Customer Reviews

Hawaii the Big Island Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This book truly is the only guidebook you'll ever need. We used this book to plan every part of our vacation from where to stay, what to eat, where to snorkel, what helicopter to go on, and what sights to see. The most important thing about this book is that authors give you their recommendations... it's not just a list of a million hotels and activities, and you have no idea which one to pick. They'll tell you which ones are bad and which ones are good, and why. I have disagreed in the past with their recommendations, but everyone has a different opinion, and I would not go to Hawaii without theirs. I used their Maui book last year, and I have their Kauai book in my shopping cart even as I type this. Their photographs are wonderful and are all taken from places that a tourist can get to, not from places that you need special access to get to. They publish updates on the website about places that have closed, accesses that have changed (i.e. things they thought were on public land, but turned out not to be.) I also love the little tidbits of information about the history of certain places and why they are interesting/important. And they review each hotel, restaurant, and activity as a tourist -- meaning they don't announce themselves as tour book writers when they go in so that they may receive special treatment. They act like they are average Joes, so they get treated like everyone else... and if the treatment's bad... they let you know about it. The maps in the book are extremely helpful, with the mileage markers, it makes it real easy to find things. The only thing I wish is that they would take all the maps (in the same detail that they are in), and fit them all together in a foldout map because sometimes it's hard to see how one piece of map connects to another other. All in all, great book and a must-have!

We can't thank you enough for our wonderful, informative trip to the Big Island. Your book was absolutely a "must" for us. Especially helpful were the use of mile markers and maps. We loved your humor while writing and appreciated your honest opinions. Volcano Nat'l. Park is doing a disservice to their visitors by not selling your book within the Park. However, I did notice that most places outside of the park had your book available.

It is hard to decide which one of your "must see" and "real gems" pleased us the most because we loved them all. However, I must mention the delight we discovered when we got to the Queen's Bath north of Ai'opio Beach. We thought we were in heaven when we found the "scads" of turtles you talked about at Ai'opio Beach and then we came to the Bath! We were the only ones there and since we had our bathing suits on we couldn't resist the opportunity to go into the refreshing cool water and enjoy the solitude.

On our next visit to Kauai we will definitely purchase your other book.

Your book never left our hands while sight-seeing. Thanks for all of the time and effort you put into publishing a book that is a "must" for anyone going to the Big Island. Your talent of writing was our gain and we applaud you.

This book is right on! We rented a 4wheel drive and found every out of the way, unoccupied beach on the big island! (When the author says nasty 4 wheel drive road, he means it!) We found some incredible places we would never have known about (which is why they are deserted!) and the driving directions were spot on- very easy to follow. I read the book cover to cover before we went-- it was the very first guide book I ever really READ- full of very funny insights- others are so boring, and frequently out of date before they are published. I appreciated the updates post-publishing which were available on the webpage. The restaurants suggested had wonderful food, service was great when he said it would be, no problems. I also appreciated the advice on what places to avoid. The book was well organized, and easy to follow. Really enjoyed the adventures section - Would never have thought of a Night dive to see Manta Rays-- that was really unforgettable!

Overall, I would not want to vacation in Hawaii without one of these books. Thanks for the GREAT Guide

This book took us off the beaten track with unbeatable experiences. It had us driving over crazy lava fields to get to a volcanically heated swiming hole, face to face with four dozing turtles! In the past we've paid lots of money for guides to take us to see turtles. With this book we felt like adventure explorers doing it on our own. It also guided us to an unbelivably unique snorkling area in Puna with lots of crazy coral--totally unlike anything I've ever seen in Hawaii. Just a few locals swimming around.

HOWEVER it is a pain to navigate around this book--it seems like stuff is sprinkled all over the place. By all means read it in advance of setting out, marking the pages you'll have to flip back and forth between . That's the only reason i give it 4 stars.

Just got back from six weeks in Hawai'i, and three of those weeks on the Big Island. Not wanting to miss anything, I bought the guides by Lonely Planet, Moon, Frommers and this book by Doughty because a friend recommended it. First, in the book Hawai'i the Big Island Revealed, the maps are all in color! The pictures are all in color! There is a picture of each beach recommended! It was uncanny the accuracy and the helpful information in the book. At first, just started out using all 4 books at the same time and just flipping from one to the next. That lasted about two days. After it became apparent the other guide books just seemed to be lacking on information, or not even mentioning some things, or simply inaccurate, that plan was scrapped and I decided to stow them in the trunk and forgot about them. The Big Island Revealed was far and away the best book of the group. Since they have a website that is continually updated for those who buy the book, each night I would check the website for updates for the next days itinerary. No other guidebook series does that! The comparison charts rating the different scuba diving operations, and WHY, was very helpful. The same goes for the helicopter tours and all the other actitivies. Nothing was left out that I could think of. Several times I was at a site or doing an activity, and a local learned from me something about the place. Beware though...some of the business owners on the island don't like to see this book in your hands because they have been "called" on their bad practises. But then, you will know they have had a problem before you walk in the door if you read the book. Some business owners who did seem to give great value and service, noted how they never knew the author was in their operation. It was interesting also that this book was obviously the most prominent book for sale all over the island itself. Many places it was the only one. I spoke to several National Park Rangers at Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park...they all agreed it was the best book around for the Island of Hawaii. The author is so concerned about getting it "right", he doesn't use 20 year old "chamber of commerce" photos readily available anywhere for any location. He took the photos himself (actually pretty good with a camera) and even bought and learned to fly an ultra-light so that he could get around easier and get better photographs of beaches, waterfalls, etc.
I would sell the other guide books to my local used-book store, but I would feel guilty about somebody buying them and then using them.
Can't wait to get the Oahu Revealed book when it is published in October. I am going back in Dec/Jan so I will take it and only it.

We recently returned from Big Island, the house we were staying in had this book. Thank God! This book is excellent, well written, easy to follow and honest. So many of the places it refers you to, you would never find without it. Just make sure you have a passenger along to read while you drive. Place of Refuge was the most beautiful place I have ever seen, a must see. Walk out to the water, we found several turtles in the tide pools along the black rock coast. I just finished planning a trip to Oahu and came on to buy oahu version....ENJOY!

We had planned our wedding on the Big Island of Hawaii and gave each family that attended a gift from us of the book "Hawaii the Big Island Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook (3rd Edition)." What a perfect gift to give! They raved about all the information, tips, funny humor, and great maps that were at their finger tips. The book provided information on more than just the general tourist spots. Best of all they will have the book for lasting memories of the adventures they took and more adventures to be had in the future.