historical accounting of the human history of Maui was awesome. Our primary takeaway was that it just didn’t pay to be royalty on Maui. Lol. We stopped at so many places on the way to Hana including the black sand beach that took our breath away. The day we spend with GyPSY was the highlight of our once in a lifetime trip. Don’t miss the opportunity to take this drive and definitely don’t do it without GyPSy. Thanks for a great day!!!!

App provides a great narrated/guided journey to Hana. It took all the stress and confusion out of the trip and allowed us to focus on the journey and easily pick the stops we wanted to make. Some suggestions: subtle Hawaiian music during times he’s not talking. If you’re syncing to your car audio you can’t follow app and play music at same time. Would make a more immersive experience. Though I liked the ride home Hawaii history narration, it would have been nice to re pepper in some point of interest call outs as you pass them - kind of as a reminder. Something like: “passing once again such ‘n such falls on your left.” The history telling just became a little monotonous and the little ones in the car were a little taken by all the graphic accounts from the story. Mommy, why did that king stab his wife...??? What’s polygamy daddy? Would you like to have 10 wives? Sure thing kiddo... isn’t Hawai’i great! For those making this trip, one regret I had was bringing food. Wish I could have hit the roadside food stands on an empty stomach. Also, if I had to do again I would skip every stop and do his last “must-see” points of interest first (at the end of the road) and work my way backwards picking places to stop based on what time I wanted to get home. On our way out, most all the falls were nearly empty whereas when we were going TO Hana everything was crazy full.

I have never wrote an app review but I had to take the time to write this one! We were blow away how nice it was to have commentary exactly timed for when you drive by. We named the guy, “Mac” and he just became apart of our trip like a real personal tour guide would! He isn’t stuffy or boring and sounds like a guide you would here at Disney World. Light and fun! The part we loved was on our way back when it was dark and all you wanted to do was be done and out of the car and the awfultwists and turns, but having “Mac” kept us distracted with stories and history. History that didn’t bore my kids either! It was fascinating actually! One more thing we loved was that at each stopping place he would tell us not just what was there but tell us honestly if it was really worth stopping or not to save us time. We didn’t listen once and went on a hike that was uneventful and just okay after he warned us, we got back in the car and said, “we should of listened to you Mac!”😂 He also lets us know approximately how much time to spend at each place, which we loved so we could get to it all! Loved the app! Will buy any other apps they make so we can here from Mac again! Thank you! Well done!!!

I’d read good things about the app but I was still skeptical, especially since our rental Jeep didn’t have Bluetooth so I was concerned about sound quality/volume. I also had no frame of reference for the drive except that it is either tremendously dangerous or a total breeze. This app made the experience. It would have no doubt been a beautiful drive without it, but it would have been STRESSFUL. How to know where or when to pull over. Or if you’ll have a better view on the return. How can you expect to remember all the trivia as you drive even if you researched thoroughly beforehand. The guide was great. The volume through the phone speakers more than sufficient even with windows down. I honestly think the drive would have been a let down in some respects without this app. We would have felt like we must have missed some spots. Or run out of time. The whole family loved the narrator and the trip was spectacular. Only note: make certain you have means of keeping the phone charged throughout the drive. This will eat your battery even without using any data.

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We decided to drive ourselves- we heard mixed reviews about this. Definitely must be careful as the road are narrow and one lane at times and bI personally wouldn’t want to drive them at night. So make your trip start as early as possible- the point is to see and enjoy this beautiful island!! If you want a longer trip why not spend the night in Hana. We started a little late and took our time. The information on this app is excellent!! The recommendations totally help you pick and choose what to see. We loved a hike up to a waterfall early in the trip which was pretty tough hike!! There were definitely easier and bigger ones to see without this hike😂I don’t regret it but for sure every piece of advice on the app was excellent! This is a great way to get all the info you need in the comfort of your own car sat your own pace!! We thoroughly enjoyed listening to the history of Hawaii on the return trip. We got within 6 mi of Hana and decided to return-having seen the beauty but realizing that it gets dark fairly early. Next time maybe we will do a reverse trip to Hana and see the other end. Excellent advice and presentation in every way!!!Fun and less expensive. Follow the advice given- drive cautiously and an easy doable trip!! Loved it. Loved all the stops- a tad disappointed with the marketplace stop for food. Found it average or less than average. Coffee there great!!