Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed

5 star:		(148)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Until now I have never taken the time to write a reveiw for anything, but I feel need to share my feelings about this book. This book is the reference standard for how guidebooks should be written.

The maps and graphics are outstanding; very detailed with mile markers etc. shown where needed, and it doesn't include useless details that you won't need anyway. Maps are very easy to follow, and they are broken down for each district on the island.

It is especially helpful if you are looking for little known hiking trails, beaches, or waterfalls to visit. Some of these you would never find without the help of this book.

The information is very accurate. The couple that wrote the book live on Kauai, and it is clear that they do their homework, and they even added a touch of humor. We used this book for every activity and restaraunt during our stay, and we have never been disappointed.

First visit to Kaua'i and I'm certain that this guidebook enhanced my trip significantly. My group and I snorkeled, hiked, kayaked and explored a whole bunch of waterfalls. Definitely felt like we had our own personal guide showing us around. The maps and descriptions of trails were incredibly accurate and the restaurant reviews were spot on. The only thing I regret is not taking my computer to find their most up-to-date restaurant reviews--apparently there are many new places to eat since this edition was published. Highly recommended.

I just returned from my second visit to Kauai, and first time using this guide.

In a nutshell, get this book before you go to Kauai, read it, follow it's suggestions for hiking and dining etc., and toss all other bloated guidebooks away, as I did!

I had superior meals at "A Pacific Cafe" with superb fast attentive service, very good food at Coconuts and at "Duke's", great less expensive food at "Lihue'i Barbeque Inn". Also a great Breakfast omelet at "Kalaheo Coffee Co",great Ono fish sandwich lunch at the "Hanalei Dolphin" (they sell super fresh fish and real wasabi next door), great Saimin at "Hamura's", top shave ice at "Jojo's" (get the Mac ice cream at the bottom of #2)and wish I had more time to sample more restaurants in one week!

The locals concurred with nearly all of the "Ono" restaurant choices, and they panned some restaurants recommended by Frommer's writers in the 2004 edition...so i didn't try those!

The weaknesses are not giving great directions to the restaurants or having a very detailed map of where recomended places are in Lihue or Kapa'a.. his vague directions for finding hidden "A Pacific Cafe" stink..several people gave up trying to find it till it was explained it was hidden back and to the right in a shopping center, along with several other good places!

The only restaurant he suggested that wasn't even in existence yet was his own financial venture called "Scotty's", and, as of this week, the site just had a sign that it's to arrive...it'll have some strong competition from day one!

His recommendation for Inter-Island helicopters was OVER THE TOP!! It has no doors or windows, sturdy seatbelts, superbly skilled pilots, and it's a peak experience for many... seeing the Na Pali Coast, about 100 waterfalls, beautiful mountains... it's a thrill of a lifetime...and the only way for photographers to go...why bother with shooting through plexiglass with the other choppers?! They fly clockwise around the island, and the left side faces the ocean. The rear left seat is the least desireable, front middle is next least desireable...the front right seat is by far the best...they won't tell what seat you have till you are getting on the chopper...seating is prioritized by weight and then by putting couples together, so I can't fault them...safety first! If you are in the left seat and request, the pilot will gladly swing around to give you a view, so you do see the top sites just as well as the right seaters experience! Women... skirts and wind do not mix too well, long pants are recommended....do bring a light sweater and loads of film or a digital camera! The other chopper companies he recommends have top recommendations...get the discount coupons from the tourist rags, and save $25-$50 per person. (Oops, I can expect a lot of negative reviews from the chopper companies he does not recommend!)

Learn the Ni'ihau necklaces art form, and get your top quality at the Hawaiian Trading Post, and don't bother with 2nd and 3rd rate quality necklaces found in other spots over the island. (Oops, more negative feedback!)

I could go on and on...Best and only guide to get!

This is a seriously detailed guide....right down to what you should order for dinner (or avoid) at nearly every restaurant on the island. There is a hike in the "adventure" section that he could have given a little more info on...."The Tunnel Hike." It's the last "adventure" listed and he put it right where it belongs, but instead of being a 2 hour hike each way, it was 6 hours each way and it would have been good to know that Tevas are just about the worst thing you could possibly wear. BE WARNED! Go ahead and have this adventure - but wear closed toed shoes or hiking boots and socks or full blown knee high waders. This is a muddy muddy MUDDY hike. We were at least ankle - and often knee deep in mud for most of this hike and although it's gorgeous in places and is full blown jungle -I'm not so sure it was worth the case of trenchfoot it gave us. Yes - this is an adventure -and a miserable one if you wear the wrong shoes or don't bring enough water! 4 bottles didn't last us the day and we had to resort to collecting water to drink from the "tunnel" itself.
That said, this book was our bible for 11 days. We did nothing without consulting it. Feels like we even got to know the author a little! Great book, great fun.
*sidenote*
We ran into tons of people with this book in their hands! Amazing how useful it is....right down to the best beaches for kids!

