Different books take different approaches
| • | In search of the ideal Hawaiian island guide |
By Chris Oliver
Advertiser Staff Writer
It's happened to us all. Friends or family members are planning a trip to Hawai'i, and they want to know where to stay, what to see, how to save money, which restaurants come highly recommended. But few of us know all the islands intimately or have experienced every one of Hawai'i's attractions. Truth to tell, even kama'aina can use a little assistance when we travel away from our home islands.
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A reliable guidebook would help, but which of them should you choose?
This "guide to the guides," prepared by travel editor Wanda Adams (WAA) and travel writer Chris Oliver (CO), is designed to offer a sense of the approach taken by each book or guide series — its special features, timeliness, readability and usefulness. Unless otherwise noted, reviews are based on the version of the guide for the state as a whole, but we have noted where single-island guides are available.
This isn't a comprehensive list. We confined our attention to general guides; we'll consider special-interest or single-focus guides (hiking, biking, beaches, etc.) another time. Only books with publication dates or revision dates of 1999 or sooner were considered.
Fodor's 2002 Hawaii
(Guides also available for Maui/Lanai, Honolulu/Waikiki)
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• Format: Lightweight, pocket-shaped paperback; small front segment of color photos; island-by-island chapters with sections on exploring, beaches, dining, lodging, nightlife/arts, outdoor activities, shopping.
• Special features: Vacation countdown (what to do each week as you plan a vacation), detachable Hawai'i map, alphabetized tips, what to read and watch before you go, pull-out Post-It flags with which to mark text of particular interest; suggested itineraries.
• Our impression: Comprehensive, considered by many to be indispensible, lots of handy extras, uses diacriticals, easy to carry and mostly up to date (as with most of the guides, the restaurant section needs updating). A-.
— WAA
• • •
Hidden Hawaii, eleventh edition
(Guides also available for other islands and Honolulu)
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• Format: Trade paperback-size book with AAA maps; some color photos; budget and adventure-oriented island-by-island guide.
• Special features: Tips and factoids dropped in to cut-in boxes; a focus throughout on culture and people; "Hidden" tag in the margins illuminates out-of-the-way or lesser-known attractions; suggests itineraries based on how much time you have on the island, as well as recommended walks and drives. Hidden guides solicit and make use of reader feedback.
• Our impression: A good guide for people who care about the land and outdoors and about cultural sensitivity and who are careful with their money; offers fewer hotel descriptions than some guides, but in a range of prices, with an accent on moderately priced accommodations. B.
— WAA
• • •
Insight Guide Hawaii, tenth edition
(All-Hawai'i guide only)
• Price: $22.95.
• Format: Trade paperback-size book with numerous color photos, articles and sidebars; a bit heavy to carry around; selective, opinionated, designed to offer perspective and to educate beyond the simple go-and-do; large writing team is a who's who of respected travel writers, including many who live Hawai'i; based on original 1980 edition, which has been revised 10 times.
• Special features: All sites of interest bold-faced and marked with number to facilitate location on map; "further reading" recommendations, Hawaiian language glossary.
• Our impression: Highly recommended as an introduction to the Islands, a good book to read before you come or for those who plan to move here; exceptionally fine writing; a distinct point of view (i.e., Kihei and Wailea with "little aesthetic appeal" are summarized in 8 lines of text; Hana gets 10 pages). Points off for using backward 'okina and no kahako. A.
— WAA
• • •
Lonely Planet Hawaii, fifth edition
(O'ahu guide also available)
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• Format: Trade paperback-size book dense with information but easy to carry; virtually a neighborhood-by-neighborhood guide with more than 60 maps.
• Special features: color tabs to help in paging to a particular island; spine stitched for added strength; plenty of accommodation options for people on limited budgets; progresses around each island with each area mapped, described, followed by suggestions for where to stay, eat., etc.; language glossary; the only book to give Ni'ihau and the Northwestern Islands more than a passing mention. Lonely Planet guides solicit and make use of reader feedback.
• Our impression: A very detailed, helpful, logical guide aimed at the very independent traveler; as up to date as any. Especially appreciated opening notes that detailed their philosophy and standards. A.
— WAA
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Moon Handbooks Hawaii, the All-Island Guide, sixth edition
(Review based on Moon Handbooks O'ahu; guides available for Hawai'i as a whole and all major islands)
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• Format: Lightweight, easy to carry; sparse use of black-and-white photos; budget-conscious, information-driven and succinct with particular cultural and ecological sensitivity.
• Special features: Interesting short sidebars ("The Green Flash," "Seasickness," "The Legends of Manoa Valley"); informative articles on Hawai'i people, language, religion; select but in-depth accommodation guide by price; excellent index; the most extensive recommended reading booklist of any guidebook. Inconsistent use of diacriticals.
