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LAHAINA
• Lahaina
• Whale-hunting
• Food And Nightlife
• Whale-watching
• Hotels in Lahaina
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Hotels in Lahaina
• Hyatt Regency Maui Lahaina from $325.00 USD
• Royal Lahaina Resort Lahaina from $170.00 USD
• Sheraton Maui Resort Lahaina from $347.00 USD
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Vacation Rentals in Lahaina
• Mauian Hotel Lahaina from $139.95 USD
• Kahana Reef Lahaina from $160.00 USD
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The square at the heart of modern LAHAINA is all but filled by a magnificent banyan tree , its aerial roots pushing down into the earth to become sturdy additional trunks. Just in front, in the small harbor, the replica square-rigged Carthaginian houses a lackluster maritime museum (daily 10am-5pm; $4). The Pioneer Inn nearby is Lahaina's main social center, great for a convivial, if not quiet, beer.
Otherwise, a walk up Front Street and back down Wainee Street covers most of what Lahaina has to offer. While it does hold some appealing nineteenth-century buildings, the concentration of tourist shops and fast-food places is phenomenal. The view out to sea, toward the island of Lanai , is a welcome respite. If you have the time, consider taking a ferry there for the day; there's little to see, but the main beach, at Hulopoe Bay, is a delight. Expedition provides five sailings daily, from Lahaina Harbor ($50 round-trip; tel 808/661-3756).
The first whaling ships arrived in Hawaii in 1820, the same year as the mission aries - and had an equally dramatic impact. With the ports of Japan closed to outsiders, Hawaii swiftly became the center of the industry. Any Pacific port of call must have seemed a godsend to the whalers, who were away from New England for three years at a time, and paid so badly that most were either fugitives from justice or just plain mad. Hawaii was such a paradise that up to fifty percent of each crew would desert, to be replaced by native Hawaiians, born seafarers eager to see the world. Soon King Kamehameha IV had established his own whaling fleet, and the economy adapted to meet the sailors' needs. Cattle-raising began on the Big Island, and vegetables were grown on Maui.
Until the 1840s, Honolulu, which permitted drinking, was the whalers' favorite port. Then potatoes and prostitution lured them to Lahaina as well, which by 1857 stretched for several miles. The sea was calm enough for ships to dock along the open road, and a grassy marketplace stood beside a central canal. Both Lahaina and Honolulu soon became notorious for such diseases as syphilis, influenza, measles, typhoid and smallpox.
At the peak of the trade, almost six hundred whaling vessels docked in Honolulu in a single year. Decline came with the Civil War - when many ships were bought up in order to be sunk as a blockade of Confederate ports - and an 1871 disaster, when 31 vessels lingered in the Arctic too long, became frozen in, and had to be abandoned
Lahaina's harborside malls contain a tremendous selection of restaurants, national and local chain outlets and takeout places, not all of them good by any means, but covering a wider spectrum than the hotels.
Cheese Burger in Paradise 811 Front St tel 808/661-4855. Busy, crowded seafront restaurant, perched on stilts above the water. Very much what the name suggests, though as well as meaty $7-8 cheeseburgers they have fish sandwiches and spinach nutburgers at similar prices.
David Paul's Lahaina Grill Lahaina Inn , 127 Lahainaluna Rd tel 808/667-5117. Upmarket dinner-only restaurant with Maui's finest Pacific Rim cooking; it's slightly cramped and unatmospheric, but the food is great.
The Feast at Lele 505 Front St tel 808/667-5353. An inspired cross between a luau and a gourmet restaurant. Each of the five Polynesian courses consists of at least two dishes - a colossal amount of food, but it's excellent and unusual, and the beachfront setting is superb. The $89 charge, though steep, includes unlimited cocktails and other beverages. Reservations are essential. April-Sept Tues-Sat 6pm, Oct-March Tues-Sat 5.30pm.
Pacific 'O 505 Front St tel 808/667-4341. Pacific Rim cuisine served in an attractive oceanfront mall setting; try the amazing $28 Shrimp Nui.
Sunrise Caf? 693A Front St at Market St tel 808/661-8558. Small, laid-back and very central caf?, with outdoor seating beside its own tiny patch of beach. Espressos, smoothies, salads, sandwiches and daily specials, with prices starting at around $6.
The first whaling ships arrived in Hawaii in 1820, the same year as the mission aries - and had an equally dramatic impact. With the ports of Japan closed to outsiders, Hawaii swiftly became the center of the industry. Any Pacific port of call must have seemed a godsend to the whalers, who were away from New England for three years at a time, and paid so badly that most were either fugitives from justice or just plain mad. Hawaii was such a paradise that up to fifty percent of each crew would desert, to be replaced by native Hawaiians, born seafarers eager to see the world. Soon King Kamehameha IV had established his own whaling fleet, and the economy adapted to meet the sailors' needs. Cattle-raising began on the Big Island, and vegetables were grown on Maui.
Until the 1840s, Honolulu, which permitted drinking, was the whalers' favorite port. Then potatoes and prostitution lured them to Lahaina as well, which by 1857 stretched for several miles. The sea was calm enough for ships to dock along the open road, and a grassy marketplace stood beside a central canal. Both Lahaina and Honolulu soon became notorious for such diseases as syphilis, influenza, measles, typhoid and smallpox.
At the peak of the trade, almost six hundred whaling vessels docked in Honolulu in a single year. Decline came with the Civil War - when many ships were bought up in order to be sunk as a blockade of Confederate ports - and an 1871 disaster, when 31 vessels lingered in the Arctic too long, became frozen in, and had to be abandoned
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