Fodor's Hawaii 2005 (Fodor's Gold Guides) [Paperback]

Amanda Theunissen (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Fodor's Gold Guides | Publication Date: August 24, 2004

Hit the beach and snorkel amid the coral reefs of a sunken volcanic crater, take a road trip past lava deserts and steaming craters, belly up to a 180-foot seafood buffet in Waikiki, or hit the links on the slopes of Mt. Olomana —Fodor's Hawaii 2005 covers all these experiences and more! From the Big Island to Maui, our local writers have traveled throughout Paradise, to find the best hotels, restaurants, attractions and activities to prepare you for a journey of stunning variety. Before you leave for Hawaii, be sure to pack your Fodor's guide to ensure you don't miss a thing.

The San Francisco Chronicle sums it up best —"Fodor's guides are saturated with information."

-New compact trim size make these guides even more portable
-Two-color interior design makes it easier to find the information you need
-Fodor's Choice Ratings flag must-see sights and hidden treasures
-Hotel and restaurant reviews cover all budgets
-Plus multi-day itineraries to help you build the right trip for you and/or your family

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by resident writers and experts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Fodor's Travel Publications (August 24, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400013976
• ISBN-13: 978-1400013975
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,077,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT VALUE, July 1, 2005

By 

Vicki Schott "byebyebaby" (South Portland, Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fodor's Hawaii 2005 (Fodor's Gold Guides) (Paperback)

I have to give Fodor's Hawaii a Gold Star. We traveled to Lanai and Maui and Kauai with our golf group and as the days passed we all got a chance to read each other's guidebooks. All of us agreed that this was way over the top for QUALITY and insider tips. Theunissen pulls out all the stops and I'm just rereading it now that I'm home and still find places I want to return to and spend time. Make sure you get the latest copy. They come out with a new one every year.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for Drivers, August 19, 2005

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fodor's Hawaii 2005 (Fodor's Gold Guides) (Paperback)

This book is a decent guide for trip planning in Hawaii. For each island, there is a general introduction to geography, climate, and history, a map, and a listing of greatest places to visit. Next come suggested itineraries for varying lengths of times, for example, 1 day, 3 days, or 8 days. The main section of each chapter consists of specific suggestions for things to do and places to stay and eat for localities on the island, together with more detailed maps. Relative measures of costs for the recommended hotels and eateries are noted, as well as addresses, phone numbers, and web sites where available. Notes about sports, theater, and shopping are also included. At the end of the chapters are more tips about such topics as airport arrivals, transfers, and transportation, car rental, and sight-seeing tours.

At the end of the book is a collection of articles covering more general information about the state. This section includes a brief overview covering topics from geology, to mythology, to fashion (the famous Aloha shirt). Next is a listing of books and films to enjoy before you visit, then a historical chronology, some general travel information about Hawaii (business hours, car rental rules, what to pack, safety tips, taxes, climate, holidays, etc.). There is also a introduction to Hawaiian phrases, a menu reader, and an index. Metric conversion tables are printed inside the back cover, and vacation checklists inside the front cover. There is a set of color plates covering all the islands at the very beginning of the book.

One of the particular strengths of this guide when compared to others is that it often provides estimated driving times for routes across the islands or to particular attractions. This can be incredibly helpful for trip planning, since it gives you a gauge of what activities might be possible to fit into a single day, or how long to allow to get from one place to another. The suggested itineraries are also quite useful-even if you don't plan to follow them, they do provide a starting point for planning your own itineraries. While this guide book doesn't specialize in pointing out the cheapest places to stay and eat, there are some possibilities listed for all budgets, and including the web addresses is quite useful.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I like the restaurant section, September 2, 2005

By 

J. J. Zaca - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fodor's Hawaii 2005 (Fodor's Gold Guides) (Paperback)

I swam through the pages while relaxing by the hotel pool. I always like the restaurant reviews and we went to quite a few nice places. For Fodor readers you can expect the same ol same ol. They don't go off the deep end and are rather conservative with their outings. Sampling the restaurants and keeping the listings current is their strong suit.