Lonely Planet Hawaii [Paperback]

Sara Benson (Author), Glenda Bendure (Author), Ned Friary (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lonely Planet Hawaii | Publication Date: April 2003

- all six islands plus Niihau & Kahoolawe in one handy volume
- discover volcano treks, surf schools, manta ray dives & secluded beaches
- where to get 'broke da mouth' (that's good!) meals on any budget

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Hawaii is an extraordinary place - a touch of magic for some people, a dream destination for others. The very name Hawaii rolls off the tongue like a soft tropical breeze. It conjures up images of hula dancers swaying under tropical palms, tanned surfers barreling their way across the waves and, in the background, the alluring twang of a steel guitar, the perfumed scent of ginger blossoms.

Once you arrive in Hawaii, you'll find that those classic and sometimes cliched images really do hold true. You can while away an evening at a luau, catch a sunset cruise, lounge on a beach chair with a frosty pina colada in hand.

But you'll also find much more. You'll find aloha, Hawaii's renowned spirit of hospitality. A vibrant multiethnic culture. And impossibly beautiful landscapes, from red-hot lava surging into the sea to precipitous hillsides dripping with waterfalls and luxuriant vegetation.

No question about it, Hawaii's natural beauty is awesome. Mark Twain fittingly called it 'the loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean.' Although the Hawaii of today is far more developed than the one Twain explored, it nonetheless remains a gem.

The Hawaiian Islands are high and rugged, lushly green and cut by spectacular gorges and valleys. The islands are ringed with beautiful beaches, ranging from bleached white to jet black, and every single one is open to the public. The terrain is amazingly varied, climbing from lowland deserts to Alpine mountaintops, with everything from barren lava flows to tropical rain forests in between.

Hawaii certainly does have the expected mass tourism, high-rise hotels and crowded beaches. But that's only one side of the picture. You can also find scores of tourist-free areas and secluded beaches to explore. There are small dusty towns with cowhands and rodeos, surfer havens with health food stores and small cafes, and little art communities with galleries and workshops.

Hawaii boasts some of the world's top surfing and windsurfing spots and has excellent conditions for snorkeling, swimming, diving, kayaking and most other water sports. And it doesn't matter if you're a novice wanting to jump in and get your feet wet for the first time, or an expert looking for some hot competition, you'll find ideal conditions.

There's great beach weather all year round. Hawaii's climate is unusually pleasant for the tropics, as near-constant trade winds prevail. Much of the time the rain falls as short daytime showers that are accompanied by rainbows.

Hawaii's six main islands all feature lovely beaches and splendid scenery. Their leeward coasts are sunny, dry and desert-like, with white sands and turquoise waters. The mountainous windward sides have tropical jungles, cascading waterfalls and pounding surf. The uplands are cool and green, with rolling pastures and small farms. Despite all that the islands have in common, each also has its own unique characteristics.

Oahu is the most developed of the islands, with Waikiki providing nearly half of the tourist accommodations in Hawaii. Honolulu has all the pluses and minuses of urban life, from good museums and lively nightlife to congested traffic. The state's capital contains wonderful restaurants, with both inexpensive ethnic food and gourmet cuisines. Oahu also has the best surf.

Maui is the second largest and second most developed island, but it still boasts plenty of unspoiled places well off the beaten path. The scenic coastal drive to Hana and the sunrise at Haleakala are two of the island's highlights. Maui is also the best island for watching humpback whales.

The Big Island has two things the other islands don't: snow and erupting volcanoes. There's room to move, with enough space for ranchers, astronomers and traditional fishing villages, as well as alternative communities that have settled on the side of the lava flows.

Kauai has Hawaii's greenest scenery, a deeply cut canyon resembling a mini-Grand Canyon and the famous razorback cliffs of the Na Pali Coast. The least developed of the four largest islands, it's a mecca for hikers, kayakers and other outdoor enthusiasts.

Molokai, the most Hawaiian of the islands, is rural, slow paced and only lightly visited by tourists. Lanai, the smallest island, has recently reinvented itself, changing from a plantation economy based on pineapples to a luxury resort destination.

