Compass American Guides: Hawaii, 5th Edition

Rating:
Summary: Excellent guide!
Review: I recently returned from my first trip to Hawai'i and this book was constantly at my side! Visiting O'ahu, Kaua'i and the Big Island, I wanted to make sure I got the most out of all islands. This book has excellent photography, superb maps and has information on all major sightseeing and tourist attractions.

One of the things that truly separates this guide from many other of it's ilk are the additional sections that include the legends and history of the island chain. All Hawai'i guidebooks will tell you that Spouting Horn blowhole is a must-see on Kaua'i, but few will mention the legend of the lost mo'o, or lizard that is trapped inside the blowhole. In addition, excerpts from literary travelers like Mark Twain and Isabella Bird provide interesting perspectives on the various islands.

This guide goes beyond simply showing you what to do, it provides an excellent read!

I didn't give it 5 stars because there wasn't information on pricing, hours and other details for most of the attractions. This wasn't a big problem for me, but you may want to purchase an additional guide if they desire this information.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent guide!
Review: I recently returned from my first trip to Hawai'i and this book was constantly at my side! Visiting O'ahu, Kaua'i and the Big Island, I wanted to make sure I got the most out of all islands. This book has excellent photography, superb maps and has information on all major sightseeing and tourist attractions.

One of the things that truly separates this guide from many other of it's ilk are the additional sections that include the legends and history of the island chain. All Hawai'i guidebooks will tell you that Spouting Horn blowhole is a must-see on Kaua'i, but few will mention the legend of the lost mo'o, or lizard that is trapped inside the blowhole. In addition, excerpts from literary travelers like Mark Twain and Isabella Bird provide interesting perspectives on the various islands.

This guide goes beyond simply showing you what to do, it provides an excellent read!

I didn't give it 5 stars because there wasn't information on pricing, hours and other details for most of the attractions. This wasn't a big problem for me, but you may want to purchase an additional guide if they desire this information.

Rating:
Summary: A good general guide if you plan to visit all the islands
Review: This book is a good general guide to all the islands but does not go into enough detail if you are planning a trip to just one of the islands. I wish that I had also purchased a book on O'ahu where we spent a week of vacation.

There is a section on the history of the islands. When visiting Honolulu, the Bishop Museum offers very good exhibitions of the history and culture of the Hawaiian islands. One room is devoted to the royal family. Another explains how the Hawaiians arrived in the islands around 400 A.D. The museum offers educations shows every 30 minutes, we attended a lecture on Hawaiian plants, the mythology of the islanders, and the hula. This is a great place to visit if you have kids.

Honolulu and Waikiki have their own chapter. We had a room at the Hilton Hawaiian Village,one of the hotels recommended in the book. It is centrally located, right on Waikiki beach and yet only blocks from the Honolulu business district. Our room overlooked the city where we could watch outriggers race their boats in the central canal that drains rain water away from the city.

The guide tells you that The Bus, the island's public transportation system takes visitors to all parts of the island and thus minimizes the need for a rental car. Because we like to hike in the rain forrests, we found it better to rent a car so that we could locate trail heads and have a car waiting for us at the end of a hike.

In the center of downtown Honolulu is the Iolani Palace, the state captital and multiple museums. Also the grand black and gold leaf statue of King Kamahameha overlooks the rush of downtown traffic.

One evening we took a nice walk around Kapilani Park, a short 1.8 mile loop, and we peeped between the bushes into the Honolulu Zoo and watched their herd of giraffes being fed.

The giant volcanoe ruins of Diamond Head dominate the landscape of Honolulu and Waikiki. The hike to the top of Diamond Head starts up in the mountains behind the volcanoe. If you drive into the parking lot the cost is $5 per car. If you park outside the volcane and walk through the tunnel to the park entrance, the hiking fee is $1 per person. The hike is fun. There are multiple switchbacks as you climb the mountain. There are tunnels, stairs, and old military installations before you reach the look outs at the top. The views are magnificent! The ocean is a 100 shades of blue and the entire Waikiki beach can be seen. Slow down when walking up or down the mountain to enjoy the wild birds. The Java Sparrows; with their magenta beaks and legs, grey bodies, and bold black and white heads; are beautiful birds.

