Shopping and eating

[Lakey Family]

Ok, we will be on the POA 1/2/2005. We will also be precruise for 2 days in Waikiki. Which ports/cities/areas have great places to do touristy type shopping? Also, where are some of the better places to eat breakfast/lunch/dinner (both cheap and not so cheap)?

 

Thanks for your help,

Tom

[love my horse]

Lahaina has the most shopping and tourist oriented stores of the islands. The shops at Kauai, while within walking distance of the ship, are nothing great. Kona doesn't have much. Hilo doesn't have much. Eat at Mamma's Fish House on Maui (expensive) for lunch or dinner. Try A Pacific Cafe on Kauai for dinner (expensive). Duane's Burgers on Kauai (cheap) are quite good. On the right after Kappa'a, near the post office.

[spleen93]

Regarding food: see this old post ...

 

Spleen

[JudyOh]

Mama's Fish House is excellent, I would go at lunch, the setting is fabulous and you would miss this at dinner. It is expensive, but we throughly enjoyed it. It is in Paia, the town before the road to Hana. Also, in Lahania, Kimos and Lahaina Fish Company,:) just north in Kaanapali there is the Hula Grill and Leilani's (don't leave without trying their Hula Pie). If you are looking for good entertainment, in Lahaina Warren and Annabelle, sleight of hand magic, he is very good and also a great entertainer. Have fun!

[Lakey Family]

Spleen,

 

I saw that post but it seemed very Oahu centric. I would like some suggestions for each island, especially for lunch. Also looking for good cheaper food in Waikiki.

 

Thanks,

Tom

[JudyOh]

In Lahina there is Cheeseburger in Paradise, lots of different kinds of burgers, salads etc, not the cheapest I've ever eaten lunch, but for Hawaii, prices not too bad. Also, we had a portable cooler with us, and we would stop at Subway (they are everywhere in Hawaii and are open at 7am) and pick up a couple of sandwiches and when we were out riding and saw a beautiful spot for a picnic we would stop and eat. Worked out real well for us. Food in Hawaii is high, even just sandwiches you are looking at $10/$15.

[JudyOh]

Forgot in Hilo there is Ken's Pancake House, it's not just pancakes, he is open 24/7 and has lunches and dinners. Very reasonable and good.

[spleen93]

Tom - how adventurous are you in your eating habits? The closer you get to "local" food, the cheaper the food gets. The more set you are on typical mainland food, the more expensive it'll tend to be (outside of fast food joints). "good" "cheaper" and "Waikiki" are words that generally do not go well together. Having said that, most restaurants will be cheaper during lunch than for dinner. The Wailana Coffee Shop on Ala Moana Blvd is generally pretty cheap and is an island institution. Cheeseburger in Paradise is pretty good in Waikiki as well. Cheesecake Factory in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center is not exactly cheap but given the sheer quantity of food involved, if you have a refrigerator in your hotel/condo and can stretch it into 2 meals, works out pretty good. Tiki's in the Aston Waikiki Beach is open for lunch and is not a bad deal at that time (somewhat cheaper at those times). You're still looking though around $10-15 dollars or so for lunch at most of these places. To get cheaper (in the $5-7 range) you'll need to get out of Waikiki or rely on fast food (which isn't all that cheap either in Waikiki). The food court in Ala Moana Shopping Center actually has surprising variety, the food is reasonably priced, and fairly decent all around (some choices are better than others).

 

Maui is somewhat more difficult since you'll be docking in Kahului. Off the ship, not much choice within walking distance. Across the dock is Maui Mall with some local food places but nothing that I'd go out of my way to recommend. If you have a car, the Maalaea Grill in (where else?) Maalaea (where the whale watching tours go out of and where Maui Ocean Center is) is very good and is reasonable for lunch (I think it was around $8-10 for lunch) - very decent for a nice sitdown place with a great view of the harbor (it's an off shoot of one of my favorite low cost restaurants on the island - Cafe O Lei). Stillwell's Bakery between Kahului and Wailuku has some great gourmet sandwiches - love their sandwiches here. Moana Bakery and Cafe in Paia (at the beginning of the Road to Hana) also has some great food for lunch and dinner and the prices are reasonable ($10-20 range). There are some other places in the area that I really like but hesitate to recommend since it usually does require some degree of comfort with Asian food. Maui is very good at doing high-end dining though - great places as mentioned earlier in this thread include Mama's Fish House, Spago's in the Four Seasons, Sansei in Kapalua, and Haliimaile General Store along with the *3* branches of Roy's Restaurant that exist on Maui.

 

Hilo/Kona I'll leave to people that know the area better. Kauai is iffy for me as well - but HAVE to recommend Hamura's for lunch (it's mentioned in the Ilima Awards as well). Can't get cheaper, terrific noodle dishes - it's a hole in the wall and the atmosphere is nothing to write home about (or maybe that's what makes it good?) but the value is off the scale. Hard to find though - you'll need to have a car and either a good map or good directions from a local to get to it.

 

HTH

 

Spleen