Maui - Hawaii with Kids - page 257

queen bed) from the sofa bed in the living room. The Tradewinds cottage has
two bedrooms (with a queen bed in one room and two twins in the other), one
bathroom (shower only), and a huge front porch. The atmosphere is quiet and
relaxing. Hostess Rebecca Buckley, who has been in business for a decade, wel-
comes families. She has two children, a cat, and a very sweet golden retriever.
You can use the laundry facilities at no extra charge.
135 Alalele Place (the airport road), P.O. Box 385, Hana, HI 96713. & 800/327-8097 or 808/248-8980. Fax
808/248-7735. www.hanamaui.net. 2 cottages. $120 studio double; $145 2-bedroom double. 2-night mini-
mum. Extra person $10. AE, DISC, MC, V. In room:TV, kitchen, fridge, coffeemaker, no phone.
Waianapanapa State Park Cabins These 12 rustic cabins are the best
lodging deal on Maui. Everyone knows it, too—so make your reservations early
(up to 6 months in advance). The cabins are warm and dry and come complete
with kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom with hot shower. Furnish-
ings include bedding, linen, towels, dishes, and very basic cooking and eating
utensils. Don't expect luxury—this is a step above camping, albeit in a beautiful
tropical jungle setting. The key attraction at this 120-acre state beach park is the
unusual horseshoe-shaped black-sand beach on Pailoa Bay, popular for shore
fishing, snorkeling, and swimming. There's a caretaker on-site, along with rest-
rooms, showers, picnic tables, shoreline hiking trails, and historic sites. But
bring mosquito protection—this is the jungle, after all.
Off Hana Hwy. Reservations: c/o State Parks Division, 54 S. High St., Room 101, Wailuku, HI 96793. & 808/
984-8109. 12 cabins. $45 for 4 (sleeps up to 6). 5-night maximum. Extra person $5. No credit cards. In room:
Kitchen, fridge, coffeemaker, no phone.

Value

4 Family-Friendly Dining
Dining on Maui ranges from glamorous swank restaurants with big-name chefs
to old-fashioned, multigenerational mom-and-pop diners at budget prices. In
this dizzying scenario, I'll steer you away from the open-air waterfront watering
holes, where the view counts for 50% of the experience, and towards the truly
creative cuisine, at prices that won't make you borrow against the kid's college
fund to have a stellar dining experience for everyone in the family.
In the listings below, reservations are not necessary unless otherwise noted.
CENTRAL MAUI
The Queen Kaahumanu Center, the structure that looks like a white Star Wars
umbrella in the center of Kahului, at 275 Kaahumanu Ave. (5 min. from Kahu-
lui Airport on Hwy. 32), has a very popular food court. Busy shoppers seem
more than willing to dispense with fine china and other formalities to enjoy a
no-nonsense meal on foam plates. Edo Japan teppanyaki is a real find, its flat
Benihana-like grill dispensing marvelous, flavorful mounds of grilled fresh veg-
etables and chicken teriyaki for $5.70. Aloha Mixed Plate dishes out “local
style” meat with rice and macaroni salad in the $4.45 to $7 range. Yummy
Korean B-B-Q offers the assertive flavors of Korea ranging from $4.75 to $7.50;
Panda Express serves tasty Chinese food; and Sushi Go is a great place for fast
sushi. Outside the food court but still in the shopping center is the Coffee
Store, which sells sandwiches, salads, pasta, and nearly 2 dozen different coffee
drinks; Ruby's , dishing out hamburgers, fries, and shakes; and the proverbial
Starbucks for the java fans. When you leave Kaahumanu Center, take a moment
to gaze at the West Maui Mountains to your left from the parking lot. They are
one of Maui's wonders.