I hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day weekend! One of the things my family and I did was take a drive up to Ulupalakua to get some lunch and do some wine tasting. Ulupalakua is located WAY up in the hills of southern Maui.

The only way to drive there from South Maui is to take highway 31 towards Kahului, turn right on Hana Highway, then take highway 37 passed Kula until you reach the town. It's a very round-about way (maybe only an hour drive from Kihei) but makes for a VERY delightful drive.

The scenery was breathtaking! Lots of rolling hills, low clouds, and lush landscaping! It almost feels like you are driving along the backroads of northern California.

Once we arrived, we stopped at the Ranch Store and Grill for lunch, which is really the only place to eat, but it doesn't matter. This place is loaded with charm and the food is great! 

As the name implies, it is a store, where you can find lots of souvenirs (mugs, t-shirts, hats, jams, etc) all in a charming setting, which encourages lots of browsing.

In the back of the store, is the deli where you order grilled items or grab prepared cold salads and sandwiches from the cold case and take them outside to eat on the picnic tables.

Their most popular grilled item is the elk burger, but they were out of it when we arrived. I wasn't very hungry so I just grabbed a salad with papaya dressing, but was very impressed! It was SO good! My husband, Chris, enjoyed a burger and he thought it very good as well.

The grounds of the store are very inviting and we enjoyed our lunch outside where you can take in the beautiful scenery!

I HIGHLY recommend the drive to Ulupalakua and a meal a the Ranch Store and Grill!