We just booked our trip to Maui, and I'm so excited! This is such a thrill for us, I don't know if I'll be able to wait until we leave.

We'll be travelling with our 2 year old daughter. I'm looking for any restaurant/activities suggestions that would be particularly good for a toddler. Also, I'm just really excited and wanted to start a thread about our upcoming adventure!

We plan on spending lots of time at the beach, and I read about a train that my daughter would probably like. Any other suggestions? We'll be staying near Lahaina.

Thank you!

I would discourage you from taking the train...Unless you really want to just have a train experience...Reports are that there is not much to see from the train other than trash in backyards.

My sister and I went about a year ago and took her son with us...and he was two at the time. His favorite thing was the beach. He also loved the whale watch tour we went on - don't know if you'll be there during whale season. The drive up Haleakala was too much for him - and really for us, too (made us all seasick and it was freezing even in the middle of the day). Since the drive up Haleakala made us seasick, we didn't try the Road to Hana.

Ultimately, with the 2 year old, we spent most of the time on the beach, at the pool, eating shave ice, and napping. He LOVED the free hula shows that we saw at Ka'anapali Beach Hotel and at Whaler's Village. We were able to find a free show to watch just about every night and that was the only time that he ever sat perfectly still for more than five minutes. He was mesmerized by the dancers. He also loved all the waterfalls at Whaler's Village. We also watched the lighting of the torches and cliff dive at the Sheraton...didn't last long, but we walked over to the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel and watched their nightly show afterwards.

We had one rainy day and spent it at the aquarium. It wasn't the greatest aquarium I've been to, but it was enough to keep him entertained for a while.

Your trip will be greatly enhanced if you get the book Maui Revealed by Doughty. It gives descriptions and reviews of all the best restaurants and activities on Maui.
As Mrkindallas said, the views along the train ride are very disappointing, but if your child would just enjoy the mere experience on an open air train ride, it might be OK.

Thanks for the responses! Our daughter loves trains, so we might give it a shot anyway. But I'll be prepared for the fact that my husband and I might not find it the most thrilling thing ever.

The beach is definitely our main objective. The shows sound interesting...are they open to people who aren't staying at those particular hotels?

I will definitely check out the book Maui Revealed. I was just thinking today that I need to go buy a guidebook or two.

I'm dreading the long flights. Our daughter has flown about a dozen times, but they were all short flights. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Any other suggestions or advice for us? Thanks.

I agree with Bob, get the "Maui Revealed" book. You will find tons of suggestions and objective recommendations. We use their book for all of our island adventures.

Just curious, have you taken your daughter to the beach? We took our daughter to Kauai when she was a little over a year old, and she HATED it. In fact, she hated the beach unitl just last year (12 yrs old). As a beach lover, I was so disappointed.

When I flew home from Maui last month I was next to a couple with a 2 year old child. It was obvious that they were experienced travelers; they had the best set-up I had ever seen. One parent had an aisle seat and the other the middle seat. They brought a pillow that they put across both laps for the child to lay on. The dad by the window propped up a laptop against the wall and played DVD cartoons and movies.
That child was totally relaxed...and we all enjoyed "Finding Nemo!"

KendraM--Yes, our daughter has been to the beach twice and loved it both times, thank goodness!

Barbara--We were thinking about bringing a DVD player...hopefully that will keep her distracted for a while. That's a good idea to bring a pillow or blanket so that the child can lie down. I'm sure she won't want to sit in her car seat the whole time!

Regarding the shows, all shows and restaurants in all hotels are open to anyone, regardless of where you are staying. The only restrictions are in the pools.

No restrictions on the shows at Whaler's Village (which is an outdoor shopping mall) or at Ka'anapali Beach Hotel.

Whaler's Village keeps a calendar on their website of events. http://www.whalersvillage.com/events.htm
In addition to the performances, they have some free daytime activities. Info is on the website.

Ka'anapali Beach Hotel is within walking distance of Whaler's Village and is an affordable place to stay in a great location. Based on your post, it sounds like you already have a commitment to a hotel in Lahaina, but if not, you might look at the KBH which is a little north of Lahaina. Their evening performances are free for all, but if you are staying in Lahaina, then I suppose parking/traveling there makes it less free. If you were to stay at KBH, they also have free daily activities and perks.

