Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook [Paperback]

Andrew Doughty (Author), Leona Boyd (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2010 | Series: Maui Revealed

The finest guidebook ever written for Maui and the only one written by a writer who anonymously reviews the island. He visits every beach, restaurant, activity and trail on the island. The result is this comprehensive, humorous and easy-to-read full color guide that will lead you to more adventures than any other book. A must for travelers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 311 pages
• Publisher: Wizard Pubns; 5 edition (June 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0981461034
• ISBN-13: 978-0981461038
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 6 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Travel > United States > Regions > West
  • #2 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Hawaii

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Please Read with Caution, September 4, 2011

By 

Anne Bishop - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook (Paperback)

I've been reading Maui Revealed since the 2nd edition. There are plenty of useful maps, it's well organized and easy to browse and read, colorful with pleasing typography and many photos, and the author's writing style is informal. There's typically little difference between editions, so no need to upgrade if you're only 1 edition out of date. I don't rely on this book for restaurant, activity or hotel advice. In the age of online reviews it really doesn't make sense to listen to a single opinion in that regard. We often travel with kids and grandparents and I need those perspectives too, especially for activities. Instead I rely on urbanspoon for restaurant advice, and tripadvisor for activity and hotel information.

I recommend this book to friends but nowadays tell them to read with caution. The author does well to build your trust in the book. He explains how well he knows the island, how hard he works on the book, and how residents and businesses are at odds with him for "revealing" what he does. The tendency is to trust him implicitly with everything he says because you feel like he's trying to help you have a great vacation. The danger here is that you defer to his guidance on activities that require caution, and there are many cases where he has a somewhat cavalier attitude.

For example, he highly recommends ultra light flights and goes on about how safe they are. If you're in the industry you know that they're actually quite dangerous. He talks about several sites that require going over private property, which I think readers interpret as "the land owner doesn't care that's why he's telling us."

One example that really stands out is his description of the Nakalele blowhole. He has a full page picture of a couple embracing 20 ft from the blowhole as water jets over them. It looks amazing and so exciting. His only warning: "there's no guardrail to stop you from shrinking the gene pool should you use bad judgment and fall into the hole....get as close as common sense dictates." If you look up this attraction on Youtube you'll see why this place can be so dangerous although it's not entirely obvious, especially if you don't understand the ocean. That's where the Guide book author should step in. The blowhole is given the "real gem" stamp and listed as "the best place to see the ocean explode" and "the best hike" in West Maui, so I'm sure it gets plenty of tourists.

So that's the whole point of my review. It's important to use your personal judgment and take responsibility for the safety of your family, and do some extra research about an attraction when needed. We used an iphone app (Maui gps tour guide) on our last trip that did a good job of providing warnings. Perhaps the best thing you can do is talk to island residents at every opportunity.

Speaking of apps, you may be wondering what the difference is between the book and the Maui revealed App. It appears to mirror the book exactly, and add hotel information from the book's website. There are additional photos too but they're small for some reason. If you've never been to Maui the book is the better choice. It's much easier to read and browse through to find information. The App allows you to search for things, but it's out of context, in that it only shows the specific thing you looked for - you can't see the "pages" before or after the excerpt, and in the book those pages often give information relating to what you're looking for. For seasoned Maui travelers, the App is probably all you need, to look up odds and ends.

I haven't tried the Kindle version but this is an example of a book that you need in paper form so that you can page through quickly, and cross reference with maps. Not to mention the photos...

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than 5 stars, July 8, 2011

By 

luvmybrew - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook (Paperback)

I have been buying these guide books since they first were published. They are, by far, the very best. More authors of travel guides should take this approach when reviewing tourist spots. The turn by turn travel directions, along with witty commentary - well, you can't go wrong. Maps are detailed and accurate. Both places that are must-do's, as well as probably-not-worth-it, are covered. Any activity you could ever want to try is reviewed. Food recommendations are spot-on. I have these guide books for several of the islands, and I always buy a new edition before I go since things can change quickly in Hawaii. Don't go to Hawaii without one!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have on your first trip!!, April 4, 2011

By 

C. Tin (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook (Paperback)

I love researching on the internet, but sometimes I just sit there with all your excel spreadsheets and the pile of paper notes and just let out a sigh of all this information I'm trying to organize. Thank god I decided to see if there was a good book out that can solve all my issues.

This book is a god send as it really helped plan my days. Plus it gives a good overview on what to do and what to see. We sadly didn't get to do as much as we hoped (we just laid on the beaches for a few days) but when we go back we will definetly tackle more adventures!

PRO:
Must have, even as a general get you started guide

CON:
Need a better map for driving.