• Our impression: At its best when it's outdoors (restaurant guide is outdated though articles on island foods are well done; shopping segment sketchy). Appeals to the practical, no-nonsense, careful-with-money travelers, to those sensitive to the environment and to those for whom reading is an important adjunct to traveling. A
— WAA
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Paradise Family Guides
(Review based on Maui guide, ninth edition; guides available for Kaua'i and Hawai'i island)
• Price: $16.95.
• Format: Trade paperback-size book with no color photos, rather small print; focused particularly on families, but also honeymooners and senior travelers.
• Special features: The only guide that noted not only the year of last revision but the month, a helpful detail. Writer Christie Stilson included listings for an extraordinary number of accommodations (200) and restaurants (300).
• Our impression: Too many gushy adjectives and exclamation points; sketchy descriptions of sites and attractions but very detailed information on where to stay; book has a homemade, self-published feel. C.
— WAA
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Explore Maui: An Independent Travelers' Guide
• Price: $9.95
• Format: Colorful trade paperback-size guide on magazine stock; good-sized print; wide-ranging. Writer Blair Pruitt produced this guide for Mutual Publishing and it seems aimed at prospective residents as well as travelers.
• Special features: Beach-by-beach guide with photos of each; pidgin included in language glossary; articles on flora and fauna, geology, sugarcane; select (but somewhat outdated) restaurant reviews. Uses diacriticals properly.
• Our impression: This is a rather a quirky mix, going into more detail than usual on some topics (average rainfall, a Maui history timeline, times of sunrise and sunset on Haleakala) while glossing over others (no descriptions of hotels, just basic stats). B-
— WAA
• • •
The Essential Guide to Maui
(Review based on Maui guide; others include )
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• Format: Square, colorful, slick-paper book, though perhaps an awkward size for carrying on excursions; lavishly illustrated; book begins with history and culture, moves onto exploring, beaches, activities and necessary information, then tours the island region by region.
• Special features: "Top Ten Essentials for a Great Vacation," well-written articles and sidebars that weave history and culture together with practical information, beach guide with ratings, plus detailed, descriptive and even opinionated information on activities and attractions. Released late last year.
• Our impression: Invitingly designed by Jim Wageman with highly readable and densely fact-packed text by writer Virginia Wageman (former Advertiser art critic). One to savor even before you travel; a coffee table book in appearance but a guidebook in completeness and accuracy. A.
— WAA
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Rough Guides
(Maui and Honolulu guides available)
• Price: $20.95.
• Format: Trade paperback-sized guide with 24 pages of color photos and 55 maps; possibly the most up-to-date of the guides with a publication date of November, 2001. The focus is on out-of-the-way, remote sites, hikes and water sports. Detailed, and by our observation, right-on hotel and restaurant information.
• Our impression: This one is rightly a favorite of those who like a more rugged, down-to-earth experience; it was a pioneer in making adventure travel, eco-travel and beach and sea coverage a part of the guide menu. A.
—WAA
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Frommer's Hawaii 2002
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• Format: Trade paperback-sized guide. At 600-plus pages, this packs a lot of information, beginning with a calendar of events, planning a vacation, moving on to thorough coverage in an island-by-island format.
• Special Features: "The Best of Hawai'i" covers what is special about the islands; "What's New" points up changes since last edition.
• Our impression: Candid, informative, the authors have been everywhere you're likely to go and they know their stuff. Interesting sidebars on what's new, island history, island food, pidgin, off-the-beaten-track places and suggested favorite experiences on each island. A guide for travelers who really want to know what they're getting. A.
— CO
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Driving & Discovering O'ahu
(Maui and Moloka'i guide available)
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• Format: Slim, oversized, rectangle-shaped guide. Concentrates on how to get where you're going and what to see on the way.
• Special Features: "Photo Finder" — the 250 photographs are indicated by a numbered location right on the book's maps, allowing readers to preview sites visually; also designed to lead shutterbugs to good photo locations.
• Our impression: If you lean toward photography, this award-winning book is irresistible, covering each island, area by area, map by map with fresh and insightful information aimed at the active traveler. Don't drive away without it. A.
— CO
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Escape to the Hawaiian Islands, Fodor's
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• Format: Small, square hardback.
• Special Features: Focuses on lesser-known places and events.
• Our impression: This little gem of a travel guide with photographs by Bob Holmes and text by Paul Wood, is a before-you-go kind of read. We mention it because of its ability to capture the essence of Hawai'i on each island. Whether it's the Munro Trail on Lana'i or the variety of anthuriums in Hilo Market, Holmes and Wood present a selection of Hawai'i's attractions in beautiful photographs and lyrical text. An informative "All the Details" section at the back of the book tells you everything you need to know before you go. A.
— CO
