Maui with Kids

Making the Most of Your Hawaiian Vacation

By Amy Carey

Getting comfortable with Maui may be as easy as finding a local park or playground to visit – they may find a park on the island reminds them of home (even if you would rather be sunbathing). Try to spend some time each day doing something familiar like sliding down the slide or swinging on the monkey bars to offset the uncertainty of other vacation activities. If a park doesn't suit your family, what about convening at your hotel room each day to watch a favorite cartoon or read a particular story and have a snack?

You can buy most anything on Maui that you might forget, from toothbrushes to strollers. But it is sometimes harder to find these items as easily on Maui as you might back home. Umbrella strollers, for instance, are available at Wal-mart, but the 45-minute drive from Kaanapali to Kahalui is probably last on your list of must-do activities. Sunscreen and diapers are readily available almost anywhere on the island but expect to pay a premium.

You can save money and be sure to avoid midnight trips to the convenience mart – or worse, hotel gift shop – if you throw in extras of items you'll need daily. Things to leave home: sand toys or other bulky beach objects. Maui has plenty of inexpensive shops that stock beach essentials that won't fit easily into your suitcase (and you probably won't need once you return to the mainland anyway). Ask your hotel concierge if they collect these items for other families to use – or if they loan out anything you may have forgotten to bring.

Before you leave for Maui, decide which locations you'd most like to visit and try to stay in a hotel or condo that will require as little driving as possible. Parents are nearly unanimous when describing the most stressful part of a Hawaiian vacation with young children – riding in the car.

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