You can read about activities at http://www.kbhmaui.com/Main/Activiti...ctivities.aspx

They also have a free kids program. Children two years old and younger receive a passport card with their Hawaiian name and a beach bucket filled with toys to play with. Older kids have other programs.

Your first breakfast is free (and tastes great!). And when you leave, you get a free kukui lei and become a part of the KBH family, which provides you with additional benefits and discounts should you return.

On the plane question, we were really concerned about the long flight as well. We built up the anticipation so that he'd be excited about getting on the plane...Touched the outside of the plane while getting on...He had his own little backpack that he carried on...We tried to make it an exciting big boy experience. We kept him awake a long as possible before boarding the plane (woke him up early in the morning/no naps) and he slept for over half the plane ride. We had three seats together in the middle of the plane and he was able to lay however he wanted using us as pillows and headrests. The rest of the time, he stayed entertained with a few of his toys, a coloring book, and some snacks. It was his first plane ride, so getting out of the seat and going to the back of the plane to look out the window at the clouds occupied a little time as well. We also tried to be careful about not saying "no" too much...If what he was doing wasn't bothering anyone else and wasn't going to hurt him, we just let him do it...Sometimes it's the constant "no" that makes kids feel frustrated and trapped...Otherwise, they can usually resort to imagination to make the best of the situation...And when he wanted to talk, we stopped our conversations and talked with him rather than ignoring him or telling him to be quiet. He didn't get fussy until about the last hour in both directions...and he is definitely not the sit still for long type of kid. And...honestly, by the last hour, everyone is getting antsy and wants off the plane, so I can't blame him for the last hour of being difficult to appease.

Another recommendation is to stop at Wal-Mart of one of the other stores once you arrive and get a kid's beach chair. The little beach chair and free toys from KBH were all that he needed to keep entertained for hours at the beach.

mrkindallas--Thanks for all of the info. We've already booked everything, but we might stop by the KBH to have a look around and see a show. We've flown with our daughter before, and even on short flights she always gets antsy towards the end. I hope we can get three seats together...booked through Expedia and it seems like our seat requests never go through to the airline when we book that way.

Picked up a copy of Maui Revealed today. Looks very helpful! My daughter was anxious to look at the pictures and even wanted me to read it to her when we got home from the bookstore.

BTW, we're staying in the Kaanapali area, not Lahaina proper, if that changes anything.

I'd recommend the Old Lahaina Luau and get seats on the matts down in front.

The pool and the beach were my favorite places from birth... until... well I guess I never outgrew those two loves!

Also recommend the Old Lahaina Luau, but only get the mat seating if you're in good shape. No bad back, legs, etc. Otherwise get the table seating. We've done both. 1 1/2 hours on your backside with no back support gets old really fast

There are a lot of fun Hawaiian children's books that you can find at Costco or most stores, really. Hawaiian ABC books, and Happy Little Gecko type books, puzzles of Hula Girls, and Teddy bears in Hula skirts, etc. It might be fun to pick up some of these souvenirs early in the trip to get her excited about the new things she will see. I bought my 2 year old niece a little grass skirt and she loved it!

Thanks, rexster and suze, for the suggestion. 1 1/2 hours might be a little too long for our daughter. We'll see how things go.

Kailani--that's a great idea about the books! And I know she'd love a little grass skirt.

A few years ago I spent a week in Lahaina with my sister and her three small kids. We stayed at Baby Beach. It's at the northern part of Lahaina. Park on Kai Pali Street, just off Front Street. It's not the most beautiful beach but the water is calm and shallow.

We're back from Maui and had a great time! Thanks to everyone for the advice. Maui Revealed was very helpful.

Hopefully, I'll get around to posting a full trip report soon. But I will say that we skipped the train (knew it wouldn't be impressive when we stopped by the post office and there it was crawling by). Loved Kaanapali beach! Stayed at the Hyatt Regency and loved it.

Thanks again everyone!