2 comments about Hawaii: True Stories of the Island Spirit (Travelers' Tales).

1. This is more of a suggestion for reading rather than a review: read the book from beginning to end because the editors have done a splendid job of organizing the essays to present a coherent and colorful view of Hawaii. I don't know of a better contemporary look into what has attracted tourists to the islands since the first Polynesians arrived. While not exactly a travel guide, it is a map for how one might travel. As a cultural anthropologist, I enjoyed hearing the many voices telling the stories of this Pacific crossroads. The book belongs to the best tradition of the Hawaiian impulse to talk story.



2. Like the title says, this is my favorite Hawai'i collection of stories. It manages to give many perspectives on the beauty and mystery of this chain of islands. If you're traveling to the islands, this is a great way to start to imagine the place you're going.

5 comments about Lonely Planet Oahu.

1. I generally like the Lonely Planet books, and the Oahu book is no exception. The book is relatively current and topical, and to its credit covers not only Honolulu and Waikiki, but also the rest of the island (some other books shortchange everything outside the city, I find.)
   
   I like that the book provides off-the-beaten-path type information, but I do believe that the book is so compact that a lot of useful information has been left out, particularly in the categories of restaurants and lodging. The maps are, of course, fairly small (and black and white) so I recommend getting the excellent Lonely Planet map for island navigation, especially if you are driving.
   
   I think that overall this is a good guidebook, but the organization is sometimes difficult to use. That combined with the relative brevity of restaurant and hotel information caused me to deduct a star from my rating. Overall it is a good guide, and I certainly recommend it, although I have to give the more up to date "Oahu Revealed" guide by Andrew Doughty and Harriett Friedman the edge for user friendliness and completeness of commonly useful information.



2. Lonely Planet Oahu took us far far away from the maddening crowds of Waikiki. We liked Honolulu but preferred staying in a B and B in Kailua where we could jump in the car and do the tourist thing without bumping into the traffic we saw heading in from the airport. Glenda Bendure is a upbeat traveler. The book features many little extras and tips that perk up the pages. Even if you don't spend or have time to see the whole island, it's worth getting.



3. This guide was very handy. On our first trip, a second honeymoon, just the ticket.



4. This little book was the best thing to have on our recent trip to Hawaii. I referred to it many times a day. The maps were very clear and helpful. I thoroughly enjoyed the pages devoted to the history of the Islands. There was even a brief guide to understanding and speaking Hawaiian. I would recommend it to anyone visiting Oahu.



5. We used this book recently in oahu. My biggest complaint is that it was not helpful in choosing our Waikiki hotel as the descriptions are too vague. But there are helpful hints and they do tell you where to get the best mai tai. I am glad I brought it along but it is not good as an only guidebook.

2 comments about FamilyFun Vacation Guide: California & Hawaii.

1. We live in California, and bought this to for information on Hawaii. Seems to have some good info, as the California portion seems to be right on the mark with what we like to see and do in California.
   
   The information is very good, but we already knew a lot of the California stuff already. We are looking forward to trying out the Hawaii information soon!
   
   If you are not from California, and need to plan a trip here, this is a good tool to have in your planning kit!



2. I purchased this book for a family road trip we took in 2004. I was really impressed with all it had to offer. It had a section on ways to make the time in the car more enjoyable, what to bring, what to plan for, how to cut down costs, etc. And then it had all of California mapped out so you could quickly look up things to do in every area you planned to visit. There are ratings for what things will cost (admission fees to attractions, lists of hotels and their prices and ratings, camping places and costs and ratings, restaurants ratings and prices, etc.) and Family Fun also rated things on a fun scale (from "fine" to "Family Fun Recommended"), which really helped us to weed out the so-so from the don't miss since we had limited time and money.
   
   We just wanted to get the most out of our vacation. We didn't want to drive by something and miss out because we didn't know it was there. We also needed to plan our budget and research places to stay and things to do. This book was invaluable. I still have it earmarked with little sticky notes for everything we wanted to see. Now it is an historical record of our vacation.
   
   I highly recommend this book and all the Family Fun vacation guides. Their ratings are right on, and they know everything there is to do in the parts of the country that you want to see. Grab a book and hit the road, Jack!

1 comments about Hawai'I Place Names: Shores, Beaches, and Surf Sites.

1. I wanted to find the best spots around Hawaii for a surf trip I was planning for my son and I. I thought this book would give a good explanation of the surf spots. I was disappointed. It only is a list with descrption/ location of all the parks in Hawaii.

3 comments about Surfing Hawaii.

1. Bank Wright covers all the Islands, and methodically goes around each, including an insightful one paragraph description of the major breaks, including the best time of year, typical size, etc. The maps included take a while to get used to as north is not always oriented to the top. A good reference if you're traveling to Hawaii and want some fundamental information.



