This Beautiful Mill Hiding In Hawaii Looks Like Something Out Of A Fairy Tale
By Megan Shute|Published August 13, 2016
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Megan Shute
Author
With more than 10 years of experience as a professional writer, Megan holds a degree in Mass Media from her home state of Minnesota. After college, she chose to trade in her winter boots for slippahs and moved to the beautiful island of Oahu, where she has been living for more than five years. She lives on the west side but is constantly taking mini-road trips across the island and visits the neighboring islands whenever she can getaway. She loves hiking, snorkeling, locally-grown coffee, and finding the best acai bowl on Oahu.
Located in Haiku on Maui’s northeastern coast, the Haiku Sugar Mill looks as though it has been pulled straight out of the pages of a storybook – with wayward vines draping 150-year-old stone walls that were left exposed to the elements in the late 1800s. Both a wedding venue and garden offering botanical tours, entering the mill will inspire a dream-like state.
Built in 1858, the Haiku Mill was one of the first ten companies to go into the sugar business in Hawaii. The first crop was processed in 1861, and it was used as a processing factory for sugarcane until 1879, when the mill was abandoned for more than a century.
The mill’s ruins were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Today, all that remains of the Haiku Mill are vine-draped ruins, and it is used as a luxury wedding venue straight out of a fairytale - with French-inspired decor, and spectacular greenery.
Known as Pua Le’a - blossoming flower in Hawaiian - restoration on the mill began more than 20 years ago, and blends the stunning natural beauty of the Hawaiian Islands with the old world charm and elegance of Europe.
The venue is as exclusive as it is gorgeous. According to Luxury Retreats Magazine, which calls the mill the most romantic wedding destination in the world, the mill only hosts up to 52 weddings each year to maintain a sort of exclusivity.
While the mill is beautifully charming during the day, the real magic begins as the sun sets; the moon and the stars sparkle through the open air roof, candles in suspended jars flicker, and an antique chandelier sets the mood.
But you don’t have to fork over the $7,000 required to have your wedding here - the mill also offers botanical tours twice a week, giving visitors the opportunity to view the property’s 2.5 acres, and the tropical flora that thrive in this beautiful setting, 55 species of native Hawaiian plant species, to be exact.
Tours are offered Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., and include a complimentary refreshment, Q+A session about the property and its history, and plenty of time to take some awe-inspired photographs - all for $12 - $18, depending on if you’re kama’aina or booked online.
For more information, visit the Haiku Mill website, and don’t forget to check out these 11 enchanting spots straight out of a fairytale found elsewhere across the Hawaiian Islands.
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