5 comments about Driving and Discovering Oahu (Driving and Discovering Books).

1. This book seemed like a really good guide at the book store. It has lots of pictures to accompany travel recommendations. It also lists the best beaches, waterfalls, islands, and hikes on Oahu which I thought was a nice touch. However, trying to use the guidebook to visit these places left my husband and I confused and frustrated. The information is not organized well... important data that you'd like placed within one paragraph - for example about a particular hike - is strewed throughout a chapter. Information about length of trails is inconsistent and sometimes wrong! (Ended up taking my old parents on a six mile hike that was listed as 2.5 mi.) The names of places on maps do not match the way they are listed in their respective chapters. Parks that have been long closed (Sacred Falls) are listed as recommended places to go.
   
   This book is a good concept and has the potential to be a superb guide book if the information was reorganized AND updated. My husband and I use it to get suggestions on places to go, and then use the Internet to back up our facts about directions, distances, and general information. Don't use this book alone!
   
   Aloha!



2. We live in Hawaii and love Driving & Discovering Oahu by
   Richard Sullivan, and his Maui-Molokai book as well. We have bought a number of copies for our visiting friends since 1993, and these books keep getting better with every new edition. We own an oceanfront vacation rental and in our literature to guests visiting Oahu and/or Maui, we highly recommend Mr. Sullivan's books not only for content but because they make excellent gifts even for people who are fascinated by but may never be able to travel to Hawaii. The pictures are incredible and give the reader a very realistic feel for these beautiful islands.
   
   The only thing worse than misinformation in a guidebook is
   misinformation in a customer review of a guidebook, as in the case of
   TDPM. My husband and I love Amazon's review pages, but sometimes feel people are unfairly venting or have ulterior motives for their reviews.
   
   TDPM, whose review was dated May 29, 2007, must have been using an old
   edition. Our book, copyrighted and purchased in early 2006, states
   that Sacred Falls Park is closed.
   
   Mr. Sullivan also urges readers at least a dozen times throughout the book to consult hiking guides, obtain free hiking maps from the State
   Division of Forestry or other listed agencies, or to join an organized
   hike. For TDPM to take her aged parents on any hike though terrain
   completely unknown to her, without any research or hiking map, is
   unconscionable and inexplicable.
   
   Every guidebook is outdated the moment it rolls off the presses, if not before. Phone numbers change, restaurants move, businesses close. However, we have found that 99.9% of Mr. Sullivan's information is absolutely right on and has been very useful and informative, as well as having kept us out of trouble a few times. And unlike any other guidebook we've ever bought for our travels, this one has earned a place on our coffee table.



3. If you want to see Oahu, don't go without this book! It's amazingly innovative, informative and useful!! It's the best guide book I've ever experienced! We paid $18.95 for it in January 2008 near Waikiki. It was worth way more than that to us.



4. Great book. Preparing ahead of time for our trip at end of month and this book has come in handy prior to going.



5. Whether you're a visitor or a resident of Oahu, you absolutely must have this guide. All you need to know is at your fingertips if you want to really see the island beyond Waikiki. I cannot say enough about this book, it is truly the most informative and organized, easy to use.

No comments about Maui (Regional Guide).

No comments about Fodor's Oahu, 1st Edition: with Honolulu, Waikiki, and the North Shore (Fodor's Gold Guides).

2 comments about The Best Places to Kiss in Hawaii: A Romantic Travel Guide (Best Places to Kiss in Hawaii).

1. This book is terrific! My husband and I planned our wedding in Hawaii after reading this. I had no idea that people were married in the sacred Fern Grotto on Kauai. After I told my husband (a full-on romantic) about the Fern Grotto, he was sold! "Best Places" also offers insights and tips about romantic places to stay, restaurants and outdoor activities. If you don't have a clue where to stay or what to do in Hawaii and you want your trip to be a romantic experience, you've got to get this book. Even if you have been to Hawaii, this book will surprise and delight. Aloha!



