Hi

Both the Polo Beach Club and Makena Surf are right on the beach. Polo Beach Club shares a beach with the Fairmont Kea Lani hotel - whose shops and cafe are convenient.

Barbara,
I also like the location of the Polo Beach Club. Be careful in the ocean, though. A man from my home state (Oregon) drowned there last week when he got caught in a rip current. You would probably just be playing in the surf close to shore, right? Condos that are on terrific beaches are Elua Village and Ekahi Village. These are both large complexes, and many units are quite a hike to the beach. Elua is a bit more upscale, but I like the large family-friendly beachfront pool at Ekahi. If possible, consider finding a "by owner" rental, or one from an agency where you can see photos of the specific unit and it's location in the complex. A good site is the South Maui Condo Owners website. There are maps of all the properties showing where the units are in relation to the pools and ocean. Hopefully, this link will take you there:
www.mauiownercondos.com

I have sent out a few inquiries about condos at VRBO. Availability is limited during the period we need, but so far, I have responses from Grand Champion, and a ground floor unit at Polo. The latter is less expensive than usual for the property, but I could then let my little boy run out from the lanai--could be a good or a bad thing! Not much, if anything available at Elua, but quite a bit at Grand Champions and Palms, one thing at Maui Meadows. Any thoughts about these properties, and how they would be for a child? We love upscale, but don't want to break the bank either...
Barbara