KAANAPALI , just a few miles north of Lahaina but reliably cooler, was never a town; fields of sugar cane here were replaced in the 1960s by high-rise hotels and condos, each no doubt comfortable enough but soulless en masse. Besides several perfect family beaches - swimming and snorkeling are best at Black Rock , in front of the Sheraton - the main attraction is the whaling museum in the Whalers Village mall (daily 9.30am-10pm; free). Grisly but fascinating exhibits include a cast-iron "try pot," used for reducing whale blubber at sea; such pots gave rise to the stereotyped but not entirely untrue image of cannibals cooking missionaries in big black cauldrons.

A free shuttle bus connects Kaanapali with Lahaina, and a trolley operates within the resort. The warnings of the car rental companies concerning the sinuous Kahekili Highway , which on the map looks like a good route to continue on around northwest Maui and back to Wailuku, should be taken seriously; it's an exceptionally dangerous drive. Two of Maui's most famous surfing spots, at Mokuleia Bay and Honolua Bay, are a few miles along, however, before the road gets too hair-raising.

Kaanapali

• Kaanapali

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