2. I was planning my honeymoon & purchased several books including this one. I found that some other books had much more listings. For example, we wanted to stay in the northern part of Kauai, but it only had about three listings. Not to mention, the ones listed were "expensive to unbelievably expensive and beyond" as they stated under price. That doesn't really give me a whole lot of choices. I thought a better choice was "Frommer's Hawaii from $70 per day" & "Best Places to stay in Hawaii". However, I did book one B&B on this books suggestion.

No comments about Hawaii (Travellers' Wildlife Guides).

No comments about Wave-finder Surf Guide USA & Hawaii.

2 comments about Leis, Luaus, and Alohas: The Lure of Hawai'i in the Fifties.

1. Retro Hawaiian chic----it's a happening trend!! First published about five years too soon for the now-oh-so-hot design theme of Old Hawaii (assuming you consider the 1950's old, you old goat!), Fred Basten's book is nothing more or less than a 100+ page collection of vintage photos, postcards, matchbook covers, and (best of all) 1950's advertisements depicting the joys which await you in tropical, scenic Hawaii! Here are the famous Aloha Airlines advertising maps, the Dole Pineapple ads, and the delightful hotel ads that make you want to pick up a phone, dial the number (you had to do that back then---no buttons!), and book a room. There are plenty of breathtaking photographs as well, from scenic drives to sunsets to tourists at play (including a few of the author himself!). And it's nice to see some things never change: the luau menu printed on page 104 is almost exactly identical to the menu of the Old Lahina Luau, Maui, circa 2003. (Right down to the coconut cake for dessert!) Two minor quibbles: at 111 pages, it's at least two hundred pages too short! (With all the pictures, if it were longer it would cost $50, but I for one would gladly pay it.) Also, Basten has made the decision to keep the written text as short as possible and let the pictures speak for themselves. Even though I think this is a wise move, I would have welcomed some more discussion about Hawaii in the fifties, how it became a state, etc. Still, the fabulous photos and other displayed goodies will have you planning your next trip right away. Not an easy book to find outside of Hawaii (I found mine in a famous Hawaiian retail store.), but worth the effort. So, get this book wiki, wiki (quickly). Your coffee table is bare without it. Aloha!!!



2. This book is very disappointing. I lived on Oahu in the late 50s and early 60s so I know the time period and what the Islands were like. They were heaven. No doubt about it. This book does not capture even an iota of that heaven. This is a mishmash of common ephemera poorly reproduced. There is no depth to the subject matter. To say there are two authors is a joke since what text is available could have been written by a travel agent in Manhattan who never left THAT island. Two guys with some old brochures is more like it. I had hoped that the book would deal with what the Islands were like during the time period, five years after the war and statehood in 1959. This is simply a mainlanders idea of what Hawaii was like and it goes no deeper than an aged worn brochure in the bottom of a dusty drawer.
   
   And to make things worse they chose a large format trim size which allowed them to print a lot of poor quality photos, reproduced from much smaller brochures, at the books full trim size. Photos that originally were meant to be small are suddenly large and blurry because they had to worry about dot patterns when enlarged. Shame on the "authors" and publisher. A smaller trim size would have benefited the reader. The art ends up looking too often like filler. I'm sure the pages looked fine on the computer screen when the book was being layed out, but suddenly when the thing is sitting in your lap you have to wonder what they were thinking. The whole thing looks cheap, which at $24.99 it's not.
   
   Though I have yet to find the definitive book about Hawaii pre-statehood I can recommend the following two far superior books, each also full of ephemera, but produced with much better production values, and cheaper than this bloated waste of paper:
   
   "Hawai'i At Play" and
   
   "To Honolulu in Five Days"

No comments about Rand McNally Oahu, Hawaii (Rand McNally Streets Of...).

1 comments about A Pocket Guide to Lana'i (Lanai).

1. Great little book about a great little island. Filled with all kinds of info, from secret beaches to hidden hiking trails. I loved there! so I should know. If you or anyone you know is going to the islands and planning to visit Lana'i, buy this book!

1 comments about Paradise Family Guides Maui: The Most Complete Guide to Family Fun and Adventure! (Paradise Family Guides).

1. I'd recommend this book for all who plan to visit this lovely but fast developing island!