The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook : Kauai Revealed

Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: Having been to Kauai on several vacations and having spent one summer there, I was skeptical I would find much of value in this guide. I couldn't have been more wrong. We found improbably secluded beaches, gorgeous hikes, maginificent waterfalls and interesting towns. One complaint- we took the Kayak Kauai Na Pali coast kayak tour, an unbelievable trip about which the book did not rave enough. If you are going to Kauai, this should be your only guidebook.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: After just returning from a week in Kauai, this book more than paid for itself. The authors know the island very well and explain what needs to be seen, while tell you what should be avoided. The book is written in conversational english which is very easy and sometimes enjoyable to read. This book helped my wife and me discover Kauai's true beauty beyond the tourist traps.

Rating:
Summary: It Just Doesn't Get Better Than This
Review: In short, this is the one book to have if you're going to Kauai. It is extremely thorough, well written, and very honest in it's descriptions of the places, activities and people of Kauai. Most guidebooks come across as a dry, straight-forward presentation of facts. This one is feels more like the opinion of a trusted friend. If you're going to Kaui, buy this book, period. There is also a companion book for the Big Island which, believe it or not, may actually be better. Both are worth ten times the price.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: My boyfriend and I purchased this book for our trip to Kauai in Oct. 2001. It had great maps, good descriptions of hiking trails and beaches, and had excellent restaurants listed - we tried many! We also purchased Horowitz's 16th ed. of the Kauai Underground Guide, which had more info on restaurants, but if you want one book, buy the Ultimate Guide!

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good book, couple of warnings though
Review: Fairly good book. My 2 main complaints are the organization and the restaurant reviews. It's an enormous pain to have to flip through the whole book to find info on a specific area of the island. For example, restaurants, beaches, places to stay on the North shore are at the end of the book in separate sections instead of being with the rest of the info about the North shore. My other major complaint, is that the restaurant reviews are TERRIBLE!!! I realize that this is a subjective area, as I know the authors do, but they really shouldn't put an "Ono" by anything, and just leave the descriptions for people to read and decide where to go. We tried many of the restaurants with an "Ono" by them, and the only restaurants we could agree with the authors on was Cafe Coco and Hanapepe Cafe. The others were a waste of time and money...much better to stay at a place with a kitchen and cook most of your meals. Can hardly call Mema Thai food (it was the worst "thai" food we ate there), and someone who would call Zelo's chocolate suicide cake (or any of their food) delicious, clearly has never had a really good chocolate cake. How they could call some of these places "Ono", and then a place like Postcards overrated is beyond me...it was the 3rd best place we ate at, same total price for the two of us to eat as some of their "Onos" that were down right awful. Also, if you're into hiking, you'll definitely need another book that specializes in that.

Rating:
Summary: Just buy it!
Review: If you are going to Kauai, just buy this book. We (my wife and I) just returned from Kauai over the weekend (10/01) and took this book with us EVERYWHERE. We used it faithfully and found it reliable. From where to eat, beach, snorkel, find sun on an East-side rainy day, hike and even buy lots (everything is realtive in HI) gas it has it! Read it BEFORE you go (unlike we did) so you can get a grasp on how it is laid out. Have a great trip!

Rating:
Summary: Kauai Late August
Review: We loved this book! We were in Kauai in late August w/our kids and this book was very beneficial. It helped us stay away from some possibly dangerous beaches. Also I did not see 1 sign posted announcing the name of a beach so the road names were invaluable. The road to Polihale State park is no road though. It is a rutted dirt road. We made it and it was beautiful but would not want to be there after dark. THe only thing that drove me crazy was having to flip back and forth to different sections. We would be following the map and then have to flip to a different section to get a review for a beach etc...otherwise this is terrific. We did not find Zelo's Beach House very kid friendly though.

Rating:
Summary: Just returned from Kauai and this is the only book we used!
Review: During the planning stage of our trip to Kauai, I purchased about 5 books and when we took our trip August 11-18, we hauled them all with us. A day into our trip, we realilzed that this was the only book we needed, and it's the only one we took anywhere with us. The maps were great, the restaurant and beach reviews were right on, and the recommended places to see couldn't have been more on target. The only thing I would say is that since the book was published, and so many people there were carrying it around, some of those "little known" or "deserted" spots are a little busier than they used to be.

Rating:
Summary: Maui Clearly Defined
Review: After looking at my Maui Revealed with about my 30 post-it notes stuck to pages with notes, I can say it was the most useful book I had during our last trip in March 2001. This was our 3rd Maui trip and we found things missed on earlier visits. The accomodations reviews are very to the point and honest. If it's bad they say so. My only negative comments were the description of problems with swimming along the Kihei area, subsequently corrected on the website, a little more research here before we make sure major claims. If I had to bring only one book to Maui, this would be it.

Rating:
Summary: Seems to be the very best
Review: I also bought Kaua'i Underground. It was a bit wordy, not quite as concise as this one. This book is easy to fallow, and well organized. Definitely see Kipu Falls and plan on getting wet but watch out, though it didn't happen to me, I hear thief's hide in the woods and wait for tourists to leave valuables in there car. No I don't thing they are mary men. Broken window glass is all over the place on the road were you park. For this reason it is probably better to go when it is crowded. Colorado is still the most beautiful state in the union!!!