Let's Go 2003: Hawaii (Paperback)

~ Let's Go Inc. (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The grand-daddy of budget guides"
--The New York Times

"Guides that penetrate the veneer of holiday brochures and mine the grit of real life"
--The Economist
-- Review

Review

"The grand-daddy of budget guides"
--The New York Times

"Guides that penetrate the veneer of holiday brochures and mine the grit of real life"
--The Economist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Let's Go Publications (December 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031230577X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312305772
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,762,123 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars the maps are the only weak spot in this excellent guide, December 5, 2002

By	Robert A. Svihla (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've always kind of split back and forth between Let's Go and Lonely Planet. The one thing that attracted me to Hawaii 2003 was the fact that it was Let's Go's first Hawaii book, and that the Lonely Planet one was a year or so old already.

I hesitate to consider this a comprehensive review of the LG book, given that I only travelled on Oahu and the Big Island, but my experience with those two islands has been wonderful with LG in my hand. All the information I came across was accurate presented, easily accessed and logically organized. The little sidebars provided interesting pieces of information, and I'd have to say that without the guide, I would have likely missed a lot of what Hawaii had to offer.

That said, the one complaint I've always had about LG is the quality of their maps, which is to say they [are no good]. A month in South East Asia with LG left me frustrated, and this was no different. Of course, a perfect map probably shouldn't be the sole reason for buying a guide, so it's not too big a deal. Besides, there're plenty of very good maps to be had all over the islands, for little more than the effort it takes to pick one up. (On this note, I did flip through the LG USA 2003 book and it seemed as if the maps in there were a little more comprehensive and useful, at least for the major cities: less obvious destinations may very well leave something to be desiered there, as well.)

One thing I'd have liked to see in LG are nice color map inserts like they do in some of the bigger guides, possibly even to include a basic layout of Oahu's TheBus system.

Overall, I've got to recommend LG Hawaii 2003; the new look is fantastic. The books are smaller, and yet contain the same amount of information was previous years. They're down to Lonely Planet size now, in fact, and perhaps even a little more manageable than that: I easily fit my LG book, all folded up and bent back, in any pocket of any bag, so it was always at hand, but never prominent. And let's not forget the famous "Thumbs Up!" recommendations: if you're going to Oahu, read up on Waimanalo (pg 145) and be sure you eat as many meals as you can at Keneke's. The spot looks like a dive, and I would have undoubtedly missed it had LG not raved about it. Just that meal alone made up for the cost of the book. Now get out there and see what Hawaii's all about!