We ate dinner at the Todai. This Asian seafood buffet was pretty amazing and I would recommend it to anyone who is up for all you can eat sushi.

In the residential mountains above Honolulu is a double-bonus. The Manoa Waterfall trail is next to the Lyon Arboretum, a property of the University of Hawaii. The hike up to the waterfall is not challenging and the falls are beautiful. The arboretum is full of exotic trees, ferns, and flowers. We took picture after picture of the tropic rainforrest blooms. Guides tell you to never leave personal objects in your car at these parking spots. Please take this advice seriously.

Three highways connect Honolulu to the other side of O'ahu. The Pali highway, the Lekileki Highway, and Highway 3 all offer spectacular views. The giant Pali mountains reach into the misty clouds, covered with tropic vegetation and waterfalls when it rains. The Pali highway has a view point that allows a great view of the north central part of O'ahu.

Greater O'ahu also has a chapter devoted to it.

We went to visit the Summer Palace of Princess Emma in the Pali just beyond the city of Honolulu. The gardens were small but well groomed. The house was very similar in structure and design to the grand homes of the southern USA. The guides were senior women who knew incredible amounts about Hawaiian history and were eager to share. Emma's hadn carved bed had images of feathers for royalty and pineapples for hospitality. The bedspreads on all the beds were the wonderful Hawaiian quits with plant imagery sewn onto each.

We drove east until we reached Makapu'u Lookout and Lighthouse. The walk is all uphill going to the top but allows wonderful views of the ocean all along the way. We heard that January was the time of year to see whales with new born calves, but unfortunately we did not see any. Kaohikaipu Island and Manana (Rabbit) Island are beautiful from the high cliffs of Makapu'u. The waters are churning turquoise and ultramarine. The further out you drive past this point, the more rural the island becomes. As we reached the northern shores, the waves became more and more dramatic. They were grand crashing giants, dangerous and fierce and beautiful. We drove all the way to Kaena Point, the Northwest tip of the island. You have to park your car and walk the final two miles to reach the tip. We heard the trail was hot and dry. We found just the opposite. It was wet and muddy and misty with the pounding surf. We walked on the muddy trail most of the way but we also tried walking on the rocky cliffs and beaches. The trail may be dry in the summer but in the winter, I would strongly recommend hiking boots to be able to navagate the muddy trails.

We visited Waianae, a community of native Hawaiians. It was very interesting to see a community full of natives, rather than Asians and Caucasians who now make up 50% of the population. The native folks greet each other and depart from each other by putting their foreheads together and breathing a single breath together.

I would say that the guide was good, basic information. The maps did not not have enough detail. We found the book to be best supplemented with local maps and publications on the sights and sounds of Honolulu, Waikiki, and Oahu.

Rating:
Summary: Good background info - reads like a story
Review: This book makes an interesting read, even if you don't plan on going to Hawaii - I give it four stars because of two things: the irrelevant underwater photos, and the lack of detail. This guidebook has murky underwater b&w photos of dolphins or whales or something for chapter headings - pretty much useless. The photos of natural Hawaii places (for instance the two page spread of Wainamamahea (sp.?) Beach in Maui) are beautiful, and more should have been included. It's best to buy a Let's Go Hawaii or Rough Guide to go along with this book...it glosses over a lot of the details of actually having a decent trip.

The stories of the people of Hawaii, and the vignettes about each town make this book a worthwhile purchase. This Compass series of guidebooks is great.

Rating:
Summary: Good background info - reads like a story
Review: This book makes an interesting read, even if you don't plan on going to Hawaii - I give it four stars because of two things: the irrelevant underwater photos, and the lack of detail. This guidebook has murky underwater b&w photos of dolphins or whales or something for chapter headings - pretty much useless. The photos of natural Hawaii places (for instance the two page spread of Wainamamahea (sp.?) Beach in Maui) are beautiful, and more should have been included. It's best to buy a Let's Go Hawaii or Rough Guide to go along with this book...it glosses over a lot of the details of actually having a decent trip.

The stories of the people of Hawaii, and the vignettes about each town make this book a worthwhile purchase. This Compass series of guidebooks is great.