Customer Reviews

No Worries Hawaii: A Vacation Planning Guide for Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island

5 star:		(24)
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3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In my work at Guide to Travel Guides, we concentrate on finding excellent travel books from smaller publishers, books that travelers may not yet be familiar with. No Worries Hawaii, newly published in late 2007, is just such a book. Really a travel planning guide without peer. Its 160 pages are fabulous stuff, chocked full of helpful information and some of the loveliest color photos around. If you play ball with the Sprouts, they'll help you zero in on the greatest island vacation you've ever had. The Sprouts are veterans of the Hawaii guidebook scene. Their deservedly much-praised Trailblazer series includes four titles on the islands of Hawaii: Kauai Trailblazer, Maui Trailblazer, Oahu Trailblazer, and Hawaii the Big Island Trailblazer, all of which focus on outdoor activities of every kind: walks, hikes, bicycle rides, snorkeling, driving tours and on and on. In No Worries Hawaii they use their expertise to help you decide the type of vacation you want, the setting you want, the activities you value most, and where best to find them. Moving from an armchair voyage in which you envision and clarify your wants and needs to a clever, simple self-test to help you prioritize your wish list, No Worries Hawaii then relates all this homework you've done to a highly detailed, 36-category Best of Hawaii section. If you spend the time, the system really works. If you are too lazy, just focusing on the Best of Hawaii section, plus a good look at the Best of Hawaii scoreboard to see which island ranks highest for your needs will take you a long way toward paradise. Practical information abounds, with lots of money saving advice and a wonderfully detailed "Wiki Wiki Phonebook" for all the contact information you'll ever need. This is one great travel planning guide--if only other travel destinations had something this good.

This book is terrific for preplanning a trip to Hawaii. The author gives great descriptions of the islands and their attractions but what makes this an outstanding book is his approach to planning your trip. There is an analysis of the different type of travelers and an overview of lodging styles. The best section is his `test' of your interests to determine which island has the sights that really matter to you. He includes everything from picnicking to snorkeling to religious shrines to volcano watching to horseback riding and more. With his lists, I was able to prioritize what I wanted to see and what islands to visit. It also told me where I needed a rental car and where I did not. He has a lot of helpful telephone numbers and beautiful photographs. If you want a lot of detail about hotels and activities, I would go online. But, if you want to look at the big picture first and get your bearings, start with this book.

For anyone contemplating a trip to Hawaii this is hands down THE best guide on the market. No other books even come close. Not sure which islands to visit? This book is invaluable in helping you make that decision. Not sure what to do or where to go when you get there? This book will give you all the details. It gives a great overview of all the islands, plus all the specifics you will need for each island. Beautifully organized, clearly written, and with gorgeous photos, this guide will be a trusted companion for your first or many visits to America's enchanted isles. Must see places, great beaches, hikes and mountain bikes, swimming, surfing, snorkeling, golf courses, resorts, restaurants, whale watching, helicopter rides, you name it and this book has it ALL. Plus great travel advice and many little known or off the beaten path places to go and things to do. I've made many trips to Hawaii, and used many guidebooks, and this is the one I wished I had at the beginning. Even old hands will find this an invaluable tool in finding new places to see and things to do. A must buy.

The collaborative work of Jerry and Janine Sprout, "No Worries Hawaii: A Vacation Planning Guide For Kauai, Oahu, Maui, And The Big Island" is a single volume, superbly organized, beautifully illustrated, informed and informative guide for planning memorable trips throughout the Hawaiian islands whether for business or for pleasure, whether as a day trip, a week end getaway, or an extended vacation. Organized into five major sections (The Armchair Voyage; Da Plan! Da Plan!; The Elements of Island Style; The Best of Hawaii; and Wikiwiki Phonebook), "No Worries Hawaii" is enhanced with a section in which travelers can record their own notes, an index, and a listing of other Trailblazer Travel Books available from the Diamond Valley Company. Anyone planning a trip to Hawaii should begin with browsing through a copy of "No Worries Hawaii" to insure that their itinerary will provide them with the very best that Hawaii has to offer as their time and budgetary limitations will allow.

