Customer Reviews

Lonely Planet Oahu

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Before my vacation to Oahu, I researched the various guides to the island. Lonely Planet won over the rest!

Now, after my wonderful trip, I can say that L.P. really knows its stuff! You really get the nitty-gritty on traveling the island, not the typical tourist spots. The guide gave me info on lots of great out of the way locations that made this trip a gem. More importantly, it was very honest about certain locales that should be skipped (they were tour bus mecca though).

With the pronounciation key, I didn't sound like too much of a mainlander. The restaurants recommended were superb and easy to find as well as the shops.

The maps inside the book were essential to driving around the island although to this day I cannot figure out how to get to the Punchbowl Crater (Diamond Head was fab though). I even invested in a large fold-out version of the L.P. map.

The first few chapters give lots of interesting history and pertinent info on Hawaiian life. Throughout the book you will find great little nuggets on various spots and background. This really brings everything to life.

The L.P. guide is not your grandma's idea of a trip to Hawaii! I loved it and so will you (but you can't have mine because I am going back).

I won this trip to Oahu and took two girlfriends along for 14 days. In total we had three guidebooks along.



The Frommers guide was outmoded. We had the 2003 edition thinking things couldn't change so drastically. The Oahu Revealed book was something from the Fifties with washed out yellowed photos of beaches with nobody on them (ha ha ha!).



There were no bumps with the Lonely Planet guide. Driving around the coast was hectic and we relied heavily on their directions for sightseeing. If you only go to see Honolulu I would advise you buy this book and the big oversize map they sell separately.

Lonely Planet Oahu does it up GOOD. We are loyal LP readers and this one carries on their tradition of casual traveling with attention to budget and out of the way finds. For laughs and keen insights and economical ethnic restaurants, my friends and I stand by LPO. Number One for getting out there beyond touristville.

Our seven day vacation went by in such a hurry. This is the book we swore by. Answers its got. We were on our honeymoon and didn't want to hang out in Honolulu every day. All our arrangements were made months ahead but when we got there we could be more spontaneous having this book in the car. For umpteen billion zillion ideas, especially if you've never been to Oahu, we definitely recommend the purchase of this guide. Priceless for knowing where the choice beaches were. Learning to surf on the longboards was a blast. Good job researching Glenda and Ned!

One of their best books. It made getting around Honolulu and the outer shores of the island so simple. The authors dug deep and their expert advice was worth the price of the book many times over. This book opens up the wilder side that most tourists don't bother to visit. I ended up saving so much money on my hotel room and meals that I reticketed my return and stayed an extra week. Good local food at all the restaurants they listed. Couldn't have done it without my buddy Lonely Planet. If it's your first time, explore Honolulu the first few days, then get in your rental car and head on out. There are all the maps you will need inside.

I generally like the Lonely Planet books, and the Oahu book is no exception. The book is relatively current and topical, and to its credit covers not only Honolulu and Waikiki, but also the rest of the island (some other books shortchange everything outside the city, I find.)

I like that the book provides off-the-beaten-path type information, but I do believe that the book is so compact that a lot of useful information has been left out, particularly in the categories of restaurants and lodging. The maps are, of course, fairly small (and black and white) so I recommend getting the excellent Lonely Planet map for island navigation, especially if you are driving.

I think that overall this is a good guidebook, but the organization is sometimes difficult to use. That combined with the relative brevity of restaurant and hotel information caused me to deduct a star from my rating. Overall it is a good guide, and I certainly recommend it, although I have to give the more up to date "Oahu Revealed" guide by Andrew Doughty and Harriett Friedman the edge for user friendliness and completeness of commonly useful information.

I used two books on my visit, the other was Driving and Discovering Oahu. They complimented each other and gave me all the information necessary for a wonderful time. There were no surprises, both books tell it like it is. What a place. In seven days there wasn't enough time to do it justice so I guess I'll have to make it back when the airfare drops again. For restaurant reviews, this one was the best.

It is resourceful, useful and honest (the most important)!!
Thank to it we made a very good plan for our trip!
Recommend!!

Lonely Planet Oahu took us far far away from the maddening crowds of Waikiki. We liked Honolulu but preferred staying in a B and B in Kailua where we could jump in the car and do the tourist thing without bumping into the traffic we saw heading in from the airport. Glenda Bendure is a upbeat traveler. The book features many little extras and tips that perk up the pages. Even if you don't spend or have time to see the whole island, it's worth getting.

This guide was very handy. On our first trip, a second honeymoon, just the ticket.