Alfred Franco's Grandma's Coffee House on Route 37 is off the beaten path except for locals who know just where to find a delicious cup of cappuccino after a stroll on idyllic Thompson Road (two miles long) with great views of Ulupalakua Ranch and Wailea below.

Alfred Franco is a fourth-generation Upcountry resident, one of 68 grand-children of the Grandma after whom the coffee shop is named. Grandma used to pick, process and roast her own coffee. She is over 90 years old. If you have time to see more of Kula's picturesque landscape on foot, drive Highway 37 to Kokee, park on Polipoli Road and walk for about 40 minutes parallel with Highway 37, through a built-up area up along the hillside.

Beyond Kula, high above the Wailea coast, Maui's largest ranch - Ulkupalakua - covers 30,000 acres of Haleakala's southwest flank. Continue past the ranch headquarters to a lava rock building (former jail of the original Rose Ranch), today the tasting room and gift shop of Hawaii's only winery, Tedeschi Vineyard and Winery. Tedeschi makes good wine from purchased pineapples and more recently, an even better wine from Carnelian grapes grown at the 2,000-ft level. Taste Tedeschi's Blanc de Noir Hawaiian champagne, Maui Blush or Maui Nouveau.

Ulapalakua's natural beauty comes through best at elevations over 3,500 ft. For views, ride up-slope on the Ranch's grassy trails with Thompson Riding Stables for at least a half-day.