I only wish we had read this before our first trip to Hawaii three years ago. We just got back from two weeks in Hawaii, one week on Maui and one week on Kauai.

Having the No Worries in the car sure was handy. We depended on it for diving and hiking and just getting around to see the sights in general. It has the most amazing information, tips you wouldn't ever think about. All the beaches on Kauai and Maui were categorized as to what they were best for. Nothing was hard to find because they have location maps and the major road circles the island, getting lost was almost impossible.

Both islands were so different, Kauai was more casual and more open to hikers like us. The Powerline Trail was glorious, tough in places but worth every step. Maui had the beaches and we followed the book's pictures to the big wild ones. If you are going to Hawaii, pick up this one first.

This is the second in their series that we own and covet. The pages cover the big picture of what the Hawaiian Islands are all about and delivers what it promises: no worries. There are plenty of tips on economizing on accommodations, planning the daily itinerary. I'd compare it to a huge gift basket of the best there is about Hawaii.

No other book that I could find has as many activities categorized according to island or is so useful. For first timers, we recommend getting it weeks before you go. You'll need all the information it contains and enjoy scads of beautiful photographs! It's all intelligently organized for independent travelers like us. BTW: Their "wikiwiki phonebook" in the back is a great resource for all things local. Wandering around the internet can be confusing; this book helps you focus in.

Based on six full-mark reviews from other Amazon readers, I rushed right out and bought this last night hoping to find some new treasures to include in my trip to Hawaii next month.
I found this book not only remarkably thin in terms of length (160 pages) but very thin on value.
This is a very eccentric book that takes some getting used to. There is marginal research and very subjective advice given, especially in the 'you might want to miss...' category.
For example, the authors suggest tourists might want to skip the Big Island's Pahoa district. Huh? This is one historical place you do NOT want to miss if you like sacred sites, interesting hikes and cool, off the beaten path cafes and restaurants.
I am stunned that in the area of 'inspiring churches and holy places' which covers two whole pages, Molokai's magnificent St. Philomena's church at Kalaupapa is not rated a passing mention. In the category of 'top hotels' the Manele Bay and The Lodge are given [predictable] top honors for Maui -yet they're on the island of Lanai!! See what I mean by subjective?
Only swanky hotels are mentioned here, no restaurants, so this is a limited book. For three bucks less, you'll get much better value and and way better advice in the almost double-size, 303 page, chock-full Hawaii "Revealed" series by Andrew Doughty and Harriet Friedman. Leave your "Worries" at home.

We first checked out a copy at our library then realized we had to own it. The amount of information they've fit into this book is astounding, all in one place for easy reference while there and at home during our planning sessions. iI totally outperforms all the other guides because it's part of a series that specializes on Hawaii. They have a book for every island that zeroes in with directions to the famous and not-so-famous locals' favorites. The tips are essential so are the bewares. After several cover to cover reads we were prepared for take-off. You will like the way it's organized. No regrets, total package worth the small price.

We studied the internet but the sites are so peppered with ads and links to tour companies we couldn't make heads or tails what was valid. This was our first visit. Recommended in a travel newsletter we subscribe to, this guidebook is the Rolls Royce of planners. Reading it in advance was definitely our smartest vacation move. Expect beautiful color photographs and loads of sound advice.

Jerry and Janine Sprout's No Worries Hawaii is an essential guide for exploring on foot, by bike or by paddle the varied and magnificent terrain of the Hawaiian islands. And choices abound: the best hikes, trees and jungle, coast, falls and rivers, hikes for bird watchers and the like. They give expert advice for snorkelers, mountain bikers, paddlers, surfers, and even best activities for a rainy day.


The authors offer clear instructions on how to get to trail heads, difficulty of hike and signposts to navigate by along the way. The guide is very children friendly, highlighting a variety of cultural sites and outdoor venues for various ages. It has a plethora of useful hints about what to take, precautions to observe, and practical dos and don'ts. Here is a guide to the best of the Hawaiian islands.

Above all, I found the book is a joy to read and hard to put down, whetting one's appetite for yet one more island and one more excursion. Essential reading for any lover of the outdoors.