On a recent trip we were somewhat disappointed with upscale Whalers Village, 2435 Kaanapali Pkwy. (tel. 808/661-4567). Although it offers everything from whale blubber to Prada and Ferragamo, it is short on local shops and parking at the nearby lot is expensive. The complex is home to the Whalers Village Museum with its interactive exhibits and 40-foot sperm whale skeleton, but shoppers come for the designer thrills and beachfront dining. You can find most of the items featured here in the shops in Lahaina and can avoid the parking hassle and the high prices by skipping this "not-worth-the-time-or-money" shopping center.

Our favorite shoe store, Sandal Tree, has its third store in Whalers Village. (you can skip Whaler's Village and shop at the other 2 stores, 1 at Hyatt Regency Maui and the other, Grand Wailea Resort in Wailea). Martin & MacArthur, a mainstay of the village, offers a dizzying array of Hawaii crafts: Hawaiian-quilt cushion covers, jewelry, soaps, books, and a stunning selection of woodworks. The always wonderful Lahaina Printsellers has a selection of antique prints, maps, paintings, and engravings, including 18th- to 20th-century cartography, all of which offer great browsing and gift potential. You can find award-winning Kimo Bean coffee at a kiosk, an expanded Reyn's for aloha wear, and Cinnamon Girl, a hit in Honolulu for its matching mother-daughter clothing. The return of Waldenbooks makes it that much easier to pick up the latest bestseller on the way to the beach. Once you've stood under the authentic whale skeleton at the Whale Center of the Pacific, you can blow a bundle at Tiffany, Prada, Chanel, Ferragamo, Vuitton, Coach, Dolphin Galleries, The Body Shop, or any of the more than 60 shops and restaurants that have sprouted in this open-air shopping center. The posh Euro trend continues; despite obvious efforts to offer more of a balance between island-made and designer goods, the chain luxury stores still dominate.

Other mainstays: The Eyecatcher has an extensive selection of sunglasses; it's located just across from the busiest ABC store in the state. Pizza Paradiso has taken over the former Maui Yogurt Company and sells ice cream and smoothies in a food court of other dine-and-dash goodies, such as the terrific Japanese fare of Ganso Kawara Soba, a noodle's length away. Whalers Village is open daily from 9:30am to 10pm.