Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [299]
Wailuku Guesthouse ( 877-986-8270; www.wailukuhouse.com; 210 S Market St; r $79-99; ) If you’re on a budget and thinking of a private room, you’ll get more bang for your buck at this family-run guesthouse than at the hostels. The simple, clean rooms have a bathroom, private entrance, refrigerator and coffeemaker. Guests have access to a BBQ and pool.
Old Wailuku Inn ( 244-5897, 800-305-4899; www.mauiinn.com; 2199 Kaho′okele St; r incl breakfast $165-195; ) The finest period B&B in Maui, this elegant 1920s home retains the antique furniture and native hardwood floors of earlier times, while discreetly adding modern amenities. Each room is unique, but all are large and comfy with Hawaiian quilts warming the beds. Honeymooners love the ′Ilima Room, with its whirlpool tub right in the bedroom. A very classy place.
Eating
Tom’s Mini-Mart (Map; 244-2323; 372 Waiehu Beach Rd; shave ice $2.50; 7am-6pm Mon-Sat) Search out this friendly neighborhood shop in the middle of nowhere for Maui’s finest shave ice, soft and fluffy. They even make their own fruit syrups, which burst with tropical flavor. You gotta try the mango.
Takamiya Market ( 244-3404; 359 N Market St; takeout meals $4-8; 5:30am-6:30pm Mon-Sat) This old-time grocer specializes in all things Hawaiian. Lunchtime features ahi poke, laulau (steamed bundle made of meat and salted butterfish, wrapped in taro and ti leaves), kalua pig and scores more – wrapped and ready to go.
Sam Sato’s ( 244-7124; 1750 Wili Pa Loop; mains $5-8; 7am-2pm Mon-Sat) Don’t even think of coming during the noon rush – islanders flock here from far and wide for Sam’s saimin-like ‘dry noodles.’ Maui’s top noodle house also makes the most delicious manju (Japanese cakes filled with sweet bean paste), sold for takeout at the counter until 4pm.
Café O’Lei Wailuku ( 986-0044; 62 Market St; mains $7-14; 11am-3pm Mon-Fri & 5-8pm Thu-Sat) Wailuku’s smartest restaurant serves Hawaii Regional Cuisine on par with the best of ‘em. Fish connoisseurs, don’t miss the signature blackened mahimahi topped with fresh papaya salsa; on your next visit, swing for the wasabi-seared ahi, which is also caught locally. Great specialty salads too.
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BEAT YOUR OWN PATH
Ready to get down to some nitty-gritty exploring? Dusty Wailuku offers a bevy of historic treasures. Hawaii’s best-known architect, Maui-born CW Dickey, left his mark in this town before moving on to fame in Honolulu. The c 1928 public library (cnr High & Aupuni Sts) is a classic example of Dickey’s distinctive Hawaii regional design. Another Dickey creation, the Territorial Building, lies right across the street. Within a short walk are four more buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. To discover all the gems in town, pick up a copy of the free Wailuku Historic District walking map at the library or the Bailey House Museum.
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A Saigon Café ( 248-9560; cnr Main & Kaniela Sts; mains $7-20; 10am-9:30pm Mon-Sat, to 8:30pm Sun) The oldest and best Vietnamese restaurant on Maui has such a faithful local following that it’s never even bothered to put up a sign, but it’s well worth the effort to find. You’ll love the food. Start with the green papaya salad, move on to the spicy pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) or perhaps the aromatic lemongrass chicken curry. To get there, take Central Ave to Nani St and turn south on Kaniela St.
Drinking & Entertainment
Café Marc Aurel ( 244-0852; 28 N Market St; 7am-at least 9pm Mon-Sat; ) Proof positive that down-home Wailuku has its hip corners, this ‘green certified’ café brews organic espresso by day and morphs into a wine bar with jazz at night.
′Iao Theater ( 242-6969; www.mauionstage.com; 68 N Market St) This 1928 art-deco theater that once hosted such big names as Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope is now the venue for community theater