My family is heading to Maui on Wednesday. We are very excited but most of my trips to Hawaii have been to Oahu and I haven't been to Maui since I was in middle school! I was hoping to glean some information from all the travelers on this board.

1) For those who have been there before, what were your favorite beaches? Any beautiful spots that can't be missed?

2) We will have a small kitchen at our Westin Villa, but still would like to eat one or two meals out a day. We will have a two and five year old with us, so we don't have much of an interest in the super expensive restaurants unless they have great happy hour/appetizer specials. Anyone have restaurant recommendations beyond what I read in the Revealed book? Any not to be missed restaurants? Places with killer Mai Tais?

3) We plan on doing the road to Hana, the sunrise at the crater, and a luau. Anything else we should consider? We'll be there eight days.

I just read reviews yesterday of the Plantation House at Kapalua Resort (just north of where you're staying) and a lot of people commented on the great Mai Tais -- I don't think it's a place for kids, though.

On Drinking Made Easy, Lamprey headed to Mala Ocean Tavern in Lahaina (not far from Ka'anapali) for Mai Tais and they looked wonderful. They have happy hour from 3o-4:30 daily. It's more child friendly than Plantation House (which, BTW, is really fantastic).

I love Mala and it's on my "must eat" whenever I'm in Maui (will arrive Friday!), but I am not a fan of Mai Tais so I can't comment on them personally.

beanweb, where's Mala? We're headed to Maui at the end of next month.

And do you know anything about their other Front St. place, Honu?

Plantation house has a beautiful view, go for breakfast.

http://malaoceantavern.com/ 1307 Front Street. It's TINY but great. Honu is new to me - I might have to check that out!!

I *love* Plantation House...but is that a good spot (even for breakfast) for a 2 and 5 year old? It always seems very old school and formal to me.

Plantation House is on the golf course, players in shorts, baseball hats etc. It is not formal or old school during the day, just a golf course restaurant. A very good one.

I love Blackrock beach in front of the Sheraton Blackrock near to the Westin. The snorkeling there is fantastic and the beach is easy entry, even when we went in November - no high surf. On the other hand, Makena Beach in Wailea, which is extremely wide with a vast expanse of sand, had super high surf which made swimming difficult(but this may not be an issue while you are there). But it such a beautiful beach and because it was so big, it didn't have a crowded feeling to it.

I think those activities you have listed are great! Another option would be to visit I'ao needle, which is in central Maui. A small parking fee gives you access to a short very easy trail and beautiful picturesque views of the mountains and the "needle". Best part is that you don't need to spend a lot of time here, unlike Haleakala or Road to Hana which are usually half to full day affairs because of travel time etc. Oh and when you do go to Haleakala it may be worth your while to visit some of the upcountry places - like the Sufing Goat Dairy, or the Lavender farm. And lunch at Hali'imaile General store is lovely.

I am not a huge mai tai drinker so I don't know which one is best, but I thought that Hula Grill and Duke's (both on the Kaanapali side) were nice upscale but still family-friendly places. For something cheaper, Zippy's or Sam Sato's are extremely family friendly but they are in Central Maui so only worth it to go there if you happen to be driving along there (they are close to the airport and on the way to crater and RTH).

Hope this helps and enjoy your trip!

One of my favorite beaches is Malauka Beach in Makena. The Makena Beach Resort front this beach. Lots of turtles most of the time and the snorkeling is very good.

Dan at Valley Isle Excursions

You might be already on the island but here is some info for other parents of small children visiting Maui.

We have keiki your age and so we got a pretty good idea of what you might enjoy. Ours don't really sit through their own meals much less allow us to sit and relax for ours. We tend to do a lot of picnics on the beach, at parks or on playgrounds because they just have too much energy. Grabbing some great plate lunch is a cheap and great option to experience Maui's local food scene. Finding some really nice restaurants and getting them to make us a picnic basket is always fun for all of us. It's also an inexpensive way to eat really well too if you have your own drinks and deserts.

Kids love rides. They love them even more when neither parent is controlling the vehicle they are riding on. Don't underestimate the value of sugar cane train, Maui bus and any tour, on land or on water. If it's on water, be sure that they have a stop for swimming. We can't keep our kids dry if water is within sight, let alone reach.

Take a morning to check out Paia and visit Baby beach in the little village of Sprecklesville. Perfect conditions for kids to play most mornings, afternoons it gets windy.