The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook : Kauai Revealed

Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate for sure
Review: This was definitely the ultimate guidebook. It helps you eliminate the places that you may not want to go to, and allows you to go to as many of the best places that you have time for. Also great for describing where to park, how to avoid lots of traffic/people. We were able to do everything we wanted to while viewing the whole island with the guidebook.

Rating:
Summary: the only book you'll need
Review: I read many books on Kauai before our 02/05 vacation and packed 3 to take with. I ended up needing only the Ultimate Kauai. I loved that this book had several magnificent places listed that no other book made mention. The hikes were great (and very well marked, I thought) and let us actually experience the parts of Kauai that others only saw through a helicopter window. We found a marvelous beach for swimming that was the highlight of our trip and enjoyed many of the little restaurants mentioned. We plan to return and this book will be our bible.

Rating:
Summary: Perhaps a bit biased
Review: While this Kaua'i guidebook approaches the sheer excellence of the others written by these authors, I think they understate the effect of winter on the enjoyment of this island. The north coast, while beautiful, is not particularly enjoyable during a downpour while sliding in the red mud ubiquitous on Kauai'i. Perhaps the authors are less objective on Kauai'i because they call it home (?). The book would be more helpful if it were more candid about the impact of rain and trade winds on Kauai'i. The comments are in there but too subtle as written. If this is your once-in-a-lifetime holiday, you're better off avoiding the north half of Kauai'i in winter ("off season').

Rating:
Summary: A must if you know nothing about Kauai
Review: We did book our tickets to Kauai but had no clue what the island had to offer. This book told us exactly that without having to go through the countless leaflets floating every where in Hawaii.

Pros:
+ Excellent maps. We didn't really need any other maps than the ones in the book.
+ Very honest reviews. This is a very hard to find thing (even in lonely planet type of guides).
+ A good selection of Activities catering to all kinds of people (singles, couples, families with little kids ...).

Cons:
- Do not try to use this book if you are into hiking. You will need something that has more detailed trail maps and the trails are rated on difficulty level. This book makes all the trails sound really easy. We tried the one to the "drop dead view" and there were 2-4 intersections every 10 feet and pink ribbons marking them all. After the first half hour we gave up and turned back. We ended up taking a completely different path even then. Getting lost there would not be pretty.
- They should have a bigger section on personal responsibility. This should include, not feeding any wild life (I guess roosters dont count :). Not stepping on reefs/corals and not littering. I wish this is mentioned as many times as possible in the book. Sadly, there are many boat tour/snorkeling companies that let you feed the sea life and also chase whales.
- It didnt really mention that certain spots can be very rough in winters. Readers should be encouraged to check local weather. We ended up on some turtle watching spots (after long drives) only to see giant waves crashing the shore and ofcourse no turtles.

Use this book as a guide. Take second opinions from locals. I think you are better off selecting hotels/condos from trip advisor or something. But you can start with the list in the book.


Rating:
Summary: Great guidebook for active traveller
Review: This is one of the best guidebooks I have ever had! The author's really seemed to take the time and effort to explore Kauai and learn of its best secrets. It is great for active travellers. The book is extremely well organized, and everything is easy to find. The maps are super. Milepost markings on the map make it extremely useful for finding those small roads on the island that lead to a hiking trail or a small unknown beach. And the hiking maps and descriptions are enough to make this book the only guide you really need. I didn't need to buy any other maps. The guide was fairly accurate (including don't hike a certain trail when its muddy - I wish I listened!) and also contained great information on restaurants and hotels. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: The Only Kauai Guide You Will Ever Need
Review: I am a big fan of these guides in general, and as usual the Kauai guide is typically excellent. These guides excel in logically presenting information that visitors actually care about. As with the Oahu guide, the lodging and restaurant sections are the best available in any guidebook. Other strengths are in detailing "not to be missed" sites as well as answering common questions on such things as coordinating a Kauai wedding and taking a helicopter tour with knowledgeable answers. I also am particularly fond of the front cover fold-out quick reference maps.

My only critique (and it's valid for all the books in this series I have thus far used) of this guide is in their descriptions of the amount of physical exertion needed for some of the excursions and activities. I find that on occasion the amount of effort greatly exceeds the picture the book paints. Perhaps the authors are triathletes, but I am in decent shape and am challenged by some of the activities that sound positively sedate in these books: I just advise readers to plan on more exertion than Doughty and Friedman claim by a substantial margin. Having said that, their advice on what you should see and how to get there is impeccable.

I recommend this guidebook and all the others in the series by these authors. Without question, these are the best guidebooks to take to Hawaii.


Rating:
Summary: Don't leave without it!
Review: This book was extremely helpful while getting around. This would be the ONLY guidebook you'll need. We really enjoyed the fact that the mile markers were listed on the maps because we always knew exactly where we were. We tried out Jojo's shaved ice and thought it was really good. Everyone else in the place was also there because of the book.

Honestly, most of the places that the book recommended we would have never gone to because they truly were hole-in-the-wall places. We really liked Brick Oven Pizza. Keoki's Paradise was also really good and had a great setting(we ate in the cheap side). Get there when there is still some daylight. We loved the Smith Family Luau too!

We took the hike to Ho'opli Falls, I hope I spelled it right, and it was a pretty easy hike with a great reward. It took about 15-20 minutes to get to the first falls and that's as far as we got. The very small dirt road was hard to find at first but a local showed us where it was. Very nice guy!

My biggest complaint is that the hikes should be listed in a grid according to difficulty and time it takes. It was hard to figure out which hike would be best. We were very happy with the one we took. I don't go hiking and this one was pretty easy. There are some steep parts but just go slow.

I'm now buying the guidebook for the Big Island for my parent's for Christmas. It's a must have!

Rating:
Summary: Paradise revealed!
Review: 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.

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

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

Rating:
Summary: The way to go for a honeymoon!
Review: My wife and I took our honeymoon in Hawaii, and purchased two books to help us navigate the sights, food, and things we absolutely had to do on our first trip to Kauai. This book never steered us wrong--from the lookout points in Waimea to the shaved ice, this book was on target every time, which is more than I can say for the day hike in Kauai book we had, of which we struck out 3 of the 4 times we tried to use it. The food reviews were on target, and the activities section was very comprehensive and incredibly helpful in choosing what we wanted to do throughout the week.
If you want a guide book for Kauai, this is the book to get.

Rating:
Summary: The most valuable Kauai guidebook
Review: We had several good guidebooks (Kauai Underground Guide, Snorkel Kauai, Kauai Trailblazer) but this is the one we used most in our week there. If you spend some time with this book before your trip you'll feel much better oriented and have more time to explore and relax in the right places! Be sure to check out their accommodation web reviews before going - you never know what you might wish you knew when you get there. One of our reservations fell through due to an owner emergency and we scrambled for another place to stay at the last minute. Enjoy your trip! Kauai is heaven!