5 comments about Hidden Maui (2nd Edition).

1. This book is a must for the first time visitor to the island of Maui as well as those who return again and again to bask on her beautiful beaches and take in all the magnificent scenery. This book accompanied us on all our daily jaunts: the 10, 000 foot ascent to Haleakala Crater as well as a busy Saturday night checking out all the stores in Lahaina. Chapter 8's descriptions of various points of interest along the Hana Highway is invaluable as a guide to making the most of this winding, picturesque stretch of road. I found myself regularly referring to the dining and shopping choices listed for the various towns and found most of the descriptions very accurate. I have visited Maui several times before my most recent trip in September and I wish I had purchased this book a long time ago. If you buy only one guide to assist you in your travels on beautiful Maui, it should be this one.



2. I found this book almost worthless. The book pointed us to who we should pay to take us snorkeling or on hikes rather than let us know where to go. I also thought the book was poorly organized. I definitely would not recommend this book. I received more useful information off a free map of maui obtained from an information booth at the beach.



3. This is not the best book on Maui. Most of the information on "hidden" places is not as "hidden" as the book would lead you to believe. It is available elsewhere (Frommers, Fodors, Snorkel Maui.) This guide is not easy to use, and doesn't have the nice pictures other books have. We bought 5 books before we went to Maui, and we brought three with us. This was not one of them because we got all of the same information in the other books or on-line.



4. I bought this book expecting to find areas and sites that were not included in other guide books. I have yet to find any such places in the book. The title is very misleading. I found the books descriptions to be very bland and somewhat incomplete. Mr. Riegert would do well to review the guidebooks of Andrew Doughty and Harriett Friedman before writing another book.



5. DO NOT use this book to find hotels or restaurants. It does have good beaches and things to do. As far as the hotels and restaurants it seems like they just took the promotion materials and re-printed them without actually trying the places for themselves.

No comments about America's Favorite Inns, B&Bs, & Small Hotels: The West Coast (America's Favorite Inns, B&B's, and Small Hotels the West Coast).

1 comments about Frommer's Cruises & Ports of Call 2006: From U.S. & Canadian Home Ports to the Caribbean, Alaska, Hawaii & More (Frommer's Complete).

1. I hate most of the Frommer Travel books. They take the fun out of travel and have very few photos.
   
   This book is different. Here they came up with something very useful and novel for the traveller. When you go on a cruise normally you do not have a clue. You just follow what your travel agent recommmends. But anyone that has taken an extended cruise or two knows there are big differences betweeen boat lines and routes etc.( I like Holland America myself). So here is a nice review of what boats and crusies are available, it describes the boats, and where they go and what you can expect including on board entertainment. All great stuff.
   
   Highly recommend 4 or 5 stars. Buy before you talk to the travel agent.

1 comments about Golfing in Hawaii: The Complete Guide to Hawaii's Golf Facilities.

1. Golfing in Hawaii is a book that I do not recommend. The information listed for each course is minimal, and almost always less than what can be easily found on the internet. Additionally, the listings for the state are alphabetically, which may be fine if you are familiar with where you are visiting or if you live there, but for someone who is going for a vacation, I was interested in a single island and an easier way to read and view the information. There are maps at the start of the book, but I found myself flipping back and forth to read the information that was listed, and with what I read, it left me wanting much more information. One small benefit of the book is each course has a routing and a yardage for each hole. This can be somewhat helpful if planning a strategy before playing, but again it can usually be found in other places. Overall, I would say to save your money and wait for a better book to be written.

2 comments about The Complete Oahu, Honolulu and Waikiki Guidebook.

1. This has got to be one of the best guides to Oahu we have used in a
   long, long time -- and believe me, we've used several over the years.
   It's honest, accurate, and to the point. No fluff, no biases, no rants,
   no wasted space, nothing "hidden" or "revealed," just straightforward,
   good information. And great maps too, with terrific cross-referencing
   which was so helpful and made the guidebook so easy to use that it made
   navigating the island a breeze. In fact, we are still gushing over the
   format and organization of the book. It was like using the Internet for
   speed and convenience, and yet having the luxury of a book to take
   along, in our hip-pocket, no less. The sections were tabbed and easy to
   find and thumb through, and with the neat little icons and referencing,
   we knew exactly which point of interest we would find on which map on
   which page. The information was reliably solid--every restaurant was
   there, every hiking trail was the length and difficulty (or ease)
   described, all the prices, admission fees, hours, etc. were current. We
   quickly found the good swimming and bodysurfing beaches, and went to a
   couple of surfing beaches to watch serious surfers, and also knew which
   beaches to avoid. There was definitely enough background historical and
   cultural information on the places of interest on the island, and we
   visited many of these, relying on our trusty little guidebook, and were
   never disappointed. All in all, a great guidebook, We wish there were
   more like it.



2. Purchased this book in addition to a few other guides to Oahu. Only a fair guidebook, there are much better ones in print (DK, Frommer's).
   Specific comments- Maps could be better. They waste the color printing inside the back cover on advertising their other books- would have been much nicer to have included a color map of Honolulu instead. In the 2006 edition, it still lists Sacred Falls State Park as open (due to a landslide with fatalities, it was closed in May 1999 and has never reopened- this is an obvious lack of editing between editions-.)

1 comments about Exploring Lost Hawaii: Places of Power, History, Mystery & Magic.

1. Crowe takes us beyond the usual genre by sharing not only the beauty, but also the history and magic of Hawaii. A must for anyone taking a trip to the Islands...beautiful photographs.

No comments about National Geographic Hawaii Calendar.

No comments about Frommer's Comprehensive Travel Guide: Maui (Frommer's Comprehensive Guides).

No comments about Fun with the Family Hawaii, 6th (Fun with the Family Series).

No comments about Princess Kaiulani of Hawaii: The Monarchy's Last Hope.