Customer Reviews

Oahu Revealed: The Ultimate Guide to Honolulu, Waikiki & Beyond

5 star:		(191)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Travel books are probably a blast to research and write, but after they go to press, the authors probably start preparing for a different kind of "blast," as in the "what planet did you come from that you rated my favorite restaurant as a dive!" kind.

Oahu Revealed is blisteringly candid. You want a travel guide that sings praises everywhere and for everything? Find yourself another book. However, if you want to be prepared for the lines at Hanauma Bay, want to know what "ocean view" means in a hotel two blocks from the beach, want to know whether the Polynesian Cultural Village is a rip-off or entertaining, and how many speed bumps you have to drive over to visit the Pu'u O Mahuka Heiau near Pupukea, then this is the book. It is refreshingly honest, candid, funny, interesting, and educational. I found myself agreeing with the author's comments far more than I disagreed. And yes, there were times I disagreed. I like the folk at North Shore Diving (now Deep Ecology). And I'm queazy about encouraging beginners to rent a kayak and just start paddling offshore. But if this book mirrored my mind, then I would have written it!

Here's a warning, however. There are many folk on Oahu who are upset with this book, and it is not just from getting more visitors into personal favorite places. It also involves having more visitors actually affecting the nature of places, with added trash, human waste, trespassing, and trampling. Ask a local, and know before you go. Don't trash Oahu, please!

There are many guidebooks available for Hawaii in general and Oahu specifically, but this one is by far the best. Not only is the book extremely current (it posts a 2005 copyright date), but the layout is easy to use, and it provides information that is actually useful in both planning a trip and once on the island.

The book is well written, and is especially strong in the section on lodging. Without question the coverage of hotels in this book is superior to any other guide. The restaurant information is also informative, much better than other guides, but remember that no book can completely cover all the restaurants on the island. I have been to many of the places detailed in the book, and generally agree with the appraisals of the authors (the one exception being that I thought the Honolulu zoo was substantially better than the authors did). Even if you don't completely agree with every opinion offered in the book, every claim is well reasoned and nothing is completely out to lunch.

This is the gold standard for Hawaii guidebooks, and I recommend it highly to anyone visiting Oahu!

I don't think this book has any real competition from other books. My Oahu Trailblazer had some supplementary and detailed info on places like Hanauma Bay, but it came nowhere close to this book in useful coverage of big and little sights to see and why you would want to see them.

The restaurant section alone is worth the price of the book. We went to five restaurants with an ono rating on Maui and Oahu and everyone was outstanding.

The author tells you what you need to know to prepare for your Hawaii vacation and has strong opinions on what to see and do, including where to hike and snorkel and the best beaches. You're time in Oahu is extremely valuable, because even if you're staying two weeks, you can only do so much. I bought my book a month in advance of the trip and I'm glad I did, because it takes a while to read and absorb the information. Of course you'll have to plan earlier than that for flight, places to stay, etc. The book is easy to read and entertaining and has many color photos to backup their descriptions and put them in perspective.

I didn't agree with everything in the book. I thought the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC), which the book (and almost everyone else) highly recommended was a totally fake and commercial experience. You might want to backup their opinions on some activities with the tripadvisor website, which has many visitors' opinions on popular attractions. They didn't give near enough info on snorkeling at Hanauma Bay either. If you don't snorkel in the right spots along the waterways just inside the coral on the left and middle of the bay you'll miss most of the fantastic snorkeling here. Snuba and a snorkel tour, which they seemed to recommend, would also be a waste. The fish are in shallow water close to shore.

The complaints I have about the book are actually very minor. It was extremely helpful in extracting the most out of my week on Oahu. It's a must have. I will definitely be getting the Kauai Revealed book and no other Kauai travel books for my Kauai trip next year.

