Maui - Hawaii with Kids - page 302

Mall Rats
Maui's open-air malls, as well as its indoor malls, have the benefits of
easy parking, lots of shops to choose from, plenty of food outlets, and
easily accessible restrooms.
In Kahului, the once rough-around-the-edges Maui Mall, 70 E.
Kaahumanu Ave. ( & 808/877-7559 ), is newly renovated. It's now big-
ger and better, and has retained some of our favorite stores while
adding a 12-screen movie megaplex that features current releases as
well as art-house films. The mall is still a place of everyday good things,
from Longs Drugs to Star Market to Tasaka Guri Guri, the decades-old
purveyor of inimitable icy treats that are neither ice cream nor shave
ice, but something in-between.
Up the street, Queen Kaahumanu Center, 275 Kaahumanu Ave.
( & 808/877-3369 ), offers more than 100 shops, restaurants, and the-
aters. Its second-floor Plantation District offers home furnishings and
accessories, and gift and accessories shops. Kaahumanu covers all the
bases, from the arts and crafts to a Foodland Supermarket and every-
thing in between: a thriving food court, the island's best beauty sup-
ply, standard department stores like Macy's and Sears, and great
specialty shops like Sharper Image.
What was formerly a big, belching pineapple cannery is now a maze
of shops and restaurants at the northern end of Lahaina town, known
as the Lahaina Cannery Mall, 1221 Honoapiilani Hwy. ( & 808/661-
5304 ). Find your way through the T-shirt and sportswear shops to
stores selling basic necessities, such as Longs Drugs and Safeway.
In Kaanapali, upscale Whalers Village, 2435 Kaanapali Pkwy.
( & 808/661-4567 ), offers everything from Waldenbooks to Prada and
Ferragamo. It is home to the Whalers Village Museum with its interac-
tive exhibits and 40-foot sperm whale skeleton, and sand castles are on
perpetual display, built by artists of the shifting sands. However, shop-
pers come for the designer thrills and beachfront dining.
In South Maui, The Shops at Wailea is the big shopping boost that
resort-goers have been awaiting for years. Chains still rule (Gap, Louis
Vuitton, Banana Republic, Tiffany), but there is fertile ground for the
inveterate shopper in the nearly 60 shops in the complex. The high-
end resort shops sell expensive souvenirs, gifts, clothing, and acces-
sories for a lifetime of perpetual vacations.
is 4.16% on everything (even food), and most stores will happily ship items back
home. (However, you may not be happy with the price of shipping from
Hawaii, which is quite expensive if you want your purchases within 6 weeks.)
THE NEIGHBORHOODS
Central Maui: Wailuku & Kahului
Central Maui is home to some first-rate boutiques: Watch Wailuku, which is
poised for a resurgence—if not now, then soon. The town has its own antiques
alleys, the new Sig Zane Designs has brought a delightful infusion of creative
and cultural energy, and a major promenade/emporium on Main Street is in the