Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
healing, with some 16 treatment
rooms, a lap pool, fitness facilities,
lava rock showers that open to the
tropical air, outdoor whirlpools, a
24-head Swiss shower, Turkish
steam rooms, Finnish saunas, and
botanical soaking tubs. See p. 350.
And, on Oahu,
Ihilani Spa at the
J. W. Marriott Ihilani Resort &
Spa at Ko Olina Resort
(
&
800/
626-4446;
www.ihilani.com), is an
oasis by the sea. This freestanding,
35,000-square-foot facility is dedi-
cated to the traditional spa defini-
tion of “health by water.” The
modern, multistoried spa, with its
floor-to-ceiling glass walls looking
out on tropical plants, combines
Hawaiian products with traditional
therapies to produce some of the
best water treatments in the state.
You'll also find a fitness center, ten-
nis courts, and a bevy of aerobic
and stretching classes. See p. 92.
•
Best Room Service:
Oahu's
Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach
Resort & Spa
(
&
800-
HILTONS;
www.hawaiianvillage.
hilton.com) not only has a great
menu and prompt room service,
but the entire megaresort is kid-
friendly. The Rainbow Express is
the Hilton's year-round daily pro-
gram of activities for children 5 to
12. Wildlife parades about the
restaurants, where kids 4 to 11 eat
free. See p. 77.
•
Best Lagoon:
My pick is Oahu's
Kahala Mandarin Oriental
Hawaii
&
800/367-2525;
www.
mandarinoriental.com). The lush,
tropical grounds at this resort far
from Waikiki include an 800-foot
crescent-shaped beach and a
26,000-square-foot lagoon (home
to two bottle-nosed dolphins, sea
turtles, and tropical fish). Views
from the floor-to-ceiling sliding-
glass doors are of the ocean, Dia-
mond Head, and Koko Head. The
resort offers a “keiki club” for kids,
with activities ranging from lei
making to snorkeling. See p. 90.
4 The Best Dining Bets
•
Most Kid-Friendly Service:
Hoku's
(
&
808/739-8780
), is
elegant without being stuffy, and
creative without being over-
wrought. The fine-dining room of
the Kahala Mandarin treats kids
like princesses and princes in one
of Oahu's best restaurants. See
p. 108. On Maui, the kids will be
graciously welcomed at
David
Paul's Lahaina Grill
(
&
808/
667-5117
), a gourmet eatery
which offers a great kid's menu
with a kid's soup or salad of the
day, fried chicken strips ($10 with
french fries), corn dog ($8 with
fries) or mahi and shrimp ($12
with rice and veggies), as well as
desserts (ice cream and chocolate
cake). See p. 259.
•
Best Kids' Menu:
Bev Gannon,
one of the 12 original Hawaiian
Regional Cuisine chefs, is raising
the next generation of “foodies” at
her gourmet haven in the pineap-
ple fields of Maui at the
Hali-
imaile General Store
(
&
808/
572-2666
). Kids eat just as well as
their parents when ordering from
the creative kids' menu. See
p. 267. On Oahu, comfort food
for keiki can be found at the
Dixie
Grill
(
&
808/596-8359
), where
the all-American menu features
barbecued ribs, burgers, shrimp,
salads, sandwiches, and the “star”
of the bargain-priced kids' menu:
finger-lickin' barbecued chicken.
See p. 100.
•
Best Views:
In Hawaii, views gen-
erally translate into “ocean views,”
and you can't get any closer to the
ocean on the Big Island of Hawaii
than
Huggo's
(
&
808/329-1493
)
