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417 of 446 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The best and worst, May 27, 2004
This review is from: Hawaii the Big Island Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook (Paperback)
This is a hard one to review, because while this and the others in the series are wonderfully organized, expertly written and unbelievably detailed, they also reveal the deepest secrets of the Hawaiian Islands, previously only known to locals. First, the positives. You won't find a better tour book for Hawaii, on or off the islands - period. This goes for every book of the series - Maui, Oahu, Kauai and the Big Island. Doughty and Friedman expertly steer you around the islands, avoiding the crowds and avoiding the tourist traps (like the bike ride down Haleakala). You'll get tons of practical touring strategies, like, for example, on Maui, taking the Road to Hana later in the day and spending the night in Hana so you can have the Seven Pools to yourself for a few hours in the morning. That's just one example from the series; each and every book is loaded with this kind of pragmatism, so even on your first trip you'll feel like a seasoned visitor. Every aspect of your trip is covered in the books, from the sites to see and avoid, the restaurants to hit, the best hotels, camping options, and island history. Every type of traveler from the luxury $1000 per night tourist to the canvas tent hiker will find useful info. More than anything, while realizing how much of Hawaii is truly still hidden to you in the almost uninhabitable reaches of the jungles and volcanic residues, you'll still feel as though you're seeing as much of it as any outsider can see. Now for the bad. Because Doughty and Friedman live on the islands and have explored every hidden waterfall and pool, they are privy to spots on the islands that even many locals are unaware of. And naturally, many of the areas are located on private property. This however, doesn't seem to bother the writers. After giving a detailed description of how to access a remote waterfall on private property (stuff like, "Park on the pull-off a few hundred yards after mile-marker 23, and scale the guardrail. You should see a path that winds down into a bamboo forest. At the bottom of the path, go *left*, not right, away from the river..." etc.), they follow it up with a limp disclaimer, like "Technically, this is Hawaiian Forest and Game property, but we've been hiking on it for years without a problem..." The bottom line is that while the places they tell you to go are private and amazing, by definition these magnificent spots can't last. Because they've been revealed (as the book titles promise), a hidden location that may have previously had only a few dozen visitors per year now gets five or six visitors a day, thus destroying the serenity and privacy of the location, ruining what is the reason for going there in the first place. So it's somewhat of a self-defeating book, since by revealing these remote locations they are also condemning them to extinction. Lastly, these books are quite popular and already the hidden waterfalls and trails are not so hidden. More than once I hiked a mile or two through rough, muddy terrain and rushing rivers to reach a waterfall, where I found a soccer mom, an over-weight dad in flip-flops, and two four-year olds frolicking in the pool, one of the inevitably clutching their copy of "Maui Revealed" or "Oahu Revealed." That sort of detracts from the sense of adventure I built up on the way there. In addition, some of the private property areas that he says have no signs posted now have "Keep Out!" signs posted in response to the hundreds of trespassers following Doughty and Friedman's advice. So be aware that some trails they mention as remote and tolerant of hikers may now be *very* intolerant to trespassers. While this book is an incredible guidebook and you *should* use it to plan your Hawaiian vacation, ultimately, let your conscience be your guide as to where you do and don't venture.
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16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A perfect guidebook, January 1, 2005
This review is from: Hawaii the Big Island Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook (Paperback)
On our first couple trips to the Islands of Aloha, my wife and I saw them on our own. O`ahu, Maui, Kaua`i, Moloka`i, The Big Island; we planned everything we could online and just let each day guide us along. We did all the touristy things and loved it. But we wanted more from our next trip.
Enter Wizard Publications. We found a mention of their books in an online forum and immediately bought them all (one book each for Kaua`i, The Big sland, Maui and, just recently, O`ahu). It was the best decision ever.
These books made it apparent that the islands we had explored previously were still yet undiscovered by us. So we planned a 16-day trip back to Kaua`i and the Big Island. We figured a week on each island would be enough. But the more we read the books, the more we wanted to explore. And the more we wanted to explore, the more we realized a week on each island was not enough. So if there is a negative side for these books it is that they will make you want to stay on the Sandwich Isles longer than your wallet may allow.
In Hawaii The Big Island Revealed, you will find all of the off-the-beaten-path places. The book reveals: Hi`ilawe Falls which is the highest waterfall in all the islands; Waipi`o Valley which is, in our opinion, the most beautiful spot on the Big Island and is a place to which most tourists do not venture but is fully explained on how to reach it; Pololu Valley and Beach is rarely (comparatively speaking) visited (the day we hiked down to this 1-mile long blacksand beach, we had it ALL to ourselves); The lava tube at Pu`uhonua o Honaunau was a joy to explore; Hiking out on the lava fields below Pu`u O`o and seeing and touching (with a stick) the red hot flowing lava was a blast; Going to the top of Mauna Kea and watching the the sunset and then stargazing (you never knew there were so many stars); Seeing a greensand beach; The list goes on and on and on.
It's needless to say but we had to cut our things-to-do list down to manageable amount for the first trip with the books. But we have since returned to the islands with their guidebooks in-hand. Once again, it seems like a new place. And if we ever manage to see all of things they've written in these books, I'm sure it will be time to start it all over and enjoy it again.
If you're terrible with directions, worry not. The included maps with solid reference points noted will keep even the most directionless person from getting lost.
If you're wondering about that hotel you want to book for your stay, be sure to check their revue in the book. They do anonymous and unannounced reviews of just about every major hotel on the island. Since nothing is given to them for free to review, they write truly honest reviews. As a matter of fact, they brag in the book that some of the review-ees would like to pay to keep their names from being mentioned since the brutal honesty stings badly.
The book also describes (maps and all) many hiking trails with scenery that will be seared into your memory (unlike John Kerry, you will remember these vividly). The images will last a lifetime.
Restaurant reviews are also included. But we have found some of the nicely reviewed places to be a little off-key. Besides, restaurants are always hit or miss and can change dramatically with just a slight change in staff.
They also provide many links on their website to keep everything up-to-date. As well, you can review aerial photos of the major cities to verify that the hotel you want to stay at is truly ocean front.
If you are the outdoors-type that loves hiking and adventuring AND you want to do more on the Big Island than sit by the pool of your hotel sipping Mai-Tais or taking a few cattle-prodded tours on big buses, you really need to buy this book. You will not be disappointed.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Only "Big Island" book you need!, July 18, 2005
This review is from: Hawaii the Big Island Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook (Paperback)
Buy this book if you are planning a trip to the Big Island. You will want to plan your trip based on the authors' inside tips of places to see. These authors really know the turf and they share their opinions (good and bad) freely. My husband and I recently returned from two weeks on the island and the authors' commentary was on the mark in every instance. We had 4 different travel books, but after the first few days, we just relied on "Revealed". We would have missed many neat adventures without this book.
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