We just returned from a week vacation in Kauai and kept this book by our side the entire trip. It truly was the "ultimate guidebook." The book was easy to read (informative and funny) and was accurate on all accounts. We enjoyed visiting the spots "off the beaten path" such as the Kipu falls that the authors recommended. Future travellers should get the book several weeks before their trip and read it through. They make great recommendations for packing/preparing that we didn't get a chance to take advantage of prior to departing. The only recommendation I would make for future editions is to add more detailed maps for the hiking areas, especially in the ADVENTURES section. If this isn't possible, then the authors could suggest where the hikers can go to find the maps that will aid in navigation. The written text was helpful but better serves to supplement a map. (e.g. Secret Tunnel to the North Shore). Mahalo

My BF and I have gone to Maui 2 years in a row and then we decided to visit Kauai the next year. This guide was extremely helpful in planning our trip and allowed us to find out quickly and easily the best things to do and see while we were there. What scored big points for me were the detailed maps and recommendations on activities, places to visit, and dining locations. It was funny because while we were driving around the island I would have the book on my lap--if we saw something interesting we would flip through the pages to see what they had to say about it. The descriptions and ratings were almost always right on the mark. Whenever you're going somewhere new, the hardest thing to do is find accurate information about the place, especially information that only 'the locals' would know about, in this case where you can get the best shaved ice (the truck), what restaurant has the best dessert (Roy's), which hole in the wall serves the best rice plate, which rental place offers the best deals and equipment, etc. Almost everyone we know that decides to go to Kauai ends up borrowing the book from us and finds it just as useful as we did. If you're planning on going to Kauai I would highly recommend you get this book before you go. I wish all guide books were written like this one!

I was surprised by how precise the information is in this book as well as how quick you are able to find it. From scuba diving to helicopter tours, we were able to choose what we wanted to experience, no deception there. I agree that some restaurants reviews are a little off, but I never ate twice at the same place, so my opinion isn't statistically significant, the authors visit those places many times, so their ratings is more an average.

The structure of the book really helps to find what you need quick, I usually read the book before going, but with this one it is not as critical (although it helps). Prices were up to date, rarely the case on high priced islands like Hawaii, since most guidebooks wait 2-3 years between updates.

we went on to buy the one on Maui. Same structure, same style, same humor, just great !

I reviewed a few guidebooks prior to my first visit to Kauai. This one blew them all away. Within a day, my sister and I were able to guide ourselves (for free!) around the entire island without any hitches. The maps are great, directions precise and pictures true.... We did what we call beach tours based on the reviews and directions to well-known and not-so-well-known beaches. Beautiful. We ate at some of the places recommended and agreed with the reviews of all but one (didn't like the mango glazed fish....) and another place had closed already. Perhaps we didn't have the latest edition or the business just didn't take. Nevertheless, if you are planning to go, get this book before you leave and make your plans. We discovered while at the least known places, especially the beaches, the only people there were the ones with this book in tow. Great for finding your own nirvana in this island paradise. I could go on for days, just get the book. You just can't go wrong

It is impossible to overstate just how much this book will improve your trip to the beautiful island of Kauai. I realize that in a place as magical as Kauai, just sitting on a porch with a drink in your hand may seem like a sufficient amount of paradise. But wait until you follow Andrew and Harriett's advice on food and adventures. (I've never met them, but you will want to call them by their first names because after reading this book, you'll feel like you know them). The book will pay for itself in many different ways: a cinammon roll in the morning, a jump off a waterfall, a hike through a valley of unbelievable beauty, and of course, a delicious shave ice off a truck that hasn't moved in what seems to be a decade. I stayed with five other people in a house on Kauai in April. We didn't agree on much, but we all agreed on the book's advice. We had cheap macadamia nut pancakes, we hiked through a fogbound swamp, we swam through tunnels at Tunnels Beach.

I swear that at some of the places we ate and visited, it appeared as if the staff/chefs/inhabitants had read the book themselves to decide how to act and what to serve. If the book says service is slow, you'd better not be in a hurry. If the book says the food is salty, bring extra water. If the book says that you'll 'be given the stinkeye' by the natives, prepare yourself. If you read in the book that a hike or swim is magical, by all means do it. My friends and I made it our goal to attempt as many of the book's adventures as possible. We swam in caves and hiked on crumbly cliffs. We swam with turtles and swung from ropes. We ate gross-looking, but tasty local food and hiked some of the most beautiful trails any of us have ever seen.

If there's a downside to a guide this well done, it's that everyone else you see at these spots will also have this exact book in their backpack as well. Striking up a conversation with them will reveal that the book has shown them special places that they were happy to have visited. If the book says that a particular place is unmarked, or the trail is hard to find, you can bet that by now, with the popularity of this fantastic guide, many more people have followed the lead of the authors and have made even the most hidden gems easier to find.

Our rental house had about 15 Kauai guides, but this was the only one we always left the house with. You will not be disappointed.

I also had their Maui Guide for a quick stop on that island. It paid for itself in that case with a single visit to a deserted four-tiered waterfall.

You are spending a substantial amount of money to get to the most beautiful of Hawaii's islands. Do yourself a favor and spend about 15 bucks more. You won't be disappointed.

I can't wait to go back.

The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook is truly that. On the recommendation from a friend, my girfriend and I used this book to plan our vacation, which included hiking, camping, and snorkeling. All of the info for obtaining permits and renting gear was accurate and up to date. Generally we agreed with the author's descriptions of restaurants. The best part though was all of the trail descriptions and the incredible maps.