Overall, Hawaiians are some of the friendliest folks you'll ever encounter. They love to 'talk story,' to tell you about island life and share their experiences. It's not unusual for someone you've just met to strike up a conversation that's as warm and friendly as a chat you'd have with an old friend. As they say in the islands: Lucky you come Hawaii.

Product Details

• Paperback: 552 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 6th edition (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740591429
• ISBN-13: 978-1740591423
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #530,556 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After graduating from college in Chicago, Sara jumped on a plane to the West Coast with just one suitcase and $100 in her pocket. She landed in San Francisco, and today makes her home on the central California coast. She also spent three years living in Japan, after which she followed her wanderlust backpacking around Asia for almost a year before returning to the USA, where she has worked as a teacher, a journalist and a national park ranger. She is an all-seasons outdoor enthusiast.

The author of 50 travel and non-fiction books, Sara's writing has featured in national and international newspapers and magazines, including online content for the Los Angeles Times, National Geographic Traveler and Jetsetter. Sara has written for travel guidebook publishers including Lonely Planet, Frommer's, Compass American Guides (Fodor's), Wilderness Press and Countryman Press.

Her top-three favorite countries (so far, that is) are Nepal, Morocco and Cambodia, but Iceland, Namibia and Vietnam are next on her must-see life list. Back in the USA, her favorite places to hang out include California, Hawaii, Las Vegas and just about any national park. And her most memorable travel experience? Falling off a camel at the edge of the Sahara Desert.

To hear more about Sara's travel adventures, visit her blog at http://indietraveler.blogspot.com or her website at www.indietraveler.net. You can also follow her on Twitter (@indie_traveler) or with her digital iPhone & iPad travel app, Viva Las Vegas, Baby! (www.sutromedia.com/apps/viva_vegas).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Beginner's Guide to Hawaii, October 20, 2003

By 

kirlaykim (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Hawaii (Paperback)

Lonely Planet has always been a trusted resource for traveling, and this HI version did not disappoint. I initially bought the guide hoping that it would give me enough information about the islands as a whole (to help decide which one to visit for my first trip to HI) and yet still contain enough details on each specific island to be an asset once the destination was decided. Once I reached Maui, the book was still thorough enough for that individual island to be a helpful resource on places to eat, visit, and snorkel. While this book fit my needs perfectly as both an overview of all the Hawaiian Islands and a guide to Maui itself, due to the format there isn't a huge amount of depth on some things, like hiking. For future trips I would be tempted to buy an accompanying island-specific guide (we borrowed one and the level of detail was greater).

This book was helpful not only in planning my trip, but an excellent guide once I got there (maps were great). I will definitely use it on my next visit to the islands - Kaui is next on the list!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hawaii - know more than the guides!, March 26, 2006

By 

S. Jha "S. Jha" (NY, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lonely Planet Hawaii (Paperback)

I bought this for my parents. My mother read it before she went on her trip and ended up becoming an unofficial guide on some of their trips. She also had long informative conversations with the actual guides because of the book.

Now, I'm not advocating the book as a substitute for a real history book, but it isn't bad!

Also, the tips were helpful and helped my parents prioritize and figure out where they wanted to go.

Update 2007/2008: Based on my parents' experience, I bought the newest Lonely Planet Guide for my own trip. It was useful and really worth it. Good for reading before you plan your trip - especially if you're interested in when to see the Whales etc. and also good to read when you are considering places to eat. Loved the guide and also loved Hawaii.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for detail, April 3, 2005

By 

Angela Relyea "Angela R" (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lonely Planet Hawaii (Paperback)

As all my Lonely Planet experiences, this book was write on with all the details for Hawaii. I looked to this book for most of our restaurant reservations and more in depth information on the many different towns and areas. No matter how small the town was, Lonely Planet had information on it and where to eat. The only other book we had on our trip was our Eye Witness Travel Hawaii, which helped us narrow down what we saw.