Wow! What can I say? This is by far the best guide book I have ever used. It was my BIBLE for my recent Hawaii trip (12/2006). Everything in here is up-to-date, from kayaking trips in Kailua to snorkeling to eating shaved ice in the North Shore at Aoki's and Matsumotos, this book has it all! It really should be the official travel book for Oahu but I'm afraid the "hidden secrets" it reveals will become too popular! For around $11, it's such a bargain! It is apparent to me that the author has really LIVED the book as they detailed everything you will ever want to explore on the island. With this book, I avoided paying hundreds of dollars to tour companies for simple hiking trips to Manoa Falls, Diamond Head, North Shore and Pearl Harbor. Instead, with it and a rental car for the week, I explored all the spots at my own leisure, and I don't even feel like I missed out on the description and history of the places I missed by not going with a tour guide because this book has it ALL! I just can't say enough good things about it. Absolutely amazing! I tend not to be a homer when it comes to reviews, but this time I really do feel compelled to spill my true feelings, it is kind of strange to be so passionate about a guidebook, but trust me, it is THAT good.

P.S. The picture of the book on Amazon really does it no justice at all. The paper is thick and glossy and the print quality is A+, plus there are so many great pictures in here that it could serve as a souvenier for your trip! Also, I bought the Big Island Revealed book from the same authors and it is every bit as good!

One thing though, Polynesian Culture Center and their Ali'i Luau are total rip-offs, I don't know why the author liked it so much. Avoid it at all costs! I've seen people having seizures that move better than those so called Luau dancers at Ali'i. Shame on them for advertising as the "most authentic" luau on Oahu. Shameful...
GET IT GET IT GET IT!

Written by expert travel guide writers who take it upon themselves to hike all the trails, ride the boats, scuba dive the reefs, dine the restaurants, review the resorts, snorkel the coastline, and share their secrets, Oahu Revealed: The Ultimate Guide To Honolulu, Waikiki & Beyond is a "must-have" for any tourist, vacationer, traveler, or even resident seeking to experience the best that the Oahu island of Hawaii, including Honolulu, Waikiki, and more, have to offer. Color maps and photographs, concise yet detailed reviews, adventures and activities galore from traditional favorites to lesser-known pastimes such as kitesurfing, and much more pack this useful guide, which distinguishes the best of the best places with icons that declare them "solid gold" or "a real gem". An expertly written, information-packed guide.

We purchased this book because we were quite pleased with the Kauai and Maui books, but weren't as impressed with this book. This may be because our Oahu trip was our first to Hawaii with children, and these books aren't especially tailored to a family vacation. More descriptions of family-friendly events, more restaurant and hotel reviews and less really-off-the-beaten-path sites would have been preferred for our family vacation. However, if you are looking for a book that tells you more about the hidden Oahu, this is probably for you. As with the other books, the author is candid and fair.

"Oahu Revealed: The Ultimate Guide to Honolulu, Waikiki & Beyond" is a very good guidebook to Oahu, probably the best one around. But it's not quite at the same level as the Kauai and Big Island Revealed guidebooks. It has the feel of a book rushed into print without the same TLC as its predecessors had. Having said that, it's still excellent and well worth the money.
In the next edition, it will hopefully contain:
- a more complete guide to the Oahu bus system(s)
- food shopping information, especially for fresh fish, for the timeshare visitors
- more restaurant reviews

These guys really explored everything on the island. If you want to know the off-the-beaten path parts of Oahu, this is a great book. Not to say that their guides to the touristy things are off (Waikiki, Honolulu, luaus), but it's more useful for a traveller to be informed of the things not every hotel concierge knows. Every one of their descriptions is right on. They guide you to beautiful, hard-to-find beaches and there is honestly no way you could find them for yourself unless you live on the island.

My wife and I just spent 28 days in a rental house on Oahu. A copy of Oahu Revealed was on the coffee table. I had brought another guidebook with me. We ended up using Oahu Revealed exclusively. It is without doubt the best guidebook I have ever used for anywhere in the world and I have traveled extensively. It is a fabulous guidebook and no one should go to Oahu without it.

Wow... they're not lying when the authors say they visit locations incognito and write honest reviews. We agreed with just about everything. The extra "private" or "secret" locations they share are all local hangouts and hardly touristy just as they say. Everything in the book was clear, colorful (not boring like the other books--believe me--we LOOKED) and truthful. Thanks to this book and their advice (including getting a rental car) I'm still trying to catch my breath from our vacation 6 months ago and looking for another vacation to Hawaii using another book in this series.

Just be sure to check out the publisher's website for updates BEFORE making plans because stuff changes all the time in Oahu.