2. This is one for the coffee table. Cheap, and well worth a minor investment. Details a majority of the breaks out there, but does however, miss a few. Fun to look back into an era past.



3. Bank Wright's guide to Hawaiian surf spots touches upon some nice areas, and has a few pleasant PC poems, but ultimately falls short of telling it how it really is. How many times do we need to be warned about dangerous reefs and riptides? Maybe he should have just given this warning once at the beginning and left it at that. But his south shore Oahu map is pretty thorough, and in a few other zones he does find (like a bumbler) some good spots. Overall though, he misses more than he finds, and thus 'Surfing Hawaii' is ultimately blind. If comments such as these upset you- let me ask you, where are the islands of Molokai and Lanai? Overlooking surf spots is excusable- as there are many in the Hawaiian Islands, but calling a book 'Surfing Hawaii' and then excluding two out of five ISLANDS? That seems gravely incomplete, does it not? And I know what you are thinking- "Yea well Molokai and Lanai don't have a lot of good spots." Yeah well from my experiencing scoring on those two islands, there are enough good spots to include in his guide, backwater locals or not. I mean, if Bank is going to hype up places like Tonggs and the east side of Oahu, the least he could do is mention Manele point on Lanai. So I found his poems touching; as for his guide to the waves- not too deep. His 'Surfing California', however, is worth five stars.

5 comments about Frommer's Maui 2007 (Frommer's Complete).

1. This book has all the information you might need, but no color photo's and lacks the personality of Maui Revealed. IT isnt bad, but the other book is just better.



2. I enjoyed the throughness of this book and thought overall the author did a good job guiding us on our trip through Maui. However, there are some important things to mention. There are obvious things that once you get there you find out the hard way that should be included, such as what roads not to take and why. Also, in her take over the Road to Hana she suggests to stay and come back late at night and miss the traffic. Road to Hana is crazy to drive during the day and I would not be able to sleep at night if I recommended a reader to drive back after dark on those crazy and winding roads. It is pretty much suicide during the day, I can't imagine what level it goes to when you reach dusk. Her restaurant recommendations that we tried out were great. I just wish there was a little more of a reality check and a little more of an explanation of dangerous terrain. Her activity recommendations seemed okay as well as the booking agencies. However, we found that depending on what time of year you go, most of the activities are not sold out and you could book them when you got there when you had a better idea of what you wanted to do and try to complete.



3. Frommer's Maui rates the tired, moldy, tacky Noelani this way: "Everything is first class, from the furnishings to the oceanfront location." Nothing could be further from the truth, and we booked in there for a week based on this blatantly dishonest description!
   
   The fold out map is useless, lacking any detail whatsoever, a real con job.
   
   "Maui Revealed" completely blows Frommer into the weeds, but what's most annoying is that trusting Frommer could ruin your vacation! Makes you wonder if Frommer is on the take?



4. I found most of the info helpful, but felt the section on luaus should have at least suggested two others, instead of just the Old Lahaina Luau, which I feel has become too much of a production, instead of a beautiful feast to share! I have been to Maui 6 times, and everytime have found several new & surprising sights, sounds, meals, & wonderful, helpful people. The map should have more detailed street info, especially around Kihei & Lahaina. Might help prevent accidents. I found the Paradise Family Guide on Maui & Lanai by Dona Early & Christie Stilson much more informative and realistic, especially re: to $$ and cents!



5. I bought this book to help me get around Maui, and was disappointed in the writing of the book. I found it difficult to read and extrapilate data from. I borrowed another Maui guide from a friend which was much easier to use, I just can't remember who wrote it right now.
   I found the free brochures available at the airport and hotels easier to use and more comprehensive.

No comments about Kokoro: Cherished Japanese Traditions in Hawaii.

1 comments about Photographing Nature in Hawaii.

1. I was disappointed that the book didn't go into more detail about photographic techniques for photographing natural landscapes and the environment. However, for the novice photographer on a first-time trip to Hawaii the book may prove to be a worthwhile investment. The book contains many fine pictures and tips on where to find some scenic locations, but falls short in helping the more experienced photographer hone his or her skills. I must also mention that in the copy I purchased, five pages (pgs 104-108) were bound upside down in the book.

1 comments about Diving Hawaii and Midway: A Guide to the Aloha State's Best Diving (Periplus Action Guides).

1. This book was a great mix on the culture and history of Hawaii, as well as great advice on scuba diving from people who actually dive and live there. The authors, who are also marine biologists and photographers, pointed out a lot of marine life that I previously didn't even know to look for. After reading, my dives were greatly enhanced having this added knowledge. And the photography was nice too. Very easy and interesting to read.

No comments about Oahu as Seen from the Skies.